Elk Rapids: A Town that Does Things Right

Oct. 27, 2004

Good planning and smart growth have made all the difference

Drop into Elk Rapids on a summer day or fall color weekend and you’ll find downtown jammed with visitors. It can even be a scramble to find a parking place in this bustling village which straddles the isthmus between Grand Traverse Bay and Elk Lake.
It’s a far cry from the Elk Rapids of 15-20 years ago, when downtown was lackluster at best and verging on shabby. A Rip Van Winkle who fell asleep back then would hardly know the place upon waking today because Elk Rapids has had a sparkling transformation into one of Northern Michigan’s most dynamic small towns. While some communities across the region are feeling a sense of eroding downtowns, both merchants and residents alike will tell you that Elk Rapids is thriving, with a dazzling future in view.

GOOD PLANNING
Elk Rapids started out as a settlement of the Anishinabek Indians long before the first whites arrived. In 1847, government surveyor Abram Wadsworth found a pair of elk horns in the rapids near the mouth of Elk River, bestowing a name that would stick. He returned in 1848 to build a home and sawmill on the site. In the years since, Elk Rapids has been the site of an iron smelting industry, Portland cement, cherry packing plants and a tool factory. The town took a dive in the 1960s and ‘70s, but was gradually revitalized with the creation of a harbor that brought in tourist trade.
What’s responsible for the current renaissance?
“First of all, we’ve got an awful lot of nice people here,” says Barb Mullaly, owner of Mullaly’s 128 art gallery. “They’ve done a good job of planning and I think the town has grown positively because of it. There hasn’t been that surge of growth that puts people off in other places.
“Also, Elk Rapids has made the right moves in creating things like the new marina,” she adds. “When my husband and I moved here, this was a town that needed some spit and polish, but the new marina, streetscape and a good master plan all helped a lot.”
Dan Reszka, co-owner of the Blue Heron Gallery and a former member of the village council for eight years and the planning commission for six, agrees that good planning produced a good outcome.
“There was a lot of planning involving the master plan for the area and development downtown,” he recalls. “Some people grumbled about some of what was done at times, including myself, but the majority of decisions were good ones.”
Those improvements led to an explosion in business.
“Our business is really pumped up in July and August and we’re doing well now too because of the color tour season,” Reszka says. “I was surprised at how well we did even in early May and June.”

LOCATION, LOCATION...
Elk Rapids’ location along a gorgeous sugar sand stretch of the bay and within proximity to Traverse City has been a plus.
“First of all, we’re right on Lake Michigan and Elk Lake which makes a great destination,” Reszka says. “But I think that people in general are looking for small communities to live in and this is a prime example of what they’re looking for. A lot of people moving to this are used to being here for second homes or cottages, but now they’re more in search of permanent homes. A lot of people are retiring here; it’s not just a bedroom community for Traverse City.”
Percentage-wise, the population of Elk Rapids Township grew by about 10% in the ‘90s, with the Village expanding by about 5%. The U.S. Census shows that the Village grew from 1,626 residents in 1990 to 1,700 in 2000; with 2,374 in the Township in ‘90 and 2,741 in 2000. Those numbers could rise significantly by the 2010 census, however, owing to several new condo and housing developments going up around town.
“I’d like to see it stay a small community,” Reszka says. “It needs to grow carefully. I wouldn’t want to see the town become just a spread-out part of Traverse City. I’d like it to stay a small town that’s still thriving.”

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
At one time, Elk Rapids was just a crossroads most people drove past at 60mph on their way up or down U.S. 31. Today, it’s a destination.
In addition to its Marina, which has become a major draw for the town, Elk Rapids has added community festivals such as its Evenings on River Street each week in the summer, and the Harbor Days festival which anchors the first week in August.
“Our location has become a positive thing,” notes Mullaly. “You’re not driving down a main street passing through, like in Suttons Bay or Charlevoix. In the past, part of our problem was how to get people to turn off the highway to visit, but things like the Evenings on River Street and Harbor Days have helped bring people here.”
She’s also seen Elk Rapids develop as an art destination. In addition to Mullaly’s 128 and the Blue Heron, the town now offers the Twisted Fish gallery.
“We have tourists stopping in, but it’s also a sign of interest in the fine arts and crafts by the people who live here,” she says. “People appreciate things that are handmade, and not just things from Indonesia or China. They appreciate art and things of beauty.”

