This cooperative project involves the completion of a community needs assessment to determine how the Discovery Center will ultimately fit into the community, the creation of a master facilities plan based on input from the member organizations and identified community needs, and the completion of a fundraising feasibility study to determine if the project is fundable.

The ultimate goal is to create a modern, energy-efficient, green design facility that will enable each of the member organization to better fulfill their missions and deliver their programs. The final design concept will emerge from this comprehensive planning process.

Site improvements will include many distinctive elements adding to the value of the project for both the community and the Discovery Center member organizations. The design will include the most cost-effective ways to construct an environmentally and economically sustainable building. Adaptive reuse of some buildings is also a viable option and has been the primary and successful strategy of the member organizations up to this point. The project will also include many building possibilities, unique to this collaboration of organizations, which will be of value to the public, including a historic boat-building shop with viewing access to the public, gallery spaces for many of the member organizations both individually and shared, as well as greater public access Grand Traverse Bay for both education and recreation. Proximity to the Leelanau Trail and the plan to connect to the TART Trail system is another unique element.

Fundamentally, the project will also strengthen the collaboration between organizations and improved cost-sharing, which promises greater efficiency and increased effectiveness of the member organizations and their unique missions within the community.