It’s an exciting time in and around Traverse City. With many projects gearing up and planning processes in full swing, this is the time to voice what you want the community to look like as the 21st century plays out. Take a glimpse below and see what piques your interest!
             

BATA’s Next Wave Transit Master Plan

About: The master plan will help shape the next 5 to 10 years of BATA services. Engagement and comments from the community are incredibly valuable throughout this process and will maximize the benefits that transit will bring to the area.
 
Engagement: Look for engagement opportunities this summer at farmers markets, city and county board meetings, and at popular dining establishments. Stay tuned for upcoming in-person engagement sessions around Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties. Emails and letters are always welcome at any time. 

DDA’s ‘Moving Downtown Forward’

About: Moving Downtown Forward is a thorough examination and evaluation of the current and future needs of downtown, as well as the organizational and funding structure of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
 
Engagement: A public open house was held on June 22 at the City Opera House. If you missed that session, another meeting will be held in August (date TBD). A public survey can be found by navigating to the project’s landing page (link below).

Downtown Traverse City Riverfront Redesign

About: In 2018, noting the lack of a comprehensive vision and plan for the river corridor and increasing development pressure along the river, the DDA initiated a planning effort to develop a Unified Plan for the Lower Boardman/Ottaway River. The Unified Plan provides the framework and blueprint for significant walkway, placemaking, and habitat improvement along the river, supporting a long-held desire for downtown to “turn and embrace” the river. 
 
Engagement: A public open house was held July 13 to show a handful of potential designs to the community for feedback. From there, design options will be narrowed to one that will be presented to DDA board members and city commissioners for adoption in the fall.

Reimagine East Front Street

 About: In June of 2021 the DDA initiated a planning and engineering process to develop a streetscape design plan for East Front Street. The design plan will serve to guide the implementation of new street-scaping along East Front Street. The plan will also include substantial improvements to existing sewer and water infrastructure.
 
Engagement: While most of the initial pubic engagement meetings took place in 2021, the project is still a couple of years off, so any feedback until then is welcome! Presentations from each session are available on the project webpage.

Mobility and Bike Action Plan for Traverse City

 About: City commissioners recently approved a contract with a consultant to create a mobility plan. In a recent Ticker article, City Planning Director Shawn Winter said that though the topic of mobility is “typically covered under the transportation and circulation chapter of the city’s master plan, it has become apparent that addressing nonmotorized mobility for the Traverse City community is complex enough to warrant its own planning process.”
 
Engagement: It’s expected to take 9 to 12 months to create the mobility plan. Once started, specific community engagement opportunities will be announced. The plan currently is to include a survey, three public engagement sessions, stakeholder meetings, and a public review of the final draft. Stay tuned for more information!
 

Prop 3 – TC Building Height Restrictions

About: Proposal 3 is a Traverse City charter amendment that restricts building heights in certain areas to 60 feet, unless a popular vote approves a taller design.. There is an effort underway to get the charter overturned because it limits the building of additional housing downtown.
 
Engagement: Live TC has been front and center on this issue. You can sign up to get notifications about the effort via the Good Works Lab project page. The Live TC Instagram page also explains ways to get involved and has more information about the charter amendment.

MDOT- Grandview Parkway

About: MDOT plans to rebuild a 2.2-mile section of M-72 (Grandview Parkway) from Division Street in Traverse City and M-22 (Bay Shore Drive) to Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township in 2025. The proposed rebuilding work will remove the concrete and composite (asphalt over concrete) pavements and restore the surface condition and ride quality to good condition; address drainage issues, including curb and gutter, storm sewer, culverts, and outlets; replace sidewalks and nonmotorized paths; make sidewalk ramp upgrades to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards; make operational enhancements at the M-72 (East Traverse Road)/M-22 intersection; upgrade the traffic signal at Cherry Bend Road; and improve access management where possible.
 
Engagement: This is what I heard from MDOT…”There will be additional meetings but we have not yet set any dates.  Our consultant just recently began working on the project.  We anticipate that the project design will likely be completed roughly in June 2024 and will be constructed in the 2025 construction season.”

Carolyn Ulstad, Transportation Program Manager, Groundwork

carolyn@groundworkcenter.org