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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veteran’s History Project
Jerry Gore
Length of Interview (00:09:13)
Background
Born July 9, 1949
Served in the Vietnam War, Army
Drafted into the Army
Living in North Baltimore, Ohio
During the time he was drafted, a Marine Sergeant picked which men would go into the Marines
and who went to the Army, no choice
Received a letter, was working at a rubber factory that made road seals
Everyone was getting drafted during this time
Tried to join the Navy, but wasn’t accepted
Fort Gordon, Georgia, did training there in March into the summer
Would run up a hill called Big Red, due to the red clay; it was terrible, horrendous
It was tough getting used to being away from home, had to adapt
Went through Advance Infantry Training in Fort Gordon
Did Jungle Training


Used the forests and swamps to train



Remembers doing night maneuvers, could see water moccasins in the swamps



The training wasn’t for him, he was a just a kid from a farm town



Once, during training, snuck around to the “enemy” headquarters where they didn’t know
what to do

�In Vietnam, he was a Machine Gunner, M-16; also was a Tunnel Rat


Tunnel Rat is someone who goes down tunnels that may be hiding the enemy

Always saw combat, but doesn’t want to talk about it
Once was sent back to the rear to Base Camp where they had the hospital
Had microscopic worms making him sick with fever


These things happened often because they were living in the jungle

While he was recuperating, the Playboy Bunnies came in and took pictures with the GI’s


When they heard what he had, they just took right off

Was never a POW
Was awarded the Purple Heart (wounded), two Bronze Stars, Army Commendation with Vdevice for Valor, Air Medal for combat assaults in a helicopter, Good Conduct Medal, Combat
Infantry Badge for the amount of time in combat, Vietnamese Medals for serving in Vietnam,
Cross of Gallantry which he received later
Wasn’t married before he left
Used radio to stay in contact with his family


A ham radio operator would contact the States with a telephone operator who would then
connect their call to the family

Would usually eat C-rations, also smoked (they were very dry)
Towards the end, had Warp Rations, basically dehydrated foods, which were pretty good
The stress of carrying a backpack about 45 pounds, and a 20 or 30 pound gun through the jungle
is memorable for Gore

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                    <text>William James College Interviews
GV016-16
Interviewer: Barbara Roos
Interviewee: Richard (Dick) Gottlieb
Date: 1984
Part: 1 of 2

[Gottlieb]

Here we are being informal, yes.

[Barbara]

Are we still rolling?

[Unknown]

Yes.

[Julie]

Um yeah, I was just wondering Barb…

[Barbara]

Okay, just a minute.

[Unknown]

Stop tape.

[Julie]

Of the kind of subject matter that you were teaching and not having this power
to…

[Gottlieb]

Yeah, let’s see if she asks about that.

[Barbara]

Well, I am asking. Yes, please tell me what you guys are saying.

[Gottlieb]

Yeah. Teaching therapeutic process in a college classroom leads to certain kinds
of reactions in students, lots of powerful reactions in students. And as long as
there was institutional support for that to happen, as long as a student who would
be upset by the material that is talked about in class, like, if we're talking about
psychosis and a student either has a relative or they themselves have been
severely disturbed, it brings it out. And as long as you have institutional support,
you can teach it, and the student goes through that experience of stress, and
realizes that they can survive and still learn about this material and not have to
be crazy. If there isn't institutional support, then you get, yeah, you get crazy
reactions. You get the craziness acted out. And I don't know if examples are a
good idea, but probably not.

[Barbara]

Well, could you tell me what you mean by institutional support, because it just
sounds like…

[Gottlieb]

Well, if a student is upset by something that happens in class and they talk to
other faculty or they talk to the administration of the college and the message

�they get is: "That's a serious issue, take it to the faculty and work it out.” I'm here,
you want me to help, fine. But that's a serious educational question, take it back
to your faculty. But if what they get is, "Oh, God, that sounds horrible! Write that
down and complain about it," then what you have is students demanding to be
comfortable in class and my experience is that teaching psychology or
psychotherapy – specifically psychotherapy – you can't be comfortable and learn.
You just can't be comfortable. The process of psychotherapy, even at the
bachelor level, teaching psychotherapy is teaching something that will be
bringing on stress if its ever practiced and to teach it in a stress-free environment
is impossible, in my view.
[Barbara]

So, you did… you were able to teach it with institution support for a while?

[Gottlieb]

Yep, for long while. And when that changed was when the deans changed. There
was not a sudden shift, it was a shift that flowed. It flowed in the direction away
from support of faculty, in my experience, in the direction of making students
experience Chevrolet-like. Acceptable to a wide range of students and… let me
finish my thought. Acceptable to a wide range of students and not bothering
anybody ever. And the sparkle went out in my view of the college at that point.
What Julie? What? What?

[Barbara]

If you want to say something, say it loudly so the mic picks it up.

[Julie]

Well, it seems like a reflection of a conflict in the society, generally, about who
should be doing what kind of work. People were saying that this kind of material
shouldn't be taught on the bachelor level at all, but we’re reaching students now
doing treatment throughout the city and facilities that hire bachelor level people to
work directly with clients who are severely disturbed, but they're…

[Gottlieb]

Do you want me to say that? Or something about it?

[Barbara]

Yeah, use it.

[Gottlieb]

Okay. That's disgusting.

[Barbara]

That time we got it.

[Gottlieb]

Well, what you were just saying is whether or not it's legitimate to be teaching
bachelor level people about psychotherapy and I think our experience in the last
ten years in mental health indicates that it clearly is because bachelor level
people provide therapeutic services all over. And increasingly do so.

[Barbara]

So why the change? Was it a decision on somebody's part or was it personalities
or what?

�[Gottlieb]

No, I don't think it was personalities or a decision about whether or not to
support. I think it was a decision at high administrative levels on the campus, that
it was time Grand Valley State Colleges (newly called College) shall henceforth
not piss anybody off. And I think at all levels of teaching that philosophy infected
us. William James, I don't think, raised people's anxieties terribly much as a
college, except people who were bothered by what seemed to be the enjoyment
people had in their mission. And I think that kind of anxiety was untenable in the
new Grand Valley, which was a place where nobody was supposed to be tense
about anything. Everybody should be kind of copacetic. And they had undone
Thomas Jefferson, and they had undone any sense of accomplishment –
experimental accomplishment – on the campus. And everybody was trying to
look as gray as possible so that nobody would take them out of the picture. And
William James couldn't quite look gray enough and I think that's why it was
closed.

[Barbara]

Um…

[Gottlieb]

So what I've just outlined is a kind of progression from the question I had to face
there in teaching courses which encouraged nervousness to a college which
encouraged nervousness. And there were advantages to being at William James
and there were disadvantages to being at James and there were advantages to
being in my class and disadvantages. And I think that in the five years I worked
there until there was this shift I'm describing, I think I was getting to be a much
better teacher. I think in the two years following that shift, I think I got to be a
much worse teacher.

[Barbara]

That's my experience, okay. That's parallel to it exactly. Some people have said
on tape that there were certain turning points in the history of the college which
made it have to be closed and that one of the turning points was losing social
work. Would you comment on that?

[Gottlieb]

Losing social work? When I was hired, I was asked to be the Director of the
Social Work program and there were a lot of people at CAS… thank you Rich…
a lot of people at CAS who were teaching in social work. So, I made the proposal
that there should be co-chair with CAS, instead of just myself, and put that
together and a woman, Ann Johnson [?] (she has long since disappeared) from
CAS, and I became co-chair. The following term was shifted to CAS because that
was seen as clearly duplicating services, somehow, that there were co-chair
running the program. And or the following year, I guess, that was moved to CAS.
The effect on the school, I thought, was minimal, actually. Professional
education, as defined in the program, then moved to CAS, was limited and, I
thought, bankrupt.

�[Julie]

We lost a lot of students because of the move.

[Gottlieb]

Yeah, but losing students isn't what caused the end of William James College.

[Julie]

No, not the end of William James College.

[Gottlieb]

That's what I'm commenting on. I don't think that Social Work going to the
College of Arts and Sciences was at all a turning point for the school. I think we
developed a social work curriculum within William James College that was really
fine and…

[Julie]

The students didn't go to it?

[Gottlieb]

The students went to it! I don't know why you think students didn't go to it, my
classes were filled. All of them, all the time.

[Julie]

Until the end?

[Gottlieb]

Julie, Social Work went to CAS in nineteen seventy-nine. Okay? We're talking
two different stages here. When social work went to CAS, we sat up our own
social work program, students came to it, it was fine; worked beautifully. The
problem was that we were then being disallowed to be teaching some of the
courses because that was, again, duplication. It was not simple to… it wasn't
simple enough somehow to have two colleges teaching courses that had the
same… somewhat similar content, anyway. And our students were being told not
to take courses at William James. They were being told to take courses at CAS.
It was not moving of the social work program; it was, I think, again, the
administrative response which told students that William James was not the
place to get their education. They were telling students who were currently
enrolled, and they were telling incoming students. Just… testimonials don't mean
diddley squat, but one student who came to me and said: "I came to the
admissions office. I asked for a school that didn't give grades, I asked for a
school that had a community in it, I asked for a school where you individually set
up your own curriculum, and they sent me to CAS." And that was going on all
over the place. I think movement of Social Work was symptomatic of that. I don't
think it mattered… made any difference.

[Barbara]

I ask you to please summarize the essence of William James college very briefly.
Like one or two sentences.

[Gottlieb]

Bob Burns, Robert Mayberry, Stephen Rowe, Margaret Proctor, Barry Castro, Wil
Walko, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

[Barbara]

Okay, no two people – I ask this question to everyone – no two people have

�given anything remotely resembling the same answer, which is wonderful.
Whether it be… [Inaudible]. Why did you come to James? I don't mean your
personal history; I mean, what was there for you?
[Gottlieb]

Julie and I were invited to interview. They wanted social workers. We were living
in Detroit, and what we saw when we came here was a group of people… one of
the people who interviewed us had his zipper down, couldn't uh…[laughter] and
we found a group of people who were excited about something and I was
working in a hospital at the time. Julie was not working, but we were both
committed to the provision of services, and here was an opportunity to impact
other people who might be providing service in the future. And I think we just got
very excited by the kind of contagious quality of the place. What it had to offer
us? A chance to do something meaningful.

[Barbara]

What do you miss?

[Gottlieb]

The most amazing thing is what I don't miss… about the campus. It's the only
place I've ever been in – only physical environment I've ever been in – where
after seven years (that's a long time), I had no attachment to the physical
environment at all. Nothing. There wasn't a corner that I remembered fondly, or a
stairwell that I remember sitting on. The place was so well designed as to be
totally unattachable. It was wonderful, it was a marvelous place. What do I miss?
I miss teaching. And so I don't exactly miss the students, I don't exactly miss the
faculty, and I don't exactly miss classes but I miss teaching and that's all part of
that. I liked teaching, and so that feels like a real loss. I still see a lot of people
who were the faculty, and I still see a lot of people, actually, who were the
students. Or people who might have been students. It was a quiet community.
That's all I miss. A lot of things I don't miss. The sense of deterioration, the sense
of being co-opted, piece by piece. A little chunk here, a little number there. Let's
just change that rule. Let's just move that piece of… I hated it. You agree?

[Barbara]

Let us stop for a minute.

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                    <text>William James College Interviews
GV016-16
Interviewer: Barbara Roos
Interviewee: Richard (Dick) Gottlieb
Date: 1984
Part: 2 of 2

[Barbara]

Something about the… you like teaching, so talk to me a little tiny bit about the
teaching process and how it was Jamesian and how it wasn't…

[Gottlieb]

Oh, God.

[Barbara]

I'm getting criticism but there was positive because you miss it, and you haven't
said why. You haven't really said why. That's it.

[Gottlieb]

Each class was an attempt to create something. I'm not an academician, I'm a
therapist, and I would try to come into class hoping something would happen,
without planning for something to happen. And I would have a general sense of
what we were covering. Maybe, by the time I was there four years, I was even
doing outlines for the term, with probably twenty or twenty-five lines to cover the
description of the term. And sometimes I would even follow the outlines and I
would sort of have a general sense of what going on… what I was trying to cover.
But I would not read lectures, or write lectures, or anything. I would try to respond
to the material as it generated in class and I got better at that. That's a clinical
skill, too, and it helped me practice development of creative interaction, each
class. And the students who were there during that loved it, and learned a lot,
and are good clinicians, some of them now. And there are people… I guess, I get
some confirmation about the quality of my teaching in that there are some people
now who are well past their master’s now doing work in the local area, and all of
the ones I find disgustingly horrible in their work are the people who had terrible
problems in my classes. And I smile a lot about that, that seems right. And the
ones who are lovely and helpful, didn't… or didn’t have prolonged trouble in my
class.

[Julie]

You…

[Gottlieb]

What?

[Julie]

Loved you.

[Gottlieb]

Yeah or loved me. Okay, the only other thing I want to say is that I think that
having a William James College in Western Michigan in the seventies and
eighties was a mistake from the beginning. Interesting notion and interesting

�experiment but idiotic. The idea that it would last even ten years, seems to me,
was incredible and it should've just been moved to the east coast and allowed to
grow. It certainly could not survive here. Ever. Only if it stayed small and
manageable. And if it stayed small and unmanageable or large, I think it was
doomed. And I think that was true from the beginning.
[Barbara]

Do you think we should have put up a fight, though?

[Gottlieb]

A fight? For what?

[Julie]

Yes, you did.

[Gottlieb]

For what? What kind of fight? What do you mean?

[Julie]

Do you think the students should be raising hell?

[Gottlieb]

Oh, the students, yes, but when you say "we" I think faculty. Yes, I think the
students should have burned down the damn campus. But they didn't and that's
why we closed. Students will get what they want, and they did, and they do. And
so now Grand Valley is more populous than it ever was before. They have more
students than they know what to do with. They're rich, they're happy, they're fat,
they're ridiculous, they're horrible. And there's still good faculty there, teaching
good courses to good students, but there's not that magic combination that was
there before.

[Barbara]

Julie, you have to say something because we have you… he's talking to you and
if we don't see you, it’s absolutely ridiculous.

[Gottlieb]

If you excuse me, I'm going to him.

[Unknown]

Mosquito on your left leg. Good shot.

[Barbara]

That’s a good shot.

[Unknown]

You can tell she's loving it.

[Julie]

I'm not… [laughter].

[Unknown]

I know.

[Barbara]

You’re going to ask the second question. I’m going to ask the first one. You know
her very best. You know what to ask her.

[Gottlieb]

Oh, okay.

�[Julie]

Well, you said I should say something about the essence of William James.

[Barbara]

Yes, I would like to hear it.

[Julie]

It makes me sad to think about it. I think, for me, the essence of William James
was the people. The sense of community and learning, of people coming at
things from different directions, and with different vocabularies, and coming to a
common understanding. And that's what felt real important.

[Barbara]

Stop playing with the microphone cord!

[Everyone]

[Laughter]

[Barbara]

[Inaudible] Dick, do you have a question?

[Gottlieb]

How did you feel about… how do you fell about the way you were made part of
the community, or not made part of the community?

[Barbara]

As an adjunct.

[Gottlieb]

As an adjunct faculty.

[Barbara]

Good question!

[Gottlieb]

Thank you.

[Julie]

It varied. It seemed that there were some people who were committed to not
seeing me as a part of the college. But, generally, it seemed like I could be there,
as much as I was willing to work to be there. And I felt accepted by the students.
I felt like it could be my school, too.

[Barbara]

Were you accepted by the institution?

[Julie]

No, I don't think so.

[Barbara]

Because?

[Julie]

I don't know. It was always difficult for me to tell how much of that was me being
reluctant to fully enter in, and how much of that really was the institution not
being real welcoming. And… yeah, I don't know, I'm…

[Barbara]

I have one more question, which might draw a blank, but I'm going to ask it.
Talking to Stephen, it's so clear that William James College really did embody the

�philosophy of William James. Did you catch… how did catch that philosophy? Did
you study James when you came? In other words, there was something that
made the college work, which indeed embodied James's philosophy. I'm trying to
figure out how we all learned it so fast when we didn't read James.
[Julie]

I don't know. What I think of when you ask the question is that we were asked
before we interviewed, each of us, to write a statement of our teaching
philosophy. And we did that knowing nothing about what the college was about.
And it was a perfect match and that just felt real nice. It's like we discovered
William James College and William James College discovered, or collected,
people who already had that sense of William James philosophy within them.

[Barbara]

Indeed. The selection process was very important. It really was. It was absolutely
critical.

[Julie]

We came to William James and we loved the faculty. When we came for that first
interview, and it felt wonderful to be with those people.

[Barbara]

Perhaps we can stop so that we can let that stuff [Inaudible].

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            <name>Creator</name>
            <description>An entity primarily responsible for making the resource</description>
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              <elementText elementTextId="863026">
                <text>Gottlieb, Richard</text>
              </elementText>
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          <element elementId="40">
            <name>Date</name>
            <description>A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="863027">
                <text>1984</text>
              </elementText>
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          <element elementId="50">
            <name>Title</name>
            <description>A name given to the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="863028">
                <text>Richard and Julie Gottlieb interview (2 of 2, video and transcript)</text>
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          <element elementId="41">
            <name>Description</name>
            <description>An account of the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="863029">
                <text>Interview with Richard "Dick" Gottlieb and his wife Julie Gottlieb by Barbara Roos, documenting the history of Grand Valley State's William James College. William James College was the third baccalaureate degree granting college for Grand Valley. It was originally designed to be an interdisciplinary, non-departmentalized college consisting of concentration programs, rather than majors. The college opened in 1971 and was discontinued in 1983 during a reorganization of Grand Valley State. Richard Gottlieb was a Social Work faculty member at William James College and a co-director of the Social Work program at Grand Valley. In this interview, Richard discusses how the future of William James College was limited in West Michigan and his thoughts on the college's closing. Richard is later joined on camera by his wife and fellow social worker, Julie, who worked as an adjunct faculty in William James College and discusses the essence and importance of the William James community. This interview is part 2 of 2 for Richard Gottlieb.</text>
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                <text>Universities and colleges</text>
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                <text>Social work education</text>
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                <text>&lt;a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/69"&gt;William James College faculty and student interviews (GV016-16)&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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                <text>&lt;a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"&gt;In Copyright&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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                <text>eng</text>
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                <text>Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives</text>
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                    <text>.

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�PLANNJNG COMMISSION
RESOLUTION Z OF 2005

l1 is the intent of the Bingham Township Planning Commission to amend Resolution 1 of 2004
by adding the following language in order to clarify the intent of tJ1e Agricultural area designated
on the Future Land Use Map.
WIIBREAS, It is ilie intent of the Planning Commission that ilie "Agricultural" area designated
on the Future Land Use Map be designated as the official "Agricultural Preservation " area;
THEREFORE, the Planning Conm1ission has met its obligation according to Public Act 168 of
1959, by reviewing the existing Master Plan and hereby detennined the existing Master Plan
continues to meet the Township's goals and objectives including the future development of the
Townslrip and the area designated as "Agriculture" on 1he Future Land Use Map is intended to be
designated as "Agricultural Preservation" and tl1e map which is hereby modified.
Approved and effective this 1s' of September, 2005.

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�Approved as corrected 9-2-10

BINGHAM TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION
Regular Meeting Minutes
August 5, 2010

1. Call to Order Mike Park, Chairman, called the Bingham Township Planning Commission Meeting to order on
Thursday, August 5, 2010, at 6:30 p.m at the Bingham Township Hall, 7171 S. Center Highway,
Traverse City, Ml.
Roll Call Present: Mike Park, Will Bunek, Mary Bush, Cathy Jasinski, Midge Werner
Absent and excused: Dennis Grant, Bob Gregory
Staff Present: Kathy Egan, Planner; Steve Patmore, Zoning Administrator

2. Agenda Approval Cathy Jasinski/moved, Mary Bush/supported, PASSED, to approve the Agenda as
presented.

3. Approval of Minutes
May 6 1 2010 Midge Werner/moved, Will Buneklsupported, PASSED, to approve the May 6, 2010 Minutes
as amended CORRECTED at this meeting as follows: Pg. 1 - showed the trees on the site
plan; New Conditions - Retail or other sales shall be clearly incidental and directly related
to the conduct of the home business. Hours of retail sales shall not be earlier than 10:00
a.m. nor later than 8 p.m. Pg. 6 - not land which is accessible.
June 3, 2010 Will Buneklsupparted MOVED, Midge Werner/supported, PASSED, to accept the June 3,
2010 Minutes as presented.
4. Public Comment
Marita Somero indicated she has reviewed the Suttons Bay Township noise and junk ordinances,
and is asking that the Township not follow Suttons Bay Township's ordinances. Administration of
such ordinances increases costs to the Township, creates discord among the community and the
possibility of litigation.

5, Conflict of Interest There were no conflicts of interest.
6. Items for Consideration
a. Master Plan Review
Kathy Egan requested that the Commission discuss whether or not the master plan needs
updating (amendments), needs to be replaced (a new plan), or is still current and adequate.
Comments from the Commissioners - wait a year until census information (demographics) is
available, consider updating the plan which is 12 years old, need a survey, request that the
Township Board add monies to the budget to update the master plan, and through the Grand
Vision, monies may be available to update the master plan.
Will Buneklmoved, Midge Werner/supported, PASSED, to indicate the Planning
Commission has reviewed the comprehensive land use plan, and although there are areas
that could be updated, the Commission finds that the basic conclusions and goals in the
plan are still valid.
Bingham Township Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
August 5, 2010
Approved as corrected 9-2-10
Page 1 of 2

�Approved as corrected 9-2-10

b. Rural Residential Map
Steve Patmore indicated approval has been given to purchase a rural residential map for
$100.00.

c. Zoning Ordinance re-organization update
Kathy Egan provided the Commissioners with a copy of the newly reprinted Zoning Ordinance.
The Township's attorney has reviewed the Zoning Ordinance Re-organization amendment and
noted that the land division and subdivision ordinance provisions for the township should be
updated.

d. New Designs for Growth
Kathy Egan indicated the Commissioners will be provided a copy of the New Designs for Growth
Guidebook, further she is requesting that a dvd subscription of educational topics for the
Commission Members be purchased.

7. Communications and Reports
a. Chairman - No report was submitted from the Chairman.
b. Zoning Administrator
Steve Patmore, Zoning Administrator, submitted written reports for June and July 2010. Mr.
Patmore indicated Barb Coye mailed information regarding Lawrence Lake to the Planning
Commission which will be retained in the file. Mr. Patmore provided a comparison of private road
standards - Leelanau County, and Bingham Site Plan Review Applicability for the Commission's
review.
c. Planner
Kathy Egan indicated the new reorganized Zoning Ordinance will be put on the County's website.
d. Township Board -The May 17, 2010 Township Board Minutes were provided to the
Commission.
e. Commissioners - There was no report from Commissioners.
8. Items for Consideration for the September 2, 2010 Meeting
Items for consideration - rural residential, private roads, and site plan review.
9. Public Comment
There was no public comment.
10. Adjournment
Cathy Jasinski/moved, Midge Werner/supported, PASSED, to adjourn the meeting at 7:30
p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Marge Johnson, Recording Secretary
Reviewed by staff 8-16-10
Approved as corrected 9-2-10

Bingham Township Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
August 5, 2010
Approved as corrected 9-2-10
Page 2 of 2

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Bingha.m Township

Prepc:a.reci for:

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TOWNSHIP OF BINGHAM

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Tro.verse City, Michigo.n

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1une 1999
Project N 0. E14877

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Prepc:a.reci by:

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.@
1601 P0rto.ge Street
Ko.lo.mo.z00, Michigo.n

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Bingham Township
Comprehensive Plan
Planning Commission
Ross Ard, Chair
Don Kiessel, Vice Chair
Midge Werner, Secretary
Bill Grant
Dorothy Petroskey
Bob Gregory
Cathy Jasinski
Diane Kiessel, Recording Secretary

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Board

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Harry F. Sanborn, Supervisor
Carol L. Groesser, Clerk
Judy Petroskey, Treasurer
Ronald Collins, Jr.
Midge Werner

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Table of C0?1.tents

INTRODUCTION
The Planning Process .....................................................................................i
Summary of Document ................................................................................ii

PART I - COMMUNITY PROFILE
Physical Features
Location ............................................................................................... I - I
Natural Features ..................................................................................... I -2

Social Features

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Introduction ...........................................................................................2-1
Population Trends ................................................................................2- I
Migration ...............................................................................................2- I
/vg,e Composition ...................................................................................2-2
Household Occupancy and Composition .................................................2-3
Value of Housing ...................................................................................2-5
Edu~~ion and Occupation ......................................................................2-6
Location of Employment .........................................................................2-8
Income ..................................................................................................2-9

Community Facilities
Introduction ...........................................................................................3-1
Fire Protection ...................................................................................... .3-1
Schools ................................................................................................. .3- I
Parks and Recreation ..............................................................................3-1
Library ...................................................................................................3-2
Utilities ..................................................................................................3-2
Transportation .......................................................................................3-2
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Existing Land Use
Introduction ...........................................................................................4- I
Land Use Classifications ..........................................................................4- I
Trends and Analysis ................................................................................4-2
Subdivision of Land .................................................................................4-4

BinehCLm Tciwnship Comprehensive PlCLn

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Ta.hle of Contents

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PART II - PLAN
Goals
Community Survey ................................................................................. 5-1
Citizen Planning Committees .................................................................. 5-I
Issue Identification ...................................................................................5- I
Goals and Objectives ..............................................................................5-2

Future land Use
Introduction ...........................................................................................6-1
Population and Housing Projections ......................................................... 6- I
The Future Land Use Plan ...................................................................... 6-3
Future Land Use Distribution .................................................................. 6-8
Build-Out Analysis of the Future Land Use Map ........................................ 6-9

Implementation
Introduction ........................................................................................... 7-1
Implementation Schedule ........................................................................ 7-2

APPENDIX A- Survey Results / Citizen Planning Committee Reports
APPENDIX B- Population Projections
APPENDIX C- Design Standards

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Bin1ha.m Township C:lmprehensive Pla.n

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�-1
Introduction
The Planning Process

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The purpose of a community plan is to provide
guidance to public and private decision makers with
regard to future changes in land use and the allocation
·of resources.

What Is a Comprehensive Plan?
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A comprehensive plan contains information about
physical and social features, community facilities,
existing land use and economic trends. The plan
identifies key planning issues and then establishes goals
and actions to address the issues. A future land use
plan also becomes part of the recommendations
section and guides local officials when making future
zoning and land development decisions .

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Assessment of existing conditions and future needs
Guide to Planning Commission, Township Board, other
decision makers
Guide for future land use, traffic
circulation, community facilities
Informational resource
listing of community goals
Document that considers
land uses and factors beyond
municipal borders

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The Planning Commission is the body responsible for developing and adopting the
comprehensive plan. It is suggested, but not required, that the Township Board also
consider adopting the plan. Amendments to the adopted plan are also the responsibility
of the Planning Commission.

Why Plan?
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Ensure compatibility of different
land uses
Provide necessary public utilities
and facilities
Provide open spaces and
natural resources
Provide safe traffic circulation
Expand economic opportunities
Provide areas for quality housing
options
Prepare for new private
developments
Guide future development

The Plan for Bingham Township was prepared in
1998-1999, with the assistance of many individuals
and groups from throughout the community.
Citizen Planning Committees in conjunction with
the Planning Commission, Township Board, and
Township Staff worked with a planning consulting
firm in preparing the Plan. This Plan is not a zoning
ordinance but will guide future changes to the
Township Zoning Regulations.

�As
the
community
The Comprehensive Plan is not. ...••.
develops and matures,
- Permanent - it should be reviewed every 5 to I Oyears
Bingham Township will
- Inflexible - it can be amended
need to update its goals
-Alaw
and recommendations for - A zoning map - it is a guide for future zoning decisions
- A basis for property tax assessment
future development and
redevelopment. It is suggested that a comprehensive plan be updated every five years in a fast growing
community and every IO years for slower growth areas.

How to Use this Plan
The Bingham Township Comprehensive Plan is broken into two parts. Part I Community Profile, includes four sections: Physical Features, Social Features, Community
Facilities and Existing Land Use. These sections focus on current community statistics and
trends. Part II - Plan and Implementation has three sections: Issues and Public Input,
Goals and Objectives, Land Use Plan, which discuss the community vision and goals for
the future and sets forth specific land use needs.
This Plan is to be used as a guide for future decisions by the Planning Commission,
Township Board, Township Staff, business people, residents, nonprofit organizations and
developers. The governmental boards and staff should be familiar with the goals and
objectives defined in Section 5, and the details of the future land use proposals in
Section 6. They should also develop and follow a "reasonable" work program, using the
Implementation Program Schedule, to identify the particular actions that are deemed of
highest priority for the given budget year.
Nongovernmental groups or individuals also should be knowledgeable of the contents
of the Plan. Businesses, in particular, should attempt to make decisions about capital
investment and future development based upon the guidelines of the Plan. It is important
for the welfare of the Township, however, that both businesses, private individuals and
groups provide constructive feedback to the Planning Commission on issues of
development. This communication will assist Bingham Township assess the current needs
of the Community.

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J'hysica.l Fea.tuz-es
Socia.I Fea.tuz-es

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· Community Pea.tuz-es

Existing L:Lnc:l 'Use ,

�'Physica.1 Fea.tures

�---------------111 Section 1 Location

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Bingham Township is located in eastern
Leelanau County, bordered by Lake
Leelanau in the west and Grand Traverse
Bay in the east. The Township shares
borders with three surrounding townships,
including Centerville Township to the west,
Suttons BayTownship to the north, and

Physiccil Fecitures

Elmwood Township to the south. The
Village of Suttons Bay is one and one-half
mile north of the northern border of the
Township. The county seat, in the Village of
Leland, lies eight miles northwest of the
Township. Traverse City is the dominant
metropolitan center of the region and lies
seven miles to the south.

MAP 1-1 - LOCATION

LEELANAU COUNTY

BINGHAM
TOWNSHIP
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@ Sinehe1m T0wnship C::0mprehensive Plc,.n

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,.., Section 1 - PhysicCLl FeCLtures
Natural Features
Bingham Township is located in a region that
is rich in the quality and quantity of its natural
resources. The general climate of the area,
the composition of local soils, the predominant vegetation, and the quality and
extent of both surface and groundwater all
determine the ability of the Township to
maintain a healthy environment. Unplanned
development of the Township will place
increasing pressures on these resources.
Because of the importance of these natural
resources to the region's economy, future
development needs to be sensitive to
potential impacts upon the environment.
The following describe these natural
elements, so that they may be taken into
consideration as the Township grows.
Because of the importance of these
natural resources to the region's
econom7, future development needs
to be sensitive to potential impacts
upon the environment.

Topography - As with much of the Great
Lakes Region, glaciation has formed the
landscape of Bingham Township. The
glaciers have piled .up .rocks, gravels and
sediments to form hills, called moraines.
These moraines dominate the central
portion of the Township, sloping down
toward the east and west. Over one-third
of the Township has slopes greater than 12
percent (See Map 1-3). Steep terrain can

@ Bineha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

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provide significant challenges to traditional
development.

Vegetation - Most of Bingham Township was
originally covered by a mixture of deciduous
and coniferous forests. The area was heavily
lumbered in the late nineteenth century
depleting much of the original forest cover.
Various species of hardwoods still exist
throughout the area including Beech, Sugar
Maple, Ash, Walnut, Hickory and Oak..
Woodlots are primarily second growth areas
and are generally located on poorly drained,
mineral soils, or on steeply sloped areas.
The woodlands are an important resource
for the Township, providing habitats for
wildlife and contributing to the rural
character of the area.

Wetlands/Water Resources - Bingham
Township is split between two minor
watersheds: the Lake Leelanau Watershed
on the west and the Grand Traverse Bay
Watershed to the east. Lake Leelanau, which
forms the western border of the Township,
is divided north and south by the "narrows"
at the Village of Lake Leelanau. The southern
A watershed is the Io.nd area that contributes runoff to a stream, river or
Jake.

portion of the lake is the largest, comprising
nearly 5,400 acres. The lake flows south to
north through the narrows, ultimately
draining into Lake Michigan. The lake
currently has high water quality as

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along the Bay shore and Lake Leelanau

amounts of algae and aquatic plant growth.

shore. Wetlands contribute significantly to

Wirt.er

the health and vitality of the environment.

quality

is

showing

signs

of

to an increased amount of nutrients running

Wetlands clean water by settling out
sediments and breaking down nutrients and

off of the land. Human activity and land use

other contaminants.

have a direct affect on the type and amount

important habitats for a variety of wildlife and
native vegetirt.ion.

of nutrients that are delivered to the lake.
Human activit7 and land use have
a direct a:f:fect on the t7pe and
amount o:f nutrients that are
delivered to the lake.

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They also serve as

Soils - Soils are the building blocks that define
the types of activities that can be sustained
on the land. Soils determine the types of
vegetation and drainage that occur nirt.urally.

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characterized by clear water and low

deterioration in recent years, however, due

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Physiccd Fee1tures

The eastern border of the Township is

They also delineate the types of crops that

defined by the West Arm of Grand Traverse

can be planted and the location and density

Bay. Grand Traverse Bay is one of the few

of buildings, roads and other man-made

remaining oligotrophic (high water quality)

structures. Soil classifications (made up of a

bays in the Great Lakes. It has a length of 32

mixture of basic soil types) have been

miles and a maximum width of IO miles.

identified

The bay has over 130 miles of shoreline,

Conservation Service in the Soil Survey of
Leelanau County, Michigan.

which contain numerous public parks and

and

mapped

by

the

Soil

beeches.
There are 24 different soil types within the
Wetlands, as defined by the National

Township.

Wetlands

Michigan

own unique characteristics, including limita-

Resource Information System, are found

tions for development, recreation and

throughout the Township but are particularly

agriculture. These soil types are a part of the

concentrated around the area's rivers and

one of three soil associations: the East Lake-

lakes (see Map 1-3). Both Lee and Mebert

Eastport-Lupton

Creeks have large wetland complexes along

Leelanau association, or the Leelanau-

their channels. Additional wetlands are found

Mancelona association. For the most part,

Inventory

and

the

Wetlands clean water b7 settling
out sediments and braking down
nutrients and other contaminants.

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Each of these types has their

association,

Emmet-

these associations are characterized by welldrained, sandy soils.

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@ SinehCLm Tc:iwnship C:c:imprehensive Pla.n

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Physiccd Fea.tures

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Map 1-2 shows areas classified as prime
farmland

by the

U.S.

