The recent mediation regarding Cadillac Junction achieved little progress, but all parties are committed to continuing mediation attempts until a resolution is found.

The dispute is over the 142 acre development of Cadillac Junction, located near the US 131 interchange.  Currently, there is a Mobil gas station and Tim Horton’s coffee shop at the site.  Future plans include several “big box” stores, as well as a residential complex, and several other commercial buildings.  According to developers, the site will eventually feature businesses that provide hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue for the area.

The project has been in flux for approximately a decade and delayed by numerous legal challenges, appeals, and reversals concerning the municipalities in control.  Most recently, the Michigan Supreme Court sent the dispute back to the circuit court level where it was determined that the property belongs to Haring Township, as opposed to the city of Cadillac.  This brought property development efforts to a halt until the continuing legal issues could be fully resolved. 

All parties involved agreed to meet with neutral third-party mediator Bruce Neckers.  Neckers is a lawyer practicing out of Grand Rapids.  The mediation session was confidential.  According to the attorney for Haring Township, the sessions could have resolved the dispute or could have ended with a partial settlement or no settlement at all, depending on how the parties responded to possible solutions discussed. 

Following the mediation, both sides said they were unable to reach a resolution, but are willing to continue meeting to discuss the dispute.  There is another meeting scheduled for late summer.