Township Information, Forms & Ordinances
Homestead and Inland Townships
Joint Planning Committee Workshop
Homestead Township Hall
11508 Honor Highway
Honor, MI 49640
March 5, 2008 at 7:00P.M.
Absent: Bruce Andersen.
Other Present: Cathy Demitroff, Arden and Virginia Johnson, Carol Moore, Frank Walterhouse, Jim Dulzo, and Paul Beechraft.
Chairman Hubbell called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Agenda: Additions/Approval. Motion by Mary and seconded by Bill to approve the Agenda as is: All Ayes, 1 Absent, Motion Carried.
Correspondence Received: Chairman Roger Hubbell stated we received 3 Correspondences from the Public.
- Michigan Land Use Institute
- Constance W. Reinhard
- James M. Olson
- Homestead Township: Fred Poynor, Dan Moore, Jessica Wooten, Zelda Gray, and Bill Sholten.
- Inland Township: Christy Andersen, Mary Miller, Bruce Andersen (absent) and Roger Hubbell.
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Background of Planning Commission: The Joint Planning Commission (JPC) was initially started in Spring 2006:
- Two public forums were held in Summer 2006, one Chaired by Kurt Schendler and the other by Joe Vandenberg. Both Townships agreed to establish a JCP. There were 35 people present and 21 speaking at Homestead Forum and 23 present and 8 speaking at Inland Forum.
- In January 2007, an agreement was prepared and approved in February between the two Townships. The Joint Planning Commission was formed and presented to both Townships.
- The JPC is made up of nine members; 4 from Homestead, 4 from Inland, and the ninth member, called the alternate, rotates each year; even years-Homestead, odd years-Inland.
- JPC hire Roger Williams Consulting Firm.
- The Master Plan is a 20 Year Projection Plan taking in account existing and future planning. The Master Plan is a work in progress and updated on a quality review every 5 Years.
- The Joint Planning Commission Act was adopted in 2003, but the primarily Planning Commission Act that was used is the Master Plan Act of Benzie County, which was an Act enacted in 1959 and amended again in 2001. This amended Act of 2001, added the coordination with other government agencies within the surrounding area. The amended Act requires review of the Master Plan by surrounding Government Agencies before going to a Public Hearing. We’ve gone through that process. The Plan was approved by the JPC, sent to the 2 Township Boards and approved. Distribution for Governmental Review of Plan was sent to 22 adjoining governmental units, Grand Traverse, Benzie, surrounding Townships, and of those sent, we received 4 back. Those received back have been taken into account and now we are at the public hearing by the citizens of the 2 townships. The Township has a format that they must follow in developing the plan which includes:
- Historical Background, Social and Economic Characteristics, Community Facilities Services, Natural Resources and Features, Existing Land Use, and Soils and Wetlands.
- Part of the Review is to also look at trends. So then we looked at; Population and what was the growth trend for pass 15 years. Where people are coming from and where there moving into the Township area. We also looked at Business Area, spend a lot of time looking just at the US 31 corridor of the 2 Townships, and the Businesses that are currently there and locating there. Also took into account that there is about 70 percent of the land area that is own by the State Forest. This was all taken into account, including public inputs from previous public hearings to project the outcome of the plan for the next 20 years.
- Then Goals were developed based upon the outline of the stature for Natural Resources, Community Development, Transportation, Housing, Agriculture, Business Growth, and Employment.
- The Planning Commission didn’t start on a clean slate either. Because the Homestead Township already had developed a Master Plan in 2001, Inland Township had developed a Master Plan in 2002, and those were used for vast information. As well as the Benzie County Master Plan of 2000. So, what we got out of these plans is a good projection for over the next 20 years, give the Planning Commission a good idea of what the Townships will look like over the next 20 years to year 2030. The JPC projected based on that projected growth the population increase of the Townships by 40 percent. Which means that there would be an increase from about 3500 people in the 2 Townships today, to about 5000 people in 2030.
- The JPC also anticipated that there would be Business Growth along US 31 and would like to see that Growth occur to an area large enough so that there could be Business Centers developed. Where easy access, parking, appropriated landscaping, lighting, and a way to preserve the actual traffic flow on US 31 so not to create numerous curbing actions but to have 1 Curbing to serve numerous Businesses access.
- I think all an all, the balances of the Townships seem to retain low density development. We would like to see the new growth occur where there is already existing growth, and primarily around the Village of Honor, where there is already infrastructure in place. While also keeping a balance of the Township in character and attractiveness for development and a place where people prefer to work and live in.
- So what the master plan is trying to do; is keep a balance between open space preservation, rural preservation, and development prosperity for the Townships to create new jobs and businesses that may want to locate here into the future.
- The main way the JPC is going to implement this Master Plan is with a Zoning Ordinance. We will be working with the Michigan Department of Transportation Access Management along the US 31 corridor, working with the Village of Honor, and Benzie County as they revamp with their plan. We will also work with the associated Townships around the Homestead and Inland area for any other issues that may arise. Ultimately we will develop a plan so that the 2 Township boards can use that for budgeting purposes and give them a guideline to follow on the vision of the Master Plan too. Thank you.
