PENINSULA TOWNSHIP, MI – Wineries in Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula are proposing a settlement with local government after a federal judge ruled they were owed $50 million in business damages.

The wineries sent a letter to Peninsula Township on Thursday, Oct. 30, saying they would consider a settlement deal that would reduce the court-ordered payout.

Township Supervisor Maura Sanders told MLive the township board and legal counsel will need to review the proposal next week.

The dispute started five years ago when a group of 11 wineries argued the township’s agricultural zoning rules around noise and events stifled business.

Michigan’s wine country is now trying to untangle itself from the years-long dispute with the local government, but only if the township agrees to their requireme

See Full Page