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From today's Chicago Tribune.

 

Boy Scouts decide to hang on to Michigan campground

By Gerry Smith | Tribune reporter

November 9, 2008

 

The Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America said Friday it has decided not to sell part of its Owasippe Scout Reservation, a sprawling campground in Michigan where area Scouts have attended summer camp since 1911.

 

In a statement, the Boy Scouts said backing away from the sale to an investor group based in Holland, Mich., gives them "the flexibility to determine the future direction" of the reservation about 200 miles from Chicago.

 

The Boy Scouts, who own the camp, had signed a contract to sell it for $19 million, hoping to make up for deficits and declining attendance. But in 2006, the governing board in Blue Lake Township, where the camp is located, refused a request for rezoning that would have permitted construction of as many as 1,278 residential units on the property.

 

The Boy Scouts sued the township, claiming it had improperly created an institutional zoning category for the camp, limiting the Scouts' use of the land. A judge in Muskegon County (Mich.) ruled against the Scouts in March.

 

On Friday, the Boy Scouts said they intended to "redevelop a more positive relationship" with Blue Lake Township officials and neighbors and would consider working with conservancy groups to ensure the property remains undeveloped.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-boy-scouts-camp-bulldog-08nov09,0,4357866.story

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The article doesn't say the BSA is dropping their appeals. It is dropping the sale. Not surprising given the state of the economy and the strong chance that the purchaser's financing has probably dried up.

 

They may also have tested the political waters in Michigan and discovered they were unlikely to win their appeal - but that's just speculation.

 

Regardless, Owasippe is off the block for the time being.

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