Short's Brewing to Anchor New Mixed-Use Redevelopment at Logan's Landing East

The 212,243 trail users logged at Medalie Park and Logan's Landing in just the first 11 months of 2023 are about to find something new at the water's edge: a Short's Brewing Company taproom, a riverside tiki deck, on-site brewing, and live music events slated for the east side of the long-dormant South Airport Road property.

Short's Brewing and Keen Technical Solutions finalized their joint purchase of Logan's Landing East on March 16, securing the entire east side of the property, including its parking area. Keen's Tim Pulliam, who is simultaneously developing the Mill District on Woodmere Avenue, brought Short's founder Joe Short to the site on a bike ride and made the pitch directly: "Could you imagine a bar here on the river?" Scott Newman-Bale of Short's says the company had been approached "twenty to thirty times" to come to Traverse City and had once "heavily looked" at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Neither opportunity landed.

Short's plans to occupy roughly 10,000 of the site's 16,000 square feet, including a 1,600-square-foot deck overlooking the Boardman River. Millions in new investment will reshape a property locals have long hoped to see revitalized. Construction will consume most of 2026, with April 2027 as the target opening.

What the partners have not yet addressed publicly: how peak-summer parking will function on evenings when the Boardman Lake Loop is already dense with cyclists and joggers, whether late-night music events will meet Garfield Township noise standards, and how the redesigned shoreline will physically integrate with the trail system. TART Trails CEO Julie Clark has specifically called for stronger trail-to-waterfront connections at this location. Those answers will matter as much to the neighborhood as the beer.