A proposed housing development in Leelanau County could be downsized by more than 40 percent.

Tomorrow night the Bingham Township Planning Commission will consider a proposal to reduce the size of the Pathways housing development in Suttons Bay from 66 homes to just 25. The plan would also reduce the size of the neighborhood by more than 50 acres.

Bingham Township zoning administrator Steve Patmore is a bit surprised by the move. “It’s pretty unusual, because we usually don’t see a lot of scaling back in development,” he says.

The Pathways development, which was approved by Bingham Township officials in 2006, is located near M-22, just south of Suttons Bay. The land is owned by Barbara Wilson of Pathways of Suttons Bay, LLC, of Grand Rapids. The site’s original developer, Dargaworks of Traverse City, had planned to build more than 60 homes on the land. Six years later, however, only five homes have been completed, and Wilson is now working independently.

She intends to sell the remaining lots and let people build their own homes. But the project has been scaled back because of cost and environmental concerns.

Under the old design, Wilson would have had to install a community septic tank, along with a new road that crossed over wetlands. That’s something Tim Belanger, who is working directly with Wilson, says isn’t economically feasible. By reducing the size of the development to 25 homes, however, these features are no longer needed.

Belanger also says the smaller neighborhood plan “saves green space, big-time” and will have less impact on the former farmland and wetlands. He says Wilson also hopes a smaller development will be more attractive to buyers who appreciate open space.

So, what will happen to the land that is no longer being developed? Suttons Bay officials predict that some might be transferred to the Leelanau Conservancy, or it will remain a common space for residents (44.8 acres, or about 56 percent of the development, according to the zoning commission.) However, Belanger says no final decision is ready to be made yet.

The new plans meet zoning requirements for the area, and both the Leelanau County Road Commission and Leelanau Drain Commission have approved the change.

Belanger says he’s hopeful all parties involved will give the go ahead for the proposed changes. “We have done everything possible to meet all the requirements needed,” he says. “We are just ready to move forward on this project.”

The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bingham Township Hall. Patmore expects a decision to be made after a brief discussion and public comments are heard.