QUADRUPLED
Bonnie Johnston, owner of the WhisperingWillow shop, has been in business since 1989, well before Elk Rapids got its streetscape makeover.
“It was a sleepy town when we got here and now it’s quite the place to come to,” she says. “You say ‘Elk Rapids,’ and people everywhere seem to know where it is and want to live here or visit. That’s really changed.”
Johnston’s family owned the town’s popular bakery at one time, and also its ice cream shop. Business-wise, summer traffic has gone from “sleepy” to “madhouse” in the years she’s been in town. “We add on so many people -- triple or maybe even four times as many as we normally have. Harbor Days is our biggest event and brings 30,000 or 40,000 people to town.”
It’s not all business and bustle, however. On an overcast Tuesday afternoon in early October, Johnston notes that the town is quiet enough to shoot a cannon down Main Street without anyone noticing much. That too is perhaps what makes the town attractive to some: the quiet times when the rhythms lapse back into a sense of small town Americana.

GROWING PAINS
It’s not all hunky-dory 24-7, however. One young mother notes that she and her husband couldn’t find any quality homes to buy under $180,000 in the Village. Although Elk Rapids has some low-income apartments out on the highway, many kids growing up in this town may never be able to purchase a home here for lack of affordable housing.
“Rental units are high and so is real estate, but that’s true all along the lake and anywhere you have resort property,” says Chuck Egeler, owner of Chef Charles pizza parlor.
Reszka, who is president of Antrim County Habitat for Humanity, notes that, “Some people who actually work in this area have a hard time finding a place to live nearby. For awhile, Habitat for Humanity was building quite a few places here, but now we can’t afford the lots so we are moving off to places like Mancelona.”
On the other hand, Reszka feels that “affordable housing” is a relative concept. To those who can lay down $200,000 or more on a home, Elk Rapids is affordable, and those are the kinds of folks who buy art for their homes. “I’m pleased with how things are here,” he says. “It’s not as expensive as San Francisco, Boston or the ocean coastlines. Some of those people are selling and moving here because our waterfront property is not as expensive.”

THE NEWCOMERS
In addition to retirees and residents who work in Traverse City 17 miles down the road, Elk Rapids is attracting new businesses. Popular TC businesses such as Cali’s, Folgarelli’s and Harbor Wear have satellite shops here.
“We’re going to four ribbon-cuttings this month,” says Terri Crandall-Kimble, executive director of the Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.
Newcomers include the Nature Connection, Chang Express restaurant, Radio Shack, Eric Campbell Design, H Block, and a new realty company, among others.
“One of our strong points is we have really good lines of communication to put new business in contact with people in the village or township government who can help them get started,” she says.
Chuck Egeler, who started his pizza place here in 1995, notes that newcomers have also meant more competition. This winter, there will be four pizza places vying for customers in town; since he started out there have been perhaps half a dozen new restaurants. Like any town, Elk Rapids goes up and down with the vicissitudes of the economy, and some places don’t last. “I had a better summer than last year, but business expenses also went up, including the price of cheese and fuel.”
Over the long term, however, Egeler agrees that the trend keeps heading up for those who persevere.
Is there any fear that Elk Rapids will become too big for its own good? “That hasn’t even been a consideration,” Crandall-Kimble says. “We’re growing, but our village and township governments work very well together on some shared ideas, and I know that’s not always true in other towns.
“What we’re trying to do is maintain our ambiance and our small town, keeping our mom-and-pop stores strong and encouraging other small stores. We found that 95% of the businesses here have under five employees. Our growth has been pretty steady and a lot of that has to do with people working together well in every area.”