- Speaking Time: All speakers are asked to give their name and residence. This and their statements/comments will be entered into public record (meeting minutes). Should there be a number of speakers wishing to voice similar opinions, an option for a longer presentation may be more appropriate for the group and one or more speaker may talk within that time frame. Group Presentation: 15 Minutes and Individual Presentation: 3 Minutes.
- Board Response: This is an “input” option: the members will not comment or respond to presenters. Silence or non-response from the board should not be interpreted as disinterest or disagreement by the Board. Comments should be addressed to the Chair not individual board members. Would like to open the Public Hearing now. Time is 7:12pm.
- Jim Dulzo from Benzonia Township and I work for the Michigan Land Institute (MLI). Would like to thank the board for their good work so far. I would like to register my concern on how the Map looks and how it doesn’t seem to really define where you actually want Commercial Development to go. We get a lot of calls at the MLI from people that are caught up in zoning matters in every way of live. Wants a problem comes up, it makes for all the legal stuff to get very expensive, very quickly, especially when you don’t have a Master Plan that matches the Zoning Ordnance. And if you have a Master Plan that is broad and you put that into effect and you have a Zoning Ordinance that tries to narrow that down then it becomes very, very, open to legal challenge, and basically will disarm the board in terms of kind of out of control on Commercial Development. Some very good Lawyers think that is true, not just environmental ones. I also want to say that MLI itself, personally speaking, wants Commercial Development and we think that Benzie County, your Township, Inland Township, and all Townships in Benzie County need Commercial Development. We are not against it. We are pro- commercial and we work with a lot of Chamber of Commerce, business people, environmentalist, and ordinary citizens. Please understand that we coming at this from not an anti-business view but from a pro-business view. So I hope you understand that and believe that. Our experience is that Commercial Development that really works best that I heard some of you talk about, is which, is concentrating on business development in Nodes. If you don’t do that, and it spreads out, you will have a 5-lane highway first of all, just like that at Chums Corner going into Traverse City. That’s what your going to end up with, which will cost a lot of money, drives up your taxes, and will not be very much fun to try and solve. Please keep that in mind. What I’m trying to tell you is; that the current/future commercial development you have, you will have to decide in the Master Plan, and if you don’t, you and your people/successors will not be able to control it. You just won’t. One other thing, could I have another 30 seconds please? Chairman Hubbell approved. Great, I would really again, invite all of you, to please check on the Grand Vision Meeting. Coming up on 20 Mar 08, Transportation Workshop, it is happening in Grand Traverse only because it is special to the 6 counties that are now going to participate in it. A great way of information, and it will effect you on the decisions that come out of there, on how those dollars are going to be spent in those 6 Town areas. So you have every reason to show up on 20 Mar 08, there is a daytime and a nighttime meeting. We are not part of it; we are a large group of 30 organizations of many difference facilities of all walks of life and interest, that get involved. I hope you check it out. There will be one coming up in Benzie, Grand Vision Meeting, just for Benzie, in late April or early May timeframe, pending on funding for it. Please consider my comments as cooperative as very friendly. I like the idea of local control, but if you don’t design the Master Plan the right way, you will give up your local control no matter what you put into the Zoning Ordinance. Thank you all very much.
- Chairman Hubbell personally asked Paul Beechraft, Cathy Demitroff, Frank Walterhouse, Mr and Mrs Johnson, and Carol Moore if they had any public inputs. None had any comments.
- 18 Mar 08, 7:00pm, Meeting at Inland Township will consist of Secretary Position Interviews and Review of Public Inputs and/or updates to the Master Plan and possible Zoning Ordinance review, if time permits.
- 9 Apr 08, 7:00pm, will be a Special Meeting at Homestead Township to review Zoning Administrators Applications and listen to Guest Speaker Mr. Cortwright from Charlevoix.
- 15 Apr 08, 7:00pm, Meeting at Homestead Township will consist of Zoning Ordinance review and Final Review of Master Plan.
Meeting to go over public hearing comments: Christie Andersen stated we really got some good comments and suggestions and we need to sit down and take a side-by-side look and wording of language from the comments received. Members of the Board agreed. The 18 Mar 08 was setup to discuss the Master Plan. Roger Williams stated it would take about 1 hour on Master Plan review and at least 1 Hour or more on finishing Zoning Ordinance review. Chairman asks Secretary if anybody has replied back for Secretary Position. Secretary stated one has replied back and she will be there at the 18 Mar 08, 7:00pm meeting. Interest was brought up to have Mr. Cortwright come down to brief JPC. Roger Williams said it’s a pretty involved presentation and would be great to hear that presentation. Board members agreed. Jessica brought up concern that the JPC might be trying to jamb to much in the 18 March meeting and requested that maybe a special meeting would be more appropriate. Board members agreed. The Following meetings were approved:
Adjourn: Motion by Mary and seconded by Zelda, all Ayes, 1 Absent, Motion Carried.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30pm
Submitted by
Dan Moore
JPC Secretary
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