MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – Muskegon County commissioners have tentatively agreed to moved forward with plans to purchase the former Nugent Sand mine property in Norton Shores that recently was appraised at nearly $15 million.

Following a public hearing Tuesday, March 4, commissioners voted 8-1 to allow the county parks department to apply for a state grant that would cover 60 percent of the cost of purchasing the 377-acre property in order to create public recreation space.

The property, located off of West Sherman Boulevard in Norton Shores, includes 1,917 feet of Lake Michigan frontage and two inland lakes.

The remaining 40 percent cost of the property purchase would be covered by the property owner and a land conservancy, according to a representative of the owner.

A majority, but not all, who spoke during the public hearing expressed support for plans to convert the property to recreational use.

The sole vote against moving forward came from Commissioner Zach Lahring, who claimed that Muskegon County already has more parks than any other county in the state, and said that the land should be developed privately instead.

The issue, voted by commissioners at their ways and means committee meeting, will now move to a second vote at the board’s meeting on Tuesday, March 10. The grant application is due April 1.

Prior to the hearing, Muskegon County Community Development Director Bob Lukens presented an appraisal commissioned by the county and conducted by Nordlund & Associates, a Ludington-based firm, that valued the land at $14.9 million.

If approved, a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ trust fund would cover 60 percent of the purchasing costs, or about $8.94 million.

The remaining 40 percent would come from a land value donation from the sand mining company and its owner, Robert Chandonnet, and the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. The two parties have not yet decided how much of that portion each would cover, according to Denny Cherette, founder of the Grand Haven-based Cherette Group real estate firm overseeing the property’s sale, who acts as a representative of the mine’s owner.

The county would not pay for any portion of the purchase, commissioners said.

According to the rules of applying for a DNR trust fund grant, the county would have to source at least 25 percent in matching funds.

By providing 40 percent instead, the county’s odds of winning the grant improve, said Joe Engel, executive director of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan, which intends to unofficially advise the county on securing the “competitive” grant.

If the county is approved for the grant, the board would still have to decide whether to formally make an offer to the landowner. That wouldn’t occur until December at the earliest, officials have said.

The commission room was packed for the public hearing, during which 15 people spoke in favor of the county purchasing the property, and four people spoke against it.

“I am 100 percent behind this project,” said Paul Baumgartner, a neighbor to the proposed park. “I think people need to look at this as an investment to the Muskegon community, and I think it’s well worth the investment in the long run.”

Muskegon resident Kim Daniel said she thought a park of this size would help grow the county’s tourism industry and attract young professionals to the area.

“It’s great for the people and businesses of Muskegon County,” she said.

Sherri DeBoef Chandler said that she lives near the property, and that the project would offer children the same recreational opportunities that she had in the area as a child.

“As a child, there were woods all over that we could go explore,” she said. “Now, so much is owned or closed off to the children in Muskegon, and this is such a beautiful property … I think it will benefit generations to come.”

Several of those who supported the plan referred to it as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” The land has been for sale for the last two years.

Engel, who is also a Muskegon resident, summed up many supporters’ sentiment: “I have both a professional and a personal interest in thinking that this is one of the best things that could possibly happen to Muskegon County and its people in a long gosh-darn time."

Those opposed to turning the property into public land were largely concerned about costs.

“I’m totally against Muskegon County purchasing this ground at this point in time,” said Michael Delpercio of North Muskegon.

He said the county would lose out on the tax revenue currently generated by the private owners. He also questioned the costs of starting up the project, as well as maintaining the park down the line.

“The cost of purchase is just the beginning of the project,” Delpercio said.

Lahring, the county commissioner who voted against the project, said he thought it would be better for the county if the land was developed privately in order to generate tax revenue.

Cherette, the representative for the owner, said the land could be developed, but that “our heart lies in trying to have this be a county asset.”

“In terms of our other options, they are many,” he said. “In terms of what we’d like to see happen, it is specific: this opportunity.”

He also said that the company’s own studies suggested that it would be a draw for future development in the surrounding area.

The county has not designed a “master plan” for recreational development of the property, but has floated a variety of options, including carving out walking and hiking trails, creating Lake Michigan beach access, and providing fishing areas and kayak launches.

The Nugent Sand company mined Lake Michigan dune sand for over 100 years, beginning in 1912. The owners considered several private development proposals in the past, including a 2013 proposal to construct a $50 million gated residential community on 200 acres of the property.

At a public meeting in Norton Shores in February, Cherette said that his firm had been involved in assessing that project, which ultimately failed due to lack of financing. Others failed due to environmental concerns over developing land that contains a critical dune and provides a stopover for migrating birds.

Other former sand mines along Lake Michigan have been transformed into public parks in recent years, including in Ludington and Ottawa County.

Engel referred to those projects when he voiced his and his organization’s support for the proposed park on Tuesday.

“The opportunity to work with the county to create this type of a park – we can’t make any more beach,” he said. “You can’t re-create this type of environment. Once you put up McMansions on all of this beachfront, it’s gone.”

Read more on MLive:

Former Nugent Sand property eyed for park development by Muskegon County

Proposed 377-acre Lake Michigan park near Muskegon gets support from packed crowd

353 acres of dune land near Lake Michigan opens to public next week