Department of

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Agriculture. Prime farmland soils are defined
as those best suited to produce food, feed,

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forage, fiber and oilseed crops. These soils
have properties that are favorable for
production of sustained high yields of crops.
This designation is based solely on soil type
and topography.
Map 1-2 also shows Act I 16 farmland. Public
Act I 16, known as the Farmland and Open
Space Preservation Act, creates a set of
incentives for landowners to keep farmland

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in production while discouraging further
development. According to the Department
of Natural Resource 1s Real Estate Division,
Bingham Township has over 1,600 acres
currently under the program.
Map 1-3 show areas in the Township where

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soil and topography may impact development. This impact comes from a variety of
sources, such as the presence of wetlands,
poor permeability of soils, and improper
engineering properties for building develop-

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ment. These classifications are intended for
general planning purposes only. Decisions
on the uses of specific tracts of land should
refer to the original source material: Soil
Survey of Leelanau County, Michigan, Soil

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Conservation Service, 1973.

@ Binehcun Township Comprehensive Pl

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�MAP 1-2 Prime Farmland Soils and Land Protected under Act 116

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Prime Farmlands

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Prime Farmland

Act 116 Farmland
by Expiration Date

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SOURCE: Soil Survey of Leelanau Co., USDA Soil Conser1ation Service, 1973
Act 116 Farmland from Ml DNR Real Estate Division

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•
•
•

12/31/1999
12/31/2000
12/31/2001
12/31/2002

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�MAP 1-3 Development Limitations Due to Soils, Slope, or Presence of Wetlands

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Slopes and Septic Field Limitations are derived from

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the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

LEGEND
Slopes greater than 12%
Composite Wetlands
Soil Limitations on Septic Fields
Watershed Boundary

as compiled by the Northwestern Michigan Council
of Governments. This map should be used for
general planning purposes only
Wetland information is compiled from three sources:
1) National Wetland Inventory
2) U.S. Soil Conservation Service Soil Survey of
Leelanau County-hydric soils and soils with
hydric inclusions and/or components
3) Michigan Resource Information System (MIRIS)
Land Cover interpretation from 1990 aerial
photographs
All other map features produced by MIRIS (1978)
PLEASE NOTE: This map has not been field
checked and should be used for planning purposes
only.

�Socia.I Fea.tures

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Introduction
This section of -~he Comprehensive Plan
provides information about the population,
housing, social and employment characteristics of- Bingham Township. By examining these factors_ for the Township and
the surrounding communities, a clear
picture of demographic conditions will
emerge. Understanding these conditions
provides a valuable insight into future
needs in housing and land development.

Population Trends
Table 2-1 shows the historic population
trends for Bingham Township and
Leelanau County ,..from 1940 to 1994.
Table 2-1 shows that the Township grew a
total of 268 percent over the period, over
twice the rate of Leelanau County. In fact,
the Township experienced the largest
population change in Leelanau County
between 1980 and 1990.
Figure 2-1
shows graphically the change in population
in the Township during this period and
shows the proportion of the County
population the Township represents. Both

- ·the Co• nty and the Township ·underwent
rapid growth after 1940, but the
Township's
population
has
steadily
increased its percentage of the total county
population, particularly since 1960. The
Township continued to grow through the
1980s as indicated by the 1990 census.
However, the 1994 population estimate
released by the Bureau of the Census
showed
that
Bingham
Township's
population growth has slowed during the
early 1990s.
Alter 1940 the Count7 and the
Township hotb underwent rapid
powtb, hut the Township's population bas stoadil7 increased in
percentage of tho total Count7
population, particularl7 since
1960.

Migration
Migration is the rate that the population
moved into and out of the Township.
Table 2-2 shows migration in Bingham
Township between 1985 and 1990, the
most recent data available. During this

Leelanau County

SOURCE:

-

-

TABLE 2-1 - HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS

Bingham Township

-

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

1994

% Change

564

563

625

916

1,546

2,051

2,073

268

8,436

8,647

9.321

10,872

14,007

16,527

18,122

115

-

1940-1990 U.S. Census of Population

@ Bineha.m T0wnship Comprehensive Pl

2-1

�---------------1 Section 2 -Socicd Feo.tures

I

TABLE 2-2 - MIGRATION (1990 BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE IN 1985)
Bingham Township

Leelanau County

#

% of Total

#

% of Total

Persons 5 Years and Older

1,866

100.0

15,280

100.0

Lived in Same House

1,103

59.1

8,553

56.0

In Leelanau County

295

15.8

2,511

16.4

Different County in Michigan

376

20.1

3,249

21.3

Different State

86

4.6

896

5.9

6

0.3

71

0.5

Residence in 1985

Lived in Different House

Outside of United States in 1985
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

period, nearly 60 percent of the population
remained in the same location. Of the 40
percent that did• move, 15.8 percent
moved within the County, with the
remaining 20 percent moving from outside
the County. Of the new residents moving
to the Township, nearly 5 percent come
from out-of-state. Overall, residential
migration out of the Township is less than
the County, reflecting a greater stability and
propensity for long-term residency among
Township residents.

Age Composition
The needs and lifestyles of individuals differ
among age groups, and the demands for
retail goods and services as well as
public or institutional programs change in
concert.

@ Bineha.m Tc:iwnship C!c:imprehensive Pl

Table 2-3 shows the composition of the
population by age group for the Township,
County and the State. Leelanau County
has an older population overall, with a
higher percentage of residents who are
over 55 years of age and a higher median
age.
Bingham
Township,
however,
showed lower percentages in these age
groups, having more residents in the
younger age groups. The Township can
expect a rise in the median age, however,
over the next IO years. The increase in
median age follows a national trend, as
members of the 11 baby boom" generation
age toward retirement early next century.

Tbe Township can ezpect a rise
in the median ago over the nezt
to years.

- .......

-

..._-

,_ -

-

.

- ,.,

.

_.,

,- ,~

.

2-2

�----------------11 Section 2 -Social Features
TABLE 2-3 - AGE DISTRIBUTION (Bingham TOWNSHIP AND Leelanau COUNTY)
Age Group
Under 5 Years
% of Total
5-17 Years
% of Total
18-20 Years
% of Total
21-24 Years
% of Total
25-44 Years
% of Total
45-54 Years
%ofTotal
55-64 Years
% of Total
65+ Years
% of Total
Total
MedianAge ·.
SOURCE:

Bingham Township

Leelanau County

State of Michigan

185
9.0
436
21.2
50
2.4
62
3.0
725
35.3
190
9.3
177
8.6
226
11.0
2,051

1,247
7.5
3,089
18.7
469
2.8
595
3.6
5,172
31.3
1,764
10.7
1,724
10.4
2,467
14.9
16,527

702,554
7.6
1,756,211
18.9
449,966
4.8
554,561
6.0
2,980,702
32.1
948,119
10.2
794,723
8.5
I, 108,461
11.9
9,295,297

34.2

36.5

32.6

-

-

1980/1990 U.S. Census of Population

Household Occupancy and Composition
The number and type of households within
the Township influence the social and
economic dynamics of the Township and
consequently impact the quantity and
character of land development. Households are the standard unit of measurement for evaluating and projecting the
number of housing units, retail sales and
community facilities and services. Table 24 shows the number of households in
Bingham Township from 1980 to 1990.
During the 1980s, households in the
Township increased at an average annual
rate of 3.3 percent, which matches the
population growth during this period. The

@ BinehCLm Township Comprehensive Pl

annual household growth has remained the
same during the 1990s, with the number
of estimated housing units nearing 1,300.
Average household size also has remained
steady during this period, with 2.02
persons per unit.
Most year-round Township residents
(82.5%) live in the homes they own, a
slight drop from 1980 levels. This indicates
stability in the housing stock of Bingham
Township, since residents currently living in
or moving to the Township prefer to own
their homes. Thirty percent of households
in the Township are not occupied yearround, however, reflecting the recreational
nature of the region. The proportion of

2-3

-

-

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___., Section 2 -SociCLl FeCLtures

TABLE 2-4- HOUSING UNITS 1980- 1998
1980

1990

1998*

Total Units

765

1,017

1,274

Occupied (Year-round) Units

533

718

NA

69.7

70.6

457

590

85.7

82.5

76

128

14.3

17.8

% of Total
Owner-Occupied

% of Occupied
Renter-Occupied

% of Occupied

NA

NA

• Building Permit Data from Bingham Township: 1990-1998
SOURCE: 1980/1990 U.S. Census of Housing and Social Characteristics

renter-occupied units increased between
1980 to 1990.

and married couple households compared
to the County.

The composition of a household depends
upon the number of people living within a
residence as well as the relationship
between them. A household may consist
of a married couple with or without
children, a single parent with children, two
or more unrelated people living in a
dwelling and sharing household responsibilities, or a person living alone.

The number of married couple families
with children under I 8 years of age is also
proportionally higher, further supporting
the trend. The Township has a lower
proportion of single parent households
than the County, however, a higher
percentage of these households have
children under the age of 18.

Table 2-5 depicts the composition
households in the Township and
County, · and ·-reflects a ·· number
characteristics and trends that should
considered in planning for the future.

of
the
of
be

In general, the Township appears to be a
family-oriented
community.
This
is
reflected in the higher percentage of family

@ Binehc:nn Township Comprehensive Plan

In general, tbe Townsbip appears
to he a family-oriented community.
This is reflected in tbe bi&amp;ber
percentage of :family and married
couple households compared to tbe
County.

R

�l
.l

-----------------11 Section 2 -SociCLl FeCLtures
TABLE-2-5 - HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
Bingham Township

Leelanau County

Number of Households

732

6,312

Family Households

595

4,797

81.3%

76.0%

534

4,148

89.7%

86.5%

278

l,n9

46.7%

42.9%

39

464

6.5%

9.7%

28

298

71.8%

64.2%

137

1,515

18.7%

24.0%

% of Total Households
Married Couples
% of Families
With Children Under I 8
% of Married Couple Families
Female Head of Household
% of Families
With Children Under 18
% of Female Household Families
Nonfamily Househoids
% of Total Households

-

-

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

Value of Housing

In 1980, the median value of a home in the
Township was about 9 percent greater
than the median housing value in the
County. By 1990, the proportion had been
cut in half, indicating housing values in the
Township are not increasing as rapidly as
other areas of the County.

The median market value of owneroccupied homes is a good indicator of
both housing quality and demand. Table
2-6 shows the median value in the
Township and County for 1980 and 1990.

TABLE 2-6 - BINGHAM TOWNSHIP MEDIAN OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING VALUE
1980

1990

% Change

Bingham Township

$53, I 00

$76,300

43.7

Leelanau County

$48,600

$73, I 00

50.4

-

-

-

SOURCE: 1980, 1990 U.S. Census of Housing

@ Sineha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

-

2-5

-

�------------------11 Section 2 -SociCLI FeCLtures
Although rental housingcomprises·only 18
percent of the housing stock, it nonetheless
contributes to the perception of housing
quality in the Township. While contract
rent is another indicator of housing quality,
it is also indicative of the availability of
supply and the extent of local demand for
rental units. Table 2-7 depicts the median
contract rents paid to landlords in the
Township and County in 1980 and 1990.

As Table 2-7 indicates, rents in the
Township are considerably higher than in
the County. County and Township rents
have risen over 30 percent after adjusting
for inflation during this ten year period.
This increase implies that the supply of
rental housing in the region is not keeping
pace with demand.

-., Education ·and ·Occupation
Among the factors that define the ability of
an individual or a household to be
financially productive and contribute to the
quality of life in . their . community, are
formal education and occupation. Typically,
a person's occupation is related, directly or
indirectly, to the level and type of his or
her formal education. Table 2-8 lists the
educational characteristics of Township and
County residents. The level of education in
the Township was generally higher than in
the County, with a higher percentage of
residents having college and graduate
degrees.

TABLE 2-7 - MEDIAN MONTHLY CONTRACT RENT
1980
1990

% Change

Bingham Township

$245 ($414*)

$543

31.2

Leelanau County

$ I 83 ($309*)

$414

34.0

*Rent in 1990 dollars.
SOURCE: 1980, 1990 U.S Census of Housing

@ Bineha.m. T0wnship C0m.prehensive Pl

I

�------------------.1 Section 2 -Socicd Fecitures
Occupational · characteristics are closely
associated with educational levels. The
higher a person's formal education, the
more likely he or she is to be employed in
higher paying professional or executive/
managerial occupations.
Table 2-9 compares the occupational
characteristics of the Township and the
County. The higher educational levels in
the Township are reflected in the
distribution of occupations.

I

· A higher percentage of the population are
employed in executive, administrative,
managerial, and professional occupations.
Farming occupations make up less than 5
percent of those employed ·in the
Township, however the County has a
larger proportion of farming occupations
overall.

-

-

TABLE 2-8 - EDUCATION ATTAINMENT - PERSONS 25 YEARS AND OLDER
Highest Educational Level Attained

-

Bingham T ownshhip

-

Leelanau County

-

Less than 9th Grade
% of Total
9-12 Grade/No Diploma
% of Total
High School Graduate
% of Total
Some College or Associate Degree
% of Total
Bachelors Degree
% of Total
Graduate/Professional Degree
% of Total

65
634
4.9
5.7
1,024
107
8.1
9.2
417
3,532
31.6
31.7
3,251
383
29.5
29.2
1,767
218
15.9
16.5
919
128
9.7
8.2
SOURCE: 1980/1990 U.S. Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics

-

-

@ Bineha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

2-7

-

�-----------------11 Section 2 -Social Features

I

TABLE 2-9 - OCCUPATIONS
Number of Persons Employed
Executive, Administrative, Managerial
125
%ofTotal
12.4
Professional Specialty
179
% of Total
17.8
Technicians and Related Support
27
% of Total
2.7
Sales
134
% of Total
13.3
Administrative Support
159
% of Total
15.8
Private Household Services
0
% of Total
0
Protective Services
5
% of Total
0.5
Other Service Occupations
108
% of Total
10.7
Farming/Forestry/Fishing
47
% of Total
4.7
Precision Production/Craft and Repair
113
% of Total
11.2
Machine Operators, Assemblers, Inspection
44
% of Total
4.4
Transportation and Material Moving
41
% of Total
4.1
Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Laborers
23
% of Total
2.3
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Social and Economic Characteristics

Location of Employment
Beyond the type of work residents do, the
location of employment also contributes to
the character of the Township. If most
residents leave the area to work, then the
area can be classified as a "bedroom"
community. Half of commuting Township
residents work within 20 to 30 minutes of

@ Bin1ha:m T0wnship C0mprehensive Pl

Percent of Total
880
11.4
1,153
15.0
209
2.7
977
12.7
1,025
13.3
51
0.7
49
0.6
900
11.7
437
5.7
1,092
14.2
406
5.3
271
3.5
251
3.3

the Township, as shown in Figure 2-1. This
greatly exceeds the County average,
implying that many of the jobs outside of
the Township reside in neighboring
municipalities, particularly Traverse City.

2-8

�- - - - --------- -----11 Section 2 - Socicil Fecitures
Figure 2-1
30.0% - , - - - --

-

- - - - - - - - - -- -- -,

25.0%
;

"5

E
E
0

a Bingham Township

•

20.0%

Leelanau County

15.0%

0

o

-~

10.0%

C

CII

5.0%

A.

0.0%
LO

V

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LO

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a,
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LO
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0

'

M

a,
M

'

LO
M

~

a,
LO

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LO

0

'

""' ""'
Travel Time (Minutes)

a,
C0

0'

&lt;O

0
a,
I\

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0
J:

iii

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~

~

Income
Household income is an important
measure of the economic well being of
Bingham Township. Households are the
basic social unit of any community, so the
amount of income these households earn
determines the quality and quantity of retail
goods and service purchases both within

the Township and the Region. Table 2-1 0
lists the median household income for the
Township and Leelanau County and shows
that household income in the Township is
higher than the County. This is correlated
t o the higher salaried occupations shown in
Table 2-9

TABLE 2- 10 - MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES: 1990

1990
Bingham Township

$32,372

Leelanau County

$28,589

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census STF3A

@ Binaha.m Township Oomprehensive Pla.n

2-9

I

�Comm.unity Fa.cilities

�Section 3 - Community Fca.cilities

7
i

Introduction

Schools

Bingham Township is a General Law
Township with a Supervisor, Clerk,

The Suttons Bay Public School District

Treasurer and Trustees. The Township Hall

Township. It offers a kindergarten through

is located on the corner Center Highway

Grade 12 program. Recent expansion has
kept pace with enrollment and should serve

includes

Bingham

and

Suttons

Bay

(CR 633) and Bingham Road. As a General
Law Township, Bin.gham Township has only

the two townships for some years. Further

those powers granted to them by state

expansion of the elementary school at its

statute. Those include the ability to hire a

present site will have to be weighed against

manager, assessor, police or fire chief,

the advantages of a second elementary

superintendent

school at a new site closer to the future

and

other

necessary

personnel. Townships are mandated to
administer assessments, hold elections, and

student population.

collect taxes. They are also required to be
responsible for financial administration,

Parks and Recreation

including budgets, accounting, investments

There are currently seven public facilities in

and deposits. In addition, townships may

the Township. The Michigan Department of

enact and enforce ordinances, including
zoning. Land use decisions are made under

Natural Resources has two public boat
launching sites, one on west Grand Traverse

the Bingham Township Zoning Ordinance,

Bay near the intersection of M-22 and Hill

which is administered by the Township's

Top Road, and the other on Lake Leelanau

Zoning Administrator.

at the east end of Bingham Road.

Fire Department

The Township has an 3-acre park on the

'•.

Bay, on the east end of Bingham Road. This
Fire and ambulance/rescue services are

park has beach access, picnic facilities and

provided. Six full-time advanced life support

playground equipment. The Township has

staff serves Bingham and Suttons Bay

an additional picnic area on the Bay at

-Townships, -1:&gt;ased -in -the.Village.of Suttons

.. Hendryx Park on Lee Point Road. Groesser

Bay. Fire services are provided by volunteer
staff. A Fire Substation is located in the

Park is a small Township park located

Township, adjacent to the Township hall.

adjacent to the Department of Natural
Resources launch site on M-22. Two
additional Township parks are located on
Lake Leelanau. Bingham Park is a small 2acre park located two miles north of
Bingham. The Mebert Creek Natural Area is

@ Bineha.m ToWl\ship Comprehensive Pl

3-1

�Section 3 - Community FCLcilities
a 140 acre site with 4,000 feet of Lake

priorities for funding certain roads with the

shoreline, and is the largest undeveloped
parcel remaining in Bingham Township. The
area is designated as 11 a unique wetland
community" by the Michigan Natural

highest volume, transportation planners have
established a road classification system.
Although there is some variation in the

Features Inventory, possessing a variety of
unique plant and animal species.

classification of roadways, they are typically
divided into roadways that carry local traffic

Library

and those that carry through traffic. Through
roadways are further divided according to

Bingham Township contributes funds to the
Suttons Bay Area Public Library. The library
was built in 1984 and has over 12,000
volumes. Township residents also use the
Traverse City Library without charge.

Utilities
Bingham Township, as a rural township,
does not provide public water and sewer
service. The primary electrical service
provider is Consumers Energy, with some
areas in the Township getting electric
service from Cherryland Electric Cooperative. Gas service is available in the
Township from Michigan Consolidated Gas
Company. Cable Michigan provides Cable
1V service to some areas of the Township.

-

their function. The dassification of roadways
within Bingham Township, shown on Map
3-1 , are as follows:

Major Arterial: The function of a major

-

arterial is to convey traffic between
municipalities and activity centers, and
to provide connections with intrastate
and interstate roadways. Significant
community, retail, commercial and

-

industrial facilities may be located along
major arterial. Major arterials are
intended to accommodate higher
speeds and levels of service, not to
provide access. Therefore, access
management is desirable for preserving
capacity. The state trucklines of the
County serve as major arterials. Nonmotorized traffic should be limited, if

-

not prohibited on major arterials.

-

Transportation
Automobile traffic tends to be concentrated
on certain roadways, because of their
location, their physical conditions, and the
overall land-use of an area. On an average,
80 percent of travel is done on about 20
percent of the roads. In order to set

@ Bineha.m T0wnship C0mprehensive Pl

Eighty percent of travel is done on
about ZO percent of the roads on
an average.

j

i
l

j

--~-,__-_c-,,
__-.,.,-,_;c.-_,c_...-...,-.-.,.-,...-_-,-. . -,
. --,--;_-.~---;-,,-,.,-.,.... ----,,-=-,
....-,, j

3-2

-

�MAP 3-1

TRANSPORTATION: FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION
SUTTONS BAY TOWNSHIP

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18
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.------L-E_G_E_N_D_ _~

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Major Arterial
Minor Arterial
Major Collector
Minor Collector

SOURCE: The Leelanau General Plan: Policy Guidelines for Manageing Growth on the Leelanau Peninsula, 1994

�··,
J'.k. ....

.........__

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Lc:a.nci Use

�---------------11 Section 4 Introduction
/vi existing land use inventory shows the
existing distribution and location of land uses
within the Township. The inventory helps
the community to identify patterns of land
use and plan for the future use of land. The
Existing Land Use Map (page 5-5) is based
upon the interpretation of aerial photographs
taken in the spring of 1995 and a
"windshield" survey of the Township
completed in December 1998. Below are
the classifications used in the land use
inventory.

Land Use Classifications
Single-Family Residential - one
detached or attached (duplex) dwelling unit
on a single parcel.
All units in this
subcategory are built on foundations or
basements using traditional building
methods.
Multiple-Family Residential - One or
more buildings containing three or more
dwelling units each. All units in this
subcategory are built on foundations or
basements using traditional building
methods.
Commercial - an area or facility used
for the sale of retail or wholesale goods or
the provision of personal or business
services.The subcategory includes structures,
adjacent land and parking areas dedicated for
the use of employees and customers.

@ Bini?ho.::i. Township Comprohonsivo Pl

Existing Lc.nd Use

I

Commercial Recreation - /vi area or
facility used for recreation activities, induding
private parks, water parks and golf courses.
The subcategory includes structures,
adjacent land and parking areas dedicated
for the use of employees and customers.
Industrial - An area where raw or
unfinished materials or commodities are
used to produce a product or service. This
can also indude wholesale business activities.
Public - /vi area or facility used by a
Township, City, County, School District or
State agency to meet the needs of the
community. This includes city and township
offices, schools, public-meeting spaces,
parks, public parking lots and other public
uses.
Public Utility - Iv, area or facility not
generally accessible to the public but used to
provide services to the community, such as
water towers, wastewater treatment areas,
electrical substations, and water pumping
stations.
Quasi-Public - An area or facility used
by a limited number of persons with
particular
interests
and
nonprofit
organizations, such as churches, day care
centers, private schools, commercial
recreation and related activities.
Cemetery - Iv, area used for the burial
and memorial of the deceased. Facilities for
memorial services may also exist on the site.
4-1

�----------------411 Section 4 Mining - Open pits that are being
actively mined or excavated, induding access
roads.
Agricultural - This category may
consist of croplands, permanent pasture or
orchards. Agricultural lands include the
farmstead occupying the land.
Open Space/Forested Land - Areas
that are covered with deciduous and
coniferous species of trees or shrubs. This
category includes abandoned agricultural
fields and flood plains. Lands in this category
consist of both suitable and unsuitable areas
for development.
Wetland - Area that is inundated or
saturated to the surface for a sufficient time
to foster the growth of a particular plant
communities that thrive in wet conditions.
Wet or hydric soils also are use to designate
wetlands. The wetland areas shown are a
partial delineation from Map 1-3, which
were delineated by the National Wetlands
Inventory, the Michigan Resource Information System, and the U.S. Soil Conservation Service.
Trends and Analysis

Bingham Township has an area of
approximately 16,675 acres or 26 square
miles. The Township is dominated by
agricultural uses, primarily in the central
highlands with open space/forested land
found in areas with steep slopes. In all,
11

11

,

@ Binc;ha.rn Township Comprehensive Pl

Existing Lc:,.nd Use

I

these two land use categories make up 70
percent of the Township.
Table 4-1 compares land use change from
1990 to 1998. The 1990 inventory is based
on the statewide MIRIS (Michigan Resource
Information System) land use/cover data.
The 1998 inventory uses the MIRIS base
map coupled with parcel information
provided by Leelanau County. Comparisons
between these two inventories must be
taken with care, since the 1990 data do not
take roadways or parcels into consideration
and may over estimate some of the land
uses. Table 4-1 shows an increase in
residential growth over the eight-year
period, with a concurrent decrease in
agricultural uses. This reported increase in
residential land use is supported by building
permit data shown in Section 2 (Table 2-4),
which show an additional 250 single family
homes were built during this period.
Table 4-1 and Figure 4-1 both show that
agriculture remains the predominant land
use in the Township. The majority of the
small lot, residential is located on the two
coasts of the Township. Additional clustered
residential development is occurring, as seen
on Fort and Bingham Roads. Commercial
uses, such as retail businesses and offices,
are primarily found along M-22 or on
Bingham Road, west of Center Highway
(C.R. 633). An industrial use is found in only
one area in the Township, on the corner of
Revold Road and M-22, and consists of a
fruit processing plant.
4-2

-

�--------------ti Section 4 -

Existing Lana. Use

I

TABLE 4- 1 -GENERAL LAND USE BY TYPE

1998 Land Use
Land Use

Acres

Single Family Residential
Multiole Familv Residential
Public
Public Utilities
Quasi-Public
Cemeterv
Commercial
Commercial Recreation
Industrial
Minirn,1
A2riculture
Ooen Soace/Forested Land
Wetland
Water
T ransoortation
Total

MIRIS Land Use (1990)

%

Acres

%

1,427.3

8.6%

927.2

5.6%

13.2
17 1.6
1.2
8.2
4.6
21.8
205.7
31.1
8.6
5 881.0
5 693.6
928. 1
I 618.0
66 1.0
16,675.7

0. 1%
1.0%
&lt;0. 1%
&lt;0. 1%
&lt;0.1%
0.1%
1.2%
0.2%
0.1%
35.3%
34. 1%
5.6%
9.7%
4.0%
100.0%

9.1
23.6
1.6
NA
5.2
5.2
N.A.
40.8
14.3
6 261 .0
7 389.2
367.2
I 6 18.0
NA
16,662.4

0. 1%
0. 1%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
NA
0.2%
0.1%
37.6%
44.3%
2.2%
9.7%
0.0%
100.0%

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.; Michigan Resource Information System

Figure 4-1 Major Land Uses in Bingham Township by Type ( 1998)
Transportation

Single Family
Residertial

4%

9%

Water
10%

Wetland
6%

Ptbtic
1%

Recreation

1%

Agricutu-e
35%

Open
Space/Forested
Land

34%

@ Bin&amp;hc:un Township Comprehensive Pl

4-3

�----------------111 Section 4 Subdivision of Land
The number and size of parcels will also
determine the possible future land uses in a
township. A township with many small
parcels and few large parcels will find it

In contrast, the number of parcels over 20
acres in size make up only I 8 percent, or
135, of the total number of parcels. These
parcels use nearly 75 percent of the total

I

land area, however, and are strongly
correlated to agricultural uses. As seen in
Figure 4-2, the majority of these large
parcels lie in the central portion of the
Township.

difficult to support future agricultural and
other open space dependent activities. The
number and distribution of parcel size for
Bingham Township can be seen in Table
4-2 and Figure 4-2.
Parcels in Bingham Township range from
under I acre to 144 acres in size. Of the
over 1,300 parcels recorded by the
1
County s Equalization Department, 40
percent, or 529, ar~ under 2 acres in size.
As noted above, and seen in Figure 4-2, the
majority of these small parcels are located
along the two coasts. A significant number,
however, are located along County roads.

~isting LG.nd Use

The number ol parcels over ZO
acres in size make up on/7 1S
percent, oz- 135, ol the total number
ol parcels. These pan::els use neaz-17
75 percent ol the total land area,
however,
and
az-e
stron1I7
coz-z-elated to a1z-icultural 'USIIS.

Trends throughout the state and within
Leelanau County show that the proliferation
of parcel splits will continue within the
Township. This increased division of large,
agricultural parcels encourages higher
density, linear residential development along
county roads. Land use conflicts between
the new residents and the neighboring
farmers is often the result, as well as
increased road hazards from higher traffic
volumes.

TABLE 4-2 PARCEL SIZE IN BINGHAM TOWNSHIP
Parcel Size (Acres)
0-1.99

2-4.99

5-9.99

10-19.99

20-39.99

40+

Number of Parcels

529

263

146

137

120

115

Total Acres

292

677

990

1,698

3,457

6,737

2.1

4.9

7.1

12.2

25.0

48.6

%

SOURCE: Leelanau County Planning Department; Gove Associates Inc

@ Bineha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

4-4

�---------------lsection4-ExistingLa.nd Use
Figure 4-2 Distribution of Parcel Size in Bingham Tavvnship

I

!

I
;

!f

J

Parcel Size
(in Acres)

•I]
0

20 to 144
5to 20
Oto 5

4-5

�BINGHAM TOWNSHIP
Leelanau County, Michigan
EXISTING LAND USE MAP
3UTT0NS IIAY -

I

3

i

I
"'

I

:.t../,liiiJ;~---__.....-___....._-=--

,r ---.....-.--=-=---'l. _..J2...

LEGEND

CJ

1111

Commercial

1111
1111
00

c=J

Commercial Recreation

D

Single Family Residential
Multiple Family Residential

Industrial
Public / Institutional
Public Utilities

0

Gove Associates Inc.

...

1a:t1PORTN3Esn&amp;T
~

~

fltl}315-0011

Agricultural Support Business

-

1111

•

Quasi-Public
Cemetery
Mining
Agricultural
Open Space
Wetland
Vineyard / Winery

...

�I

-

-

-

Goa.ls

Future Lclnd. Use

Implementc:Ltion Schedule ,

-

PART II - PLAN

-

�"'•

. . '·"

;

...'

.

!Jo'.'· ,...., .
·· ..,!

~ ,.

•.• ..,~_;

·'

:

,,

Goa.ls

�Section S - Goals
Community Surveys

In the Fall of 1997, members from the
Landscape Architecture

Department

of

Citizen involvement occurred on several

Michigan State University surveyed 36 large

levels during the creation of this plan.

parcel landowners. This survey was sponsored by both the Township and the

A good master plan reflects the
aspirations of the citizenr7 b7
involving them in the planning
process.

Leelanau Agricultural .Alliance. A summary of
the results of this survey is provided in the
Appendix A.

Citizen Planning Committees
Two surveys were taken during 1997, one
of the general population and the other of

Three citizen planning committees were also

large parcel land owners, to gather the

formed that focused on three areas of

residents' opinions on a range of topics,

concern: residential development, infra-

including the future use of land ..

structure, and agriculture.

In the Spring of . 1997, the Center for

The citizen planning committees submitted

Business and Industry at Northwestern

final reports to the Planning Commission,

Michigan College conducted a survey for

which are included in full format in the

Bingham Township to determine views and

Appendix A

opinions of the residents on a variety of
Township issues.

Issue Identification

A mail survey was undertaken with a

A public meeting was held on December
3th, 1998 with members of both the
Planning Commission and the citizen planning committees. The purpose of the
meeting was to share ideas about the future
of the Township and identify key issues to be
addressed in the Plan. The issues that were
identified during the meeting are listed in
Appendix A

randomly selected sample of property
owners

and

registered

voters

within

Bingham Township. Based upon a combined
population of approximately 1,500, a sample
size of 306 was necessary for a 95%
confidence level and a confidence interval of

+ /-

5%. The mailing was conducted with

1,200 residents with a projected response
rate of approximately 25%. Results were
based on the analysis of 538 completed
surveys. Survey results are reviewed in
Appendix A

@ BinihCLm Township Comprehensive PlCLn

5-1

�----------------------.1

Section 5 - Goa.ls

GOALS

township

•

control
standards,

The goals are guides to help Bingham
Township achieve its preferred future. The
goals were developed by the community as
discussed above and in the Appendix. A
series of objectives are designed to guide the
Township toward each goal. The Plan's
objectives
are the
basis for the
Implementation Section (see Section 7).

code

development

enforcement

and

administration through the Plan and the
Zoning Ordinance.
•

encourage balance of housing types.

•

residential development will depend on
independent well and septic systems.

-

Agricultural

Goals and Objectives

GOAL: To preserve and protect agriculture

Residential

land and uses, retaining a viable agricultural

GOAL:

Guide

and

control

residential

community within the Township.

development and population densities and
distribution in order to maintain a rural

OBJECTIVES:

atmosphere, ecological balance, open space,

methods or controls to assure

high levels of sanitation and low levels of

To provide opportunities,

•

encourage preservation through POR/
TOR/LOR/other innovative preservation technique.

methods or controls to assure

•

identify areas for cluster development.

•

•

educate public on differences between

pollution.

OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities,

control population density 1n such a
manner that overall high density does

agricultural and open space.

not take place.
•
•

higher density (clustered development),
particularly

on

-

and residential.
•

develop

incentives

for

agricultural

protection.
•

-

provide for buffers between agricultural

main ·· transportation

thoroughfares in selected areas.

-

-

maintain the rural atmosphere of the
township.

@ Bin2ho.m Township Comprehensive Plo.n

5-2

�Section 5 - Goa.ls
Commercial

OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities,
methods or controls to assure

GOAL: To maintain neighborhood commercial

services

for

residents

•

of the

township, keeping in line with population

minimal

impact

on

the

residential

neighborhood.

growth within the township.

Home Occupation
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities,

GOAL: To allow residents to operate a non-

methods or controls to assure

intrusive enterprise that has no significant
•

development of any new commercial

impact on the residential community.

facilities in such a way as to m1nim1ze

OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities,

conflict with other land uses.

methods or controls to assure
•

creation of development and design
standards

that

embrace

•

and/or

encourage the village concept or Planned

minimal

impact

on

the

residential

neighborhood.

'·.

Unit Developments.
•
•

•

a service to the community is provided

improvement of existing commercial

for.

areas, both aesthetically and functionally,
to serve their neighborhoods

Industrial

adequate access for fire and rescue

GOAL: Limited light industrial development.

services for all commercial locations.

OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities,
•

that commercial facilities do not require

methods or controls to assure

public water and sewer facilities.
•

that any new industrial facilities are

Home Based Business

developed in such a manner that there is
minimum conflict with other land uses.

GOAL: To allow residents of the township to
work out of their home, providing a service

•

that a tract of land is provided, suitable

to the community, and maintaining the

for selected light industrial development,

residential nature of the community.

with

provision

for

adequate trans-

portation access and utilities to serve
their needs.

@ Biniha.m Township Comprehensive Pla.n

5-3

�Section S - Goa.ls
•

that industries do not require public

Transportation

-

water and sewer facilities and that they

GOAL: To provide for the efficient and safe

have their own on site treatment.

movement of traffic through and within the

Public Utilities and Facilities

township, while preserving the present road
system to the extent that it meets the needs

GOAL: Cooperate with and assist public and

of the community with a minimum of

private entities to provide utilities and public

environmental or ecological damage to the

services to the residents of the township.

township.

