Concerned county residents had the chance to share their views at a Leland Township Planning Commission public hearing held Jan. 7 regarding the application of a special land use permit for a Youth for Christ (YFC) program club center.
The rescheduled meeting was held in the Northport Performing Arts Center auditorium after the commission had to cancel the previous Dec. 3 public hearing due to attendance exceeding room capacity at the Leland Township Library’s Munnecke room.
There were between 100-200 people in attendance at the public hearing, which lasted over three hours, with public comment periods taking up the majority of the time. While no decision was made regarding the special land use permit by the planning commission, board members plan to gather again for a follow up meeting to discuss the findings of fact.
Just before the start of the hearing, Leland Township Planning Commission Chairman Ross Satterwhite made the announcement of his resignation. His term would have expired in 2028.
He explained that after taking a hard look at his schedule and responsibilities for the coming year, it’s become clear that his work in other personal responsibilities and important family obligations would mean that he would not be able to attend future planning commission meetings as well as fulfill the duties of the role going forward. Satterwhite did, however, still serve as the chairman for the duration of the hearing.
The special use permit application, submitted by Apollos Properties, LLC., is to use a portion of the north side of the building, located at 110 N Lake Street. The north building, one of two commercial buildings on the property, is approximately 2,470 square feet, and falls in the C-1 village commercial zoning district, a zone established for small scale businesses and retail establishments. As stated in the special land use permit application, the tenant, YFC, would operate its county-wide program under a five-year lease.
The commission first discussed the application for a special use permit from Apollos Properties on Nov. 5, where the applicant, James Van Steenhouse, owner of Apollos Properties, introduced himself and the idea of a YFC club center to the public alongside his attorney, as well as YFC staff members/husband and wife duo Micah and Kya Cramer. The Cramers run the Leelanau County YFC chapter known as the Leland Lighthouse, an affiliate of Youth for Christ USA, a multinational nonprofit Christian organization.
The proposal of opening a YFC club center in downtown Leland and the outreach approach Micah and Kya have taken with youth in the past year has continued to be a contentious topic among residents and parents. Members of the public and local businesses have voiced both their support and opposition via township correspondence and at township meetings of YFC and its request to operate a clubhouse in Leland’s commercial district.
Many people against granting the special use permit to YFC urged the commission to focus on the substantive land use concerns coming from residents and business owners that would be impacted by the decision.
Leland resident Matthew Hogan, one of the many members of the public who spoke at the meeting, said he wanted to be clear that the issue was “not about anyone’s religious beliefs,” noting how Leland has long welcomed its churches. Hogan also talked about how concerns raised by parents and residents, including issues of transparency, consent, and boundary setting, allude to a broader pattern that has eroded trust within the community. Hogan emphasized that the zoning issue stands alone though, explaining how the C-1 district exists to support commerce and the visitor experience in and around Fishtown, the economic heart of Leland.
“This is about zoning, specifically whether a religious youth ministry belongs in the C-1 commercial district, a district intended to protect retail, restaurants, pedestrian flow, and the tourism economy that sustains Leland,” Hogan said. “These concerns raise serious doubts about whether this organization would reliably adhere to the conditions of a special use permit. When parents submitted nonconsent letters, Lighthouse leadership publicly labeled those parents as the enemy and called their letters vile. That language speaks for itself and raises serious concerns about their posture to the community they claim to care so deeply about. In the short time this organization has operated in Leland, the tactics used to establish this ministry have created disruption and division unlike anything many longtime residents have experienced.”
Fishtown Preservation Board of Directors Chair David Burkhardt shared the view of the organization stating that they also strongly opposed the special land use permit, making clear that they express no opinion on the religious beliefs or programming of the applicant or its tenant. Their concerns are the impact of zoning integrity, historical district protection, and land use compatibility.
“A youth religious clubhouse does not support retail, it does not serve visitors, it does not support the waterfront economy,” Burkhardt said. “Equally important is that approving this permit would set a very dangerous precedent, opening the door to additional noncommercial quasi institutional uses that would dilute the purpose of the commercial district and permanently weaken the protections of the preserve Fishtown. This site is already one of Leland’s most congested pitch points; a high turnover youth center with frequent drop offs and pickups would increase traffic conflicts and safety risks at the very entrance of Fishtown.”
While Micah and Kya did not speak during the hearing, their lawyer, Micah’s parents, and their supporters, several of which were youth from the group, all made public comments about YFC and its mission.
Northport resident Erica Humphrey spoke about her love for Micah and Kya, noting her own similar passion for youth ministry as “it saved her life in high school.” Humphrey also mentioned how YFC would serve the entire county because it’s centrally located for Northport, Suttons Bay, and Leland, explaining how only half of the kids can drive and that most carpool or walk there.
“I feel like we know that we’ve said that this is about zoning, but I can’t help but feel like it’s persecution of the faith… I don’t think that the driving issue, the parking issue, is as big of a deal as they are making it out to be,” Humphrey said.
West Side Community Church Teaching Pastor AJ Garcia also spoke in support of the Cramers and YFC, asserting that while there’s been some confusion over what YFC is, “they are not a church and certainly not a cult.”
“While some will try to define them as such, any historical, theological or superficial study would prove that to be false,” Garcia said. “It is a club that voluntarily meets for mentoring and community, consistent with similar organizations across the state, that should be the basis of your decision. Much of the broader controversy however has not been about zoning, but about discomfort with Christianity… I believe that the god of the bible created every person here, and he knows them, loves them, died for them, and can rescue them, and Leland does not need less of that hope, it needs more of it.”
Satterwhite said the next planning commission meeting will be held on Feb. 4, with a set venue yet to be determined. For updates on meeting dates, go to www.leelanau.gov/townships/leland/about/planning_commission.php.
