Delamar Traverse City plans 14 luxury waterfront homes, spa

Delamar Traverse City is pushing deeper into the luxury market on one of the city’s most visible bayfront parcels, with plans for 14 private waterfront homes and a full-service spa on the east side of 615 E. Front Street. The residences are slated to start at $2.4 million, putting the project squarely at the top end of Grand Traverse County’s already tight housing market.

Charles Mallory and George Cochran, Delamar Traverse City’s general partners, announced the project Friday, May 22. Delamar Residences is scheduled to break ground in September and is targeted for completion in fall 2027. Mallory called it “an exciting next chapter for luxury living in Traverse City,” while Cochran said the homes are aimed at buyers seeking privacy, comfort, high-quality design, a walkable setting and a residential experience tied to Northern Michigan.

The project extends a property that already functions as a high-end waterfront destination. Delamar’s existing hotel at 615 E. Front Street is a 173-room resort with a fine-dining restaurant, indoor and outdoor heated pools, a yoga studio, beach access, a seasonal patio and boat-charter and cruise offerings. A 2021 renovation report said Greenwich Hospitality Group acquired the resort in January 2019 and completed a $10 million-plus transformation. That same report pointed to future plans for a full-service Delamar Spa and protected docking facilities, making the new residential plan look like an expansion of an established resort campus rather than a fresh use of the site.

The waterfront setting also lands in the middle of Traverse City’s broader housing squeeze. City officials say the City of Traverse City is dedicated to pursuing housing opportunities for all incomes and is using density, PILOT programs and city-owned land to support development. Ruth Park, one of the city’s affordable housing examples, includes 58 residences and targets households earning roughly 30% to 80% of area median income. In a January 2026 housing report, consultants working for the city said employers are having trouble recruiting and retaining staff and that younger residents are leaving because of affordability constraints.

The downtown market remains expensive even by regional standards. A Realtor.com snapshot from October 2025 put the median home price in downtown Traverse City at $1.27 million, with 77 active listings. Against that backdrop, 14 homes starting at $2.4 million each will add another layer of exclusivity to a shoreline already prized for access and views.

The project also intersects with shoreline policy. The Traverse City Planning Department established a Riparian Buffer Committee in 2024 to explore a riparian buffer ordinance for shoreline protection, with goals tied to water quality, fish habitat, erosion banks and flood resilience. That matters on Grand Traverse Bay, where public assets such as Clinch Park, the marina and the Bayfront remain central to how residents experience the water. Delamar’s next phase will test how much of that shoreline can keep its public character as the city’s most prominent waterfront continues to move upmarket.