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods

or controls to assure

or controls to assure

•

•

•

highest quality facilities and services

maintaining

wherever

possible,

the

necessary to guide and maintain orderly

natural character of the roads and

future development.

surrounding areas

limitation of all development unless

•

maximum use of major thoroughfares

appropriate health and safety standards

and discourage traffic through the rural

are complied with and services provided.

residential roads.
•

Public Services

utilization of highway facility improvement as a positive guide to direct or

GOAL: Provide adequate and appropriate

enhance land use relationship.

public services for the benefit of the people
•

of the township.

coordination in planning the township

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods

transportation

or controls to assure

townships, the county, the region and

system

with

adjacent

the state.
•

interdepartmental

cooperation

to

achieve

-

-

-

-

and

coordination of police, fire and rescue
services

-

township-wide

•

safe use of roads for pedestrian and nonmotorized activities.

-

coverage and availability.

@ Bini:hcim Township Comprehensive Plan

-i
5-4

�Section 5 - Goa.ls
•

Recreation

promotion

of dual

land

uses (e.g.

agriculture/open space) which encourage

GOAL: To provide an adequate range of

and enhance private ownership of non-

recreation opportunities for residents of the

developed lands.

township.
•

protection of unique natural areas,

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods

swampland, forests and watercourses

and/or controls to assure

from Urban types of development.

•

orderly development of commercial

•

encouragement

of

open

space,

recreation in such a manner that there is

appropriately located in all land use

optimum

areas.

utilization

of

appropriate

locations with minimum conflict with

Natural Resources

adjoining land uses.
•

reservation of sufficient recreation lands

GOAL: Optimum utilization of land, water, air

to serve desired population growth with

and

both

preservation and conservation.

active

and

passive

recreation

natural

resources,

including their

potentials.

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods
•

where possible, multi-functional use of

or controls to assure

recreation areas for open space, forestry,
floodplain or water resource conser-

•

vation and historical preservation.

continued

and

future

use

and

conservation of natural resources by
preventing inappropriate development of

Open Space
GOAL: Encourage open space and natural

conflicting land uses.
•

development of flood

and

erosion

areas, and protect the scenic beauty of the

controls to minimize flood damage and

Township.

maintain water quality levels.

OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods
or controls to assure

•

preservation of unique natural areas
which cannot be replaced if destroyed,
misused or neglected.

•

non-development of public and privately
owned lands with open space.

@ Binihc.m Township Comprehensive Plc.n

5-S

�Section 5 - Goa.ls
•

non-pollution of soil, water and air
resources

by any segment of the

community

be

it

governmental,

-

industrial, agricultural, or private.
•

a pattern of land use to shape and guide

-

development away from ecologically
sensitive areas.
•

encouragement

of

open

-

space,

appropriately located, in all land use
areas.
•

participation

in

regional

efforts

to

-

improve and protect water quality.

-

-

-

@ Bin2ha.m Township Comprehensive Pla.n

5-6

-

�Future La.net Use

�---------------ti Section 6 -

Future La.nd O'se

I

Introduction

Population and Housing Projections

Up to this point, the Plan has documented

In order to prepare for the next 20 years, it

the physical and social aspects of Bingham

is necessary to project the number of people

Township and has outlined the goals to be

that may be living in the Township by the

achieved over the next 20 years. In order to
be an effective land use tool, however, a

year 2020. Population projections are, in
essence, educated guesses based on past

Plan must go farther than this. A Plan must

trends. By their very nature, therefore,

both anticipate and direct future growth in

population

order to protect current property owners,

accurate, but they do give some guidance to

the economic base of the Township and the

the potential future needs of the Township.

projections

are

not always

environment, while supporting sustainable
development.

Figure 6- I shows a series of population
projections using different methods (see the

The Bingham Township Master Plan is a

Appendix). The figure shows that the

community effort.

The ideas and goals

potential population for the year 2020 range

presented have come directly from the
citizens of the Township through the use of

between 2,500 and to over 6,000 persons.
During a Township meeting, participants

surveys, public meetings and citizen planning

chose a population target for the year 2020

committees. The concerns expressed by
residents have been varied, but have focused

of 3,000 people. The citizen planning
committees chose a 2.5 percent growth

on the preservation of the rural lifestyle of

rate,

the area and the retention of the high quality

approximately 3,700 people. These targets

natural resources.

represent a population increase from 40 to

with

a

2020

75 percent from the

population

of

1994 population

This section will present estimates of future

estimate. These target populations will

population growth and land use patterns for

potentially increase year-round housing units

Bingham Township. It will present popula-

to 460-800, assuming an average of 2.0

tion and housing projections to the year

persons per housing unit.

2020, which will assist decision-makers
anticipate future land use needs. A future
land use map will be presented that shows
potential patterns of development over the
next 20 years and beyond.

@ Biniha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

Participants during a Township
meeting chose a population target
for the 7ear 2020 of 3,000. The
citizen planning committees chose
a 2.5% growth rate, with a 2020
population of approzimatel;, 3,700
people.
6-1

�----------------ti Section 6 -

Future Lc.nc:l Use

I

FIGURE 6-1 Population Projections for Bingham Township to the Year 2020

6500
6000
5500
5000

.
C

4500

--- Constant Proportion
Growth Rate
-+- Growth Rate @2.5%
~ Arithmetic

0

«I
'3 4000

a.

0
0.

3500

--.-- Housing Trend

3000
2500
2000
1500
1980

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Year

@ B~ho.m Township Comprehensive Plcm

6-2

�---------------11 Section 6 THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN

Fu.tu.re L&lt;lnci tlse

I

Soil Conservation Service, the presence of
existing large lot agricultural land, and the
presence of working farms. A full listing of

Agriculture

the criteria used to select the agricultural
The largest threat to agriculture is expanded

area is outlined in the Appendix and

residential

described in Section 5, Citizen Planning

development.

The

pressure

exerted by residential development on land
values, land use· conflicts, and traffic,

Committee (page 5-4).

contribute to a cycle of conversion that ends

Currently, there are two widely available

in a low-density, homogenous residential

options to preserve current farmlands:

community, devoid of many of the rural
elements that originally made the community

zoning and development rights.

options are discussed in detail in a number of

an attractive place to live. Once this cycle

local publications, including the Leelanau

has progressed significantly, it is difficult, if not

General Plan (Chapter 5 - Growth Guide-

impossible, to regain these agricultural lands.

lines and Decision Maps) and the Agricultural
Land Conservation Toolkit (in preparation,

Bingham Township has a long tradition of

Tab 4 - Tools).

These

'·.

agriculture.

Indeed, the character of the

Township is in many ways defined

by

farming. Both the community and large lot
owner surveys (Section 5) showed that
residents are committed to retaining this
character and way of life. The Plan promotes

Thora are two wide!;, available
options to preserve currant farmland: zoning and dovolopmont
rights. The most wido1;, used within
tho sot of land uso controls
currant!;, available, is zoning.

the preservation of agricultural land within
the framework of the projected residential
11

There is no panacea or magic 11 ordinance

growth of the area.

that a community can adopt to protect
Preservation of agricultural Land
is promoted within tho framowork of projected rosidontia1
growth of tho area.

farmland.

The options that work for one

Township may not work for another, since
the physical conditions and community
sentiments vary widely between jurisdictions. Generally, combinations of these

The lands proposed to remain in agriculture
are located primarily in the central portion of

options can be used to optimize a
Township's farm preservation program; but

the Township. The proposed agricultural

which ever strategy is utilized to protect

areas

farmland, it is important to the citizens of

were

chosen

based

upon

the

designation of prime farmland soils by the

@ Biniha.m Township Comprohonsivo Pl

6-3

�----------------11 Section 6 -

Future Lc:mci Use

Bingham Township that the strategy is fair

a county road, availability of public utili-

and equitable to all landowners.

ties, fire protection, existing density of

I

development, etc.
Within the set of land use controls currently
available, the most widely used is zoning.

AgriculturaJ Buffer Zone, an agricultural/

There are several zoning concepts that are

residential zone is created between

applicable to preservation of large agricultural

higher density residential development

areas. Those options include the following:

and large tracts of agricultural land. This
buffer, or transition, zone allows for a

Agricultural Protection Zoning, in which

rural residential lifestyle while protecting

nonfarm residents are not allowed and

farming operations from the problems

properties may be split into larger

associated with residential development.

parcels of at least 40 acres or more;
When a local municipality adopts a specific

Quarter-Quarter Zoning, which allows

set of land use controls to protect farmland,

for one nonfarm residential dwelling for

it may involve combinations of the above

each 40 acres of land;

concepts in order to address local needs and

'··

concerns. For example, the local zoning

Sliding Scale Zoning, whereby the

ordinance may allow owners of large lots to

number of allowable nonfarm residences

develop parcels of no less than three-quarter

increases as the size of the parent parcel

acres and no greater than two acres, for

increases;

proportionally

dedicated residential development. These

fewer dwellings are allowed the larger

residential lots may be allowed in the

the parent parcel. This helps concentrate

agricultural zone as long as they do not

development on smaller parcels. For

consume more than a designated amount of

example, one dwelling may be allowed

the parent parcel (e.g. 80%). This type of

for the first IO acres, another for the

land use control will accomplish the goal of

next 20 acres, a third for the next 30

preserving farmland,

acres, a forth for the next 40 acres, etc.

landowners

however,

a way

while

also

giving

of recovering the

development potential of their land.

Point/Numerical Zoning, which requires
a proposed

lot to meet objective

Another set of agricultural preservation tools

standards for approval; such standards

deal

are defined on a point system and the

landowners. When a person purchases

proposed lot must accumulate a mini-

property, they purchase a set, or bundle, of

mum number of points. Standards may

rights related to that land.

consist of variables such as distance from

landowners have the right to control access,

@ Biniham Township Comprehensive Pl

with

the

development

rights

of

For example,

6-4

-

-

-

i

�------------------1

Section 6 - Future Lo.nd. Use

to develop, and to bequeath the land to

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR),

their descendents. These rights are not

where the development rights are

unseparable, however, as easements and

purchased from one parcel (the sending
zone) and are transferred, via a private

development rights can be sold, leased or
donated, while the other rights of the land

market mechanism, to another parcel

Some of the ways the

(receiving zone). The receiving zone can

separation of development rights can be

develop at a higher density than the

used to protect a communiVs agricultural

zoning ordinance would normally allow,

lands and open space are listed below:

and

are retained.

I

the sending zone would be

preserved for agriculture. In Michigan,

Donation of Development Rights, also

TOR can only be

termed the donation of a conservation

township, which restricts its usefulness in

easement, the development rights of the

many cases.

used

within

a

land are donated to a conservation
organization or a government entity.

A number of funding mechanisms and tax

This is a voluntary agreement that
permanently limits future development

incentives

can

be

used

to

assist

a

development rights program in a township.

'·-

conserving

Under Act 233 of 1996, the Michigan

productive agricultural lands and open

Department of Natural Resources can

space.

purchase easements on farmlands.

on

the

parcel,

thus

Funds

are supplied by the U.S. Department of

Purchase of Development Rights (PDR),

Agriculture and the

a voluntary agreement where the owner

Farmland and Open Space Preservation Lien

is paid by a government entity or a

Fund. Landowners must apply through their

conservation group for the value of

local government in order to be considered

development on the land. The result is

for these funds. Another source of funding

the

in

is through local property tax assessment, as

perpetuity for agriculture or other uses.

was done in Peninsula Township. Property

retention

of the

property

Michigan

PA

I 16

owners within a township agree to assess

Leasing of -Development Rights (LDR),

themselves to finance the purchase or lease

another voluntary agreement with the

of agricultural lands or other lands that the

land owner, where the owner is paid to

public wishes to protect.

not develop the land for the term of the
lease.

Since

LOR

is

a temporary

agreement, the terms of payment would
be less than with PDR.

Ad.d.itiona.1 progra.ms a.nc::1. funds will
become a.va.ila.ble, both on the loca.1
a.nc::1. na.tiona.1 levels, a.s a.gricultura.1
preserva.tion 'becomes more of a.n issue.
...__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __. j
~"r-,_ ..

@ Bin2hc.m Township Comprehensive Pl

S-, -

-

' " ~ -. .

r -~... ---7c.J,i;&gt;!,~N

~-~--~- ......... _.,._....~_,,___ _,..,...

..,,.,,,

.-.,;,+,..,_. ,~- .- ..... J

6-S

�-----------------11 Section 6 -

Future La.nd Use

I

Other sources of funds may come from

by multiplying the average number of

private foundations, conservation groups,

persons per housing unit as determined by

state and federal government, and private

the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of

As

donations.

preservation

homes at build-out is also affected by natural

becomes more of an issue, both on the local

constraints, such as soil types, topography

and national levels, additional programs and

and the presence of wetlands. A complete

funds

a

build-out analysis will include all of these

development rights option is considered as

factors in order to determine the ultimate

will

agricultural

become

available.

If

1

an element in the T ownship s agricultural

-

build-out population.

preservation program, it is important that the
Township investigates these diverse funding

Using all of the above factors and subtracting

sources.

undevelopable land and rights-of-way, the
Leelanau General Plan estimates that the

Residential

build-out population of the Township would
be 18,793, an 800 percent increase over the

Residential development has traditionally

1990 population.

been concentrated on both the lake and

unlikely that this level of development would

bayfront.

These homes were both year-

ever occur, it does show how zoning

round and seasonal dwellings and typically

ordinances can encourage homogenous,

sat on small lots. As waterfront property has

residential growth. Traditional rural zoning,

become less available, and more expensive,

in

residential development has turned inland.

residential

As noted above, the over-development of

thoroughfares.

particular,

Although it is highly

tends

to

development

support

linear

along

maJor

these interior lands threatens the agricultural
character that defines the Township.

As an alternative to the traditional linear
development,

11

clustered

11

open

space

As part of the Leelanau General Plan, a

developments are suggested. This form of

build-out analysis was performed based

development

upon the current zoning ordinance and map

housing at higher densities and provides for

(Chapter 12 - Land Use). The population at

public open space within a designated

build-out is a theoretical limit that is directly

project area.

dependent upon the number of houses built

environmentally sensitive than the standard

within

Township's

subdivision, which typically allocates the

housing density is determined by the local

entire development to private lots and

zoning code which specifies the minimum lot

easements for streets and sidewalks. A

sizes of homes in each residential zone. The

clustered open space project also contains

final population in these zones is calculated

streets and private lots, but also includes

the

township.

The

@ Bin2ha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

essentially

concentrates

It is more efficient and

6-6

-

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____., Section 6 - Future Lc.nd Use

I

large open spaces that are allocated to

Fort Road, Lake View Road and Maple Valley

recreation, trails, the protection of unique

·Road. Rural Residential development acts as

environmental features, or other natural

a buffer zone or transition between the

areas. The same number of units can be built

higher density development and agriculture.

in a clustered development as a traditional

This lower density agriculture/residential

subdivision,

district includes both agricultural and rural

because the

developer

is

allowed to decrease the lot size as defined in

residential uses.

the zoning ordinance, thereby increasing the
density of the developed portion of the

Higher-Density residential dovolopmont is concentrated on tho Future
Land Uso Map on both coasts and
on koy Township transportation
corridors

project and creating open/natural/recreation
space in the balance of the project.
Although the development rights of open
space on a parcel approved for rural
clustering will

have been

permanently

The Agriculture/Residential

area should

retired, the land can still be actively farmed,

provide for significant buffers between

used for woodlots, nurseries, pasture, or

intensive agriculture and single family homes.

'·.

recreation. Ovvnership typically remains with

The buffer may be part of the open space of

a property owner's association or the open

a clustered development, or part of a private

space can be transferred to a conservancy or

lot, but should be present to reduce

the communrty. The Township currently has

11

a clustered development ordinance in effect,

owners.

nuisance 11 complaints from residential land

however, the geographic distribution of
these cluster developments are not based

Commercial

upon criteria that impact development.
Major factors to determine the placement of

Over I 00 acres of land is designated for

these clustered developments should be the

commercial development on the Future

retention of agriculture and open space,

Land Use map. The majority of this land is

capacity of the soils to sustain development,

located on Bingham Road in an area already

the potential need to be served by public

designated for commercial development.

utilities (fire and police) and access by

Ample land currently exists in this area to

existing primary roads.

provide for future growth of businesses. The
goal of commercial development in the

The Future Land Use Map (Map 6-1)

Township will be to provide services to local

concentrates

residents, while not requiring public services

higher-density

residential

development on both coasts and on key

such as sewer and water.

Township transportation corridors, such as

@ Biniha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

6-7

�-----------------11 Section 6 Recreation

Future La.nci t1se

I

-

Wetlands Inventory and by State of Michigan
wetlands experts, are shown on the Future

Bingham Township is a prime recreational

Land Use map. A map showing steep slopes

area. Significant land has been set aside for

and other development limitations is shown

recreational uses, including nearly 210 acres

in Section

in private recreation (primarily golf courses)

occurring in these environmentally sensitive

and another 170 acres in parks and other

areas must be especially aware of the impact

public land.

of construction and human activity on the

I (Map

1-3). Development

environment. Development standards are
Near!;, 210 acres in private
recreation (primaril;r golf courses)
and another 170 acres in parks and
other public land have been set
aside for recreational uses.

suggested for these areas in the Appendix.
Further standards may be found in the
Grand Traverse Bay Region Development
Guidebook.

Future Land Use Distribution
The presence of the privately owned
Leelanau Trail also adds a recreational

Table 6-2 shows the distribution of land uses

amenity to the Township.

on the accompanying Future Land Use Map.

Given the

importance of recreation to the

local

economy, additional land could be sought to

TABLE 6-2 - LAND USE DISTRIBUTION

further increase recreational opportunities,

Land Use

as long as they do not interfere with existing

Type

surrounding land uses.

Industrial

Total

1,914

11.4

Rural Residential

4,959

29.6

110

0.6

40

0.2

9

0

376

2.2

Agricu !tu ral

7,084

42.4

Water

1,618

9.6

661

4.0

16,771

100.0

Commercial

Forty acres of land have been designated for

Public/

industrial use. The future land use plan calls

Institutional

for no increase in industrial uses within the

Recreation

Township during the planning horizon.

(Public/Private)

Transportation

Wetlands are an extremely important asset

% of

Residential

Industrial

Wetlands/Environmentally Sensitive Land

Acreage

TOTAL

in the protection of water quality in the both
Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Leelanau.
Wetlands, as identified by the National

®

Bin2hctm Township Comprehensive Pl

6-8

-

�-----------------11 Section 6 Build-Out Analysis of the· Future Land Use Hap

Future La.nd Use

I

to be · transition · zones between the
residential and the agricultural areas of the
Township. Therefore, 30 percent of the
land in these areas were assumed to be used
for residential development. Minimum lot
sizes were set according to those observed
in the Township (see Figure 4-2).

A build-out analysis was conducted to
determine the number of houses and people
that could potentially be supported within the
Township using the Future Land Use map. In
order to carry out this analysis, many of the
natural constraints, such as wetlands and
lakes, were subtracted from the total acreage
of each land use type. In addition, currently
developed residential and public land were
taken from the land use total acreage.

With these assumptions, it was found that
the Future Land Use map would allow for an
additional 3,400 housing units, or an
additional population of 6,800 people. This
is certainly much greater than the target
population of
up to I ,000 additional
residents by 2020. Of this total, 60 percent
of the new residential growth will be in the
high density area. In addition, the build-out
analysis assumes that all land available for
development will be developed, which is
rarely the case. Additional acreage needs to
be available to provide for greater choices of
location for future development. Other
natural
constraints,
not taken
into
consideration in this analysis, may also
impede the development of some sites.

The results of this analysis are shown in
Table 6-3. Residential development can
occur in Agricultural, Rural Residential and
Residential areas in the Township. It was
assumed that the·. areas designated as
11
Agricultural 11 on Map will be more intensively
farmed, and will discourage high levels of
residential development. Therefore, only I 0
percent of the land in the Agricultural areas
were assumed to be used for residential
development. Areas on the Map designated
as 11 Rural Residential" are considered

TABLE 6-3 - BUILDING ANALYSIS OF FUTURE LAND USE MAP ('NETLANDS, ROADS, LAKES AND CURRENT
DEVELOPMENT SUBTRACTED FROM TOTAL ACREAGE)
Areas
Minimum Lot Size I
(Acres)
(Acres)
Land Use
Agriculture
Farm (90%)
Residential ( I 0%)
Rural Residential
Farm (70%)
Residential (30%)
Residential
SFR

5,933.4
4,746.72
1,186.68
3,939.5
2,757.65
I ,I 8 I .85
1,033.2
466.00

2020

# Building
Lots

I

# Units/Lot

# of Units

Pooulation*

20
5

I
I

237
237

I
I

I
I

237
237

475
475

10
2

I
I

276
591

I
I

I
I

276
591

552
1,182

I

932

I

I

932

1,864

3,408

6,816

0.5

TOTAL
* Assumes 2.0 Persons/Unit
SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

@ Bin2ha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

6-9

�BINGHAM TOWNSHIP
Leelanau County, Michigan
FUTURE LAND USE MAP
IUITONSUY-

.

~

(:::::::::::::::.:::::::::::-:-:
···•::::::::::::::
............
. . . . . ::::::::::::::.......

~ ·:-.\
12 ;-:-:-.

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LEGEND

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Gove Associates Inc.
~

. M1 4'C01.,.
(S18) l85-&lt;I01 I

D
c:=J

Residential (11 .4%)

~

Commercial (0.6°/o)

~

Industrial (0.2%)

D

Public/ Institutional (&lt;0.1%)

c:=l

Recreation (Public/ Private) (2.2%)

Rural Residential (29.6%)

c:=J
r:Z3

Agricultural (42.4%)
Wetland

" - " - Watershed Boundary

0.5

-

�In,.p len,.enta.tion Schedule

�_______________....,, Section 7 - Implementci.tion

Introduction
This section of the Plan presents the tools
and processes that are currently available to
Bingham Township to help make this Plan a
reality. It also contains a schedule that
depicts the activities that should be undertaken along with the recommended parties,
timing, and funding sources to secure
success.

-

The following approaches are viable in terms
of being implemented under current state
enabling legislation and federal programs.

I

· Finally, · the·· activities · occurring within
surrounding townships, particularly those
related to land use planning, zoning, and
other development controls can have a
direct impact upon planning, particularly
along the perimeter of the Township.
Coordination and communication should be
ongoing among these jurisdictions.
Plans and programs from these surrounding
communities and Bingham Township should
be shared in order to facilitate coordinated
land use planning.

lnfonnation and education are fundamental
Cooperation between the Township and
other public and quasi-public entities is also
critical to the success of the Plan. These
entities play a key role in the use of land
within the Township and communication
needs to be maintained to enable the
Township and each entity to properly plan
for the future. The Leelanau County
Government, the County Road Commission, the Regional Council of Governments
and numerous State Agencies, all have legal
authority and responsibilities for programs
and projects that occur in, and impact upon,
the development of the Township.
Coordination between these bodies and the
Township is important for planning and
programming needs to·be maintained, and
to accomplish the goals set forth in this Plan.

@ Bin2ha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

to the implementation of this Plan. Without
the consensus of residents, businesses and
developers, the Plan will not be successful.
To help garner that consensus and
contribute to the success of the Plan, the
Township needs to institute information and
education programs. These can include
sending a small fiyer, or tri-fold, that briefiy
describes the main components of the Plan
and possibly include a small copy of the
future land use map.
The Township should consider establishing
a design standards manual that could be
distributed to developers that explain and
clarify in more detail some of the broadbased concepts identified in this plan, such as
cluster/open space development. This
manual would be used as a guide to
promote certain design and development
standards and also help educate developers
about the components and associated
benefits of "state-of-the art" concepts. The

7-1

�-----------------11 Section 7 - Implementation
manual can be periodically updated to reflect
new standards and concepts.
The Township might also consider
conducting an annual or bi-annual
community survey informing residents of
recent developments and asking for
impressions, attitudes, and opinions about
specific issues related to current or proposed
developments. This will help keep residents
abreast of development activities in the
Township while providing a forum for
Township officials to better understand the
opinions of those residents.

I

-

The · Implementation Schedule lists participants that include local and state agencies
or groups. Quite often an action has several
participants marked due to the team effort
required to accomplish many actions. The
Schedule identifies primary and secondary
participants.
The Schedule's timing section identifies
actions as short-range/ongoing actions (one
to three years), medium-range actions (three
to ten years) or long-range actions (ten years
or more). Actions often take a considerable
length of time to complete, so the schedule
identifies two or three time periods.

-

The funding portion of the
identifies potential sources.

-

Implementation Schedule
This Section complements the Plan's Goals
and Objectives in Section 5. The
Implementation Schedule groups the
Objectives of each of the Goals with the
participants responsible for completing the
actions and identifies timing and potential
funding sources for each action. The
Implementation Schedule quickly identifies
time frames and permits comparisons
between the many actions identified in the
Plan.

Schedule

Table 7-1 identifies the Implementation
Program established in the Plan.

-

This list is not a comprehensive list of all
actions needed over the next 20 years, but
it is a list of the primary actions ·needed to
accomplish the Plan's goals. Funding sources
often change as time passes, as do
organizations and priorities. The Township
should regularly review the schedule to
ensure actions are accomplished and goals
are met.

@ Biniha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

7-2

�----------------ti Section 7 - !mplementcition
Schedule Categories
Participants
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

-

•
•
•
•
•

-

Township Board
Township Planning Commission
Township Staff
Non-Profit Organization
Neighboring Communities
Local Merchants
Public School District
County
Michigan Department of
Transportation
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources
Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality
Outside Assistance
Citizen Committees / Volunteers
Other / Private Sector

@ Bin2ha.m Township Comprehensive Pl

I

-Timing·(Years)
•
•
•

1-3 (Short Range, Ongoing)
4-10 (Medium Range)
I 0+ (Long Range)

Funding
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

General Revenues
Tax Increment Financing
Special Assessment District
Revenue Bonds
CDBG
MDNR/MDEQ
MOOT (ISTEA and Other)
Other Federal or State Funds
Michigan State Housing Development
Authority (MSHDA)
• Foundations, Grants, Contributions
• Private and Other

7-3

�@

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1601 PORTAGE STREET
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 49001
(616) 385-0011

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Identify areas for cluster development
I ligher density (cluster) development will be located on main transportation
thoroughfares
Minimire residential de~~lop~~~~;; prime agricultural-l~;;Js tfuo~-gh ___
appropriate zoning standards
Control township development standards, code enforcement and administration
through the Plan and the Zoning Ordinance
Encourage a balance of housing types in the Township

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Encourage farml~d_p~eserva~ion through PDR, TOR., LOR, or other
innovative preservation techmques
Edu~~i~-,h~ p~blic on the differences between agriculture and open space
Provide for buffers between agricultural and residential uses
Develop incentives for agricultural protection

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COMMERCIAUINDUSTRIAL

Ensure development of new commercial facilities will minimize conflicts with

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Adopt and apply development and design standards that embrace and
encour_a_!l_e the village concept or Planned Unit Developments

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AGRICULTURE

Identify existing farmland to promote as preservation areas

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All new~esid~ntial development in the Township will depend on independent
well and septic systems
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ARCHITECTS
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GOVE ASSOCIATES, INC.

PARTICIPANTS:

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1601 PORTAGE STREET
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 49001
(616) 385-0011

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commercial and industrial land uses
-- Encm_;;:;g~-th;i;;;-prov~ent of existing commercial areas, both aesthetically-and functionally, to serve their neighborhoods
----Provide for adequate access for fire and rescue services for all commercial and
industrial locations
Ensur-;-th-~t commercial and industrial facilities do not require public water and
sewer facilities
Ensure that home based businesses and occupations have minimal impact on
residential neighborhoods
Ensure that new industrial facilities are developed so as to minimize conflict
with other land uses
Ensure that new industrial development is located near transportation and
utility facilities that are adequate for the development's needs
ACTIONS:

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PUBLIC FACILITIES/UTILITIES/SERVICES

Continue and encourage cooperation with neighboring jurisdiction to provide
quality public services and facilities
Ensure that all development complies with health and safety standards and
provides necessary services
Encourage interdepartmental cooperation and coordination of police, fire, and
rescue services to achieve township-wide coverage and availablitiy
Ensure the orderly development of commercial recreation to reduce conflict
with adjoining land uses
Use the future land use elements of the Plan as a guide for the location of future
community recreation sites
Use MDNR.-standards as a "triggering" mechanism to determine the timing and
character of additional parks
Maintain an up-to-date Recreation Plan to state the recreation goals of the
community _______
Encourage the multi-functional use of recreation areas for open space, forestry,
noodplain or water resource conservation and historical preservation

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ENGINEERS
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PARTICIPANTS:

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KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN 49001
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TRANSPORTATION

Maintain, where possible, the natural character of roads and the surrounding

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traffic on rural residential roads
Utilize highway facility improvements as a positive guide to direct or enhance

the land use relationship
Coordinate transportation planning with adjacent jurisdictions, the county, the
regionandthestate.
Ens~~-the safe use of roads for pedestrian and non-motorized activities
ACTIONS:

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Identify areas suitable for certain types of land uses and the development
limitations of these sites
Discourage private development of well ands, floodplains and watercourses

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D • D •
Encourage cluster development that protects sites containing wetlands, forest,

wildlife habitats or waler resources
Discourage imappropriale development that will interfer with lhe continued
use and conservation of important natural resources
Develop and i~titut~~propri~te flood and erosion controls lo minimize flood
damage and maitain water quality
Identify unique naturalareas

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Par1icipate in regional efforts to improve and protect water quality
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Appendix A
Community Surveys and Citizen Planning Committee Reports

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Survey Results
COMMUNITY SURVEY (1997)

(Conducted by Northwestern Michigan College)
When asked whether the Township should consider
a local "purchase of development rights" program ... The majority of respondents (65.6%)
reported that they either somewhat or strongly
agreed with this statement, while 19.8 percent were
undecided and 14.5 percent disagreed.

-

An overwhelming majority or respondents agreed to some degree
that :farmland is an important
element o:f the township's character (95.7%) and that :farming
activities should be encouraged
(92.3%).

The majority of respondents (66.4%) disagreed to some extent with the suggestion that
development of duplexes and townhouses should be supported. Similarly, the majority of
respondents indicated that they disagreed to some
Tbe majority o:f respondents
extent with the suggestion that development of
(62.3%) agreed to some eztsnt
that new housing developments apartment complexes (76.7%) and mobile home
should cluster homes on part of parks (85.5%) should be supported.
the

parcel

and

leave

remainder in open space.

the
. With regard to encouragement of shared access

"· ,,. _,_,~, ...,, ·· "' ~-, ·~·' driveways along Center Highway, the largest single
group of respondents (32.1 %) was undecided as to their level of agreement. Slightly more
than one-quarter of respondents were also undecided with regard to shared access driveways
along Lake Leelanau Drive, although 47.8% agreed to some extent that shared access
driveways should be encouraged in this area. Finally, the majority of respondents (52.7%)
agreed to some extent that shared access driveways along West Bay Shore Drive should be
encouraged, while 25.3 percent disagreed, and 22.0 percent were undecided.

-

The majority of respondents (62.3%) agreed to some extent that new housing developments
should cluster homes on part of the parcel and leave the remainder in open space, while 21. I
percent disagreed to some extent and 16.6 percent were undecided.
With regard to new businesses, 56 percent of respondents disagreed to some extent with
location these establishments along M-22, while 28.7 percent agreed to some extent, and
15.4 percent were undecided. Approximately 62 percent of respondents agreed to some
extent that new businesses should be located in the existing commercial area, while 24.5
percent disagreed to some extent and I3. 9 percent were undecided. The majority of

Page I
Gove Associo.tes Inc.

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Survey Results
respondents (55.2%) disagreed to some extent that additional land area should be designated
for industrial use, while 24.4 percent tended to agree with the statement and 20.3 percent
were undecided.
Sjngham Townshjp's respondents (81.7%) strongly agreed
that visual open areas are an
jmportant
element or the
Townshjp's character.

With regard to Bingham Township's natural features,
8 I .7 percent of respondents strongly agreed that
visual open areas are an important element of the
township's

character,

while

2.3

percent

of

respondents disagreed to some extent with this
statement. The majority of respondents (90.1 %) also strongly agreed that water bodies are an
important element of the township's character, while
Respondents (a:)$) strongly
2 percent disagreed. Eighty percent of respondents
agreed that the pollution o:f
strongly agreed that the pollution of township water
Townshjp water bodies should
bodies should be a main concern of the township.
be a ma:in concern.
The majority of respondents (68.3%) either somewhat or strongly agreed that ex1st1ng
recreational facilities and programs met their needs, while 19. 9 percent did not feel that
current facilities/programs met their needs, and I 1.8 percent were undecided. Slightly over
one-quarter of respondents strongly disagreed with a statement suggesting that the township
should consider purchasing and developing additional park lands, while remaining respondents
were relatively evenly split between other levels of agreement.

Finally 66.6 percent of

respondents indicated that they either somewhat or strongly agree that bicycle paths should
be provided along existing roadways, while 21. 9 percent indicated that they somewhat or

-

strongly disagree, and I 1.5 percent were undecided.
Over 50 percent of respondents agreed that hiking trails, picnic areas, and bicycle paths should
be expanded or added in Bingham Township.

Fifty percent or more of respondents

disagreed with expansion and /or addition of snowmobile trails, ice skating rinks, and boat
launch/access sites. It should be noted, however, that a number of respondents were undecided with regard to expansion and/or addition of any of the above recreational facilities.

Page 2
Gove Associa.tes Inc.

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Survey Results

LARGE PARCEL LANDOWNER SURVEY (1997)
(Conducted by Department of Landscape Architecture, Michigan State University)
The majority of those surveyed were the primary managers of the farm, and indicated they
would continue to farm for the next I O years. The respondents indicated that property taxes,
agricultural markets/ economics, land use regulations, development pressure and government
regulations were all important factors affecting future farming. The majority of those surveyed
indicated that they would not sell some or all of their land, and would prefer the land to
remain in agriculture.
The survey participants were asked about their understanding and opinion about three zoning
options for rural preservation. These options included large lot zoning, density zoning, and
rural clustering. The respondents were asked to rate their understanding of each zoning
concept and rate the effectiveness of these options toward the goal of preserving agriculture in
the Township. Rural Clustering

received the greatest support

both in terms of being

understood by the participants and the options ability to improve the ability to farm. Large lot
zoning received the lowest level of support.
Survey participants were asked to rate four development rights options: Purchase (PDR),
Leasing (LOR), Donation (DOR) and Transfer (TOR) of development rights. Survey results
indicate that the greatest support was for a PDR program, followed by TOR, DOR, and LOR
programs. It was noted, however, that though there was support for many of these options,
there was a large difference in opinion among
respondents. In general, the survey indicated that
long-term residents with a tie to the land through
tenure or birthright tended to favor PDR, while
newer residents with a more business oriented
relationship to the land favored LOR.

J_:

Other protection strategies for agriculture were
also surveyed. These strategies included

The survey indicated that :in gen- -1
eral the Jong-term residents with a 1
tie to the land through tenure or
birthright tended to favor PDR.
while newer residents with a more
business oriented relationship to
the land favored LDR.
J
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an impact fee for agriculture-to-residential

conversion; a farmland exemption from cap removal when property transfers within a family;
a tax differential with farmland without structures being taxed at a different rate than farmland
with structures; and the creation of a voluntary agricultural security zone. Of these options,
the cap removal was rated strongly acceptable, the tax differential and the agricultural security
zone were rated acceptable, and the impact fee option was found to be unacceptable.

