What will we be talking about this year? Here’s a sampling from the most recent Traverse City Business News, which looks ahead to more than 20 people, places, and projects to watch in 2026.

Meijer expects to break ground
If all goes according to plan, 2026 should be the year that Grand Traverse County gets a third Meijer.

The Ticker broke the news in March that the retail giant was planning a 160,000 square foot supercenter on a 33-acre site just west of Menards near Chums Corner. 

Meijer is working with the Michigan Department of Transportation on access issues to the site, with the likely result being a new traffic signal aligned with East Commerce Drive near Michigan Trailers, about a half mile from the U.S. 31/M-37 intersection.

“Construction plans are still fluid, but we anticipate breaking ground in 2026,” Blair Township Supervisor Nicole Blonshine said. “We appreciate all the support from the Traverse City community, and look forward to being able to serve more customers south of town with this new store, as well as expand our local partnerships to continue investing in local teams and nonprofits."

New tax for hotels, short-term rentals?
A new package of bills co-sponsored by State Representative John Roth (R-Interlochen) would make it possible for voters to opt their county or local unit of government into a new 3% excise tax for hotels, motels and short-term rentals (STRs). Those tax revenues could then be used for things like infrastructure and emergency services.

“I really consider these bills vehicle bills,” Roth said. “I don't know that they'll end up going through, but I really think they’ve restarted the conversation. The restaurants, the lodging industry, the convention-and-visitors bureaus (CVBs), the Michigan Township Association, the Michigan Municipal League – they’re all talking again. And I think there’s recognition … that some of these funds need to go back to the local governments to help take care of infrastructure – whether that be sewers, fire or inspections of short-term rentals.”

Old Mission wineries vs. township lawsuit
Will the lawsuit between the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula (WOMP) and Peninsula Township ever end? 

In 2020, WOMP and its 11 member wineries filed a federal lawsuit against Peninsula Township, alleging that the township’s zoning laws violated the wineries’ rights under the First Amendment, the state's Commerce Clause and alcohol laws. At the crux were rules that had long barred wineries from hosting weddings or other events.

In July, WOMP won a victory when the U.S. District Court awarded the wineries $49 million in damages. Half a year later, those damages have yet to be paid. In October, the wineries made a settlement offer, but no official settlement has been reached.

In December, WOMP filed a new complaint, claiming Peninsula Township “has taken steps to delay meaningful settlement discussions and has continued to take enforcement actions against wineries for activities the federal court expressly held were lawful.” The allegation stems from a cease-and-desist letter Bonobo Winery received from township attorneys on November 21, threatening to revoke the winery's special use permit and “shut down operations over activities – including music, events, and food service – that the court specifically acknowledged Bonobo is permitted to conduct.”

Mill District on Woodmere underway
Construction is underway on the Mill District, a project that will transform 1.6 acres of land at the corner of Woodmere Avenue and Carver Street into a mixed-use development featuring retail, restaurant and residential spaces.

The land was previously owned by TC Millworks, which sold it to Tim Pulliam of Keen Technical Solutions in 2022. Pulliam has been working on a redevelopment plan ever since, finally earning city commission approval in August.

Pulliam and his partners plan to construct four new buildings, including one commercial building and three residential buildings. Per a press release, a November 20 groundbreaking ceremony marked “the official transition from demolition into the construction phase as the team prepares to begin foundational work …”

In 2026, most of the construction will focus on the commercial building, which has a targeted opening date of March 2027. That will serve as the new headquarters for Brick Wheels. Other businesses expected include a coffee shop and a restaurant. 

The commercial building will also include a handful of residential units, though Pulliam said “the exact mix isn't finalized” just yet. Later phases will focus more heavily on market-rate housing.

Traverse City gets a new film festival
Three years after the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) drew to a close, a new film festival has found its way to Traverse City.

April 30-May 3, TC will host a satellite edition of Marquette’s Fresh Coast Film Festival, an outdoor-centric, conservation-focused, documentary-driven festival launched in 2016. Organizer Joe Beyer says the Traverse City version will maintain the spirit and traditions of the Marquette festival while adding its own spin – including spotlights on local filmmakers and a few forays into narrative films.

