At their Tuesday regular meeting, the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal from Progressive AE, Inc., in Grand Rapids, “to review and evaluate” the county’s special land use permit (SLUP) application to construct a telecommunications tower on Kitchen Road in Northport. The firm is being paid $5,300 for these services.
The county had hoped to start this project much sooner to provide better cellular coverage in Leelanau Township. The township and the county have been working on an intergovernmental agreement to build the tower for some time now. The township board committed $100,000 of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards this project back in March 2023.
It took over a year for both parties to agree on the language for this agreement, with the township approving the document at their Feb. 13, 2024, meeting. At the April 9 township board meeting, the board realized that the project had not gone through the proper review process through the planning commission.