Page 3
Gove Associa.tes Inc.

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __. lo.nning Reports

CITIZEN PLANNING COMMITTEES

-

Agricultural Committee
LAND EVALUATION AND SITE ASSESSMENT FACTORS
PRIME, UNIQUE AND VALUABLE FARMLAND PARCEL RANKING SYSTEM
OVERVIEW
Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) is an analytical tool to help local officials make
decisions. It in itself is not a farmland protection program but a systematic and objective
procedure to rate and rank sites for agricultural importance. The procedure is designed to
take into account both soil quality and other site factors that influence agricultural productivity
or measure development pressure. The land parcel is considered the site for this process. AJI
farmland parcels greater than or equal to 40 acres in size will be evaluated in the Township.
SITE ASSESSMENT FACTORS (SAi) - These factors measure non-soil site and regional
characteristics that could directly affect potential agricultural productivity or farming practices.
I.

Determine the percent of area in residential land use directly adjacent (perimeter) to the
farmland parcel.

Rationale. Land uses adjacent to farms can affect the ability of a farmer to conduct normal
farming practices. Complaints can arise from residential property owners when normal
farming practices cause side effects such as excessive smell, dust, or noise. Therefore,
this factor measures the amount of potential conflicting land use occurring along the
property boundary of the farmland parcel.

Procedure: The percent of conflicting residential land use is measured by calculating the
proportion of the farmland parcel's perimeter that is adjacent to residential properties.
The measure needs to account for both the length of perimeter and density of conflict.
To do this, count the number of residential parcels (improved and vacant), multiply by
the average length of the shortest side of the residential parcel(s) boundary. Then divide
by the length of the perimeter of the farmland parcel. The resulting number, expressed
as a percent, measures conflicting residential land use.
Percent
0
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50

Points
100
90
80
70
60

Percent
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100

Points
40
30
20
10
I

so

Page 1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __. lanning Reports

2.

Determine the proportion of area in urban or developed land use within a .5 mile buffer
of the farmland parcel.

Rationale: Land uses in the immediate vicinity to farms can also affect the ability of a farmer to
conduct agricultural operations. Livestock operations, spraying activities or night
operations could potentially cause problems with an area that is developed. An
assumption that is made with this factor is, the larger the farmland parcel, the higher
relative degree of conflict from the surrounding area it can absorb. Therefore, this factor
measures the amount of potential conflicting land use (i.e. residential, commercial,
industrial, recreational or other developed land uses) occurring within a .5 mile buffer of
the farmland parcel.

Procedure. The percent of conflicting land use is measured by counting the number of parcels
of a conflicting land use within or intersecting the .5 mile buffer. This number is then
divided by the size (in acres) of the farmland parcel being assessed. The resulting
number, expressed as a ratio, measures conflicting land use in the area.
Ratio of number of conflicting
Parcels to farmland parcel size

Points

0-.10
.11-20
.21-.30
.31-.40
.41-.50
.51-.60

100
90
80
70
60
50

Ratio of number of conflicting
Parcels to farmland parcel size

Points

.61-.70
.71-.80
.81-.90
.91-1.0
&gt; 1.0

40
30
20
10
0

SITE ASSESSMENT FACTORS (SA2) - These factors measure development pressures that
could impact a farm parcel's continued agricultural use.
3.

Determine the zoning districts adjacent to the farmland parcel.

Rationale: Areas zoned as agriculture is to be predominantly used for agricultural purposes.
While single family detached dwelling units are allowed in this zone, it is intended to
keep the unique agricultural character of the area intact. This factor measures the
amount of land zoned for agricultural use around the perimeter of the farmland parcel. If
land adjacent to the farmland parcel is zoned to something other than agriculture,
development could arise as a result.

Procedure: Assess the surrounding zoning information for the farmland parcel by identifying
the adjacent properties' zoning categories.
Page 2

-

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___.lo.nning Reports

Adjacent zoning
Zero sides completely or partially zoned for non-agricultural use
One side completely or partially zoned for non-agricultural use
Two sides completely or partially zoned for non-agricultural use
Three sides completely or partially zoned for non-agricultural use
Four or more sides completely or partially zoned for non-agricultural use
4.

100
75
50
25
0

Determine the number and size of parcels that intercept a .5 mile buffer around the
farmland that are registered under P.A. I 16.

Rationale: Properties in close vicinity to the farmland parcel being assessed provide some
protection from development if they are registered under P.A. I 16, the Farmland and
Open Space Preservation Act. The greater the number of properties protected and the
more acreage that is protected in this .5 mile buffer, the more protection from
development the farmland parcel receives.
Procedure: To measure how much protection is being provided by the properties
surrounding the farmland parcel determine how many parcels are registered under P.A.
I 16 that are intercepted by the .5 mile buffer. Then determine the deeded acreage of
the parcels and assign factor points based on the table below.
P.A. I 16 Registered Sites
0 sites registered:
&gt;300 acres
200-299 acres
&lt;200 acres
6- I O sites registered:
&gt;400 acres
300-399 acres
&lt;300acres

Points
0

1-5 sites registered:
60
50
40
80
70

60

More than IO sites registered:
&gt; 500 acres
I00
400-499 acres
90
&lt; 400 acres
80

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page 3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __... lo.nning Reports
5.
Determine if the farmland parcel is presently registered under P.A. I 16, the Farmland
and Open Space Preservation Act. If so, determine how many years are remaining on the
agreement.

Rationale: If the farmland parcel being assessed is registered under P.A. I 16, the Farmland and
Open Space Preservation Act, the parcel is protected from being developed to nonagricultural use. The longer the enrollment is in effect, the more protection from
development the parcel receives.

Procedure: Determine if the parcel being assessed has a P.A. I 16 agreement and determine
how many more years the parcel is enrolled for.
SITE ASSESSMENT FACTORS (SA3) - These factors measure public values of a site
supporting agricultural use. The factors tend to reflect a broader view of farmland in the
landscape. Values such as scenic or historic importance are intangible factors that contribute to
the overall quality of life in an area.

6.

Is the farmland parcel a centennial farm?

Rationale. A centennial farm is a working farm of IO or more acres that has been continuously
owned by the same family for at least I 00 years. This strong family tie to the land may
impart a feeling among its owners that the best use of the parcel is to remain
undeveloped.

Procedure: Determine if the farmland parcel is a centennial farm.
Is the parcel designated?
Yes
No
7.

Points

I 00
0

Does the farmland parcel provide scenic visual value to the rural landscape? Is the parcel
visible from a major highway corridor?

Rationale: A farmland parcel that provides scenic value along the major transportation
corridors in the Township is a critical component to maintaining the rural character of
the Township. Parcels that exhibit good scenic quality will be given a higher score.

Procedure: Determine which scenic value category exists on the property. For a property to
be assessed it must be visible from a major highway or primary county roads such as:
I) Fruit Ridge Ave., 2) 4 Mile Road, 3) 6 Mile Road, 4) 7 Mile Road, 5) IO Mile Road,
6) Alpine Ave. and 7) M-37.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page 4

-

-

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___. Janning Reports
Scenic value category

5
4

3
2
I
0

Points

100
80
60

40
20
0 not visible from a major highway corridor

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Page 5

�....
FARMLAND AREAS BASED ON L.E.S.A. VARIABLES MAP

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Source: Agricultural Committee, 1998

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�_______________________________. lanning Reports

Residential Committee
Given that Bingham Township is primarily an agricultural community, and that a recent survey
of large parcel landowners strongly favor it remaining primarily agricultural and that this
committee concur in that opinion and believe that the majority of residents concur, we
recommend the following:
•

That the purpose of this master plan be to maintain the agricultural base of Bingham
Township.

•

That the residential portion of the plan accommodate an annual population growth rate of
2.5%.

•

That current zoning be eliminated in favor of overlay districts.

•

That existing natural areas in the township along West Grand Traverse Bay and along
South Lake Leelanau which have primarily a residential and transportation usage should be
designated as the residential overlay districts of the township. They are describe as follows:
I.

South Bayfront Residential District - from the south border of the township to Lee
Point Road and from the water's edge to the first ridge to the west (in other words
land within site of M-22).
2. North Bayfront Residential District - from Lee Point Road to the northern boundary of
the township and from the water's edge to the western boundary of the current
residential zone.
3. Southern Lake Leelanau Residential District - from the southern boundary of the
township to one mile north of Donner Road and from the water's edge to the eastern
boundary of the current residential zone.
4. Northern Lake Leelanau Residential District - from section 13 to the northern
boundary of the township, same as the current residential Zone.
•

The Residential Committee requests help in analyzing the above described new residential
overlay districts and accompanying map as follows;

•

Data gathering -- all missing information from the current county tax records including but
not limited to per parcel information on acreage, fronting length, zoning, and vacant or
built.

•

Help in more clearly defining the non-waters edges of these overlay districts.

•

Legal help in defining the overlay districts

•

Help with design standards

Page 7

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___.. Janning Reports
Infrastructure Committee
COMMERCIAL
GOAL: To maintain neighborhood commercial services for residents of the township, keeping
in line with population growth within the township.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

development of any new commercial facilities in such a way as to minimize conflict with
other land uses.

•

creation of development and design standards that embrace and/or encourage the village
concept or Planned Unit Developments

•

improvement of existing commercial areas, both aesthetically and functionally, to serve
their neighborhoods

•

adequate access for fire and rescue services for all commercial locations.

•

that commercial facilities do not require public water and sewer facilities.

HOME BASED BUSINESS
GOAL: To allow residents of the township to work out of their home, providing a service to
the community, and maintaining the residential nature of the community.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

minimal impact on the residential neighborhood.

HOME OCCUPATION
GOAL: To allow residents to-operate a non-intrusive enterprise that has no significant impact
on the residential community.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

minimal impact on the residential neighborhood.

•

a service to the community is provided for.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Page 8

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____.lanning Reports
INDUSTRIAL
GOAL: Limited light industrial development.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
• that any new industrial facilities are developed in such a manner that there is minimum
conflict with other land uses.
•

that a tract of land is provided, suitable for selected light industrial development, with
provision for adequate transportation access and utilities to serve their needs.

•

that industries do not require public water and sewer facilities and that they have their own
on site treatment.

RECREATION
GOAL: To provide an adequate range of recreation opportunities for residents of the
township.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods and/or controls to assure
•

orderly development of commercial recreation in such a manner that there is optimum
utilization of appropriate locations with minimum conflict with adjoining land uses.

•

reservation of sufficient recreation lands to serve desired population growth with both
active and passive recreation potentials.

•

where possible, multi-functional use of recreation areas for open space, forestry, flood
plain or water resource conservation and historical preservation.

TRANSPORTATION
GOAL: To provide for the efficient and safe movement of traffic through and within the
township, while preserving the present road system to the extent that it meets the needs of
the community with a minimum of environmental or ecological damage to the township.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure O Maintaining wherever
possible, the natural character of the roads and surrounding areas.
•

maximum use of major thoroughfares and discourage traffic through the rural residential
roads.

Po.ge 9

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __., lo.nning Reports

•

utilization of highway facility improvement as a positive guide to direct or enhance land use
relationship. coordination in planning the township transportation system with adjacent
townships, the county, the region and the state.

•

safe use of roads for pedestrian and non-motorized activities.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND FACILITIES
GOAL: Cooperate with and assist public and private entities to provide utilities and public
services to the residents of the township.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
• highest quality facilities and services necessary to guide and maintain orderly future
development.
I• imitation of all development unless appropriate health and safety standards are complied
with and services provided.
PUBLIC SERVICES
GOAL: Provide adequate and appropriate public services for the benefit of the people of the
township.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

interdepartmental cooperation and coordination of police, fire and rescue services to
achieve township-wide coverage and availability.

OPEN SPACE
GOAL: Encourage open space, scenic and natural areas.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

non-development of public and privately owned lands with open space potential.

•

promotion of dual land uses (e.g. agriculture / open space ) which encourage and enhance
private ownership of non-developed lands.

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __. lo.nning Reports
•

protection of unique natural areas, swampland, forests and watercourses from Urban
types of development.

•

encouragement

of

open

space,

appropriately

located

,n

all

land

use

areas.

NATURAL RESOURCES
GOAL: Optimum utilization of land, water, air and natural resources, including their
preservation and conservation.
OBJECTIVES: Provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
•

continued and future use and conservation of natural resources
inappropriate development of conflicting land uses.

by preventing

•

development of flood and erosion controls to minimize flood damage and maintain water
quality levels.

•

preservation of unique natural areas which cannot be replaced if destroyed, misused or
neglected.

•

non-pollution of soil, water and air resources by any segment of the community be it
governmental, industrial, agricultural, or private.

•

a pattern of land use to shape and guide development away from ecologically sensitive
areas.

•

encouragement of open space, appropriately located, in all land use areas.

POPULATION DENSITY
GOAL: Guide and control population densities and distribution in order to maintain a rural
atmosphere, ecological balance, open space, high levels of sanitation and low levels of
pollution.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities, methods or controls to assure
Control population density in such a manner that overall high density does not take place.
•

Higher density in selected areas.

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___. lanning Reports
•

Maintain the rural atmosphere of the township.

•

Rationally control township development standards, code enforcement and administration.

LAND USE PLAN
COMMERCIAL development in Bingham Township is serves the local neighborhood.
INDUSTRIAL expansion is not expected to be significant. Further industrial expansion should
11
be light industry and 11 industrial park oriented.
AREAS OF CRITICAL CONCERN
The most critical portion of the planning of environmentally sensitive areas involves defining
what environmental factors or conditions warrant protection. Although this listing is not
intended to be all-inclusive, it represents the principal environmental factors considered:
*excessive slope areas
*areas with other soil limitations
*riverine areas

*dune formation and major sand areas
*marshland areas
*Grand Traverse Bay and inland lake shorelines.

These critical areas do not dictate land use, but demand additional restrictions be considered
prior to an appropriate use being developed. It is clear that these areas extend through much
of the land already under development, but any new development must be built in such a
manner as to minimize its impact on the environmental quality of the area. In this regard,
regulations must be strict, but not unreasonable. The protection of certain areas does not
require non-development, but merely conformance with certain performance standards.
In development of the plan, however, environmental concerns have dictated, to a certain
degree, the type of land use recommended for specific areas. Some of these areas are already
under some degree of control because of State and Federal legislation.
PUBLIC;SEMI PUBLIC USES: Consideration should be given to public land, buildings, and
recreation sites.
TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Transportation planning is a continuous process that is necessary
if the movement of people and goods is to be managed effectively in the township. Planning
for the township road system must consider not only local traffic, but also the regional
movement of vehicles.

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�-

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___. lo.nning Reports
RECREATION PLAN: The recreation plan is concerned with not only provisions of additional
facilities for residents and the vacationing public, but the protection and, if possible,
enhancement of any area that is considered for recreational use.
The structure of the recreation plan is largely dictated by the distribution of ex1st1ng
recreational attractions, natural recreation potentials, the objectives of the federal, state and
local agencies, and of the citizens of the township. The latter were expressed through the
Citizens Advisory Committee recommendations and the county-wide public attitude survey.
Private and Commercial Facilities: These facilities have manifested themselves in Leelanau
County in the typical range of activities associated with higher cost or where the public is
willing to pay for the privilege of participation. These have included campgrounds, trailer parks,
and more recently large scale recreation communities which have included multiple
recreational uses as the focal point or nucleus for a residential development.
In any such development in Bingham Township the greatest care should be taken to prevent
individual and natural conflicts of misuse. Because any such endeavor is necessarily a profit
making operation, problems arise from over development by competing organizations. The
point is neither to eliminate competition nor to stifle enterprise, but to make them responsive
not only to the vacationing public, but to the needs of the township, the resident population
and the natural environment as well.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: These have been expressed already in the comprehensive plan
as goals and objectives for recreation and for open space. They emphasize the importance of
open space and concern for the natural environment. Publicly owned facilities should not be
expanded beyond their present size and activity, or that already planned and made public.
Commercial recreation needs should be met through improvement of present facilities, and
appropriate guidance and control of all new developments.

-

General Recommendations
I . Care should be taken to protect adjoining property owners.
2. Recreation uses should not endanger lands well adapted to agriculture or residential use.
3. Recreation uses should not infringe upon the quality of open space, forest, hills, bluffs,
orchards, lakes, shorelines or embayments, but should protect the natural environment.
4. Recreation sites should be planned so that the uses have minimal conflict with the
neighbors and with the environment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Po.ge 13

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___. Janning Reports
5. Conservation areas around lakes and along rivers and streams should be preserved.
6. Commercial recreation uses should be placed, like public facilities, to lessen disruptive
effects on the environment or surrounding uses.
7. School-supplied recreation should be encouraged 1n the total township recreation
program.
8. The township should participate in the planning and placement of all recreation facilities.
9. Any signing and marking should be unobtrusive.
COMMUNITY SERVICES AND FACILITIES PLANS: Community services and facilities are
necessities in the operation of the township. They are provided by the township or other
local taxing unit and serve all the people in its jurisdiction.
Public Buildings and Facilities:
The needs of the township for public buildings and facilities are modest but critical.
The township hall and offices need to be expanded as the community needs grow.
Fire protection and ambulanee/rescue services are provided by a volunteer unit serving
Bingham and Suttons Bay townships, based in Suttons Bay.
The library in Suttons Bay is also supported by Bingham Township funds. Residents may use
the Traverse City Library without charge.
Schools:
The Suttons Bay Public School District includes Bingham Township. It offers a K through 12
program. Recent expansion has kept pace with enrollment and should serve the two
townships for some years.
Further expansion of the elementary school at it present site will have to be weighed against
the advantages of a second elementary school at some other site closer to the student
population being served.

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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __.lo.nning Reports

Utilities:
Bingham Township, as a rural township, should not need to provide public water and sewers.

·-

Solid waste disposal is provided for by the county-operated sanitary landfill, a 40 acre site fully
equipped to bury all refuse in the county. It is expected to serve the county's needs for 20-40
years.
Garbage collection is available from several private operators.

-

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____.. lo.nning Reports

Public Meeting Issues Identification December 1998
I. Population Target of 3,000 by 2020
2.

Agriculture
a. Encourage preservation through PDR/TDR
b. Identify areas for Cluster Development

c. Educate public to outline differences between Agriculture and Open Space
d. Develop buffers between Agriculture and Residential
e. Tax Abatement or Incentives for Agriculture
3.

Industry: No changes to current distribution

4.

Residential:
a. Clustered,
b. Balance of housing types

c. Increase residential density near
main arteries
5. Commerciai:
a.

Neighborhood/local commercial

b.

Some expansion in reasonable areas

6. Coastal Zone
a.

Participation in Regional efforts to protect or improve water quality

b.

Preservation of existing wetlands

7. Transportation
a.

Traffic problems on CR 641 and M-22

b.

Keep traffic out of other parts of the Township

c.

Reduce land uses that are too intensive for existing roads

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Page 16

�-

-

Appendix 13
Population Projections

-

-

�-

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Population Projections
CONSTANT PROPORTION METHOD: This method assumes that Bingham Township
will maintain the same percentage of Leelanau .County's population in future
years as it has in the past. Bingham Township made up an average of 12 percent
of Leelanau County's total population between 1980 to 1994. Population
projections for Leelanau County were generated by the Michigan Department of
Management and Budget.

Population Projection - Constant Proportion

-

Year

County

Township

1980
1990
1994
2000
2005
2010
2015

14,007

1,546

16,527

2,051

18,122

2,073

19,354

2,245

19,991

2,319

20,610

2,391

21,407

2,483

22,240

2,580

2020

GROWTH RATE METHOD: This method projects future population growth based on
the Township's rate of growth in the past. From 1960 to 1995 Bingham
Township's population grew at an average rate of 4.9 percent annually. The first
column shows the population if growth continues at the same rate. The second
column show the population at a 2.5% growth rate.

Population Projection: Growth Rate

-

Year

Population

Population @ 2.5% Growth

1960
1970
'1980
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020

625
916
1,546
2,051
2,073
2,584
3,222
4,017
5,007
6,242

625
916
1,546
2,051
2,073
2,332
2,624
2,952
3,321
3,736

Page 1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Populo.tion Projections
ARITHMETIC METHOD: In the arithmetic method population growth is based on the
average increase of persons per year from 1970 to 1990. Bingham Township
gained an average of 56.8 persons each year.
Population Projection: Arithmetic Method
Year

Population

1970
1980
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020

916
1,546
2,051
2,073
2,357
2,641
2,924
3,208
3,492

HOUSING TREND METHOD: This method uses past trends in housing construction to
gauge future development trends in the Township. The development trend can
then be used to estimate future population increases. From 1980 to 1998, 509
units were added in the Township. The average number of persons per housing
unit was assumed to remain constant at the 1995 level of 2.0 persons/unit.
Population Projection: Housing Trend Method
Year

Housing Units

Population

1980
1990
1998

765
1,017
1,274

1,546
2,051
2,548

2000
2005
2010
2015
2020

1331
1,472
1,613
1,755
1,896

2,661
2,944
3,227
3,509
3,792

Page 2

�-

_____________________ _ _____ Populo.tion Projections

Summary of Population Projections

6500
6000
5500
5000
C

- - Constant Proportion
Growth Rate
- - Growth Rate @ 2.5%
- - Arithmetic
- - Housing Trend

4500

0

;I
C'G

'3 4000
0.

0

0..

3500
3000
2500
2000

-

1500
1980

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

Year

-

-

Page 3

�-

-

Appendix C
Design Sta.nda.rds

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

This appendix contains suggested standards of design for future and ex1stmg
development in Bingham Township. The standards are shown to help Township
officials, developers, and the public understand ways in which development can be
incorporated into the Township, while reducing the development's deleterious effects on
the environment. The standards shown below are not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive
of other innovative design approaches. Rather, they are presented as a guide, challenging
future development to find approaches that are both economically viable and
environmentally responsible.

Cluster (Open Space) Development

Cluster

Conventional

SOURCE: Better Site Design, Center for Watershed Protection, 1998.

-

Cluster development is an alternative to conventional subdivisions that concentrates
housing at higher densities and provides for public open space within a designated project
area. It is more efficient and environmentally sensitive that the standard subdivision,
which typically allocated the entire development to private lots and easements for streets
and sidewalks.
Perception
Facts, Case Studies, and Challenges
1. Smaller lot sizes and compact FACT: Many studies show that open space designs
development are perceived as
are highly desirable and have economic
less marketable
advantages including cost savings and higher
market appreciation
FACT: A survey of recent home buyers conducted by
American Lives Inc. noted that 77% of the
respondents rated natural open space as
extremely important

Page 1

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

2. Open space developments CHALLENGE: Generally, additional time, public
often reqmre a special
hearings, and special reviews are required to
exception approval process
implement open space designs, even when the
community has an open · space ordinance.
While developers are interested in reduced
construction costs and market absorption rate,
the total amount of time required for the
project is a major driving force.
3. Open space developments are FACT: There are many examples of moderate and
perceived as applicable only
lower income open space developments
for upper income housing.
4. Open space developments are FACT: Open space design allows preservation of
perceived as incompatible
natural areas, using less space for streets ,
with adjacent land uses and
sidewalks, parking lots, and driveways.
are often equated with FACT: A good design utilizing buffers can help
increased noise and traffic
alleviate incompatibility with adjacent land
uses and still maintain the character of the
area
FACT: If the number of residential units built is kept
the same as the non open space designs, traffic
impacts on the surrounding area should be
similar.
SOURCE: Better Site Design, Center for Watershed Protection, 1998.

Page 2

-

�-

-

-

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Shoreline Management of Lakes and Streams
The shoreline is the area immediately adjacent to a lake or stream. These areas are
extremely important to the health of the waterbody. Improper management of the
shoreline can lead to degraded lake and
Traditional lakeehors devslopmsnt
streams,
subsequently
affecting
the
environment of the entire region. Below are
some design considerations that will lead to
proper management of the shoreline areas.
Through these management strategies, it is
possible to maintain the biological integrity
of the area, while integrating individual
parcel owner needs.

Prefsrrad lakr.ihore developmsnt

Two important tools for protecting
shoreline areas from private development
are setbacks of the primary structure from
the shoreline and the establishment of
natural vegetative buffers.
Existing
shoreline land owners and residents should
be encouraged to be the stewards of these
fragile and important natural areas. New
development
should
follow
best
development practices for lakeshores. Some
of the recommended practices include:
• Preserving the natural vegetation buffer
adjacent to the waterbody
• Provide ample setbacks for septic tanks
and drainfields

-

• Reduce the eros10n and sedimentation
potential
• Minimize tree cutting or thinning of
trees adjacent to water bodies
• Direct stormwater runoff into lawn or
garden areas, so they may filter the water
before it enters the waterbody.
• Establish a compost pile for organic
wastes, such as leaves and kitchen waste.
•

Avoid the use of fertilizers.

Page 3

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

•

Gauge watering to plant requirements

•

Consider alternatives to chemical use to control specific insects and weeds.

•

Choose the right grass and plants for your site. Where possible, choose native plant
species for you lakeshore and streamside greenbelts (see list below).

NATIVE PLANT SPECIES
Groundcovers:

Turf grass
Periwinkle
Wintergreen
Lily of the Valley
Ostrich Fem
Forget-me-Not

Shrubs:

Gray Dogwood
Silky Dogwood
Crab Apple
Canada Yew
Red Osier Dogwood
Blueberry
Highbush Cranberry
Potentilla

Trees:

Red Maple
Yell ow Birch
White Birch
Sugar Maple
American Beech
White Pine
Balsam Fir
White Spruce
Black Spruce
White Ash
American Basswood
White Oak
Black Willow
White Cedar
Black Ash
Tamarack (larch)

-

-

Source: Lake Leelanau Landowner's Handbook

Page 4

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

-

Wetland Protection and Management
Wetlands are important natural areas in the landscape. They serve to buffer stormwater
discharges and prevent flooding, filter runoff to reduce sedimentation of lakes and
streams, prevent the release of harmful fertilizers and pesticides to other waterbodies,
reduce streambank erosion, and provide a habitat for fish and wildlife. Because of the
importance of these areas, regulations on the state level have been institued. The
Goemaere-Anderson Wetland Protection Act (Act 203 of 1979) is the primary law that
governs wetlands. This act authorized more stringent and broader regulation by local
governments.
Similar to the Shoreline management strategies above, the use of buffers provide the best
protection for wetland areas. Natural vegetation should be maintained and native plant
species only should be used for landscaping around these areas. The illustration below
depicts a potential wetlands buffer.

Delineated w~land
boundary

~I

I

WatercourM or w~land
(or other natural feature a5
d&lt;ffined in ordinance)

Development pemiitted
Potential
natural featurc5 buffer

Source: Planning and Zoning Center, Inc.

Page 5

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

On-Site Sewage Disposal

All sewage in Bingham Township is treated on-site through the use of septic systems.
For the most part, septic systems do a good job in treating waste and protecting
surrounding waterbodies from nutients. The systems do require maintenance and
attention from the land owners to assure they are functioning properly. Below are some
recommendations:
•

Become familiar with the location and function of your septic system. Remember
that you are responsible for the function of the system and must remain vigilant to
potential problems.

•

Where possible, keep septic systems 100 foot away from lakes, streams and wetlands.
This prevents the leaching of nutients into the lake, causing weeds and turbidity
(unclear water).

•

Keep Drainfields clear of trees.
drainfield.

•

Watch for signs of septic system damage or failure. Foul odors, backed up plumbing,
soggy ground or lush grass on the drainfield signal potential problems. Call a
professional for analysis and repairs of these problems.

•

Be careful what goes down the drain. Household chemicals and cleaners may kill the
bacteria that breakdown the waste in the septic tank.

•

Conserve Water. The more water that flows through the septic system, the faster
nutrients will be released into the ground. Distribute laundry load throughout the
week to avoid overloading the system.

Root systems will clog and interfere with the

Stormwater Management

Impervious surfaces are those surfaces that do not allow water to penetrate, and include
streets, parking lots, driveways, and rooftops. Impervious surfaces tend to collect
harmful substances over time, such as oil and gasoline, so when it rains the rainwater
"runs-off' these surfaces carrying the harmful substances with them, polluting local
waterbodies. This type of pollution, termed "nonpoint source pollution", is one of the
leading causes of water pollution in American today.
Since pollution from impervious surfaces does not come from one source, it is difficult to
regulate and manage. Therefore, individual landowner have a special obligation to
reduce the amount of runoff from their property in order to contribute to the health of the
region's water resources. Shoreline property owners in particular need to be stewards of
the water resources in order to enjoy the many benefits waterfront property bestows.

Page 6

�-

-

-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

•
•
•
•
•

In order to reduce stormwater runoff, consider following these simple guidelines:
Divert runoff from driveways, roofs and roads away from waterbodies.
Encourage runoff to flow shallowly over vegetated areas
Divert runoff to on-lot swales and stormwater retention areas
Design and landscape to minimize rainwater run-off

Woodland and Slope Protection

Woodlands are important resources that provide recreational, aesthetic and environmental
benefits. They also serve as important buffers between different land uses, filtering dust
and noise, and protect steep slopes from erosion. New development currently has no
incentive to protect existing woodlands. Below are some recommendations for protecting
these areas:
•

Trees should be cleared only in areas needed for development.

-

•

Clusters of environmentally important woodlands should be conserved, and structures
placed around designated tree clusters.

-

•

Trees over six inches in diameter should be shown on site design and a given
percentage of those trees should be preserved ( e.g. 50-90 percent).

•

More stringent tree protection standards should apply in areas with severe design
limitations, such as steep slopes and highly erodible soils.

•

Tree preservation areas should be established along front and side lot lines, particular
in areas where different land uses are adjoining (e.g. agriculture and residential)

-

CLEAR MINIMUM AREA NECESSARY

PLACE ACCESS ROAD-.BEHIND RIDGE LINE

SOURCE: Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook, 1992

Page 7

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D e s i g n Standards

-

References:

Arendt, Randell, Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character.
Planning Association, Chicago, IL 1994.

American

Arendt, Randell, Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A practical guide to creating
open space networks. Island Press, Washington D.C. 1996.
Better Site Design: A Handbook for Changing Development Rules in Your Community.
Center for Watershed Protection, Ellicott City, MD 1998.
Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook.
Lansing, MI 1992.

Planning and Zoning Center,

Land Use Tools and Techniques: A Handbook for Local Communities, Southeast
Michigan Council of Governments, Detroit, Michigan 1994

-

Stone, Mark and Mary Taylor, The Leelanau Watershed Landowner's Handbook, Fen's
Rim Publishers

-

Page 8

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                    <text>Comprehensive Plan

�Delta Township
Co111preh.ensive Plan

Prepared for:

DELTA
TOWNSHIP

Lansin5, Michie,an

June2004
Project No. E16316

PreparedblJ:

0

© Gove Associates, Inc.

1601 Portaee Street
Kalamazoo, Michiean 49001

�1"11.13,f.'E rYF CONTEN1"S
.Sulion I - Communi'J 'Pro{ife
Introduction
Location
Natural Features
Map 1 - 1 Soils
Map 1-2 Water Features
Infrastructure
Map 1-3 Sanitary Sewer Service Area
Map 1-4 Water Service Area
Public Services
Map 1-5 School District Boundaries
Map 1-6 Parks and Recreation Areas

Introduction
Population
Housing
Education and Economics
1

.sulion., - 'E;tim"!} jj,,u{ 1.ue

1
1
2
3
5
6

8
10

11
14
16

19
19

27
32
1

Introduction
Land Use Classifications
Land Use Distribution
Summary
Map 3- 1 Existing Land Use Map

39
39
41

46
47

.Sulion 4 - Communi'J 9npul
Public Participation
Survey Overview

49
49

.Sulion 5- /J-oAfr AndO!juliflM
Goals

61

Future Development Concept
Future Land Use
Map 6-1 Future Land Use Map

69
70
82

.Sulion

7 - 9mplemenu,lion

Introduction
Implementation Schedule

Appendix A - National Functional Classification Map
Appendix B - Delta Township Community Opinion Survey
Appendix C - Proposed Sidewalks and Trails Map

83
87

�Section I
Communi tfJro{ife
INTRODUCTION
Delta Township is a Charter Township with a Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer and four
Trustees. The Township Hall is located on West Saginaw Highway (M-43) just east
of the I-96/Saginaw Highway interchange. As a Charter Township, Delta Township
has basic powers granted to general law townships by state statute as well as the
power to level more millage (up to 5 mills or 10 mills with the electorate's
approval) and protect itself from annexation. Those powers include the ability to
hire a manager, assessor, police or fire chief, superintendent and other necessary
personnel. Townships are mandated to administer assessments, hold elections, and
collect taxes.

They are also responsible for financial administration, including

budgets, accounting, investments and deposits.

In addition, townships may enact

and enforce ordinances, which include zoning ordinances. The Township manages
the use of land under the Delta Township Zoning Ordinance, which is administered
by the Township's Planning Director.

Therefore, the Township has the sole

responsibility for the development of its zoning ordinance and map.
The Comprehensive Plan is a long-range document intended to guide growth and
development in the Township. The Plan, drafted as per the provisions of Michigan's
Municipal Planning Act (Act 285 of 1 931 ), is required to be reviewed every five
years. The plan has a long-range focus of up to 20 years in the future. A
component of the Com rehensive Plan is the Future Land Use Map which serves as
the basis for Township zoning and subdivision regulations.
\_

LOCATION
q

Delta Township is located in the northeastern corner
of

Eaton

County,

in the southcentral

region

of

I

~ -+--+---+---+--~- -7

)

eastern borders are shared with the counties of
west of Delta Township are the townships of Windsor
and Oneida.

(
Jlf-w,- - - - - r - - - t - - t - ~

Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Township's north and
Clinton and Ingham, respectively. To the south and

·--.

,;

I

,., .

J

_.-('

r- ""'\

.. r
/

/'L

(
'

l

l

\
The Township is located at Township 4 North, Range
3 West and generally encompasses 36 contiguous
land sections, or approximately 36 square miles. A
small portion of the City of Lansing spills over into

/

Delta Township from Ingham County and occupies
much of section 36.

•

�Section I
Communi

fJro{ife
are an essential
part of Delta
Township's

NATURAL FEATURES
Natural features are an essential part of Delta Township's attractiveness to
residents and visitors.

An understanding of Delta Township's land and water

resources can help further define where certain land use activities should occur
within its borders.

The composition of local soils, the Township's general

vegetation, and the quality and quantity of water all help determine the ability of
the Township to locate, support and sustain different types of land development.
Natural features can also help Township officials justify the denial of some
development, based on the ability of the natural environment to support it. The
following describes these natural elements in more detail:

Local Soils
Soils are the building blocks that define the types of activities that can be
sustained on the land.