The local version of Fresh Coast will show a selection of films from Fresh Coast’s 2025 slate, temporarily converting venues like the City Opera House, the Alluvion and Right Brain Brewery into movie houses.

Beyer is also curating a selection of more localized, fiction-forward content to give the festival its own identity.

Hagerty returns to office
In November, Hagerty announced a hybrid return-to-the-office plan for its northern Michigan employees. The plan, referred to as “WorkForward,” will bring 500 workers back downtown, and will likely reignite the economic impact Hagerty drove there prior to its pivot to remote work in 2020.

An explanation of the plan posted to the Hagerty employee intranet states that the “first phase” will only affect team members “within a 20-mile commuting distance of the Traverse City office whose roles allow for regular in-person collaboration and cross-team interaction.” Those team members “will spend part of the week – typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – in the office.” Per Coco Champagne, Hagerty’s chief human resources officer and chief administrative officer, about 500 Hagerty employees are within driving distance of Traverse City.

Company leaders will start hybrid schedules in February. Traverse City team members will switch to hybrid the following month.

One person excited for WorkForward? Harry Burkholder, executive director for the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority. “Hagerty’s return-to-office plan will bring renewed energy and daily activity back into the heart of downtown,” Burkholder said. 

Capital campaigns all over
The Leelanau Conservancy’s $8 million campaign to reimagine the Sugar Loaf property isn’t the only capital campaign making big waves in northern Michigan. 

Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA): In the summer, ISEA went public with its $11.1 million “Campaign for the Future of Great Lakes Education.” The quiet phase paid for major investments – including its purchase of the schooner Alliance. The final public stages will finance the expansion of ISEA’s campus in Suttons Bay. Executive Director Fred Sitkins is hopeful construction will start in May or June, with a completion target of spring 2027.

Women’s Resource Center (WRC): WRC is in the quiet stages of a $3 million campaign to renovate its transitional home. In addition to its 22-bed emergency shelter, WRC has a 12-bed transitional house where women fleeing abusive households can live affordably for up to two years. According to Executive Director Juliette Schultz, the new campaign, called Home SAFE Home, will reimagine the transitional home and expand capacity from 12 to 16 in the process.

Northwestern Michigan College (NMC): This past spring, NMC’s Board of Trustees approved a $60,000 contract to conduct a comprehensive capital campaign feasibility study. The campaign would aim for $50 million to $75 million in fundraising, with a stretch goal of $100 million. According to a memo from Katherine Marvin, vice president of college advancement for NMC, the college’s foundation now has the results of that study, and will vote in February “whether or not to move forward with a comprehensive campaign.”

Businesses, drivers brace for U.S. 31 overhaul
Locals have endured several major road rebuilding projects in recent years. In 2026, crews are expected to break ground on a $37.5 million overhaul of U.S. 31 between Reynolds and Sullivan roads. The nearly eight-mile rebuild will include a new roundabout at Interlochen Corners, the intersection of U.S. 31 and South Long Lake Road/J-Maddy Parkway.

Work is primarily safety-driven, according to MDOT Project Manager Lucas Porath, and includes adding center left turn lanes throughout the corridor, widening the shoulders and adding rumble strips. MDOT considered two options for the South Long Lake Road/J. Maddy Parkway intersection at Interlochen Corners and ultimately selected a two-lane roundabout.

Significant detours are planned, starting sometime in the spring and lasting through fall. Crews will first rebuild U.S. 31 from Sullivan Road to Interlochen Corners and the roundabout, then build east to Reynolds Road.

Other big news ahead includes the following (read details in the January TCBN):

Potential mortgage rate dip could spur housing market
Redevelopment of Sugar Loaf to begin
75th anniversary, Boardman Lake Campus sale spell big year for NMC
What will Compass/Anywhere merger mean for independent real estate?
The impact of nationwide arts funding cuts
A brand-new marijuana tax
AI steams ahead 
$10M Loamstead Project 
Affordable housing efforts in Benzie County 
Historic Buildings in Empire could see new life
The Red Piano comes to Front Street
Munson expands early breast cancer detection
Bale Craft bets on straw 
Grand Traverse State Bank closer to opening