WAYLAND, Mich — The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe, has been acquiring land between Gun Lake Casino and Wayland for several years.
Tribal officials are continuing to move forward with plans of developing the corridor, to bring housing, retail and entertainment opportunities to Allegan County.
"We're looking to really change the landscape here on 131 and make this a destination, not only for the tribe, but for the community, and actually for the state of Michigan," said Bob Peters, Chairman of the Gun Lake Tribe. "There's no other tribe I can say right now that's doing an undertaking as big as this."
Over the past three years, the tribe has already been undergoing several infrastructure developments that are aimed at serving the members of the reservation, but also providing utilities to the new developments.
Peters says their new water tower holds one million gallons and will be able to provide water to the corridor.
"We've recently constructed a new wastewater treatment plant that'll be set to go live here within the next six months, and a water treatment plant, so we're really gearing up for this development."
The first phase of the project is expected to transform an empty lot at Reno and Superior in Wayland into a multi-use housing development that features offices and retail space.
Tribal Council Member Ed Pigeon says there will be a focus on affordable housing. Peters adds they expect the development to be open to the market in 2025.
"We're going to phase the project out so that we have several different options, and we can really meet the needs of the people as they really become clear to us," said Pigeon. "We're working really closely with the City of Wayland as well as Wayland Township to make sure that this development goes smoothly."
Both Pigeon and Peters say the hope for this development is to serve the next several generations of all communities in the area.
"When moving forward, we always look seven generations backward, we always look where we are in the present, and we're always looking seven generations ahead," said Peters. "We do everything by the seven grandfather teachings, which is wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty and humility."
"The Gun Lake Tribe has been here longer than the casino, and we have so many different projects going on, and everything's really starting to take shape, so we're very, very proud of that."