For example, the type of vegetation and drainage that

occur naturally in an area is determined by the soil.

Soils also help determine

where buildings, roads and other man-made structures can best be located.
Classifications of Delta Township's soil have been identified and mapped by the
Soil Conservation Service in the 1978 Soil Survey of Eaton County, Michigan.

There are four different soil associations within Delta Township (Map l - l ). Each of
these

types

has

their

own

unique

characteristics,

including

limitations

for

development, recreation and agriculture.

The majority of these soil types are a part of the Marlette-Capac and the
Marlette-Capac-Owosso associations. The Marlette-Capac association is defined
as soils that are classified as nearly level to gently undulating, well drained to
somewhat poorly drained loamy soils on till plains. These soils are found in much
of the central and western portions of the Township. The Marlette-Capac-Owosso
association is classified as nearly level to hilly, well drained to somewhat poorly
drained, loamy soils on moraines and till plains. These soils are found in the
northern and eastern portions of the Township.

�Section f
CommunifJ fJro{ile

The Houghton-Gilford-Adrain soil classification found in the southwest corner of the
Township presents various prob lems for ur ban-type development. This soil type is
most conducive to agricultural activities such as the sod farms that predominate in
the area.
The Houghton-Gilford-Adrian association and the Capac-Parkhill association make
up the remaining portion of the Township. The Houghton-Gilford-Adrian association
is identified as nearly level, very poorly drained, mucky and loamy soils in glacial
drainage areas. Soils classified as Capac-Parkhill are nearly level to gently
undulating, somewhat poorly drained, loamy soils and nearly level, poorly drained
and very poorly drained loamy soils; on till plains and low moraines.

MAP 1-1
Delta Tovmstup. r,;,1,chlgan
GenP-ral zed Soi s

··+•--.

o· . . .)-._=~··-..

,;v.i t,;.!,~1~ a.\&lt;S:'ffll ~ l t ~

ttl•• -4 JII CJ

�Secfion f
Communi 1'ro{ife
Vegetation

Presettlement vegetation in Delta Township was mostly beech and sugar maple
forest. Areas of basswood, elm, white ash and hickory could be found among these
beech and sugar maples. Wet prairies were present along the Grand River and
Carrier Creek. In many areas hardwoods are still present while in other areas
these hardwoods were removed to make way for agriculture and cultivation
activity in the 1 800s.

Water Resources

Delta Township, located in the Grand

River

Watershed, has over 410 acres of ponds, rivers
and

streams

within

its

boundaries

with

the

principal water feature being the Grand River.
The Grand River occupies approximately 348
acres and stretches more than 1 0 miles in the
northern

and

southeastern

portions

of

the

Township. More of the Grand River is located in Delta Township than any other
single governmental unit in the Tri-County area. In addition, other water features in
the Township include Miller and Carrier Creeks both tributaries of the Grand River.
These creeks, and drains which feed them, flow from south to north draining much
of the Township as shown on Map 1-2.

Some National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) regulated wetlands may exist within
Delta Township. Prior to new development within the Township a NWI map should
be consulted and an on-site field inspection conducted to more accurately
determine whether regulated wetlands exist on the site in question.

�Secfion I

CommunifJ 'Profile

MAP 1-2
Delta Township
Water Features
-

· -

·

.

.

.

•

Millett Highway

•

miles

Hydrologic Features

0

Qaue A11;ma1ai,11;1na.

_,_., ..

SOURCE: Laid 1,1:inna1t1, ~ u AUOOlab::i.

OeRilTorwm:~p

0

�Secfion I
Communi 'Profile
INFRASTRUCTURE

Roads
The transportation network within the Township can

be divided

into four

classifications: freeways, arterial, collector and local streets. These classifications
are based on the service function of the street and its relationship to other
The
transportation
network consists
of more than
175 miles of
roads

streets in the Township. In total, the transportation network within the
Township occupies more than 2,500 acres and consists of more than 175
miles of roads.

Interstates 69, 96 and 496 are the principal highways within the

Township. Interstate 69 is a major north/south highway in southern Lower Michigan
passing through the Township and providing access to 1-94 to the south and Flint
(1-75) to the east. The traffic count on 1-69 in 2003 in northern Delta Township was
32,500 daily vehicle trips while it was 28,300 trips at the Township's southern
border. Interstate 96 connects Delta Township with Grand Rapids on the west and
Detroit on the east. Within the Township, 1-96 and 1-69 occupy much of the same
highway right-of-way. Interstate 96 merges with 1-69 north of the Township where
they continue south several miles as a single highway until they split just south of
Delta Township.

Interstate 96 continues east while 1-69 continues southwest. A

traffic count of 63,000 vehicles per day was recorded in 2003 for 1-96 and 1-69
just south of M-43. The 1-96, 1-69, and 1-496 junction is located in the southern
portion of the Township, where 1-496 penetrates east into the City of Lansing.
Traffic counts on 1-496 within the Township in 2003 averaged between 24,700
daily vehicle trips near Canal Road to 33,300 near Waverly Road. Much of the
traffic associated with these interstates typically bypasses Delta Township, as their
origin and destination are locations outside of the Township.

Roads classified as arterial roads are roads that serve as the primary collectors of
traffic generated on the collector and local streets in Delta Township. The collector
streets in the Township generally follow a one-mile grid pattern which in most
cases mirror the one-mile section lines of the Township, dating back to the 19th
century survey of the area. Some of the major roads in the Township include
the

following

east-west

routes: Michigan Avenue, M-43/Saginaw

Highway,

Mt. Hope Highway, Willow Highway and St. Joe Highway, in addition to Creyts
Road, Canal Road, Nixon Road, and Waverly Road, all north-south routes within
the Township.

�Section {
Communi fJro{ife
Numerous minor roads and private roads serve the Township's residential and
commercial areas. The bulk of these roads are located in the more urbanized
portion of the Township north of 1-496 and east of 1-96 and 1-69. As of January
2004, approximately 94 percent of the Township's roads, not including Federal
and State roads, were paved. The Road Classification Map can be found in
Appendix A.

Sanitary Sewer Service
The Township has a combination of urban and rural land uses. As a result, portions
of Delta Township are served by a sanitary sewer system while other areas rely
on septic systems and drain fields. The areas served by the Township sewer system
include most of the area east of 1-69 and 1-96, and all of the area
north of 1-496, and south of the Grand River. The availability
of

sanitary

sewer

service

west

of

1-69

and

1-96

is

concentrated in the more densely populated neighborhoods
sanitary sewer
system - other
areas rely on
septic systems

along St. Joe Highway, Willow Highway, and West Saginaw,
as indicated on Map 1-3.

The sewage is collected and transported to the Delta Township
Wastewater Treatment Plant located on Willow Highway east of Canal Road
through a network of sewer lines ranging in
size from 8" to 36" and 14 pump stations
located throughout the Township.

As of July 2003 the Township reported 8,003
residential, 625 commercial and 1 3 industrial
hookups. The current capacity of the treatment
plant is six millions gallons per day, which is
currently sufficient to handle the average daily waste flow generated. Expansion
of the facility will occur prior to reaching capacity. The equalization basins in the
system will help to balance the 24-hour plant flows.

�Section f
Communi

'Profile

MAP 1-3

Delta Township
Sanitary Sewer Service Area - 2003

..
_;
Ml . Ho~g~~,~--------.-....-----"I ,.,_._,..,,.,.-;,,.._.,.,.._..,._ _ _;;;..;.~

".,
"'
0

.D

!
0

"'

Millett Highway

0

J1

Davis Hi hway
05

miles

~ Sanitary Sewer Service Area
SOURCE: I.aid ru:mnalb• IV::l::lt.U Auoolitl01
OtffaTOflUU:~~

on t e

uture an

ap

�Section f
CommunifJ 'Profile
Municipal Water System
Delta Township has an agreement to purchase up to 15 million gallons of
Water service is
provided to
6,411 residential,
557 commercial
and 17 industrial
customers

water per day from the Lansing Board of Water and Light. This water
provides domestic service and fire protection to approximately
6,411

residential, 557 commercial customers and

17 industrial

customers as of July 2003. Four pump stations with pumping capacities
of between 475 and 1,300 gallons per minute pump the water through a

network of pipes ranging in size of 2" to 20" in diameter. The water is stored in
four water tanks with storage capacities of 500,000, 1,250,000, 2,000,000 and
1,000,000 gallons. These facilities are located on Snow Road, S. Creyts Road,
Willow Highway /1-96 and Millett Highway /1-96.

The distribution of water is primarily
concentrated in areas east of 1-69/1-96
and commercial and residential areas
west

of

1-69 /1-96

along

Saginaw

Highway and St. Joseph Highway. The
remainder

of

groundwater

the

Township

through

obtains

private

and

residential wells (Map 1-4).

0

�Section I
Communi

'Profile

MAP 1-4

Delta Township
Water SeNice Area - 2003

..)
Mt. HoP.e Highwav.o.+------

.,

"'
Millett Highway

JI

Davis Hi hWI:'
as

miles

II

O

Municipal Water Service Area

Oau•Ai:.mola'°'"'"•·

_,_,,_

SOURCE: laid 111&gt;nn.rtt:n /V:x:,;t,U AuocaD:&gt;1

oenaT011us,~

Future water service areas are illustrated on the Future Land Use Map.

�Section f
Communit3 fJro{ife
TRANSPORTATION
Mass Transit
The Eaton County Transportation Authority (EATRAN) has been in operation since
1 980 and provides transportation service to residents living within Eaton County on
an on-call, as-needed basis. Eaton County residents arrange a pick up and drop
off time and location with EA TRAN 24 hours prior to the service. While EATRAN
serves all Eaton County residents they specialize in providing commuter express
trips and medical trips for senior citizens and handicapped individuals. In 2002
EA TRAN served 182,674 passengers. Forty percent of all riders in 2000 were
senior citizens or handicapped individuals.

The fees associated with EA TRAN transportation depend on the age of riders, and
service requested by them. This fee is sufficient to support the current level of
service provided by EATRAN and user fees are not expected to increase any time
soon.

CATA
The Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) was formed in 1972 by the City
of Lansing. Delta Township was provided with transit services from the late 1970s
to the early 1980s in exchange for financial subsidies. In the spring of 1 984 CATA
discontinued many of the fixed transit routes in Delta Township because the
Township did not join CATA. CATA presently operates 25 fixed-routes serving
Lansing and East Lansing, Delhi, Meridian and Lansing townships.
CATA's Route Three busses enter Delta Township at the Waverly/West Saginaw
intersection, proceed westbound on West Saginaw to Elmwood, northbound to
West Mall Drive, westbound to Mall Drive South and then return eastbound to the
City of Lansing on Saginaw Highway and adjacent service drives. Route Three
serves West Saginaw Plaza, the Lansing Mall, Delta Center, and Meijers. CATA's
Route Twelve busses serve Waverly Road between Michigan Avenue and St. Joe
Highway with a turn-around point at Waverly Plaza (Home Depot and Value
City).

�Section&lt;
Communi fJro{ife
CA TA does provide "Delta Late Night Service" which begins when EATRAN service
ends for the day. This service provides limited transportation with a 24 hour
reservation between Delta Township and Greater Lansing. Service is limited to
West Saginaw Highway east of Broadbent Road and Creyts Road between
Saginaw and Davis Highway. Delta Late Night allows individuals the option of
working later hours and still having public transportation available to them.

The Capital City Airport is located in Clinton County
less than one mile northeast of Delta Township. The
Bringing Your World Clas.er

airport encompasses approximately 1,600 acres and
is owned and operated by the Capital Region Airport

Authority. Commercial and general aviation services are provided to Township
residents as well as those living in the Greater Lansing Area. The airport is
presently served by five commercial passenger carriers and two freight carriers.
These air carriers make more than 30 flights daily to Detroit, Green Bay,
Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago-O'Hare and Pittsburgh. The Airport served more
534,700 passengers in 2003 making the Capital City Airport one of Michigan's
busiest airports in terms of passengers boarded.

The facilities available at the

airport include the main terminal with six gates, offices, restaurants, a gift shop,
hangers, maintenances facilities and three runways ranging in length from 3,601
feet to 7,251 feet. The Department of Public Safety of the Capital Region Airport
Authority provides public security and safety. The department is registered with
the State of Michigan as a police department, fire department and emergency
first responder.

Railroad Facilities
The Canadian National Railroad Company and the CSX Transportation Company
operate railroads within the Township. In 1987, CSX acquired the Chesapeake
and Ohio line located in the far northwest corner of the Township in section 6.
However the line does not provide direct service to the Township. The Canadian
National Railroad line is located in the southeastern corner of the Township in
sections 24, 25, 26, 34 and 35. The line connects Delta Township with Port Huron
on the east and Chicago on the west, and the line provides rail service to numerous
industrial facilities within the Township.

�Section I

CommrmifJ 1'ro{ife
PUBLIC SERVICES
Police and Fire Protection
The Eaton County Sheriff's Department provides Delta Township police protection
referred to as the "Delta Patrol." This is a contract agreement between the
Township and the County and as of 2003 the Patrol consisted of:
1 Lieutenant
5 Sergeants
3 Detectives

20 Deputies
1 Tri-County Metro Narcotics Officer

The Michigan State Police provides additional police protection if needed. The
Sheriff's Department sub-station is located on Administrative Drive off of Canal
Road just north of Saginaw Highway.

The Delta Township Fire Department founded in 1953, operates 3 stations located
throughout the Township with full and part-time staff consisting of fire fighters and
paramedics.

The

Township maintains

30

full-time on-duty

firefighters.

The

Department responded to 4,120 alarms in 2003, of which 3,043 were EMS alarms
and 1,077 were fire alarms. The Department maintains and operates a variety of
vehicles, boats and other equipment in an effort to provide the comprehensive fire
and rescue services.

Fire Station No. 1 on N. Canal Road north of West Saginaw Highway has the
following:

•

- Class A Pumper

•

- 3000 Gallon Tanker with a 1,250 gpm pump

•

- 1 3/4 ton Brush Truck with Skid Load

•

1 - 100 Foot Platform Ladder Truck

•

1 - Heavy Rescue Vehicle

•

2 - Sets of the Jaws of Life

•

1 - Rescue Boat

�Secfion f

Communi 'Profile
Fire Station No. 2 in the southeast corner of the Township on Lansing Road west of
Waverly has available one Class A Pumper.

Located on Snow Road south of West Michigan Avenue, Fire Station No. 3 has two
Class A Pumpers, l set of the Jaws of life, a rescue boat, one pickup truck and one
air compressor truck.

The Delta Township Fire Department has a Mutual Aid Agreement with the
neighboring communities of Grand

Ledge, Lansing, East Lansing, Meridian

Township and Lansing Township, in the event additional fire fighting personnel are
needed.

Schools
Delta Township is served by four school districts: Grand Ledge, Holt, Lansing, and
Waverly. Nearly two-thirds of the Township is served by the Grand Ledge Public
Schools. There are three Grand Ledge Schools located in Delta Township: Delta
Center Elementary School (2002 enrollment of 470), Willow Ridge Elementary
School (2002 enrollment of 500), and Hayes Middle School (2002 enrollment of
800).

The Waverly Community School District serves nearly one-third of the Township
with five of the district's seven buildings which include: Elmwood School (2003
enrollment of 250), Colt Elementary School (2003 enrollment of 339), Winans
Elementary School (2003 enrollment of 321 ), Waverly Middle School (2003
enrollment of 552), Waverly High School (2003 enrollment of 1,061). Only a
fraction of the Township is served by Holt Public Schools and Lansing Public Schools
and neither district operates school buildings within Delta Township. Map 1-5
illustrates the School District boundaries and the location of school buildings in
Delta Township.

�Section I
CommunifJ 'Profile
MAP 1-5

Delta Township
School District B01.Jn daries

'.).. t' fC"i:. Ll1 h,:,."11 ,.6.J,1
l'e ' "'" 'l f)

·,:: •.:tvi!l:D.lt

�Section I
Communi

flro{ife
Parks and Recreation/Natural Areas
Parks

and

Recreation

facilities

and

programs

within

Delta

Township

are

administered through the Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Department. The
department maintains 12 parks and recreation areas and two cemeteries
throughout the Township encompassing more than 680 acres. The parks, ranging in
size from 1.1 acres to more than 150 acres, offer a variety of recreation
opportunities, everything from passive natural recreation areas and picnic shelters
to active recreation like play grounds, baseball fields and Frisbee golf. The Parks
and Recreation Department provides a complete recreation program with the
majority of the indoor activities conducted

in the Township's Library and

Community Center.

There are a significant number of recreation fields, basketball courts and open
space provided

at various elementary school sites located throughout the

Township. These facilities are owned and maintained by the Waverly and Grand
Ledge School Systems.

TABLE 1-1 - DELTA TOWNSHIP PARKS AND AVAILABLE AMENITIES

-i,

41

C.
0

ai
Parks

"'f

C

Ill

"'-~
C

·s;:

ii:

0..

~

C

-0

C
0

Anderson

151

Grand Woods

128

Hawk Meadows

128

X

Lootens

84

X

Sharp

58

Lake Delta

40

Delta Mills

32

Hunter's Orchard

26

Erickson

17

Leland

1

X

u

~

-i,

C

:::, llCIU

c(

.

.!

E .5! ai
J:.

0 "'
0 "'
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llCI

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1----

X

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�a

Secfion 1
ommunifJ 'Profile

MAP 1-6 _ PA RKS AND RECREATION AREAS

Delta Townsh·
arks
and Recreation
IP Areas
P
8non Highway

Mllett Highway

�Section f

•

Communi~ 'Profile
Library
The Delta Township District Library, also known as Enrichment Center, is located at
4538 Elizabeth Road and serves Delta Township residents. The library is housed in
a 4,800 square foot building containing 33,000 books, CD's, DVD's, video games,
tapes, and magazines. It is operated by 3 full-time and 1 0 part-time librarians
and is currently open six days a week. The library is part of the Capital Library
Cooperative which includes 23 libraries located in Jackson, Eaton, Ingham, Clinton
and Gratiot counties. The Delta Township Library services nearly 30,000 persons
with 10,000 cardholders, with no restrictions on membership.

Delta Township

officials are considering the construction of a new Library on Township property on
the east side of Elmwood Road, north of Davenport Drive .

•
:,

•
1,1

�INTRODUCTION

People are Delta's most valuable asset.

They are the factor that allows Delta

Township to function as a government.

This section of the Comprehensive Plan

provides information about the population, housing, social and employment
characteristics of the Township. By examining these factors a clear picture of the
demographic conditions emerges. Understanding these conditions provides both a
valuable insight into potential future conditions, as well as a basis for projecting
future needs in housing and land use development.

POPULATION

Population Trends
The historic population trends for Delta Township from

1970 to 2000 are

illustrated in the following graph. The Township's population grew a total of 70.6
percent between 1970 and 2000, about 20 percent more than Eaton County's
overall population growth during the same time period. The population growth in
Delta Township was also much greater than the four township/two city area
consisting of DeWitt Township, Delhi Township, Lansing Township, Meridian
Township, Lansing City, East Lansing City, and the Tri-County Region.

Figure 2-1 - Population Growth
450 ,000
400,000
350,000

~~;_~~=~=--~
,----------:--:--::c-=:::-::---~-- = « -----,

+------------------&lt;

g 3oo,ooo

247,839 252,199

247 ,93
--.------1

~ 250,000 +=2=28:..,_,4_:__4:...:6-=-=--lt-----i.....

1
~

200,000

+------------------&lt;

150,000 + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;

-+- Delta Township
- - - Eaton County
___...,_ 4 Twp/2 City Area
~

Tri-County

100,000 1 61~~ ====-===~t'-"""-~7
50 ,000 -t---;-:;-:,
.,;;;;;2.:i--;c~-_ -_ ---,,.i:...,,. ""
::.,.,.J'
~-_ -'_-'.....
. ....
_....
_-_-_ --'_-.,,.
; ~
0 +-----,----------.---~------;
1970

1980

1990

2000

Year
SOURCE: 1970-2000 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

�Section .2
Social t'feafure1
Delta Township and Eaton County both experienced the most
Township population
grew 13.5% between
l 990 and 2000.

rapid growth between 1970 and 1 980 within the region.
This growth continued during the 1 980s - however, at a much
slower

rate.

Between

1 990

and

2000 the Township's

population grew by 1 3.5 percent while the County's population grew by 11.6
percent.

In 2000 the Township comprised nearly ·28.6 percent of the
overall

population

in

Eaton

County.

This

translates

to

approximately 1.3 persons per acre, up from 0.77 persons/acre
in 1970, when the Township was home to roughly 25 percent of
the County population. It is expected that the proportion of the

Township
population
28.6% of
overall
population in
the County

County's population living in Delta Township will increase as will the
Township's population density.
TABLE 2-1 - DELTA TOWNSHIP POPULATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF EATON COUNTY
AND DENSITY
Proportion of Eaton County
Population Density Acre
SOURCE: 1970 - 2000 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

Table 2-2, using the data presented in Figure 2-1, shows that the rate of growth in
Delta Township has been more pronounced than in the County over each of the
past 1 0 year periods.

TABLE 2-2 - HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS PERCENT CHANGES

Delta Township
Eaton County
SOURCE: 1970-2000 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

By using population projections developed by the Tri-County Regional Planning
Commission, adjusting these numbers to reflect the 2000 Census and applying them
to the 2000 Census population of Delta Township, a generalized picture of future
population growth is presented in the following graph (Figure 2-2).

�Sectionz
Social ~tureJ
It is estimated that between 2000 and 2020 a steady population growth of 1.15
percent annually, or 23. l percent, will occur for Eaton County. During the same
period, it is projected that Delta Township will experience a population change of
22 percent or 1.1 percent per year, slightly lower than the County as a whole.

Figure 2-2 - Projected Population Growth

140000
120000
C: 100000
0
:;:::
80000
RI
'5 60000
Q.
0
40000
C.
20000
0

32 819 34 518 36,217

29 682

s:::i&lt;:::i

'1,'5

R:J~

'1,'5

...,_&lt;:::i

'\,&lt;:::,

.....~

'\,&lt;:::,

~

Delta Township

-

Eaton County

n,&lt;:::i

'\,&lt;:::,

~c,,
f;:-c,,

cl'

Year

SOURCE: 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census; Michigan Department of Management
and Budget 1996; Gove Associates 2002

As a result of this steady increase in population there will be a need for additional
housing, and

business and industry for employment. With the increase in

population, new businesses and industry, there will be a need for infrastructure
improvements (roads, sanitary sewer, water service and storm drains for runoff).
Periodic evaluation of school facilities and emergency services will be necessary to
ensure adequate coverage for the growing population.

Age Composition
The needs and lifestyles of individuals differ among age groups, as do the
demands for retail goods and services, and the need for public or institutional
program changes within each age group. Table 2-3 shows the composition of the
Township's population for 1990 and 2000 relative to Eaton County and the State
as a whole. This information will be useful in later sections when the future of Delta
Township is formulated.

�Section .2
Social?=eafureJ
According

to Table

2-3, Delta

Township experienced

a

decrease in the

percentage of residents between the ages of 1 0 and 34
during the 1 990s. This was offset by an increase in the
number of residents age 35 and over during the same
period. This increase in older residents as a percentage of
.,,. •••• • • • • • • • •

: In 2000 the :
•• median age ••

•
•
:
•• • • • • • • • • ••••••

: was 38.4.

total Township residents is reflected in the higher median

Decrease in
ages 10 to 34
during the 90s
-- offset by
increase of

age of 38.4 in 2000 versus 34.9 in 1990. That is more than
two years older than the County and nearly three years older
than the State as a whole. Hence, the age distribution in Delta Township is
generally older than the County and State as a whole. This pattern of an aging
population represents the ongoing nation-wide trend of older populations, as
members of the "baby boom" generation are beginning to reach retirement age.

TABLE 2-3 - AGE DISTRIBUTION 1990-2000

.. -

• •

~--·
fW1il

1;:n.,

-

~l-·

h'Jtt.. 11__:_.•11~Uri1)

-

~

t t I

rr:t=1iJ
6,622

6,500

7.5

6.8

7.1
7,438
8.0

6.3
7,354
7.1

7.4

7.5

7,229
7.8

8,132
7.8

7.1

7.5

8,054
7.8

7.5

7.2

-

I t I

fffl'il

Under 5 Years
% of Total

1,611
6.2

1,677
5.6

5-9 Years

1,814
6.9

1,802
6.1

1,725
6.6

2,009

1,876
7.2

2,099
7.1

7,179

1,801
6.9

2,018
6.8

6,206

6.7

6,349
6.1

7.5

6.5

% of Total

4,311
16.5

3,847
12.9

15,202
16.3

13,105
12.6

16.9

13.7

35-54 Years
% of Total

8,059
30.8

9,286
31.3

26,562
28.6

32,752
31.6

25.3

29.9

55-64 Years

2,331
8.9

3,045
10.3

7,286
7.8

9,559
9.2

8.5

8.7

2,601
9.9

3,899
13.1

9,155
9.9

11,751
11.3

11.9

12.3

Total

26,129

29,682

92,879

100.0

100.0

Median Age

34.9

38.4

32.9

% of Total
10-14 Years

% of Total
15-19 Years

% of Total
20-24 Years

% of Total
25-34 Years

% of Total
65

+ Years
% of Total

SOURCES:

6.7

7.7

1990-2000 U.S. Census, Gove Associates 2002

103,655
36.4

32.6

35.5

�Sec6on.2
Social ~tureJ

2005-2020 Gender and Age Distribution Graphs

Figure 3 - 2005 Gender and Age Distribution
Over 65
I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

55 to 64
Cl)

35 to 54

C)

&lt;I: 25 to 34

'C
C:

...

20 to 24

'C

15 to 19

(II
Cl)

C:
Cl)

(!)

• Female
• Male

.

10 to 14
5 to 9
I

Under 5

I
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Population

SOURCE:
1990-2000 U.S. Census, Michigan Department of Management and
Budget 1996, Gove Associates, 2002.

Figure 4 - 2010 Gender and Age Distribution
Over 65
I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

500

1000

55 to 64
Cl)

35 to 54

Cl

&lt;I: 25 to 34

"C
C:
ni

...

20 to 24

"C
C:

15 to 19

Cl)

Cl)

c.,

• Female
• Male

.

10 to 14
5 to 9
Under 5
0

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Population

SOURCE:
1990-2000 U.S. Census, Michigan Department of Management and
Budget 1996, Gove Associates, 2002.

�Section 2
Social&lt;feature1

Figure 5 - 2015 Gender and Age Distribution
Over65
I

I

I

I

I

I

Ol

&lt; 25 to 34

I

I

I

"C
C:

ca
ca 20 to 24

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

500

1000

55 to 64
QI

35 to 54

...
QI

"C
C:

15 to 19

&lt;.!)

10 to 14

QI

5 to 9

• Female
• Male

.

Under5
0

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Population

SOURCE: 1990-2000 U.S. Census, Michigan Department of Management and Budget 1996,
Gove Associates, 2002.

Figure 6 - 2020 Gender and Age Distribution
Over65
I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

500

1000

55 to 64
QI

35 to 54

Ol

&lt; 25 to 34

"C
C:

...ca

20 to 24

"C
C:

15 to 19

QI
QI

&lt;.!)

• Female
• Male

10 to 14
5 to 9
Under 5
0

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

Population

SOURCE: 1990-2000 U.S. Census, Michigan Department of Management and Budget 1996,
Associates, 2002.

�Secfion.2
Socia/~tum
Using

Michigan

Department of Management

and

Budget

population

age

projections for Eaton County and applying them to the 2000-2020 population
projections from Figure 2-2, a generalized picture of future population distribution
by age and gender for the Township can be obtained (see Figures 3 through 6).
Table 2-4 presents the estimated age distribution projected to 2020, and
indicates the continuing aging of Delta Township's population. The median age will
increase from 38.4 in 2000 to an estimated 40.2 in 2020, with more females than
males in all age groups over 25.

.. •

TABLE 2-4 - PROJECTED AGE DISTRIBUTION OF DELTA TOWNSHIP 2000-2020

... . .

...

• 1,~illi1

mim

~

I

mvJ

~

1,677
5.6

1,882
6.0

2,012
6.1

2,161
6.3

2,273
6.2

1,802
6.1

2,093
6.7

2,153
6.6

2,009
6.7

2,366
7.6

2,310
7.0

2,305
6.7
2.387
6.8

2,483
6.8
2,545
7.0

2,099
7.1

2,382
7.6

2,446
7.5

2,390
7.0

2,460
6.8

2,018
6.8

2,188
7.0

2,293
7.0

2,366
6.9

2,309
6.4

3,847
12.9

4,036
13.0

4,320
13.2

4,614
13.3

4,818
13.3

9,286
31.3

8,787
28.2

8,597
26.2

8,416
24.4

8,617
23.8

3,698
11.9
3,689
11.9
31,121

4,301
13.1

Total

3,045
10.3
3,899
13.1
29,682

4,387
13.4
32,819

4,493
13.0
5,398
15.6
34,518

4,330
11.9
6,381
17.6
36,216

Median Age

38.4

39.0

39.6

39.9

40.2

Under 5 Years

% of Total
5-9 Years

% of Total
10-14 Years

% of Total
15-19 Years

% of Total
20-24 Years

% of Total
25-34 Years

% of Total
35-54 Years

% of Total
55-64 Years

% of Total
65

+ Years
% of Total

SOURCES: 1990-2000 U.S. Census, Michigan Department of Management and Budget,
1996, Gove Associates 2002

�Secfion .2
.Social~lures
A decline in the 25-34 and 35-54 year age groups, along with an increase in the
55-64 and 65 and older groups, follows a national trend as the large baby boom
generation of the 1950s and early 1960s continues to age. The distribution by
gender indicates the proportion of males will decline slightly from about 48.1
percent in 2000 to 47.7 percent by 2020. This can be attributed to the fact that
females typically live longer than males.

As the population of Delta Township grows so does the diversity of its residents. In
1990 just over 90 percent of the population was white. As of 2000 this segment of
the population is down to 85 percent with the non-white population identified as
Black (increasing 3%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (increasing 1.7%), comprising
almost 11 percent of the Township's residents.
TABLE 2-5 - RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS

~@

~

White

24,170

90.1%

25,405

85.6%

1,316

5.0%

2,375

8.0%

92

0.4%

118

0.4%

241

0.9%

1n

2.6%

Other Race
958
3.6%
SOURCE: 1990 and 2000 Census, Gove Associates 2002

1,007

3.3%

Black
American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut
Asian and Pacific Islander

SYNOPSIS

•

The population of Delta Township has grown over the past 30 years at a
pace greater than the County as a whole.

•

Population projections to the year 2020 indicate a slight reversal of this
trend, with Delta Township growing just over 22 percent between 2000
and 2020, while Eaton County is expected to grow approximately 23
percent during the same period.

•

Age composition of Delta Township from 2000 and projected to 2020
indicates a continuing aging of the population, with the median age
increasing from 38.4 to 40.2 during this period.

�Secfion.2
Social ~eafureJ
HOUSING

Household Composition
The number and type of households within the Township influence the social and
economic dynamics, and consequently impact the quantity and character of land
development. Households are the standard unit of measurement for evaluating and
projecting the number of housing units, retail sales, and community facilities and
services. Table 2-6 shows a decrease in the size of Delta Township, Eaton County,
and Michigan households during the 1 990 to 2000 period.
which was greater than the
Between 1990 and 2000, the number
of households in the Township increased
at an annual rate of 2.5 percent,.---+--

average annual population
growth during the 80s and 90s of
1.2

percent.

This

differentiation

between household and population growth is a trend seen in many communities
across Michigan and the nation, and is caused by a decrease in the number of
individuals living in each household (average household size). Therefore, even
while the population of a community increases slowly, stabilizes or declines, the
number of households tends to increase.

TABLE 2-6 - AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE 1990 - 2000
Delta Township
Eaton County

2.52
2.69

2.33
2.54

Michigan
2.66
2.56
SOURCE: 1990 &amp; 2000 U.S. Census; Gove Associates 2002

-0.19
-0.1S
-0.1

-7.S3
-S.S7
-3.7S

The composition of a household depends upon the number of people living within a
residence as well as the relationship between residents. A household may consist
of a married couple with or without children, a single parent with children, two or
more unrelated people living in a dwelling and sharing household responsibilities,
or a person living alone.

Table 2-7 depicts the composition of households in Delta Township in 1980, 1990,
and 2000, reflecting a number of characteristics and trends to consider in planning
for the future. Although the number of households has increased between the three
periods, the number of traditional two-parent family households (households

�Section 2
Social ~eatum
comprised of a family with a husband and wife) has proportionally decreased
from 88.8 percent in l 980 to 81 .0 percent in 2000.

The number of married couple families with children under l 8 has dropped
approximately 15 percent, from 55.7 percent in 1980 to 40.8 percent in 2000.
This is likely related to the maturing of the population and, therefore, the maturing
of family households. The years between 1980 and 2000 also saw an increase in
the number of households headed by a female, growing from 8.6 percent of
family households in 1980 to 9.4 percent of family households in 2000.
Nonfamily households (households consisting of persons living alone or unrelated
persons living together) also grew in number between 1980 and 2000, with the
majority being single persons.

TABLE 2-7 - HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION

.:

.

l!MihJ1, •.1..,.,•• i;~.1~!J
_.. ..
•• t

ffir!E

8,691

10,757

13,112

Number of Households/Occupied Units

8,347

10,250

12,559

Family Households

6,213

7,210

8,075

74.4

70.3

64.3

Married Couples

5,518

6,088

6,545

% of Families

88.8

84.4

81.0

3,074

2,643

2,671

SS.7

43.4

40.8

S40

873

1,117

8.6

12.1

9.4

348

S6S

717

64.4

64.7

60.S

2,134

3,752

4,484

2,134

2,495

3,697

388

669

1,136

18.1

17.8

25.3

Total Units

% of Total Households

With Children Under 18

% of Married Couple Families
Female Head of Household

% of Families
With Children Under l 8

% of Female Household Families
Nonfamily Households
One Person
65 and Older

% of Nonfamily

SOURCE: l 980/1990/2000 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

�Secfion .2
.Social~fum
Housing Occupancy
Between 1980 and 2000, there was an increase of 4,421 units within Delta
Township's housing stock, representing a 50.9 percent increase. Table 2 - 8 presents
the Township's total units in owner- and renter-occupied housing between 1980
and 2000.

The Township experienced a slight decrease in owner-occupied

housing units between 1 980 and 2000, declining from 66.8 percent to 64.3
percent.

In many communities this can be somewhat of a negative trend, as

residents who own their own homes create a more stable community, one where
residents have a vested interest in their community's future. Delta Township,
however, is unique and this generalization may not necessarily hold true. Seniors or
empty nesters occupy a number of Delta Township' s rental units with ties to the
community. These individuals do have a vested interest in the community but likely
prefer to rent to be free from upkeep and maintenance or they may go south
during the winter months. Seniors occupying rental housing often wish to remain in
the community because of their children, life-long friends or an association with a
church or familiarity with businesses and services.

