“A community is strongest when the people who take care of it can also live in it.”

The Sleeping Bear Gateways Council (SBGC) was established to preserve and enhance the Sleeping Bear Dunes communities by capturing opportunities and mitigating challenges that may impact on their charm and character. Our Land Committee was formed to create a sustainable, privately funded approach to attainable workforce housing—one that strengthens our community without adding pressure to local government budgets or changing the special character of Leelanau County.

Our goal is clear: to support the creation of 300 long-term attainable homes for the people who help our County thrive every day—teachers, first responders, healthcare professionals, service workers, and others who are essential to our quality of life.

SBGC raises private philanthropic funds to purchase appropriate land for housing. Once acquired, the land is placed into a Community Land Trust (CLT) for approximately 99 years, ensuring long-term affordability in accordance with State of Michigan requirements, HUD guidelines, and proven stewardship and resale formulas. By removing the cost of land from the equation, homes become attainable today—and remain affordable for generations.

Collaboration is essential to this work. By partnering with the County, Townships, Villages, and local nonprofits, we can create practical, community-focused housing solutions that serve those who live and work here.

We are not seeking local public funding or tax dollars. Instead, we respectfully ask to collaborate on zoning pathways that make attainable housing possible—allowing modest, attractive, single-family-friendly homes on ¼-acre lots, where appropriate. This may include higher-density zoning in suitable locations, zoning adjustments for supportive parcels, or streamlined review processes for community-led housing efforts. These steps require no new public spending, yet they can open the door to homes that local families can truly afford.

Today, many of our workforce members commute long distances or leave the region altogether because housing options are limited. Addressing this challenge is essential to sustaining the services, traditions, and sense of community that make Leelanau County such a special place to call home.

We welcome the opportunity to work together to ensure that those who serve this community can continue to live within it—now and for generations to come.