Hello!

It's been almost a year since I last posted an update. Since then, the Dollar General has opened, as well as the very large storage operation next door. That corner has now been forever changed.

While we can't change what has happened, we can work to prevent it from happening again. This petition was the catalyst for a group called the Friends for the Protection of Long Lake and the founding members were Cris Crew, Lee Day and me. We came together to take action because of this petition and after months of attending township meetings, Cris and Lee have both decided that the best way to impact outcomes was to run for Long Lake Township Board of Trustees. Cris Crew is running as a Republican, so you'll see her on the primary ballot. Lee Day is running as an independent, so you'll see her on the November ballot. I tend to lean more Democrat (though it's often issue dependent) so the conversations we had were balanced, reasonable and productive as we worked through opportunities to stop the Dollar General with your support.

In the end, the zoning of "use-by-right" meant there was nothing to be done...this time. However, we have lots of Long Lake to protect and our entire group served proudly on the steering committee to help provide insight on the commercial "activity centers" in our master plan to help protect Long Lake from over-commercialization by formulaic "big box" stores. We advocated for agribusiness, agritourism, and creating a community that celebrates the Long Lake lifestyle. We also suggested there should be tree buffers to create a more natural appearance to our commercial areas and that businesses should follow a design aesthetic that is more in line with the businesses already established, such as Long Lake Grocery and Long Lake Artisans Gallery.

These recommendations now await action by the Planning Commission and I know that Lee and Cris will continue to research, attend, suggest solutions and be part of looking forward to help Long Lake fulfill the vision we all have of our beautiful corner of Michigan. I'm proud to have been able to work so closely with both of these women, to see the strength and commitment and reasonability they bring to each issue impacting the township, because I can now truly say that I support them in running for office. I hope you will, too. 

Thank you for reading and enjoy a lovely weekend of Long Lake living!

-Maia Turek