TABLE 2-8 - HOUSING UNITS 1980 - 2000
w•

,U:,.._-•••

mm)_
Total Units
Occupied Units (Year-Round)

~l=:I·

~

10,757

13,112

50.1

8,347

10,250

12,559

50.4

96.0

95.2

95.8

-0.2

5,578

6,849

8,071

44.6

66.8

66.8

64.3

-2.5

2,769

3,401

4,488

62.1

33.2

33.2

35.7

+2.5

% of Occupied
Renter-Occupied Units

'~

8,691

% of Total
Owner-Occupied Units

·~,

% of Occupied

SOURCE: 1980/1990/2000 U.S. Census of Housing &amp; Social Characteristics;
Gove Associates 2002

Household Projection
To accommodate the projected 22 percent (6,534 persons) increase in population
within the Township and the increasing number of new households (a result of the
combination of households migrating into the Township and the continued decline in
household size), new housing units will need to be constructed. The estimated
number of new housing units needed is based on population projections, and
projected average household size.

�Section :z
Socia{ ~ture1
Delta Township can expect as many as 3,366 additional households/occupied units
by 2020, an increase of 26.8 percent over the 12,559 households in the Township
in 2000.
TABLE 2-9 - DELTA TOWNSHIP PROJECTED POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND NEW
HOUSEHOLDS

Population

29,682

31,121

32,819

34,518

36,216

+6,534

2.33

2.31*

2.27*

2.25*

2.24*

-0.09

12,559

13,294

14,259

15,121

15,925

+735

+965

+862

+804

Average Persons
per Household
Households/
Occupied Units
5-Year Change

*Projected household size based upon Delta Township as proportion of projected
national trends in household size.
SOURCE: Gove Associates 2002

Age and Value of Housing
The quality and cultural significance of a
community's housing stock are affected by
its age. According to Table 2-10 approximately 64 percent of the Township's housing
stock has been constructed since 1 970. The

1,802 dwelling
units built
between
1990-2000

remaining 36 percent were built prior to
1970, with over 28 percent built between 1950 and 1969.

TABLE 2-10 - AGE OF HOUSING STOCK BY YEAR BUILT

1939 or earlier
1940-1949
1950-1959
1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-2000

533
328
1,028
2,615
3,402
2,851
1,802*

4.2
2.6
8.1
20.8
27.0
22.7
14.3

*Estimated from Township records 1990-11 /30/99
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

+3,366

�Section.2
Socia/~tum
Table 2-11 presents the median market value of owner-occupied housing in both
Delta Township and Eaton County for 1990 and 2000. The median market value
of owner-occupied homes is another good indicator of both housing quality and
demand.

In 1990, the median housing value of a home in Delta Township was

29.4 percent higher than the median value in the County.

TABLE 2-11- MEDIAN OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING VALUE 1990 -

•••
Delta Township

$88,300

$133,800

+S1.S

Eaton County

$68,200

$113,700

+66.7

SOURCE: 1990, 2000 U.S. Census of Housing; Gove Associates 2002

By 2000, this proportion was dramatically lower, but there was still a significant
differential of 17.6 percent between the Township and the County. This reflects, to
some degree, a continued demand for housing in the Township that has been
relatively greater than in other adjacent jurisdictions.

Rental housing can be a significant contributor to the perception of housing quality
in a community. Table 2-12 highlights the median monthly contract rent paid in the
Township and County in 1990 and 2000.

Contract rent (rent paid for the unit

excluding utilities) is an indicator of the quality, as well as the characteristics of
supply and demand, for rental units.

TABLE 2- 1 2 - MEDIAN MONTHLY GROSS CONTRACT RENT

Delta Township

$444

$621

+39.8

Eaton County

$376

$S69

+51.3

SOURCE: 1990, 2000 U.S. Census of Housing; Gove Associates 2002

According to Table 2-12, the median monthly contract rent rate in the Township is
generally higher than rents found within the County as a whole.

However, the

percent change in rent between 1990 and 2000 indicates that the rents charged
in other jurisdictions in the County are approaching the rental rates that can be
obtained in the Township. In 1990, rent paid for housing in the County was nearly
18 percent lower than in Delta Township. By 2000, that differential was cut nearly
in half.

�Sectionz
Social~lures
SYNOPSIS

•

Housing in Delta Township grew at an annual rate greater than the
average annual rate of population growth.

•

Decreasing household size continues to be a national trend, which impacts a
continuing need for housing in Delta Township .

.!.

The U.S. Census reports approximately 4,653 units were built in the
Township between 1 980 and 2000.

•

The Median market value of owner-occupied housing in Delta Township
grew by 51 .5 percent between 1 990 and 2000. This was lower than Eaton
County's 66.7 percent increase in market value over the same period.

•

Rental housing is increasing slightly as a proportion of the Township's total
housing stock.

EDUCATION AND ECONOMICS

Education and Employment
Among the factors that define the ability of an individual or a household to be
financially productive and contribute to the quality of life in their community are
formal education and occupation. Typically, a person's employment is related to
the level of formal education achieved.

Table 2-13 depicts the educational

attainment of Delta Township and Eaton County residents in 2000, along with the
State as a whole.

Educational attainment in Delta Township in 2000, as illustrated in
Table 2-13, shows a significantly higher proportion of Township
residents have some college or have a degree than County residents
in general. More than 33 percent of the Township's population has a
Bachelors Degree or better; compared to 21.7 percent in the County
and 21.8 percent for the State as a whole.

33% of the
Township's
residents
have
Bachelors
Degrees or
better

�Section.2
.Social~tum
TABLE 2-13 - EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT - PERSONS 25 YEARS AND OLDER AS OF 2000 CENSUS

-

--r r•• - u • u 71:trm:1
II •
• f.!.1u• - 11;.re'I

~rr.---.1y~.._,l•O

•

~

1~-:-rril

~
,....

...... -,-.

"''"'·-·· .....

Less than 9th Grode

1.6%

2.7%

3.2%

4.7%

9 - 1 2 Grode/No Diploma

5.2%

7.8%

7.8%

11.9%

High School Graduate

21.1 o/o

30.4%

21.8%

31.3%

Some College or Associate Degree

38.5%

37.5%

34.8%

30.3%

Bachelors Degree

22.7%

14.8%

15.7%

13.7%

Graduate/Professional Degree

11.0%

6.9%

9.5%

8.1%

SOURCE: 2000 U.S. Census of Population - Tobie DP-2 Profile of Selected Social
Characteristics; Gove Associates 2002

The higher a person's educational level, the more likely they are to be employed
in a higher paying professional industry such as the Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
(F.I.R.E) or Public Administration. Table 2-14 compares the number of Delta
Township, Eaton County, and Tri-County residents employed by industry sectors for

l 990 and 2000.

�Secfion Z
Social ~tureJ

.. .-...

TABLE 2-14 - EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE

.....!.!.I

.. -

..... - .

•••

fffli'l

...

505

651

3,726

3,798

3.4

4.0

11.9

7.1

7.3

7.5

Manufacturing (durable and nondurable)
% of Total

2,340

1,796

3,067

9,736

26,190

30,085

15.9

11.0

9.8

18.2

13.1

15.1

Transportation and Public Utility
% of Total

520
3.5

883
3.4

608
1.9

3,139
5.9

8,426
4.2

29,309
5.7

Wholesale Trade

% of Total

608
4.1

435
2.7

1,999
6.4

1,513
2.8

7,114
3.5

6,519
3.0

% of Total

2,424
16.5

1,883
11.6

6,103
19.5

6,213
11.6

36,751
18.3

25,266
11.0

Fire, Insurance, Real Estate (F.I.R.E)
% of Total

1,450
9.8

1,623
10.0

2,391
7.6

3,870
7.2

12,736
6.4

15,375
6.8

Service

4,739
32.2

6,812
41.8

7,820
25.0

19,616
36.7

73,060

% of Total

36.S

101,912
40.8

Government/Public Administration
% of Total

2,132
14.5

2,211
13.6

5,568
17.8

S,557

10.4

21,523
10.7

21,484
9.9

14,718
100

16,288
100

31,282
100

53,442
100

200,396
100.0

245,103
100.0

•••

,

I·. - IL.-,

fffii)

• &amp;•

Agricultural, Forestry, Fishing,
Construction and Mining
% of Total

Retail Trade

TOTAL*

% of Total

-

ll91e'l • h~i[fJ

~

14,596

-

•••

15,153

* Employed persons over 16
SOURCE: 1990, 2000 U.S. Census, Gove Associates 2003

In 1990, employment in the F.I.R.E sector consisted of 9 .8 percent of all residents

employed in the Township - over two percent higher than in the County as a
whole. By 2000, this number increased by only 0.2 percent to 1 0.0 percent in the
Township and decreased 0.4 percent for the County. These jobs represent a more
financially healthy and well-educated community population base than reflected in
the County overa II.

11

�Section.2
Social ~ture1
The greatest proportion (nearly 42 percent) of the Township's population is
employed in the service sector, which tends to provide
42% of Township
population working
in service industries

relatively lower paying entry-level jobs not requiring
higher levels of education. Considering nearly 70
percent of the Township's population over the age of 25

has "some college" education or higher, many of these jobs are probably held by
teenagers.

Employment in the agricultural, forestry, fishing, mining and construction related
industries accounted for only 4.0 percent of Delta Township's work force in 2000.
This is significantly fewer than the County (7.1 %) and is reflective of the more
urban-based land uses of Delta Township and its close proximity to the City of
Lansing.

Location of Employment

Beyond the type of work residents do, the location of employment also contributes
to the character of the Township. Table 2-15 shows the number and proportion of
employed residents who work either within Delta Township (16.8%) or outside the
Township (82.1 %).
TABLE 2-15 - GENERAL LOCATIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR
DELTA TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS - 1990

Employed in Township

1,480

16.8

Employed in Remainder of Region

7,209

82.1

Worked Outside of Re ion
85
1
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population and Housing - STF3A;
Gove Associates 2002

�Section.2
.Socialt'feafures
Travel time to work is important for anyone looking to locate within the Township. It
is also used as a broad indication of employment location. Table 2- l 6 lists the

.lb-l'b..,:

travel times to work for Delta Township residents.
TABLE 2-16 - TRAVEL TIMES TO WORK - 1990
11•1•••'•1.

~

flJ
551
2,243
3,459
3,163
2,509
564
660
87
136
260
351
232
344

r•

Less than 5
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39

40-44

~ tilfLGmJ

.res.iu;, :s}/4'
c. ~ts $.ft/
/.9 11, • -ute Jo
~.Outes
o.r /ess

3.8
15.3
23.8
21.7
17.2
3.9
4.5
0.6
0.9
1.8
2.4
1.6
2.4

45-59
60-89
90 or Greater
Work at Home
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002
Given the limited public transit available in the Township, the vast majority of trips
to and from work are made in private vehicles. According to Table 2- l 6,
approximately 65 percent of Delta Township residents commute to work in 19
minutes or less. At an average travel speed of 45 mph, that reflects a driving
distance of about 14 miles. This indicates that most of the residents who reside in
the Township have jobs in neighboring cities and townships, most likely in the cities
of Lansing, East Lansing, or the MSU campus.

Income
Household income is an important measure of the economic well
being of Delta Township, and helps to determine the quality
and quantity of retail goods and services purchased both within
the Township and surrounding areas. Table 2-17 lists the
median household income for the Township and Eaton County,

Household
income is
higher in
the Township
than the
County

and indicates that household income in the Township is significantly higher than the
County as a whole. The increase in median household income between l 990 and
2000 in Eaton County was more than 38 percent while the median household
income for Delta Township increased 23 percent.

Delta Township
Eaton County

42,727
35,734

52,711
49,588

+23.3
+38.7

SOURCE: 1980/ 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates 2002

�Secfionz

.Social~tum
Table 2-18 identifies the median household incomes for Delta Township, Eaton
County and the Tri-County area between 1990 and 2000. It is estimated that the
increase in Delta Township's median household income will continue, however at a
rate slower than the County as a whole and the Tri-County area. Delta Township's
median household income grew by more than 20 percent between 1990 and
2000, while Eaton County saw an increase of more than 38 percent during the
same period.

TABLE 2-18 - MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, 1990/2000

•••
Delta Township

42,727

52,711

23.3

Eaton County

35,734

49,588

38.7

Tri-County

34,025

47,722

40.2

SOURCE:

1990 - 2000 U.S. Census of Population, Gove Associates 2002

Property Values
The components of State Equalized Values (SEY) within Delta Township, as well as
in nearby Townships, are depicted in the graph below. Each year the Township is
required to report the total assessed values for each class of property to the
County and State.

Figure 2-7 - 2002 Components of State Equalized Values
90 .00
80 .00

a,

l{)

co
r--

c:i
0:,

N

70.00

a;
l{)

60.00

• Agricultural
• Commercial

i:Cl) 50.00
~

Cl)

0.

40.00
30.00

r--

D Industrial
D Residential

c:i

"'
l{)

20 .00
10.00
0.00
Delta

Dewitt

Delhi

Lansing

Governmental Unit
*Eaton County data 2001

Meridian

Eaton County*

�Secfion .2
Social ~tures
The bar chart above illustrates that in 2002 nearly 60 percent of the Township's
total assessment was within the residential class followed by commercial at just
over 30 percent. Industrial property accounted for more than 1 0 percent of that
total while agricultural consisted of less than 1 percent. This distribution in assessed
values when compared to other Townships in the area or to the County, as a whole,
indicates that Delta Township has a more diverse tax base than most urbanized
jurisdictions within the greater Lansing area.

SYNOPSIS

•

Delta Township has a relatively educated populace and a healthy income
base.

•

Employment

statistics

indicate

a

higher

percentage

of

Township

professionals employed in the Financial, Insurance and Real Estate sectors
than in the overall County, indicating an equally higher income level due to
these better paying professions.

•

Median household income in Delta Township was significantly higher than
Eaton County during the decade of the 1 980s, and it is estimated that this
trend continued through the year 2000.

•

Delta Township has a more diverse property tax base than comparable
communities in the greater Lansing area.

�Secfion.s
'F.pmnq .£.anti1/Je
INTRODUCTION
An existing land use inventory is a necessary first step in planning for the future of
Delta Township. An Existing Land Use Map has been prepared which depicts the
existing distribution and location of land uses. The Existing Land Use Map, based
upon a Land Use Map developed by the Land Information Access Association in
1992, was reviewed and updated by the Township Planning Staff in the Spring of
2002.

LAND USE CLASSIFICATIONS
Residential - An area in which dwellings with their accessory buildings occupy the
major portion of the land:

Single-Family Residential (the most dominant housing type)
Single-Family Residential refers to one detached dwelling unit on a single
parcel.

Most units considered single-family are built on foundations or

basements using traditional on-site building methods.

Two-Family Residential
These are typically attached (duplex) dwelling units or condominium units
on a single parcel. Similar to the single-family units, these units are built on
foundations or basements using traditional building methods.

Multiple-Family Residential
Multiple-Family Residential refers to residential structures containing more
than

two

dwelling

units. The

most typical

form

of Multiple-Family

Residential housing is apartment buildings, two stores or more in height.

Manufactured Housing
Manufactured housing represents factory-built, single-family structures that
meet the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Code.
Manufactured housing communities meet the design and building code
requirements of the State of Michigan. Manufactured housing is typically a
unit on an individual lot, similar to detached housing built on a foundation
under the building codes adopted by Delta Township.

Commercial - An area where goods are distributed or retail services are
provided.

This category includes structures, adjacent land and parking areas

dedicated for the use of employees and customers.

�Section3
'F.p1tin !Anrl 1./Je
Office/Medical - An area or facility used for the treatment of health needs and
services or the provision of personal or business services. This subcategory includes
structures, adjacent land and parking areas dedicated for the use of employees
and customers.

Institutional - An area or facility used by the Township, Public Utility, County,
School District, religions, nonprofit, or State agency to meet the needs of the
community.

This includes Township offices, schools, and public meeting spaces,

public parking lots and other public uses. Institutional also includes land uses often
deemed:

Quasi-Public - An area or facility used by a limited number of persons
with particular interests and nonprofit organizations, such as churches, day
care centers, private schools, private clubs and related activities.

Public Utility - An area or facility not generally accessible to the public
but used to provide services to the community, such as water towers,
wastewater treatment areas and water pumping stations.

Cemetery - An area used for the burial and memorial of the deceased.
Facilities for memorial services may also exist on the site.
Industrial - An area where raw or unfinished materials or commodities are used to
produce a product or service.

This can also include wholesale business activities

and warehousing.

Agriculture - This category may consist of croplands, permanent pasture or
orchards.

Parks, Recreation, Golf Course - An area or facility used for recreational
activities (public or private). This category includes structures, adjacent land and
parking areas dedicated for the use of employees and customers.

Wetlands - Areas that are wetlands include marshes, swamps and related land,
which are transitional areas between water masses and upland areas.

Woodlands - Areas that are covered with deciduous and coniferous species of
trees or shrubs. Lands in this category consist of both suitable and unsuitable areas
for development.

�Section3
':Ep1tin .£.anti1./Je
Vacant Land - This category includes land that has not been developed as well as
areas that cannot be placed in the other categories noted above. Undeveloped
and/or vacant land may or may not be suitable for development. This category
includes abandoned agricultural fields and flood plains.

LAND USE DISTRIBUTION
The following describes the existing land use distribution in Delta Township. Table

3- l and the accompanying Existing Land Use Map (page 48) supplements this text
providing land use distribution data with graphic representation.

General Existing Land Use Description
In 2002 the character of Delta Township's land use is defined by
urbanizing residential development, commercial development and a
strong industrial presence. There are a number of other less prominent

Predominate Township
Land UseUrbanizing Residential
Commercial and
Strong Industrial

land uses that include agricultural activity and transportation rights-ofway.

Predominant

natural

land

cover

includes

open

woodlands, wetlands, rivers, streams and small ponds.

space/vacant

lands,

Undeveloped open space

and wooded areas make up nearly 20 percent (4,378 acres) of the Township's
existing land area, with agriculture accounting for 20. l percent (4,632 acres), and
rivers/wetlands 4.4 percent (1,021 acres). Combined, these natural resource areas
account for over 23.4 percent of the Township's geographic area.
TABLE 3-1 - EXISTING LAND USE AND NATURAL RESOURCE LAND COVER- 2002
Land Use Type
Existing Acreage
% of Total Acreage
Single-Family Residential
Two-Family Residential
Multiple-Family Residential
Manufactured Home Park
Commercial
Office
Institutional
Industrial / Utility
Cemetery
Parks, Recreational (inc. golf courses)
Agriculture
Transportation Rights-of-way
Woodlands
Open Space/ Vacant
Water/ River/ Wetlands
Total Acreage
SOURCE: Gove Associates 2002

5,582
78
571
38
643
281
435
1,644
47
1,042
4,632
2,716
2,214
2,164
1,021
23,096

24.2
0.3
2.5
0.1
2.8
1.2
1.9
7.1
0.2
4.5
20.1
11.8
9.6
9.4
4.4
100.00

�Seclion3
~slin /!.anti 1/Je
Agricultural - Ag ricultura I land uses account for
4,632 acres in the Township. The majority of the
farmland within the Township is located west of
Interstate 96 and south of St. Joseph Highway. As
is common in most suburban communities, family
farms, particularly those operated as full-time
farms, are declining within the Township.

Overall, land devoted to active

agriculture has steadily decreased over the past several decades. As development
pressures increase, the capacity to sustain large areas of agriculture becomes
more difficult.

Residential - Residential uses of all types, including single-family, two-family and
multiple-family housing along with manufactured homes, accounts for 6,257 acres
in Delta Township, for an average gross density of 2.09 units per acre (or an
average of 0.4 acres for each unit). The Existing Land Use map graphically
displays the dispersion of residential land use within Delta Township. Heavy
=

~ = - ; ::;;.-J',,.-----------;--c;;z""""';a

concentrations of residential development can be found in the northeast
and

northwest

quadrants

of

the

Township,

with

the

heaviest

concentrations in sections 1 through 8, 1 0 through 15, 17, 19 through
21, 23 and 24.

~.

