Welcome to the Bison Preserve Project

The New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education is exploring a unique opportunity to address local attainable housing shortages while directly investing in the future of our students.

While this project aims to support our community and stabilize district-wide enrollment, our primary interest and driving motivation is the educational advancement of our students. For over 25 years, the Building Trades program has been a cornerstone of NBAS, providing students with unmatched, real-world experience. We are fully committed to continuing this unique, hands-on learning experience for the next generation.

However, due to the skyrocketing cost of local land, the district has run out of affordable off-campus options to sustain the program. Fortunately, NBAS already own the land necessary to make this happen. By utilizing our existing property, the Bison Preserve development will serve as a live, practical classroom—allowing our students to safely gain invaluable skills in construction, project management, and the trades right here in our own district.

Bison Preserve informational sheet

Bison Preserve notification to neighbors June 17, 2026

Bison Preserve Meaning:

Preserving our schools, wetlands, community, and workforce in the New Buffalo community.

The name Bison Preserve was voted on and established by both students, parents, and staff members back in December 2023.

Bison Preserve 2.0

On January 12, 2026, the Board of Education voted to enter into development contract negotiations with Leeward-Ventures. This collaborative phase is expected to continue through summer of 2026. Currently, Leeward-Ventures is conducting comprehensive due diligence to evaluate the viability of the Bison Preserve project. A refined and more accurate conceptual drawing—informed by site-specific data—was presented at the April 13, 2026, Board Meeting and the Township Planning Commision on June 2, 2026 to help determine the next steps for the project. As engineering continues, we anticipate site plans to change.

June 2026 Initial Site Plan

Subject to change, this was the site plan that was presented to the New Buffalo Township Planning Commission on June 2, 2026. Here are the presentation notes from the June 2, 2026 New Buffalo Township Planning Commission.

Required Studies & Due Diligence

The district is fully aware that moving forward with the Bison Preserve will require extensive municipal, environmental, and infrastructure studies mandated by New Buffalo Township. To ensure total compliance and responsible development, these comprehensive evaluations will officially begin once the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process has been formally engaged.

Our development partner, Leeward Ventures, will spearhead and manage this critical portion of the process, collaborating closely with township officials, engineers, and environmental specialists to gather all necessary site-specific data.

Leeward Ventures Concept Plans 2025

Leeward Ventures - Concept Drawing for RFQ November 2025

This conceptual site plan was prepared for RFQ submission and is subject to significant refinement. It does not currently account for topographic or geotechnical data as they did not have access to that information at that time. Leeward Ventures is in the process of conducting exhaustive due diligence; consequently, the final project footprint and infrastructure layout will be adjusted to optimize for site-specific conditions once site data is comprehensively analyzed.

Current Steps:

• Negotiate development agreement January 2026 expected completion date Summer of 2026

• Solicit State/Federal/Private grants to directly reduce rent rates for tenants. 

• Discover funding resources for infrastructure

• Board of Education site plan approval anticipated summer of 2026

• Township site plan approval anticipated summer of 2026

• Initiate Tax Increment Financing (TIF) process with both New Buffalo Township and Berrien County summer of 2026

Upcoming Events for Bison Preserve:

July 8, 2026 - Special Board of Education meeting on the Bison Preserve

Summer 2026 Board of Education site plan approval process

Summer 2026 New Buffalo Township Planning Commission site plan approval process

Summer 2026 TIF process with both New Buffalo Township and Berrien County

Fall 2026 Planned United Development process with New Buffalo Township Planning Commission

Contact Info:

New Buffalo Area Schools:
Michael Lindley - mlindley@nbas.org
Adam Bowen - abowen@nbas.org
Phone - 269-469-6010

Developers:
Leeward Ventures
Brian Papke - brian@leeward-ventures.com

Engineer:
TBD

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