Photo courtesy of East Bluff Bike Park & Campground.com

GRANT TOWNSHIP – Staff Reports regarding two recreational facilities in Keweenaw County have requested zoning amendments have been published. After reviewing the submitted materials, County Administrator Susan Hockings stated in both reports she found the applications included the basic information necessary to process under the zoning ordinance procedures.The facilities are East Bluff Bike Park & Campground, located on Mandan Road, and the Trails End Campground. The applications contain the completed form, parcel and ownership information, the requested zoning amendment, written responses to the ordinance review questions, the required signatures and application fee.

As stated in the Staff Report, the East Bluff facility features a bike trail system and is a significant recreational resource in the Copper Harbor area and provides biking, hiking, skiing and other outdoor recreation activities that attract visitors from across the region.

Trails End has operated as an established campground and visitor destination in the Copper Harbor area since 2017. The property serves tourists, outdoor recreation users, seasonal visitors and travelers seeking accommodations within the northern Keweenaw Peninsula. The campground includes a network of internal roads, an established campground, visitor facilities, utility infrastructure and recreational amenities serving both overnight guests as well as seasonal visitors.

An important characteristic of the subject property, the report says, is the integration of visitor accommodations, local food production, recreation-related activities and tourism services within a single operation. The property includes greenhouse and agricultural facilities associated with Soil & Soul Farm, a local agricultural operation producing organic vegetables for area restaurants and retail establishments.

Both properties are currently zoned Rural Residential (RRB). The request is to amend the zoning classification to Resort Services (RS2).

“At East Bluff,” Hockings said, “they had a Special Use Permit to run a campground.”

The requested rezoning is intended to align the zoning designation with property’s established use a campground and recreation facility, she said.

Hockings said a public hearing of the Keweenaw County Planning Commissionregarding the requests has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 24.

“If the Planning Commission chooses to approve the request, the approval is just a recommendation to to the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners to approve the rezoning,” she said. “Then the Board of Commissioners will make the decision to approve or deny the requests. They have the final say; that’s how that works.”

Trails End Campground is co-owned by Aaron Rogers and John Meilhan. Rogers is the president and owner of Rock Solid Trails Contracting, the world’s largest bike trail building company. His business began in the remote northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Copper Harbor, where he transformed the local terrain into a globally recognized mountain biking system. Growing from a small local crew, the company operates with around 100 employees, listing dual headquarters in Copper Harbor and Bentonville, AZ. Prior to starting Rock Solid, Aaron was President of the Copper Harbor Trails Club. The East Bluff Bike Park & Campground is owned by Rogers.