~-

--~-

~i:s-t~~(;f
~~~~/~ 4,""""'3"~

41·~~

The distribution of residential land use by type of unit shows

single-family homes are spread throughout the Township
while other residential land uses are more concentrated.
Within the Township two-family residential units occupy approximately 78 acres.
Two-family housing is concentrated in the northeast quadrant of the Township
particularly in sections 1 0, 11, 14 through 1 6 and 24. Multiple-family housing

units within the Township occupy 571 acres. Again these units are concentrated in
the northeast quadrant of the Township, especially in sections 10 through 15 and
22 through 24.

While a number of manufactured homes may be found in the

Township on individual lots they are generally considered single-family homes.
Within the Township there is one manufactured home community (230 sites)
occupying 38 acres and it is located on N. Canal Road in section 16.

�Secfion3
'Ep1fin /!.anti 1JJB
The balance of the single-family residential development is located in linear
configurations along the major roads in the Township. Such perimeter development,
while common in many rural areas, is not
considered the most efficient approach to land
utilization. Michigan's Subdivision Control Act,
which was subsequently amended by the Land
Division Act, facilitated splitting larger parcels
into smaller lots along roadways. There are
negative impacts that result from these corridor
developments.

Because lots are developed

along County roads, which are in effect perimeter roads surrounding full sections,
the interior portions of the sections are typically not used, or if they are actively
farmed, the potential for residential/ agricultural conflicts is enhanced.

That is

more likely to occur as the number of houses along the perimeter roadway
increases. As perimeter lots develop, the preservation of the rural landscape
becomes more difficult, in effect changing the visual character of the Township. In
addition, each developed lot requires at least one driveway. As the number of lots
and houses increase, so does the number of driveways. Over time, the propensity
for vehicular accidents will increase. This type of development is predominant in
the southwestern quadrant of the Township in sections 18 through 20, and 29
through 31.
Table 2-8 (page 29) shows that the number of housing units has increased by
4,421 (50%) since l 980. While the number of housing units has steadily increased,
the overall acreage for those units has increased at a much greater rate. Table
3-2 (page 47) shows residential land uses have increased l 07 percent since l 972
and 69 percent since 1984. When compared to the increase in total housing units
over the past 20 years, the land allocated to residential development has
increased at an accelerated rate. This is likely due to larger residential parcels,
possibly aided by large-lot zoning standards.

Commercial - Commercial uses cover 643 acres of the Township representing
2.8

percent

of

the

Township's

developed

land

area.

.l .... .. ... -.:

Commercial land uses are generally concentrated along
Saginaw Highway and the Interstate 496 interchanges in
sections 9, 16, 22, and 24. Commercial development is
also found in sections 23, 25, 35, and 36. Commercial uses along Saginaw

�Section3
~Jtinq f.anrl 1/Je
serve not only Delta Township residents but also the regional population. The
commercial uses consist of a mix of a large indoor mall, small convenience retail,
large big box regional retail, highway services/retail, hotels and restaurants.
Township residents do their convenience shopping in the
Lansing area.

Since many residents commute to work in

Lansing, it is likely that a substantial amount of shopping
for convenience goods is done there. Comparison shopping
(appliances, clothing, sporting goods, etc.) is available in
the large shopping areas in the Greater Lansing Area.
Most of the stores in these larger commercial centers are
within a 15 to 30 minute drive from Delta Township.

Industrial / Utility - Industrial development and utility land uses have been neatly
concentrated in the southeast quadrant of the Township, generally south of Mt.
Hope Highway and east of Interstate 96, with the exception of the General
Motors Manufacturing Complex located in sections 32 and 33. In all, more than
1,644 acres are devoted to a variety of industrial uses in addition to warehouse,
Industrial/utility land
uses are concentrated
in the southeast quadrant
of the Township

storage and distribution facilities. Erickson
Power Plant, operated by the Lansing
Board of Water and Light, is also located
on an industrial parcel. Built in 1973, the

plant operates a single coal fired generator
producing

159 MW of electricity to serve

industrial, commercial and residential customers.

Institutional/Cemetery - The areas defined as institutional include buildings and
structures that are under the ownership and jurisdiction of public and quasi-public
entities. These land uses occupy over 435 acres or almost 1. 9 percent of the
Township's geographic area. The institutional lands consist primarily of schools,
churches, municipal offices and Township support facilities such as police and fire.
These facilities are located throughout the Township typically north of Interstate
496 and Saginaw Highway. There are two cemeteries within the Township - Delta
Center located on St. Joe Highway east of Canal Road, and Delta Hillside, on
Delta River Drive east of Webster Street, occupying approximately 20 acres. The
Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Department operates and maintains these

�SectionJ
~iJtinq .!!Anti1.he
cemeteries. The Deepdale Cemetery, a private facility, is located at the southeast
corner of the old Lansing Road/Waverly Road intersection.
Recreational
Existing land uses classified as parks or recreational areas consist of both Township
maintained parks and privately operated golf courses or recreation areas. Parks
and recreation areas cover 1,042 acres, or 4.6 percent of the Township. Of this,
Delta Township Porks

681 acres are under the supervision of the Delta Township
Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries
Department. Of that, 317 acres are
for

utilized

active

recreation

programming, while 364 acres are
undeveloped

or

woodlands.

In

addition to the public parks, the
private recreational land uses in the
Township include a golf course and
several

nature

preserves

(Large

Map on Page 17).

Wetlands

and

Wetlands

occupy

61 0

acres

Water

Areas

approximately

(2.6%)

of

Delta

Township's land area. Water areas,
including small
creeks,

account

ponds, rivers and
for

another

4l2

acres ( l .7%) of the Township's total
existing land area. The Grand River is the largest single body of water within the
Township and encompasses 348 acres. The Grand River stretches more than l 0
miles in the northern and southeastern portions of the
Township and represents perhaps the greatest natural
resource of the Township. Two tributaries (Carrier Creek
and Miller Creek) feed the Grand River. Carrier Creek is
located east of Interstate 96 and flows from the south to
the north through sections 27, 22, 15, l O and 3.

Miller

Creek also flows from south to north through sections 17, 8
and 5, draining the western portion of the Township.

�Sec£ion3
~1fin fAnrl 1/Je

SUMMARY
Delta

Township

has

an

area

of

approximately

23,096

acres,

of

which

approximately 23 percent is classified natural resources as undeveloped land
(Woodlands and Open Space), agricultural and vacant lands.

The following

graphs highlight the distribution of the major existing land uses by acreage and
percentage, as identified on the Township's Existing Land Use Map.
Graph l - Existing Land Use In Acres
6,000

-

5,000

-

4,000
1/)

...
Cl)

CJ

3,000

ci:
2,000

- -

1,000
0

n

nn

n

-

--

-

-

,.....

C:

I-

0

·..::
:::)

..c
I-

t;

0

n

11

·.:

(I)

"'
::::&gt;
""O
C

0
-'
0)

C

~

·;;:"'

w

Graph 2 - Existing Land Use in Percent
30
25

c

e

-

20

Cl)

15

-

Cl)

C..

10
5
0

1--

n

n ...,

n

11

11

-

...,

As Graphs l and 2 illustrate, the predominant use of the Township's developed
land is single-family residential. Industrial and utility uses also occupy a significant
portion of land. These types of development have a tendency to take up large
tracts, which will ultimately impact the amount of undeveloped land within the

�Secfion3
'Epsfin .f.anrl1/Je
Township. The Future Land Use section will designate the most appropriate
locations for future development and recommend development patterns that will
help to mitigate those negative impacts.

Tab le 3-2 provides a comparison of land uses for the 1972 to 2002 period.
Unfortunately all land uses are not represented for all years. However, the
information provided in Table 3-2 illustrates the long-term decline in the amount of
agricultural and vacant land and the corresponding increase in the developed
land categories such as residential, commercial and industrial.

TABLE 3-2 - DELTA TOWNSHIP LAND USES - 1972, 1984 AND 2002

Land Use Type
Residential
Single-Family
Multiple-Family

1972

1984

2002

% CHANGE

Acreage/%

Acreage/%

Acreage/%

1972-2002

2,961 / 12.3%

3,640 / 16.1%

6,153 / 27.4%

+107

2,878 / 12%

3,389 / 1s%

5,582 / 24.9%

+94%

83 / 0.3%

251 / 1.1 %

571 / 2.5%

+588%

N/A

97 /0.4%

281 / 1.3%

+189%*

444

I 1.9%

643 / 2.9%

+204%

644

I 2.8%

1,644 / 7.3%

+155%*

Office
Commercial

211 / 0.9%

Industrial

N/A

Agriculture

N/A

1,112 I 34%

4,632 / 20.1%

-40%*

Vacant Land

N/A

6,165 / 27%

2,164 / 9.7%

-65%*

N/A = Not Available

*= % comparisons for 1984 to 2002
SOURCE: Gove Associates, Inc. 2002, Delta Township Planning Department

�Map 3-1
2002 Existing Land Use
Delta Tovmship. Eaton County
Michigan

Lectend

;_l~lw;ay_:/ti::!l::

Single Famit,- Residential
r,lultiple Famit; Residential

!&amp;

I

,£j"~J

•
•
•

"t;;

Tv,,•o Family· Resid;mtial
Manufactured Home Park

•

Utility

111111 Highway_i Railroad
R1g ht of ~Vay

•
•

Comm1:rcial

Cemeter,,
Parks and Recreation Area
Agricultura I

Offi-:e

•

Institutional

~ Vacant

~\'oodlands

Industrial

a::"'
0

C
0

.;

&gt;,

0

a::

I

Davis Hlslr@:t_

"

miles

-·

·,J

•:-;+E
5

0

O:w~.~J~il:~•~·
1-l• ·•=x..11 .. xue•J
:,i;o,1,...:.,

iOUFCE Llndl-'; m.thon:..O nsa~,;, 1tion

:•eH.ilo-'!.~_.,,.~.:,:,:,

E

�Section4
Communi 9n ut
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Delta

Township

has

utilized

several

avenues

to

involve

residents

in

the

development of this Master Plan. Public participation included the distribution of a
community opinion survey, open public workshops, public meetings and public
hearings.

In December of 200 l nearly l 0,000 community opinion surveys were distributed
to Township residents in the Delta Magazine, a quarterly publication mailed to all
housing units in the Township. Surveys were also made available to residents at
the public library and online at the Delta Township website (www.deltami.gov).
The goal of the survey was to assess community attitudes relating to current issues
and concerns regarding future development within Delta Township. The information
collected was used in the development of this master plan in order to assist the
township in meeting the needs and desires of community residents. Nearly 700
surveys, or seven percent, were collected and tabulated. This is a relatively good
response, providing statistical validity to the survey.

A public workshop meeting was held at the Delta Township Hall on April 24, 2002.
Participants identified their general "likes and dislikes" of the Community and
provided specific input regarding residential, commercial, and industrial land uses.

SURVEY OVERVIEW
The Survey (Appendix B) provided the respondents the opportunity to rate various
issues and statements by multiple choice.

The respondents could choose from

multiple-choice responses ranging from "Not a Problem" to "Serious Problem,"
"Excellent" to "Very

Poor," and

"Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree."

Respondents were also asked to provide opinions in their
words on some open-ended questions. They identified, from a
list of l 0 issues, five they felt were the most important. In
addition,

they

provided

information

about

the

characteristics of their household. An analysis of the survey
responses follows:

own

�Section4
Communi
CONDITIONS - An analysis of the survey results identified the percentage of the
responses for each multiple-choice question. Overall the community felt
conditions within the Township were "Good" or "Excellent." Of the l 6
conditions presented, the greatest percentage of the respondents ranked
13 of the 16 conditions within the Township as "Good." These conditions
were:

68% stated the
general quality of
life in the Township
is good

quality of drinking water
storm drainage
police protection
fire protection
ambulance services
zoning enforcement
building code enforcement
recycling service
cable service
blight /junk enforcement
ambulance/EMT service
district library facility and service
park facilities and programs
The majority of the respondents stated road maintenance was fair and
most had "no opinion" about private well drinking water and the public bus
service.

TOP FIVE CONDITIONS WITHIN DELTA TOWNSHIP

70

70

60

60
~

50

50

40

40

30

30

20

20

10

_ _ _ n _
0
&gt;,

0.
~

0

z

C:
.;;

.!!!
&lt;.&gt;

&gt;&lt;
w

...
0
0

(!)

1.1n ...
'iii
LL

...

0
0
0..

~•

-

•

...
0
0

D..

2:-

-!t

.1_nl
C:

0

c
a.

0

0

z

10

0

•
•
•
D
•

Police protection
Fire protection
General Quality of life In the Township
Park faclllties and programs
Olstrlct llbrary faclltly and services

�Secfion4
Communi 9n ut
ISSUES - The survey presented 1 0 issues relating to the environment, traffic and
infrastructure in a multiple-choice format. The respondents were asked to rank
whether these issues were "Not a Problem" to a "Serious Problem" within the
Township. The issues identified as "Serious Problems" within the Township included:
Traffic
volumes on
W. Saginaw
are a serious
problem to
most
respondents

division of farmland for residential development in the Township,
amount of open space in the Township,
traffic volumes on West Saginaw,
traffic speeds on Township roads.

The appearance of West Saginaw and traffic
volumes in residential areas were identified as
moderate

problems.

The

protection

of

groundwater was listed as a possible problem.
The amount of wetlands and the availability of
sidewalks were identified as "not a problem." The
chart below identifies the five issues receiving the greatest percentage of
responses.

TOP FIVE ISSUES WITHIN DELTA TOWNSHIP

60

60

50

50

40

40

30

30

20

20

- -

10
0

II II

• - • n• I
&gt;,

0..

e0

z

10

E

"'
:0

e

0.

0"'
z

.
er..

E

:0
0

:0
~
U)
0
0.

l _ln.

...

.

E

:0

:0

"E

er.

0.

er.

0

0

:E

.!!'

&lt;i5

E

.

E
:0

C:
0

e

0

~...

.g

0

en

"D

:ii:

U)

:::,

CD

ci.
0

z

0

•
•
•
0
•

Division offarml and fo r residential development in the Townshi
Traffic volume on W , Saginaw

Avallabillty of sidewalks
Appea r ance of West Saginaw corridor

Traffic vo lumes in resi dential areas

�Section4
Communi
FUTURE ISSUES AND CONCERNS - A series of 28 statements were presented

covering a variety of future issues and concerns relating to development, housing,
transportation,

parks

and

recreation

facilities,

the

environment,

and

government/planning issues. The statements were presented in a multiple-choice
format allowing respondents to identify how they felt about the statement ranging
from "Strongly Agree" to" Strongly Disagree."

Development
Several statements concerning the development of industry, commercial areas,
infrastructure, housing and park facilities were presented. The bulk of responses
received regarding future development in the Township either "Strongly Agree,"
"Agree" or are "Neutral" to the statement.
Respondents
(45.7%) "Strongly
Agree" singlefamily housing
should be
encouraged

The statement "Single-family housing should be encouraged in the Township" is the
only statement the majority of the respondents "Strongly Agree" with at 45.7
percent. Issues for which the majority of the respondents
development of more

parks and

"Agree" with include

recreation, preservation of open

space,

encourage infill commercial development rather than conversion of open space,
and grant tax abatements to attract industrial development into the Township.
a
housing
code
(47.5%)

When questioned about whether the Township should promote expansion of water
mains and sanitary sewers to unserved areas, 40.7 percent were "Neutral" in their
opinions

The overall results are that more single-family housing is needed and additional
parks and recreation facilities should be encouraged.
Furthermore, the survey respondents feel the Township
should consider tax abatements to attract industrial
development

and

encourage

infill

commercial

development over the conversion of open space for
commercial development.

Housing
Delta Township is a growing community and housing is an integral part of this
growth. More than eighty-two percent of the respondents either "Strongly Agree"
or "Agree" that single-family housing should be encouraged within the Township.
The

community

also

has

strong

opinions

regarding

a

housing

code

and

�Secfion4
Communi 9n ut
maintenance. Twenty-eight percent "Strongly Agreed" and 47.5 percent "Agreed"
that

the

Township

should

adopt

a

housing

code

to

encourage

property

maintenance.

Transportation
Several statements on the survey dealt with transportation related issues including
roads, sidewalks, and West Saginaw Highway. These issues raised interest among
respondents and broad ranges of opinions were received. The median response
was "Neutral" on the issues of creating a boulevard and burying the power lines
along West Saginaw Highway, the Township financing the paving of gravel roads,
and the construction of more east - west roads. More than two-thirds of the
respondents "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" that sidewalks should be mandated in
all new developments and that the Township roads are generally in good
condition. A strong negative or "Disagree" response was received regarding the
issue of the Township financing the installation of sidewalks where they presently
don't existent.

The overall community opinion regarding
transportation related issues appears to be
undecided or negative toward the Township
financing transportation projects and the
creation or modification of the existing road
system. The one issue strongly supported by
the

community

is

mandating

sidewalk

construction in all new developments.

Environment
Two environmental statements on the survey pertained to the preservation of
farmland and open space in the Township. While both issues receive strong
support, more than 80 percent are in favor of open space preservation, while just
over 71 percent feel that farmland in the Township should be preserved.

The preservation of farmland and open space is important to residents living within
Delta Township.

Respondents
strongly
support
sidewalks
for all new
developments

�Section4
Communi
Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities
Overall, 61.8 percent of those surveyed "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" that

----~

development of more parks and recreation facilities should be encouraged in the
Township. This was followed by 28.0 percent who were "Neutral."

Should recreation/
park facilities be
encouraged? 61.8% strongly
agree or agree

The survey asked respondents if library facilities ir the Township
are adequate. Of those responding to this statement, 55.3 percent
either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree," followed by 21.6 percent
being "Neutral" and 21.5 percent who "Disagree" or "Strongly
Disagree."

In general, the community supports additional park and recreation facilities.
However, the need for additional library facilities among respondents is somewhat
more questionable.

While more than half of the

respondents believe the library facilities are adequate,
the relatively large number of respondents who feel the
library is not adequate or are neutral on this issue
indicates that there still may be a need for additional
library facilities in the Township.

Government/Planning
Residents were questioned on issues such as police and fire protection and
ambulance service, in addition to Township planning and government-related
issues such as zoning/building code enforcement, Township communication with
businesses, with residents, and taxes. A majority feel that emergency services are
adequate while at the same time zoning and communication issues along with
Township services did not receive as high a mark.

Police and fire protection are considered to be adequate or satisfactory with
responses of 87.6 percent and 91.2 percent respectively, while 79.4 percent of
respondents believe ambulance services are adequate. A number of zoning and
code enforcement issues including the regulation of signs, housing codes to
encourage property maintenance and the regulation of communication towers
were also addressed. A plurality of respondents (47%) feel that signs within the
Township are being adequately regulated, while 30 percent are "Neutral" and
l 8.5 percent believe signs are not being regulated enough. Respondents want the

�Secfion4
Communi 9n ut
Township to adopt a Housing Code to encourage property maintenance and to
stringently regulate the installation of communication towers.

Several issues regarding Township services, communication and cooperation
between Township officials and residents were also included in the survey. More
than half of the respondents would support Township yard waste pickup, while the
remainder are either neutral or not in favor of yard waste pickup. A slightly more
positive response was received regarding the recycling services provided by the
Township. Overall, nearly 60 percent consider the recycling services provided by
the Township to be reasonable. When asked about whether the Township should
assist in organizing neighborhoods so residents could better represent themselves,
a "neutral" response was most prevalent. This was followed by "yes - they should
assist in organizing neighborhoods". Creating a recognizable identity within the
Township is important to 48 percent, while 33 percent are neutral on this issue. A
large number of respondents also believe that the Township should support items
of regional interest such as solid waste, CATA, the Potter Park Zoo and the Capital
City Airport. Communication between Township officials and residents is considered
good by 61 percent of those surveyed. Property taxes within the Township are felt
to be reasonable by 46 percent of the respondents, while 28 percent do not feel
taxes are reasonable and 23 percent are "neutral" on taxes.

Overall, resident's opinions regarding the Township's government and planning
issues are positive. While, emergency services are perceived to be very adequate,
zoning and code enforcement did not receive as high a mark and could be
improved - specifically sign regulations, communication towers and the adoption of
a housing code. In terms of Township services and communication between the
Township and residents, opinions are mixed. Residents are happy with the existing
recycling services while they also cite a need for yard waste pick-up. More than
half of the respondents feel that communication between the Township and
residents is good while fewer than half consider taxes to be
reasonable.

- Respondents
support yard
waste pickup
- 60% felt
recycling services
reasonable
- Communication
between officials
and residents
good

�Secfion4
Communi
Top Five Future Issues
The respondents were presented 10 issues and asked to identify the five issues
they felt were most important on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being most important
and 5 being least important. The primary issue to be addressed is clear. However,
other issues are not as clear. Respondents identified and ranked traffic congestion
as the most important issue to be addressed by the Township. Following traffic
congestion, road maintenance is also one of the top issues. However, most
respondents gave it a score of "4" stating it as an important issue but not a top
priority. Police protection received the third highest number of responses, yet the
majority of those responding gave it a score of "1" indicating that it is one of the
most important issues in the Township. Rounding out the top five issues are fire
protection and drainage.

The following are the issues in order of importance

based upon the composite scores. It should be noted that several of the issues
aside from traffic congestion also received number 1 priority votes.
Traffic Congestion
Road Maintenance
Police protection
Fire protection
Drainage

Issues:

Household and Demographic Information
A portion of the survey included some general questions regarding household
characteristics. This information is not necessary in the development of the master
plan, however, it provides Township officials with a better understanding of whose
voices are being heard.
The majority of Township respondents live in
Please indicate your age category.

either the Grand Ledge or the Waverly School

so ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .

District.

45 + - - - - - - - - - - 50

•

25 or younger

•

26-44

0

65+

. ...

AS

More

than

three

quarters

of

the

respondents are over the age of 45, with the
greatest number of respondents being between
the age of 45 and 64. Just over 36 percent of
those surveyed

were either unemployed

or

retired. If the individual was employed, he or
she likely worked within the City of Lansing

(26.3%) or in Delta Township (17.1 ).

Plaese lncuceto your ago ce'tegory.

�Secfion4
Communi 9n ut
The average household size among respondents is 2.3 persons, with 1.5 persons
employed

full-time and

1.2 persons part-time. More than 73

percent of

respondent households do not have any children under the age of 1 8, while 63
percent have someone over the age of 65 in their household.

Twenty-eight percent of those
In which type of dwelling do you live?

surveyed
BO

reported

having

school aged children, while 6.7

70
70

•
•
•

percent have children attending
a 2 or 4-year college. Overall,

Single-Family Home

60

Apartment

most respondents' school-aged

Duplex

0

Mobile Home

•

Condomin ium

50

children attended public schools
rather than private/parochial,
charter schools or are home

30

&amp;

:r

~

fl

~

I

"'
J-

l

schooled.

Additionally,

more

than

percent

those

20

D

53

of

surveyed have no children in
school. This is likely a result of

i

X

,:11

~
:E

g&gt;
in

E

~

~

~
&lt;.&gt;

the

high

proportion

of

individuals over the age
of

65

completing

the

In which type ot dwelling do you ltve?

survey.

90% of respond~
own the home they

&gt;
Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed lived in a home they owned, while 7.5
percent were renters. More than three-quarters live in a single-family home,
followed by 14 percent living in a condominium, 5.2 percent living in an apartment
and 1.8 percent live in either a mobile home or a duplex unit.

Forty-one percent of the respondents have lived at their present address for more
than 20 years, while 23 percent have lived in their home for 10 to 20 years,
indicating a stable residential base that has a vested interest in the community.

livein

�Section4
Communi
The distribution of household incomes among survey respondents is generally
representative of the household income distribution of the Township as a whole.
Households having incomes between $50,000 and $74,999 made up the largest
proportion

L.nsth.m$24,999

$25,000 ·MS.999

25

-1---~

$.50,000-$74,999

II

20 + - -- -

those

surveyed

followed by those in the $25,000

Annual Household Income
30 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~

•
•
•D .,~,......,..,
• $100,000-$124,999

of

30

to $49,999 income group. Just
over 6 percent of those surveyed
reported household incomes of less

$125,000 0UTI0nl

than $24,999, while 16.6 percent
earned

between

$99,999,

1 0.5

$75,000
percent

and

earned

$100,000 to $124,999 and 5.9
percent

earned

more

than

$125,000.

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW - In an effort to gather additional
community input on future land use issues and public facilities,
Delta Township held a community roundtable or futuring workshop on
April 24, 2002. The workshop was held at the Township Hall and was attended by
21 Delta Township residents. Statistical information on past population and housing
growth trends was presented to the group, as well as a number of maps including
water and sewer service areas and the existing land uses in Delta Township. Using
a Community Issues worksheet, participants were encouraged to give input on
Residential, Commercial and Industrial development, Public Lands and Facilities,
Open Space, Agriculture and any other future land use issues. The following is a
summary of issues discussed:

�Section4
Communi 9n ut
Residential Development
•

Statements were made in support of single-family and senior housing.
Single-family/senior
housing supported

•

Discussion took place regarding the minimum lot size requirements in
residential areas.

•

Those in attendance felt strip residential development along sectionline roads was undesirable.

The possible impacts of manufactured housing on the community were
identified and discussed.

•

Several participants expressed concerns regarding the number of
multiple-family housing units that had been constructed in the Township
during the 1 990s.

Commercial Development
•

The

general

consensus

of

those

present

was

that

commercial

development should continue to be limited to West Saginaw Highway
and that such development should not extend west of Broadbent Road.

Participants

identified

the

existence

of

vacant

retail

buildings in the Township and the need to fill these buildings
rather than convert farmland to commercial uses.

•

A

statement

was

made

that

commercial

development

generates

significant volumes of traffic that is negatively impacting the quality of
life.

Industrial Development
•

The general consensus of the group was that the industrial development
in the southeastern corner of the Township had been well planned and
should be left "as is".

�Section4
Communi
Agricultural Land Use
•

Varying opinions were expressed as to how best to preserve the
remaining agricultural land in the Township.

Public Land/facilities
•

A comment was made that there is a need for additional parkland west
of 1-96 due to residential development in the area.

•

An individual requested that Township officials consider providing a
community

recreation center which would house year-round, indoor

activities.

Transportation/Roadway Network
•

Concerns were expressed regarding the proposed east-west
collector roads in the Township and the possible negative
impacts these roads could have on adjacent residential neighborhoods.

•

It was suggested that traffic-calming techniques be considered to address
"cut-through" and speeding traffic in residential areas in the eastern
portion of the Township.

Environmental Issues/Concerns
•

Support was expressed for the continued enhancement of the Carrier
Creek through the center of Delta Township.

�Section5
l!,oa/J anrl06;ectifl6J
The goals presented in this section
are

intended

attitudes

to

and

reflect

local

aspirations

with

respect to growth and development
within

Delta

Township. The

goals

were developed following a review
of

goals

in

the

former

Comprehensive Plan, an evaluation
of

existing

conditions

within

the

Township, and input received from a
community opinion survey and public
workshop.

The goals and objectives are identified by subject matter for clarification.
However, this does not mean that each goal or objective is mutually exclusive from
another goal or objective. It is acknowledged that both must be adaptable to
changing

conditions, balanced

against competing

priorities, and

subject to

regulatory constraints and fiscal limits. The goals and objectives will form the basis
of more detailed policies that will be defined in the Implementation Section.

Residential
Goal: Facilitate residential development that will fulfill the needs of the
various population segments in the Township while maintaining a
balance between the existing urban and rural character.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Identify areas for future residential development that are within close
proximity to existing developed areas and necessary infrastructure,
with preference for infill sites.

�Secfion5
qoa/J anti06;ecfives

:&gt;

Ensure higher and lower density housing is compatibly located to
eliminate/minimize conflicts.

:&gt;

Ensure smooth transitions between residential and non-residential uses
by open

space, buffered thoroughfares, and

placement of the

appropriate zoning districts.

:&gt;

Enhance the older residential neighborhoods in the eastern portion of
the

Township

through

code

enforcement,

maintenance of

public

infrastructure, and implementation of traffic calming techniques.

:&gt;

Maintain control over development of new single-family homes within
agricultural areas.

Commercial
Goal: Provide adequate commercial facilities, appropriately located and
scaled, to serve regional, community and neighborhood needs.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Encourage

infill

development

commercial

land

and/or

or

buildings

the

redevelopment

along

the

Saginaw

of

vacant
Highway

corridor, and other older commercial areas.

:&gt;

Limit new commercial development on Saginaw Highway to areas east
of Broadbent Road.

:&gt;

Design commercial areas that are compatible with adjacent residential
land uses relating to such items as lighting, traffic circulation, parking,
signage, landscaping and solid waste disposal.

:&gt;

Identify commercial areas exhibiting early signs of blight and create
action plans to address the problems.

�SeclionJ
f;oafs anti06;eclives

:, Attempt to contain strip commercial development within the existing
boundaries along Saginaw Highway.

:&gt;

Continue efforts to improve the aesthetics along Saginaw Highway via
signage improvements, overhead power lines placed underground,
service drives and driveway consolidations.

Industrial
Goal: Maintain an attractive industrial area which provides a diversified
tax base and employment opportunities.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Prevent encroachment on existing and planned industrial areas from
incompatible land uses.

:&gt;

Ensure that the Township has an ample supply of properly located and
appropriately sized industrial sites that are adequately served by
public utilities and transportation systems.

:&gt;

Leverage private investments in the industrial tracts with tax incentives
by the Township as appropriate.

:&gt;

Continue the Township's efforts to retain existing industries via retention
calls and industrial newsletters and recruit new industrial firms through
marketing efforts.

:&gt;

Support the improvement of roads in the industrial tract to all-weather
status.

�Section5
(Joali anti06;ectives

Public Services and Facilities
Goal: Encourage sufficient and available public services and facilities to
meet the growing needs of the Township.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Provide law enforcement and fire protection services that meet the
needs of the Township to ensure the safety and well-being of Delta
Township residents and property.

:&gt;

Mandate

residential

properties

and

commercial

and

industrial

businesses connect to public water systems when available.

:&gt;

Explore the benefits of privatizing and/or sharing facilities and
services with other communities.

:&gt;

Develop procedures for greater collaboration and coordination of
efforts between school districts and the Township.

:&gt;

Identify valuable historic assets within the Township and develop
programs and societies to preserve and promote those assets.

:&gt;

Develop infrastructure (water, sanitary sewer) in phased expansions,
concurrent with new construction.

:&gt;

Develop an approach to planning and development that emphasizes
coordination and cooperation between Delta Township and surrounding
communities through mutual financing and operation of area-wide and
regional facilities.

�Secfion5
l!,oa/J anti0/J;ecfiveJ

Land Use Planning
Goal: Encourage managed growth and provide contemporary land use
regulations.

Objectives:
:) Keep development codes up to date in accordance with case law.

:) Pursue a policy of managed growth and explore new and innovative
methods of achieving beneficial results.

:) Coordinate the Township's land use planning efforts with adjacent
communities and the efforts of the Tri-County Regional Planning
Commission.

:) Recognize the needs of a diversifying Township population and identify
programs to address specific needs.

:) Identify emerging socio-economic trends, such as an aging population,
and respond with appropriate planning and zoning techniques.

:) Encourage

public involvement when

reviewing

land

development

proposals and strive to improve communication between public officials
and Township residents and property owners.

:) Take a proactive role in the redevelopment of Brownfield sites.

:) Encourage new development within the Township to follow Smart
Growth Concepts, Smart Growth is not "no-growth" - it is sustainable
growth.

�Secfion7
/!,oafs anl06;ectifl6J

Transportation
Goal: Support efforts to improve transportation services and infrastructure
in the Township in order to facilitate safe and efficient motorized
and non-motorized transportation.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Continue

to

support

the

Township's

efforts

to

encourage

the

establishment of a boulevard on Saginaw Highway west of 1-96 via
right-of-way acquisition, the preparation of a boulevard design, and
continued dialogue with MDOT officials.

:&gt;

Support MDOT in their efforts to reconstruct the 1-96/Saginaw
interchange.

:&gt;

Continue to support the Eaton County

Road

Commission's street

resurfacing program for residential streets.

:, Encourage sufficient funding to repair sidewalks, fill in gaps in the
sidewalk system, provide sidewalks and/or bike lanes in conjunction
with new /rebuilt roadways and mandate the provision of sidewalks in
conjunction with new development.

:&gt;

Encourage the provision of public transit service to the Township's
residential, commercial and industrial areas.

:&gt;

Land uses generating significant amounts of traffic shall be served by
thoroughfares that can safely and adequately handle the traffic.

:&gt;

Examine the need for a road crossing of the Grand River, west of 1-96.

�Section5
/!,oafs anti06;ective1
Open Space and Recreation
Goal:

Provide adequate open space areas, recreational facilities and
programs for passive and active use by Township residents.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Support

linkages

(walkable

residential areas and

pathways,

and

sidewalks)

between

recreational facilities whenever reasonably

feasible.

:&gt;

Support the development of bicycle/pedestrian corridors (linear parks)
within the Township with linkages to pathways in adjacent communities.

:&gt;

Promote the recreational facilities offered at the Township's parks and
other recreational areas such as the Woldumar Nature Center and
Audubon properties.

:&gt;

Encourage new residential developments to provide open space for
their residents.

:&gt;

Pursue a timely and economic open space acquisition and development
program as the Township's population increases.

Environment
Goal:

Protect the

quality

of the

Township's natural

resources

and

environmentally sensitive areas.

Objectives:

:&gt;

Assist the Eaton County Drain Commissioner in efforts to promote storm
water management practices.

:&gt;

Continue the Township's Well Head Protection efforts including the
adoption/enforcement of zoning regulations and providing assistance
in the capping of abandoned wells.

:&gt;

Identify soils highly conducive to agricultural production, such as those
found in southwestern Delta Township, and attempt to preserve farming
activities in such areas.

�Section5

qoal.r anti06;ectiws

:, Support the Township 's Flood Plain Management efforts.
:, Promote the use of the Grand River for recreation.
:, Promote the extension of public water and sanitary sewer services to
those areas in the Township where the public health is threatened by
on-site systems.
:, Preserve

prime

farmland

applicable methods.

e

through

zoning

regulations

and

other

�FUTURE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT
The overriding concepts for the future distribution of land uses in Delta Township
are embodied within Section 5 - Goals and Objectives. Future land use will be
based upon controlled and managed growth 'with the preservation of the
Township's natural resources, including the conservation of agricultural activities,
open space preservation around future residential development and concentrated,
well-managed commercial and service districts with sufficient infrastructure. These
concepts have to be realized while the Township accommodates an estimated
3,366 additional housing units by the year 2020, based upon the projections
provided in Table 6-1. This represents a 26.8 percent increase in units between the
years 2000 and 2020, using the data in Table 2-8.

The proposed future land use patterns were developed utilizing

previous

community reports and surveys. That includes the January, 2002 Delta Township
Community Survey, the Master Plan Futuring Session held at the Township Hall on
April 24th, 2002, and direction from the Township Planning Commission, all of
which resulted in Goals and Objectives (Section 5). Overall, the future land use
patterns proposed in this Plan consist of the following:

The existing concentrations of residential development north of 1-496 and east of 196 will remain, and new development will be focused as infill north of Mount Hope
Highway, west of 1-96. New developments should avoid the traditional residential
linear pattern along Township roads typical of the preceding decades.

That

pattern created medium and large size lots that were inefficient, depleted usable
agricultural resources, increased driveway /street access conflicts, and diminished
the sense of "openness" that defines rural character. An even more desirable
approach to attaining the desired land use vision is to go beyond the standard
types of residential subdivisions and concentrate development in "clusters,"
separated by expansive open space areas. These development clusters should be
located so as to minimize consumption of open space and agricultural land while
being easily accessible to public facilities and utilities.

Industrial growth will continue to be concentrated in the southeast quadrant of the
Township. Continued industrial development is anticipated in the GM 425 area
west of 1-96 as well as the 1 00-acre triangle area north of Davis Highway and
west of Canal Road. Controls over future commercial and retail development will

�Secfion b

7=uture f.anrf the
remain consistent with past planning efforts, concentrating commercial and retail
enterprises along Saginaw Highway. Overall, development should be consistent
with the Township Zoning Ordinance and the road classification requirements
outlined in the Ordinance for specific land uses, such as golf courses being located
on arterial roads. For road requirements by land use see the Township Zoning
Ordinance and for road classifications within the Township see the National
Functional Classification map provided by MDOT in Appendix A of this plan.

FI.RURE LAND USE
Agriculture/Open Space
The history of Delta Township is defined by its natural resources, particularly the
Grand River and its tributaries, as well as agriculture, most notably row crop and
sod production. Many residents of the Township want to retain as much of the
existing agricultural land use as possible in an effort to maintain some of the
Township's rural character. This Plan promotes the preservation of as
much open space and wetlands as possible, along with the retention
of agricultural land within the framework of the residential growth
that is expected to occur.

The lands proposed to remain in agriculture are primarily located in
the southwest corner of the Township in sections 29, 30, and 31 (see
Map 6-1

on page 82).

While most of these larger parcels are in active

agriculture, there is no guarantee they will remain so. This plan recommends that
the 20 acre minimum lot size requirement which has been enforced in these three
sections for nearly 30 years be continued. Individual property owners may intend
to ultimately develop these lands as residential. Beyond the outright purchase of
these parcels for the purposes of preserving them as agriculture or open space,
the only options for controlling the location and pace of development (and
preservation) is through public or nonprofit land use controls.

Residential
The tremendous increase in the Township's residential growth has been the greatest
single impact upon agricultural

lands, with new industrial and commercial

development close behind. The supply of vacant land in Delta Township has
decreased significantly in the 1 970 to 2000 period. Many areas in the western
portion of the Township have been divided into "country estate" home sites of 2-5

�Section b
t'future .f.antfUJe
acres. These large acreage parcels will most likely not be subdivided or used for
higher density development and extending

utilities to such areas will

be

challenging. The supply of 40+ acre parcels in western Delta Township, which are
the most conducive to residential

development, is dwindling. The need to

accommodate the number of additional households forecasted to move to, or be
created within, the Township while retaining agricultural land and preserving open
spaces, requires a new approach to residential development. This approach
differs slightly from some of the development patterns and practices that have
taken place in the past. It should also be sensitive to the conditions that have
resulted from that development. The lot splits that have occurred and the land use
patterns that now exist cannot be easily changed, nor should they.

Although

redevelopment of residential properties is likely to occur over the next 20 years,
the primary emphasis of this Plan is on addressing new development.

The process for defining the character of future residential development
within the Township is based upon two major factors: 1) the number and
size of parcels required to accommodate expected growth and 2) the
geographic distribution of those parcels. The projected distribution of
housing units through 2020 is proposed to be similar to the same
general proportion by type that existed in the 1 980s and 1 990s (being
approximately two-thirds site-built single-family homes and one-third
attached multiple-family units). The Township experienced a substantial
increase in the number of multiple-family housing units in the late 1 990s;
therefore, the projected distribution of new units will utilize an average
of the 1 980, 1 990 and 2000 distribution.

The Plan calls for the concentration of housing in the areas designated on the
Future Land Use map (page 82). It is recommended that substantial open spaces
be set aside within each development, and larger parcels be reserved for open
space preservation in developing areas of the Township. Such concentration may
require that the average size of parcels proposed in this Plan be smaller than
historically platted to accommodate common open space.

To provide for rational, efficient residential development, to facilitate the retention
of agricultural lands on the west side of the Township, and preservation of open
space in developing areas, this Plan calls for the concentration of planned

�Secfion b
~ufure f.antf ti.re

residential development within defined development areas, and to a lesser extent,
individual single-family homes constructed within traditional development patterns.

As an alternative to those traditional linear and subdivision developments that
have characterized some areas of the Township, the distribution of residential
activities in the form of "clustered" open space developments are preferred. This
form of development essentially concentrates housing at higher densities and
provides for common open spaces within designated project areas.

It is more

efficient, aesthetic, and environmentally sensitive than the standard subdivision,
which typically allocates the entire development to private lots and easements for
streets and sidewalks.

A clustered open space project also contains streets and

private lots, as well as large open spaces that are allocated to recreation, trails,
protection of unique environmental features, or other natural areas.

The same

number of units, or even more units, can be built in a clustered development as a
traditional subdivision, because the developer is allowed to decrease the lot size
as defined in the zoning ordinance, thereby increasing the density of the
developed portion of the project and decreasing the amount and cost of necessary
infrastructure. As a result, the balance of the project will create open/natural
recreational spaces.

The combination of smaller lots, the projected number of housing units, and the
incorporation of clustered developments will define the parameters for the number
of acres that should be devoted to new residential development within the
Township. Following these concepts, the average lot size for inclusion within cluster
developments could be slightly smaller than traditional subdivision lots in the
Township. Each cluster development should attempt to designate a notable portion
of the development as undeveloped land (open space, trails, etc.).

Traditionally clustered developments have not been common in Delta Township. A
separate study may be necessary to determine why clustered developments have
been underutilized within the Township, and an evaluation of the Township Zoning
Ordinance, as it relates to density bonus in residential developments may be
necessary.

This

plan

advocates

an

increase

in

the

number

of

developments within the Township during the 20-year planning period.

-

clustered

�.Secfion b

t'future i'Antl 1/Je
The following figures depict samples of cluster /open space development. Figure 1
shows a traditional subdivision where the entire parcel is developed with singlefamily lots. Figure 2 shows the same parcel as a residential cluster development
with each lot area reduced in size, and the balance of the parcel allocated to
natural open space. Figure 3 is another sample cluster /open space development
similar to the type that could potentially be established within the Township.

,
I

I

I

y,
'\

\\

\\

--~

Open Sp:iee Plan
• .!.,J d~~J,1 _g1.

• ,., on~ar.,,, 'l's
• IO II li,1911 l:;1s
• e :i1tacl'led .,, ,,to
• 62¾ opc.n .:;pl\~ 100 n.:.r

FIGURE 1 -Traditional Subdivision Development

FIGURE 2 - Cluster Development

,,

l

, //

FIGURE 3 - Cluster Development

---

�Section b
?=ufure i'Anrl1/Je
Calculating Gross Acreage for Future Residential Development - The following
describes the calculations used to determine the gross acreage devoted to new
residential development within the Township.

As noted earlier (page 71 ), the Township plans to encourage a similar proportion
by type of housing unit mix that currently exists within Delta Township. That is, two
thirds site-built single-family homes and one-third attached multiple-family and
other units. Combining this housing unit mix, with the need to accommodate an
estimated 3,366 additional housing units by the year 2020, calculations can be
made for various types of housing and the gross acreage needed for new
residential development.

(The 3,366 units are projected to be needed to

accommodate an additional 6,534 residents (3,366 households) over the next 20
years, in accordance with the 2020 "target" population of 36,216).

Single-Family Housing
Following past trends for the distribution of future residential development projects
2,244 new site-built single-family homes (3,366 units x .6666) are projected in
2020. In the interest of developing land efficiently within Delta Township future
single-family housing should be encouraged in more compact forms of residential
development. The proposed solution would be to encourage development in both
traditional clusters/open space developments where average densities would be
between 2.5 and 5.0 units per acre.

The concept behind clustered/open space development results in increasing
densities on land zoned for a lower density in exchange for preserving tracts of
