Sommerset Pointe
Lake Charlevoix's newest community adds lakeside luxury
Fred Taylor has connections around the world and companies across the U.S., China, South Africa and Europe, yet his refuge is in incomparable Northern Michigan, at the upscale community and yacht club he’s developing near Boyne City, Sommerset Pointe.
In this region of Michigan, where luxury boating and resorting are enviably a way of life for many, Sommerset Pointe blends into the landscape like a spinnaker in a regatta. A posh yacht club, high-end villas and world-class amenities are defining this quiet, emerging port on Lake Charlevoix.
“I’m a businessman and I love Northern Michigan,” said Taylor, a native of nearby Charlevoix. “They can work in harmony.”
Sommerset Pointe is solely the vision of Taylor, who looked past the property’s industrial history to its more pristine future. The site of Sommerset Pointe was formerly a coal-fired power plant, built in 1951 to service area residents. In 1998, Wolverine Power decommissioned the plant, and it sat disregarded on a prime piece of waterfront property.
In 2005, Taylor purchased the 23 acres and began to remediate the fly ash and other contaminants, such as arsenic, that remained in the ground. As those efforts were under way, Taylor said the extent of the degradation proved more severe than anticipated, and his expenses to clean it to the condition it is today took considerable financial resources.
He persevered, and the result is a majestic stretch of nearly 2,000 feet of waterfront that is beckoning boaters and yachtsmen.”We’re creating a destination,” said Taylor.
The sprawling yacht club is Sommerset Pointe’s most prominent feature, rising near the road and opening up lakeside to rows of docks and piers. In all, 120 slips will be available at the marina, 51 in the inland harbor and 59 on outer dockage. Yachts up to 100 feet can be accommodated. Ten transient slips are also available for the boating public.
The 5,000-square-foot Sommerset Pointe Yacht Club features a bar and restaurant for its members, plus events such as beer and wine soirees, entertainment and sunset cruises aboard Taylor’s houseboat. Membership also entitles the holder to use of the facility at no charge and it provides perks with the Yacht Clubs of America.
On the residential end, at build-out Sommerset Pointe will have 72 villas within four- and six-plex buildings. The units, powered by geothermal, range from about 2,000 to 3,100 square feet, and all have inspiring views of Lake Charlevoix. The interiors are complete with custom design and elaborate touches, like a wall of doors that opens to lakeside porches and automatic screens that lift out of the way at the push of a button.
“We’ve designed each one to capitalize on the views,” said Taylor.
More villa details include six-inch ICF (insulated concrete form) walls, central vacuum, in-floor heat and composite decks. A fitness center and pool are available for residents as a complement to their high-end lifestyle, along with two large beaches, 3,500 feet of sidewalk, elegantly manicured grounds, a firepit and barbecue and more common areas. There’s even an on-site fire station, a reuse of the underground water tanks that serviced the power plant so many decades ago.
Taylor, who splits his time between Boyne City and Atlanta, where he concentrates on his tire and wheels businesses, said his plan is for the property to be completely finished by 2014. “It’s come a long way,” he said, toward the end of summer 2009, “and it will be brilliant.”
Boating amenities at a glance:
5,000 square foot yacht club clubhouse with a 76-foot by 24-foot interior galley providing full window lake views and a 40-foot by 12-foot deck are for relaxation and entertainment. A ship’s store and convenience retailer, plus locker rooms and showers are housed on the lower level.
Yacht basin with 84 slips for craft up to 70 feet. At build-out, 120 slips will be available, 51 in the inland harbor and 59 on outer dockage.
Ten transient slips are also available for the boating public, accommodating vessels up to 70 feet.
Full-time harbormaster
Locker rooms and showers
Full-service concierge
Electric, cable, and telephone hook-up
Pump-out and haul-out services
For more information:
4416 Lakeshore Dr., Boyne City
www.sommersetpointe.com
(231) 582-0600
Michigan Boating 2010 » Sommerset Pointe: Lake Charlevoix Luxury
