TEXT BY RJ MEINDERTSMA PHOTOS BY NEXT DOOR PHOTOS
CottagePOINT
ON TANNERY BAY
T
Today, perhaps more than ever, our collective goal is to learn from—and help right—the environmental wrongs of the past. Since the passage of the Environmental Protection Act of 1970, communities have worked tirelessly to restore lands once scarred by industry. Many of these former Brownfield sites, originally chosen for their proximity to transportation and natural resources, line the shores of Lake Michigan. Though reclamation can be both time-consuming and costly, the results have been transformative. Across the region, once-blighted areas have been reborn as vibrant, sustainable community assets. Notable examples include the Edgewater Commercial Park and Harbor Shores, home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course along the St. Joseph River near Benton Harbor, and Bay Harbor in Petoskey—an acclaimed, five-mile waterfront community overlooking Little Traverse Bay. Nestled between Whitehall and Montague, White Lake has long been a cherished resort area with easy access to the Big Lake. The site’s story stretches back to 1865, when the Eagle Tanning Works began operations along its southern shore. For more than a century, and well into the 1970s, the tannery’s production left a legacy of contamination and lake eutrophication. Thanks to decades of citizen advocacy and environmental remediation, White Lake achieved a milestone in 2014, when it was officially delisted by the EPA as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. The removal of contaminants and revitalization of the shoreline restored the lake’s health to that of other thriving Great Lakes tributaries— a tangible symbol of renewal and resilience. Rising from this restored waterfront is Tannery Bay, a thoughtfully planned residential community in Whitehall. The transformation is led by Eastbrook Homes, a Michigan-based builder known for innovative, community-oriented design. Once a site defined by industry, it is now a sought-after haven for those seeking high-quality lakeside living. Mick McGraw, Eastbrook’s president and CEO for the past 31 years, has grown the company through innovative land planning creating entire communities from the ground up. Their portfolio includes Bailey’s Grove, deemed the largest Master Planned community in West Michigan. Bailey’s Grove spans the gamut of community needs from multi-faceted residential options, retail areas, medical facilities to a public elementary school. Despite the scale of its growth, Eastbrook remains grounded in its stewardship of the environment. “In all of our communities, we literally walk the land before buying it—like an old farmer,” McGraw explained. “We study the site’s characteristics and find ways to build what the land tries to give us. The dirt will give you only so much, but it does tell us what we can do with it. I feel strongly about tree preservation. We do an extensive site survey looking for ways to leave desirable trees alone.”