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March 2, 2006

Fishtown purchase deal reached

Preservation group agrees to buy historic site

By
Record-Eagle business editor

photo Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
Laura Quackenbush, a board member of the Fishtown Preservation Society, sits across from the north side of Fishtown that will be acquired by the society, along with the fishing boats Janice Sue and Joy, for preservation.
      LELAND - A local preservation group has an agreement to purchase Leland's historic Fishtown district.
      The Fishtown Preservation Society said Wednesday it's negotiated a "letter of intent" with the Carlson family owners to acquire the Fishtown property along the Leland River- an authentic fishing village that draws tens of thousands of tourists each year to northern Leelanau County.
      "We're really excited about it," said Richard Rossman, president of the preservation group. "We've been working at it for more than a year, and we got it done."
      The deal includes property along the north side of the Leland River between the Cove restaurant and the Manitou Island ferry boat docks. On it rests a dozen fish shanty-style shops that feature food, pottery, clothing - and the Carlson's fish market - that will continue to be leased to the present tenants, he said.
      Rossman would not disclose a purchase price. The agreement allows for a 90-day inspection period when the society will check out the buildings and survey the property. The goal is to have a formal purchase agreement completed by June 1 when the society will disclose the amount, he said.
      The Carlson family had plans to list the property last year for a reported $3.5 million, although it was never formally put up for sale while negotiations with the preservation group continued.
      The group said the purchase price is "far below" what the Carlson family originally sought for the property. Bill Carlson of Leland, whose family has fished commercially on Lake Michigan for generations, is the principal owner with brothers Mark and Leon.
      Fishtown business owner Phil Anderson welcomed the deal, and said it will help maintain the docks as a combination of a vibrant summertime business district and a historic attraction.
      "This is definitely what we've been hoping for," said Anderson, who's owned a clothing and accessory store in Fishtown for 24 years. "There's a lot of marinas out there - and a lot of shopping - but (Fishtown's) the one thing that makes Leland totally unique."
      The proposed sale also includes purchase of the fishing boats Janice Sue and Joy and related fishing equipment and licenses. The group intends to continue a chub fishing operation out of the wharf through a lease with the Carlson family.
      An active fishery is important to Fishtown's authenticity, said Laura Quackenbush who's curator of the Leelanau Historical Museum and serves on the preservation society board.
      "Leland's historic Fishtown is a unique cultural landscape and one of the last commercial fishing complexes in the Great Lakes," she said. "The (fishing equipment and market) are an integral part of that."
      The group hopes to raise enough money to buy the property by Dec. 1 when they hope to close the sale, officials said. It has long-range plans to create a separate fund in conjunction with the Leelanau Historical Society to help preserve the property in its weather-worn appearance.
      "What we want to do is to preserve it and keep it as it is," Rossman said. "We've assured all the folks down there that's what we intend to do."
     

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