land as undeveloped and open space.

While the number of new site-built single-family homes can be estimated with
some certainty, the specific number of homes to be developed using cluster/open
space

development

methods

and

the

projected

land

area

necessary

to

accommodate the new housing units is more difficult. The following calculation
presents a range for an estimate of the amount of land that will be necessary for
future site-built single-family homes.

-

Units Required: 2,244 projected additional single-family site built units.

�Section b

7=uture !Anti1/Js
Acres Required:
Traditional subdivision development 2,244 units at an average net density of 2.5
units per acre = 898 acres plus 20% for infrastructure ( l 80 acres) = 1,078 acres

Clustered/Open Space subdivision development 2,244 units at an average net
density of 5.0 units per acre = 449 acres plus 20% for infrastructure (90 acres)

=

539 acres.

PLUS Open Space Requirement = Clustered/Open Space Developments require
land to be left as perpetual open space and be undeveloped. The amount of land
left should be at a minimum l 0% of the total development, while as much as 30%
of the development in some subdivisions could be left as open space.
Therefore, the additional land required for open space, should some or all of the
2,244 units be developed in clustered/open space subdivision developments,
would be between 60 acres ( 10% open space) and 1 80 acres (30% open space).

Total acres to accommodate 2,244 open space residential units would be between

659 and 779 acres. (539 + 60

= 599 and 539 + 180 =719)

Therefore, between 599 and

1,078 acres of land will be required to

accommodate the development of

2,244 site built single family homes by

2020. These units should be distributed between traditional and clustered/open
space developments at densities between 2.5/5.0 units per acre.

Attached Multiple Family and Other Housing Units
For the purpose of distributing future housing units into two-thirds site-built singlefamily and one-third attached multiple-family or other housing units, the future
distribution of attached multiple-family, duplex and manufactured homes are
calculated together. The detailed distribution of these units by unit type should be
consistent with the quantity of land available in the respective zoning districts.

Of the projected 3,366 new housing units, 1,122 units are allocated for
development as "non-site built single-family homes" and be developed as either

-

attached multiple-family units, duplex units or manufactured housing units.

�Section b

~uture tAnl Use
Future "non-site built single-family home" developments will occur in densities
ranging from 6 units per acre to 15 units per acre depending on the zoning
districts and allowed densities. Therefore, a range of future land use distributions
for new units in these categories have been calculated to present an estimate of
the land needed to accommodate the 1, 1 22 units.

Acres Required:

Based on Development density of 6 units per acre 1, 1 22 units at a density of 6
units per acre

=

187 acres, plus 20% for infrastructure (37 acres)

= 224 acres

Based on development density of 15 units per acre 1, 1 22 units at a density of
15 units per acre = 7 5 acres, plus 20% for infrastructure ( 15 acres)

= 90 acres.

The total land area the Township should anticipate to be developed for future
"non-site built single-family homes" such as attached multiple-family units, duplex
units or manufactured housing units by the end of the planning period of 2020
would be between 90 and 224 acres.

The total minimum land area that should be allocated to all expected residential
development of all types over the next 20 years is therefore 689 acres (599+90).
The formula used for determining the amount of acreage needed for site built
single-family

homes

and

attached

multiple-family

units,

duplex

units

or

manufactured housing units is identified in Table 6-1 along with the projected
housing need in five-year increments, based upon the target 2020 population of
36,216 and a housing need of 3,366 units.

In Table 6-1, the total numbers of projected additional site-built single-family units
are allocated according to whether the development patterns proposed are
traditional subdivisions or clustered/open space developments. Also, the projected
numbers of additional attached multiple-family, duplex and manufactured units
along with their associated required acreage are illustrated at two development
densities. Providing ranges based on different units per acre densities allows for
some flexibility when residential developments are proposed.

�Section b
~uture f.antf UJe
TABLE 6-1 - DELTA TOWNSHIP POPULATION - LAND AREA PROJECTIONS
Total Population 2000
Total Target Population 2020
Total Additional Population 2000-2020

29,682
36,216
6,534
Total

Total Additional Population
Per Five Year Increments

5 Year Increment
New Total Population
Average Person Per Household

~

2005

20062010

20112015

20162020

20012020#

1,439

1,698

1,699

1,698

6,534

31,121

32,819

34,518

36,216

6,534

2.31*

2.27*

2.25*

2.24*

Total New Housing Units

735

965

862

804

3,366

66.66% Site-Built Single-Family Units

490

643

575

536

2,244

245

322

287

268

1,122

235

309

276

258

1,078

118

155

138

128

539

10% Open Space

12

15

14

15

54

30% Open Space

35

46

41

38

160

130-153 170-201

152-179

141-166

593-699

130-235

170-309

152-276

141-258 593-1,078

245

322

287

268

1,122

49

64

57

53

224

19

25

23

21

90

19-49

25-64

23-57

21-53

90-224

149-284 195-373

175-333

162-311

683-1,301

33.33 % Multiple-Family, Duplex, Manufactured Horne
Units (non-site built single family)
New Site-Built Single-Family Units

Acres Needed at 2.5 Units/Acre includes 20%
for streets (traditional development)

•

Acres Needed at 5.0 Units/Acre includes 20%
for streets (clustered/open space)
Additional Open Space

Total Acres for clustered/open space
Total Additional Acres New Site-Built Single-Family Units
New Non Site-Built Single Family Units

Acres Needed at 6 Units/Acre includes 20%
for streets
Acres Needed at 15 Units/Acre includes 20%
for streets
Total Additional Acres New Non Site-Built Single-Family
Units
TOT AL NEW RESIDENTIAL ACRES NEEDED

*Projected household size based upon Delta Township as proportion of projected national
trends in household size.

# Calculations have been rounded

SOURCE: Gove Associates 2003

�Section b
t'fufure f.anl 1/Je
The additional acreage required for all types of residential development (singlefamily clustered or unclustered, duplex, multiple-family and manufactured homes)
are added together to determine the minimum acreage required. This total
acreage is then compared to the future land use allocations depicted in Table 6-2.
The comparison indicates that the Future Land Use map, which contains an
additional 3,972 acres set aside for residential development over what was
existing in 2002, is significantly more than the projected 7 46 - 1,301 acres of land
required to accommodate the 2020 target population of 36,216.

The table

depicts the allocation of units and associated acreages in five-year increments. This
will allow the Township to identify the amount of land that should be developed or
zoned accordingly within a long-term phased process.

The geographic distribution of these developments should be based upon factors
that impact some of the more important criteria that need to be considered. Those
criteria consist of achieving the policies defined in this Plan, project affordability,
public costs, feasibility and sustainability.

Some of the major factors that are

related to those criteria are retention of agriculture and open space, capacity of
the soils to sustain development, protection of surface water and ground water, the
need to be served by public utilities (sewer and/or water) and access via existing
primary roads.

The potential creation of clustered residential developments in the Township should
be

located

in

areas

that

are

being

considered

for

planned

residential

development on larger parcels that have been assembled or can be assembled.
These parcels should be in areas that will have the least impact on the depletion of
prime agricultural lands, are on soils that are not conducive to wetness or flooding,
and in locations that will minimize the need for additional public expenditures in
infrastructure (utilities and roadway expansion). While each location factor may
not be completely satisfied in those areas identified for residential development
on the Future Land Use Map, these locations represent the areas where residential
development should occur and clustered development should occur, where the
"best fit" of the composite of these factors is present.

�Secfion b
~ufure i!Antl the
TABLE 6-2 - LONG-RANGE FUTURE LAND USE (YEAR 2020) LAND USE ACREAGE
Existing

Single-Family Residential
Two-Family Residential
Multiple-Family Residential
Manufactured Home Park
Commercial
Office
Institutional
Industrial / Utility
Cemetery
Parks, Recreational (inc. golf courses)
Agriculture
Transportation Rights-of-Way

%of
Total

Future

%of
Total

%
Change

Change

15.9
0.2

3,579
44
265
9
369
374
67
1,942
0

64.1
57.7
46.4
34.6
56.8
127.6
13.6
115.6
0.0

4.9
7.1
12.9

68
-3,013
2

6.05
-65.3
0.0

0

0.00

-2,200

-100

9.5

648

2.9

-1,504

69.8

1.8
100

412

1.8

0

0.0

22,709

100

0

5,582
78
571
26
649
293
426
1,680
55
1,042
4,617
2,926

24.6
0.3
2.5
0.1
2.9
1.3
1.9
7.4
0.2
4.6
20.3
12.9

9,161
122
836
35
1,018
667
490
3,622
55
1,110
1,604
2,928

40.3
0.5
3.7
0.1
4.5
2.9
2.2

2,200

9.7

2,152
412
22,709

Natural Resource Land Cover
Woodlands*
Open Space / Undeveloped /
Preservation Corridor
Water/ River/ Wetlands
Total Acreage

*While the table illustrates a loss of 2,200 acres of woodlands by 2020, neither the plan nor the map
advocate the total elimination of woodlands in Delta Township. For the purpose of allocating future land use
in areas currently occupied by woodlands the map depicts woodlands as an overlay to the land use best
suited for that area. In the event development occurs in woodland areas, efforts should be taken to
preserve as much woodlands as possible in those areas.
SOURCE: Gove Associates, Inc. 2003

The Future Land Use map allocates a total of 9,037 acres for existing and future
low density (clustered or unclustered) single-family residential development (at 1
to 3 units per acre), 1 22 acres for medium density (clustered) single-family
residential development or duplex units (at approximately 4.8 units per acre), and
946 acres for high density multiple-family (apartments and mobile home parks at
6 to 15 units per acre) residential development.

Commercial

An additional 369 acres of retail/service commercial development will be added
to the Township's land use inventory. This expanded commercial development
would be concentrated along West Saginaw Highway (M-43). The West Saginaw
,..,.,

Highway area, serves as the commercial corridor for the Township, and the bulk of

�Secfion b

~uture .&amp;mrl1/se
the new commercial development should be concentrated as infill development.
Further commercial development in this area could be structured with a relatively
higher density mix of retail stores, and offices. New development utilizing neotraditional design concepts can promote specific pedestrian-friendly architectural
requirements and could be applied and strictly controlled within the framework of
a parallel code (like a Planned Unit Development ordinance) relative to access,
landscaping,

parking,

and

other

site

and

corridor

design

and

safety

considerations. Along with an additional 369 acres being added to the Township's
commercial land use inventory, redevelopment of existing vacant or underutilized
commercial areas will result in sufficient commercial and retail land through the
year 2020.

Recreation

In 2002, Delta Township maintained over 1,000 acres of land as parks or open
space for recreation use. Based on guidelines set by the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources, the Township maintains sufficient parkland to accommodate the
present population. However, when comparing the distribution of parkland
throughout the Township (Map 1-7) with standards addressing community-wide
spatial distribution of parklands, it is apparent there is a lack of parkland in some
areas. Future acquisitions of land for parks or open space preservation should
occur as key parcels become available in the southwestern quadrant of the
Township or those areas with unique natural features. New bike lanes should be
placed along County roads and a linear hiking/biking trail could be potentially
developed along the Grand River, running the entire east/west length of the
Township.

Specific goals, objectives and recommendations related to parks, recreation and
non-motorized pathways are outlined in the Delta Township Parks, Recreation and
Cemeteries Open Space Plan 2000, the 2003 Delta Township Non-Motorized
Transportation Plan and the 1986 Delta Township Sidewalk Plan, and 2003 Plan
update. While these documents should be referenced when planning for future
parks, recreation facilities and non-motorized pathways within the Township, a
map illustrating the existing and proposed sidewalks and trails within the Township
is located in Appendix C.

�-

.- ----------------------

Section b
~uture .f.anrlUse
Industrial
Delta Township has a strong history of well-planned industrial development. Future
industrial development should be limited primarily to the industrial tracts located in
the southeastern quadrant of the Township generally bounded by 1-496 to the
north, 1-96/1-69 to the west and Lansing Road to the east and south. This area, in
addition

to the

GM 425 parcels

west

of 1-96/1-69, encompasses more than

3,670 acres in sections 24 through 28 and 32 through 35.

Future industrial

development in this area should include appropriate site planning that regulates
building

design, setback, landscaping, signage, parking

and environmental

impacts, preferably in a Planned Business Park Development format.

Utilities/Road Improvements
When public sanitary sewer or water systems are required for a particular
development within the Township, they should be supplied on the basis of
"concurrency." Concurrency is an approach that ensures that public facilities and
services are provided at the same time that development occurs. These services
are planned well in the future within a phased approach and are constructed on a
"pay-as-you-go" basis. If public utilities are not scheduled for an area proposed
for development, development cannot occur, unless the developer pays for the
extension of utilities.

This helps to prevent wasteful "leapfrogging" of utilities

(when utility lines are placed in rights-of-way adjacent to large undeveloped
areas to serve a development further down the road) and promotes orderly, more
efficient use of land and resources.

It is important to recognize that the extension of utilities (particularly public
sanitary sewer and water service) to serve an area can have unintended
consequences. If provided within a logical framework of planned, incremental
development, public sanitary sewer and water utilities can guide growth to meet
the goals and objectives set forth by the Township.

The construction of new roads and improvements to existing roads within the
Township are identified in the Delta Township Road Improvement Program. This
program is reviewed frequently by Township officials and updated as projects are
completed and new projects are identified. Information regarding road projects in
Delta Township can be obtained by referring to the Road Improvement Program
which is available at the Delta Township Planning Department.

�-

MAP 6-1

Official Future Land Use
Delta Tovmship Eaton Count,,
Michigan
Leqend
Single Famiti Residential
Multiple Famit; Residential

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�.Ssction 7
9mf}/emenfation
INTRODUCTION
This section of the Plan presents tools and processes that are currently
available to Delta Township to help make this Plan a reality. Also, it contains
a schedule that depicts the objectives that should be accomplished along with
the recommended parties, general timing, and potential funding sources to
achieve the objectives when applicable.
The following approaches are viable in terms of being implemented under
current state enabling legislation and federal programs. Some approaches
will have more important impacts upon the development of the Township than
others.

Public Investment Strategies represent the most pro-active mechanism to
foster development in the Township in accordance with this Plan. Both
public and private sector investments in infrastructure are required for
new development, particularly in higher density areas and in areas
currently not served by public infrastructure such as sanitary sewer and

-

water. The location and timing of such development is dependent upon
the capacity of the Township to pay for the necessary infrastructure and,
in the case of private sector (developer) developments, the required
approvals from the Township and other public agencies.
Location and timing of infrastructure development are integral parts of
the Plan's implementation program and the smart growth approach
advocated for the Township. It is recommended that Township officials
closely follow the recommendations in the Delta Township Sanitary Sewer
and Water System Long Range Study from 1998 as a mechanism and
guide to infrastructure development.

Cooperation between the Township and other public and quasi-public entities
is also critical to the success of the Plan. This is in large-part due to the
Township's proximity to the City of Lansing and the regional services the
residents of Delta Township are provided by agencies such as Capital
City Airport, CAT A and EA TRAN, and Grand Ledge and Waverly Public
Schools. These entities and many others will play a key role in the use of
land within the Township and communication among agencies needs to be
facilitated in order to enable the Township (and each entity) to properly
plan for the future. In addition, Eaton County government, the County
Road and Drain Commissions, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department,
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Michigan

�Section 7
9mfJ/emenfation
Department

of

Transportation

all

have

legal

authority

and

responsibilities for programs and projects that occur in, and impact upon,
the development of the Township. Coordination between these agencies
and the Township is important for planning and programming and as
such, needs to be maintained.
Finally, the activities occurring within surrounding townships and the City
of Lansing, particularly those related to land use planning, zoning, and
other development controls, can have a direct impact upon planning
within Delta Township, particularly those units of government abutting
Delta Township. Coordination and communication should be ongoing
among these jurisdictions and plans and programs of these surrounding
communities shared. Amendments (P.A. 265 of 2001) to the Municipal
Planning

Act

under

which

Delta

Township

operates,

require

this

intergovernmental communication on land use and development issues.

Information and Education is fundamental to the implementation of this Plan.
Without the concurrence of residents, businesses and developers, the
success of this plan will be less successful and more prone to setbacks
during the long range planning process.
To help garner that concurrence and contribute to the success of the Plan,
the Township should disseminate information and, if necessary, host
educational programs. The dissemination of information can include
sending a small flyer, or tri-fold, that briefly describes the main
components of the Plan and possibly include a small copy of the future
land use map. This information can also be included on the Township's
website, or in the Delta Magazine.
In 1997 the Delta Township Board of Trustees adopted the Township's
first Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan contains 10 goals and identifies
objectives for achieving each of the goals. Among the goals that are
included in the Strategic Plan are the preservation of residential and
business districts, the efficient provision of public services, and the
expansion of recreation opportunities. The Board reviews the Plan
approximately every five years to determine whether the objectives
have been accomplished and to identify new goals and objectives. The
Strategic Plan was reviewed and updated by the Board in 2003.

�Sec6on 7
9mfJ/ementa6on
The Township might also consider conducting a community survey every
several years which would make known resident's impressions, attitudes,
and opinions about specific issues related to current or proposed
developments. This will help provide a forum for Township officials to
better understand the opinions of residents. Furthermore, the survey
information will provide the Township with the necessary information they
need when reviewing the Plan every five years as required by P.A. 265
of 2001.
The Township's Capital Improvements Program is a vehicle to tie the Plan
into

the

Township's

budgeting

process.

The

Township's

Capital

Improvements Program identifies the capital projects that the Township
proposes to undertake within the next six years, and the agency
responsible for implementation. The Capital Improvements Program
should generally follow the development recommendations of this Plan
and phase those improvements accordingly. The Township's one year
Capital Improvements Budget is intended to address those projects that
comport with the overall CIP.
The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission recently completed work
on a document entitled "Tri-County Regional Growth: Choices For Our
Future". The purpose of the project is to seek citizen input into the
implications of regional land use and growth trends and to formulate a
shared vision of regional growth. Delta Township officials have served
on work committees and attended public hearings and should continue
their participation in the future. It is recognized that presently local
jurisdictions in the Tri-County Region are making individual land use
decisions with little oversight or coordination regarding the collective,
long-term regional impacts of these decisions. Representatives of the TriCounty Regional Planning Commission intend to present the findings of
the regional growth study to each community in the region over the next
several years. Delta officials will consider how best to implement the
Plan's

recommendations,

consistent

with

the

Township's

goals

and

objectives.
There are many similarities between the contents of the Delta Township
Comprehensive Plan and the findings of the Regional Growth Project.
Both

documents advocate Smart Growth concepts such

as cluster

development, the provision of open space, the concurrency of utilities,
and non-motorized transportation planning.

�Section 7
9mfJ/emenfafion
Delta Township has in place methods to control growth and development
within the Township which include the following:

Zoning Ordinance - the Delta Township Zoning Ordinance is used to
regulate the use of land as the primary regulatory tool for shaping local
growth and development. The ordinance segregates uses into different zoning
districts according to their function. A zoning map illustrates all of the zones
(residential, office, commercial, industrial). The zoning ordinance establishes
development standards for each district.

Land Division and Subdivisions -

The Delta Township Land Division

Ordinance regulates the division of land outside of subdivisions. Property is
typically

divided into metes and

bounds parcels. Personnel from the

Township's Assessing and Planning Departments review each land division
application to ensure compliance with state and Township laws.
The Delta Township Subdivision regulations guide the division of land into
multiple lots and are illustrated on a plat. The regulations ensure that the
minimum lot size and width requirements are complied with and that issues
relating to access, drainage, and utilities are addressed. The Planning
Commission reviews subdivision plats with final authority granted to the
Township Board of Trustees.

Sign Ordinance - Regulations pertaining to signs are contained in a freestanding ordinance being the Delta Township Sign Ordinance. The ordinance
is administered by the Township's Code Enforcement Officer and contains
provisions regulating the size, height and location of signs.

�Section 7
9mfJlemenfation
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
This Section complements the Plan's Goals and Actions. The Implementation
Schedule groups the Actions of each of the Goals with the participants
responsible for completing the actions and identifies timing and potential
funding

sources for each

action. The

Implementation Schedule quickly

identifies time frames and permits comparisons between the many actions
identified in the Plan. The Township should regularly review the Schedule to
ensure actions are accomplished and goals are met.

This list of objectives is not a comprehensive list of all actions needed over the
next 20 years, but it is a list of the primary actions needed to accomplish the
Plan's general goals.
The Implementation Schedule also lists participants that include local and state
agencies or groups.

Quite often an action has several participants marked

due to the team effort required to accomplish many actions.

The Schedule

identifies primary and secondary participants.
The Schedule's timing section identifies actions as short-range/ongoing actions
(one to three years), medium-range actions (four to ten years) or long-range
actions (more than 10 years).

Actions often take a considerable length of

time to complete, therefore, two or three time periods may be identified.
The funding portion of the Schedule identifies potential sources. Funding
sources often change as time passes, as do organizations and priorities. Each
of these should be periodically reviewed to ensure they are up to date.

The following schedule identifies the Implementation Program established in
the Plan.

�,)

L.

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Sufion 7
9mp/emenlafion

PARTICIPANTS:
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conflicts
-Ensure smooth transitions between residential and non-residential uses by open space,
buffered thoroughfares, and placement of appropriate zoning districts
-Enhance the older residential neighborhoods in the eastern portion of the Townshi p
through code enforcement, maintenance of public infrastructure, and implementation of
traffic calming techniques
-Maintain control over development of ne w single-family homes within agricultural
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-Encourage infill development or the redevelopment of vacant commercial land and/or
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FACILITATE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL FULFILL THE NEEDS OF THE
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-Design commercial areas so that they ore compatible with adjacent residential land
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address the problems
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Saginaw Highway
-Conduct on annual meeting with the Delta -Side Business Group and the Planning
Commission to obtain input from local businesses

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efforts
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GOAL STATEMENT #4

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1601 PORTAGE STREET
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

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OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION

PROVIDE ADEQUATE OPEN SPACE AREAS, RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND
PROGRAMS FOR PASSIVE AND ACTIVE USE BY TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS
-Support linkages (walkable-pathways, and sidew alks) between residentia l areas and
recreational facilities whenever reasonably feasible
-Support the development of bicycle/ pedestrian corridors (linear porks) within the
Township with linkoaes to pathways in adjacent communities
-Promote the recreational facilities offered at th e Township 's porks and other
recreational areas such as the Woldumar Nature Center and Audubon properties
-Encourage new resid ential developments to provide open space for their residents

-Pursue o timely and economic open space acquisition and development program as
the Townshio's oooulation increases
SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DELTA TOWNSHIP NON-MOTORIZED
TRANSPORTATION PLAN
-Identify and secure funding sources for non-motorized transportation
-Township Boord and Porks Commission continue to develop non-motorize d trails
parallel to Carrier Creek

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-Pursue a policy of managed growth and explore new and innovative methods of
achieving beneficial results
-Coordinate the Township's land use planning efforts with adjacent communities and
the efforts of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
-Recognize the needs of the diversifying Township population and identify programs
to address specific needs
-Identify emerging socio-economic trends, such as on aging population, and respond
with appropriate planning and zoning techniques
-Encourage public involvement when reviewing land development proposals and strive
to improve communication between public officials and Township residents and
property owners
-Take a proactive role in the redevelopment of Brownfield sites
-Encourage new development within the Township to follow Smart Growth Concepts,
Smart Growth is not "no-orowth " - it is sustainable growth
PRESERVE AND PROTECT OPEN SPACE AND FARMLAND WITH VARIOUS
PROGRAMS AND POLICIES
~Consider creation of a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program, which could
include a millage proposal for financing
-Recognize and encourage private efforts to preserve open space in Delta Township

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-Keep development codes up-to-dote in accordance with case low

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-Support the efforts of the Parks Commission to connect Hunter Orchard Park with
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-Develop linear frailway along the Grand River connecting to Lansing, Grand Ledge
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IDENTIFY AND ESTABLISH PUBLIC ACCESS POINTS TO WATER RESOURCES
-Work with the Eaton County Drain Commissioner regarding possible recreational uses
of public storm water detention facilities (Broadbent Road ponds, Nix on/ St. Joe pond,
Carrier Creek pond south of 1-496)
-Contact DEQ representatives and inquire of the status of the Willow Highway access
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PARTICIPANTS:
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program

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percentage of subdivision sites as open space
-Consider mandating that a percentage of office/ commercial sites be preserved as
open space

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-Investigate the creation of an Urban Service Boundary to encourage
development/ redevelopment In the existing developed areas of the Township
-Determine if there are barriers to adaptive re -use of existing buildings in Delta
Township
-Identify vacant non-residential sites and strategies to facilitate their
redevelopment
-Meet with the Delta Township Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to shore items
of a mutual interest regording the redevelopment of retail sites

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-Initi ate a review of the Delta Township Strategic Pion by the Planning
Commission
-Continue promotion of shored recreational programs between Grand Ledge and
Waverly Schools and Delta Township
-Correlate the Townshi p's Capitol Improvements Program with the goals &amp; objectives in
the Comprehensive Pion
-Conduct an annual meeting of Delta Township decision-makers with elected officials
of adjoining Townships to identify &amp; discuss items of a mutual interest
-Recognize the need to approach specific Issues such as transit, airport, solid waste,
cultural programs (arts), Potter Pork Zoo on a regional basis

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-Continue the policy of a Delta Township representative attending meetings of the
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-Review the Strategic Plans for Grand Ledge and Wave rly Schools

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ESTABLISH "REDEVELOPMENT" POLICIES THAT ENCOURAGE REDEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVATION OF EXISTING STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES

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PARTICIPANTS:
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DEVELOPMENT IN DELTA TOWNSHIP AND THE IMPACT, WHICH IT HAS

-Review the Township's existing Planned Unit Development regulations and suggest
promote its use. Encourage input from the development

changes which would
community

-Consider the possible reduction of minimum lot sizes and widths in each zoning district
-Consider reducing the minimum floor area requirements in the residential zoning

districts
-Identify possible sites for higher density residential development where vacant land
exists oublic transit is available, utilities adequate, arterial roads available, etc.
MAINTAIN A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE IN EXISTING RESIDENTIAL AREAS
- Promote a "demonstration project" for troffic calming in a neighborhood experiencing
speeding or cut-thru traffic
-Promote/support the Property Maintenance Code which was adopted in 2002
-Meet with Eaton County Sheriffs Deportment and inquire as to their needs. Discuss
speed enforcement, identify traffic conaestion areas, discuss manoower, etc.
-Provide input into the Township Hazard M itigation Plan required by November 2004
-Consider establishing a tree nursery on Township land to eventually plant native trees
along public streets
-Consider hiring the services of a landscape architect to assist staff in site plan reviews,
helo the Parks Department, review Township orooerties, etc.
-Establish a tool loan program for low and moderate income households
-Resist commercial/office develooment intrusions into residential neiahborhoods
-Inform/ encourage residents to erect pedestrian scale streetlights in existing residential
neighborhoods per the Township's established procedure s
-Investigate the possibility of Delta Township assisting the Eaton County Habitat for
Humanity in constructing affordable homes in the Township
-Address the oroblem of maintainina common areas in residential subdivisions
PRESERVE AND PROTECT CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SITES
-Inventory Delta Township's historical sites (Grange Hall, Moon Log Cabin)

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PARTICIPANTS:
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-Support MOOT in their efforts to reconstruct the 1-96/Soginaw interchange

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-Continue to support the Eaton County Rood Commission's street resurfacing program
for residential streets
-Encourage sufficient funding to repair sidewalks, fill in gaps in the sidewalk system,
provide sidewalks and/or bike lanes in conjunction with new/ rebuilt roadways and
mandate the provision of sidewalks in conjunction with new development
-Encourage the provision of public transit service to the Township's residential,
commercial and Industrial areas
-land uses generating significant amounts of traffic shall be served by thoroughfares

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thot con solely and odequotely handle the traffic
PROMOTE THE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT SERVICES

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IMPROVE THE WEST SAGINAW HIGHWAY STREETSCAPE
-Support efforts to bury the overhead electrical lines on West Saginaw Highway

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-Continue to support stringent enforcement of the Township's Sign Ordinance

GOAL STATEMENT #7
PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES
ENCOURAGE SUFFICIENT AND AVAILABLE PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES
TO MEET THE GROWING NEEDS OF THE TOWNSHIP
-Provide law enforcement and fire protection that meet the needs of the Township to
ensure the safety and well-being of Delta Town ship residents and property
-Mandate residential properties and commercial and industrial businesses connect to
public water systems when available
-Explore the benefits of privatizing and/or shoring facilities and services with other
communities
-Develop procedures for greater collaboration and coordination of efforts between
school districts and the Township

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-Continue to support the Township's efforts to encourage the establishment of a

boulevard on Saginaw Highway west of 1-96 via right-of-way acquisition, the

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GOAL STATEMENT #6
SUPPORT EFFORTS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AND
INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE TOWNSHIP IN ORDER TO FACILITATE SAFE AND
EFFICIENT MOTORIZED AND NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION

preparation of a boulevard design, and continued dialogue with MOOT officials

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PARTICIPANTS:
GOVE ASSOCIATES, INC.

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-Id entify valuable historic a ssets within the Township and develop programs and

societies to preserve and p romote those a ssets
-Develop infrastructure (water, sanitary sewer) in phased expansion, concurrent with
new construction

-Develop on approach to planning and development that emphasizes coordination
and cooperation bet ween Delta Town ship and surrounding communiti es through mutual
financing and operation of area-wide and regional facilities
PROMOTE THE EXTENSION OF PUBLIC WATER AND SANITARY SEWER
SERVICE
-Promote the Township Subdivision Ordinance's requirement that mandates public
sanitary sewer and water service for new subd ivisions
-Support the proposed mandatory water main connection ordinance
-Support the utility extensions recommend ed in the Delta Township Sanitary Sewer and
Water System Long Range Study, Februory 1998

GOAL STATEMENT #8

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-Promote the extension of public water and sanitary sewer services to those areas in
th e Township where the public health is threatened by on-site systems
-Prese rve prime farmland through zoning regulations and other applicable methods
PROTECT AND ENHANCE GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS, NATURAL RECHARGE
AREAS, AND SURFACE WATER RESOURCES FROM CONTAMINATION
-Inventory Delta Township 's water resources including wetlands, streams, ponds, etc. via
the GIS System
-Adopt the TCRPC Well Head Management Pion and Ordinance Amendments
-Consider adoption of zoning ordinance amendments that would limit the amount of
impervious surfaces in commercial developments. Consider a limit on the maximum
number of parking spaces above the minimum that can be provided on a site

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PROTECT THE QUALITY OF THE TOWNSHIP'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
-Assist the Eaton County Drain Commissioner in efforts to promote storm water
management practices
-Identify soils highly conducive to agricultural production, such as those found in
southwestern Delta Township, and attempt to preserve forming activities in such areas
-Support the Township's Flood Plain Management efforts
-Promote the use of the Grand River for recreation and build upon this valuable asset

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IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

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1601 PORTAGE STREET
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

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PARTICIPANTS:
GOVE ASSOCIATES, INC.

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1601 PORTAGE STREET
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

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DELTA CHARTER TOWNSHIP
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-Consider a stream buffer ordinance to reduce pollution from run-off and erosion
-Consider the adoption of a Township Wetlands Protection Ordinance
-Recommend Tow nship financing of a w ell capping program for abandoned private
wells
-Participate in phase II of the Federal Storm w ater Management Program in an effort
to improve the quality of storm water runoff
-Support the Eaton County Drain Commissioner in the enforcement of Compiled Rules

CREATE PROGRAMS PERTAINING TO TREE PRESERVATION
-Analyze the pros and cons of a Delta Township tree preservation ordinance
-Consider inse rting incentives in the Zoning Ordinance which would grant a "bonus" for
oreservation of mature trees
-Consi der mandating the installation of one street tree per subdivision lot at time of
house construction

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��DELTA TOWNSHIP OPINION SURVEY
~

Dear Delta Township Resident The Township is developing a Master Plan to guide community development over the next
20 years Whtie change 1s inevitable, how that change occurs is up to the residents of the Township. What follows is a
community questionnaire that asks demographic, economic. social and environmental questions to help determine both
present community concerns and future community needs. LET US KNOW YOUR OPINIONS BY ANSWERING THIS
IMPORT ANT SURVEY There are no wrong answers or opinions. All responses will be tabulated anonymously by an
independent consulting firm to get a comprehensive overview of how residents feel about these issues
When mailing, please tri-fold and staple or tape the survey and send it with the attached address visible. If you wish to avoid
the cost of mailing the survey you can drop it off at the Township's drop box on the north side of the Township Hall. We will
make the results known as soon as possible. Thank you for participating in this important effort.
Joseph Drolett, Delta Township Supervisor

Please indicate how ou feel about each of the followin Current Issues/Conditions in the Townshi

1

ISSUES
Not a
Problem

Possible
Problem

Slight
Problem

0
0
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Protection of groundwater
D1v1s1on of farmland for residential development In the Township
Amount of open space 1n the Township
Amount of wetlands In the Township
Soil protection meRsures 1n the Township
Tratt,c volume on W . Saginaw
Trnff1c speeds on Township roads

0

Ava1tab1loty of sidewalks

•

Appearance of West Saginaw corridor
Traffic volumes in residential areas

0

0

oderate
Problem

Serious
Problem

0

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0

CONDITIONS

2

Excellent
Quality of dnnking water (pnvate well)
Quality of onnk1ng water (public water service)
Storm Drainage
Police protection
Fire protecloon
Zoning code enforcement
Building code enforcement
Recycling services
Road maintenance
C!lblevis1on Service
Public bus service (CATA &amp; EATRAN)
Blight/Junk Enforcement
Gener.:1I Quality of life 1n the Township
Park f;ic1lilies and programs
District librflry facilt1y and services
Ambulance/EMT Service

0
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0

Good

Fair

0
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oor No Qnion

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Please indicate how ou feel about each of the followin

113

Future Issues and Concerns
Strongly

Single family housing should be encouraged in the Township .
Tax abatements should be granted to attract industrial development into the
Township .
Development of more parks ,md recreation facil1t1es should be encouraged in
the Township .
Farmland in the Township should be preserved.
Open space In the Township should be preserved.
Signs m the Township nre being adequatelyregulated
Township roilds are generaily ln gOOd cond111on .
Police protection in the Township Is snt1slactory
Fire protection ,n the Township 1s adequate
Ambulance service in the Township is acceptable.
The Township should provide yard waste pickup
Recycling services offered by the Township are reasonable .
The Townst11p should promote expansion of water mains ;:ind sanitary sewers
to unserved areas.
Property taxes rn the Township are reasonable
The Township should assist 111 organizing neighborhoods so residents can
better represent themselves .
The Township needs to encourage MOOT to create a boulevard on West
Saginaw H1ghw,iy.
The Township needs to take steps to create a recognizable 1dent1ty.
Side valks should be mandated ,n all new developments .
The Township should finance the installation of side valks where they're
presently non-eX1stent .
The Township should adopt a Housing Code to encourage property
maintenimce.
The Township should stringently regulate the install&lt;1tion of communication
towers
Township officials are doing a satisfactory job communicating with residents.
The Township needs to finance the paving of gravel roads
Power lines along West Saginaw Highway should be buned .
Infill commercial development should be encouraged rather thlln the conversion
of open space
Tl'le Twp. needs to support items of regional interest such as solid waste,
CATA, tho Zoo and Airport.

4a

The Township should encourage tho construction ot more east-west roads .
Library fac1hlies in the Township are lldequate.

4

Act

Acr

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Which of the following issues 1n the Township do you feel are the MOST important and should be addressed? Please mark only five.
1 being most important, 5 being least important of the five

Police Protection
TraHic Congestion
Road maintenance
Public Acquisition of
Open Space
Fire Protection
Sidewalk Construction
Library Facilities

-

Future Issues/Concerns

CommunIc&lt;1tIon with
Residents
Parks/Recreation
Fac,liltes

§
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Would you be willing to pay add1t1onal taxes to address one or all of those five issues?
Yes ............... .....Q

'116

No

•. . . . . • . • .

If not all , list ones for which you stated "Yes" .

7

Are there conditions at a particular location in the Township you feel should be improved? If so, what and where?

8

Additional comments on these and or other Delta Township issues.

The following section asks general household information. All information provided will be kept confidential and
surve s will be tabulated anon mousl .

9

On which street in the Township do you live?

10 Where do you work?
Della Township •...... ..
Eaton County other than
Delta Township ..
.. ..
City of Lansing .. .
•

Q
Q
Q

City of E11st Lansing .. . ...
Ingham County other than
the City of Lansing &amp; East
Lansing ................ .....

Q

0

Clinton County ......... ,

.Q

At Home .............. ........... Q
Reh red or not employed .....Q

•

All flround Michigan or the
U.S ......... . ..............
Elsewhere (not identified
above) ................... ..

0

11 Please name the community 1f you selected "elsewhere"

12 Please indicate your age category
25 or younger ........ .. .. .. ..Q

26-44 ............. .

45-64 .......................

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65+ . . . . . . · · • .•.. .

7 ........ ..

8 or more.

8

8

14 How many persons in your household are currently employed Full Time?
1 • • • . . .. ..

. .. ....

2.... ........ ..... ... .. ... .......

·B

3 ......................... ..............

None ....................... ..Q

4 or more ....................... ..

8

15 How many persons in your household are currently employed Part Time?
t .. . .. ... ... . . ......
3 ...........................
None ........................... O
2. ... .. .. .. . ... ..... ... .. ..

4

or more ................ ..

16 Do you have any children under 18 livmg at home?

Q

Yes ...................... ...

No

• . ..

17 Is anyone m your household over 65?
Yes....... ..

. ... . .. . ....

Q

. ....... .•.

No .......... ... .

:·:·:::::.. :.. :::::.::8

�•

18 In which type of dwelling do you live?

Q

S1ng1e.Fam1ly Home .
Ap;irtment

.

O

Duplex ......... . . . . . . .

Mobile Home . .. .. ..... .......

Rent

..

3 to 5 years . ..

O
-0

Condom,nium .... ...... .. ......

Q

More than 20 years ........

0

........ .o

20 How long have you owned.'rented proporty in Della Township?
Less than 3 years .. .. .. ..

Q
Q

6 to 9 years .. ..

.. ... .

0

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10 to 20 years ......... ........

21 Annual Household Income (Please check the applicable range). NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES
ONLY. REMEMBER, YOUR RESPONSE IS ANONYMOUS
Less than $24,999 . ..
S50,000•$74,999 ..
, .. .Q
$25,000 •S49,999 . .. . .. Q
S75,000·$99.999 .. ... ... . Q

S100.000·S124.999 ...... ..Q
S125,000 or more.. •• •

.Q

22 Please indicate the type of school your child/children attend? - ,f any?
preschool ....... .........
public . ... ..... . ...... .

.. ..

pnvate1pr1roch1al . • •

Q

Q

-0

23 What school district are you in?
Waverly ....................

-0

charter ........ ..............

·--0

home school , ... .. .... ...
no children In school .. ... ...

o
Q

Grand Ledge .. ... .. ..... ....Q

Davenport
University/Lansing
Community College .. . .. .. .

Michigan State University ...

Q

0

Lansing . ... .. . .. •. ,

.. ,

.Q

Holt ............... .......... .......Q

•• __ ••• __ ....• - - - - - - . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - fold here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • - - - - - - - ~

Delta Township
. . . , 7710 W Sag,naw H1911way
Lans,ng, M1ch1g.in 48917-9712

Delta Township
7710 W Saginaw Highway
Lansing, Michigan 48917-9712

. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - fold here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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                  <text>Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University.</text>
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I_

CITY OF
EATON RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
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COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

1990 - 2010

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�COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

CITY OF EATON RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

ADOPTED BY EATON RAPIDS PLANNING COMMISSION
DECEMBER 4, 1989

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.
1601 Portage Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001

�EATON RAPIDS PLANNING PARTICIPANTS

Planning Commission
Gary Wichman, Chairman
John Schultz, Vice-Chairman
Pat Hastay
Valorie Kunkel
Clifford Dye
John Dzwiatowski
Wayne Miller
Gerald Kopack
William Vette
Alys Hoover, Secretary

City Council
Larry Holley, Mayor
Jo Hoffman
Bruce U'ren
Jean Kline
Claudia Brown

City Administration
Marietta White
Neal Hart
Howard Hillard
Michael Seeley
Richard Freer
June James
Robert Zona
David Boes
Richard Monroe

Clerk/Treasurer
Building Inspector/Assessor
Public Works Superintendent
Police Chief
Fire Chief
Librarian
Ass't. Public Works Superintendent
Wastewater Plant Superintendent
Development Director

�TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I
EXISTII-li DEVELOPMENT

SECTION I - INTRODUCTION------------------------------

1

SECTION II - DESCRIPTION OF PLANNI~ AREA
I

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Location------------------------------------------

3

SECTION III - POPULATION
Introduction-------------------------------------Age/Sex Characteristics--------------------------Household/Family Composition---------------------Education/Occupation -----------------------------Population Projections---------------------------Synopsis ------------------------------------------

5
7

11

14
16
19

SECTION IV - HOUSING
Housing Characteristics--------------------------Synopsis------------------------------------------

20
28

SECTION V - ECONOMY
Introduction-------------------------------------Regional Economy---------------------------------Local Economy------------------------------------State Equalized Valuation------------------------Synopsis------------------------------------------

30
30
37
49
53

SECTION VI - EXISTI~ LAND USE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Introduction-------------------------------------Natural Resources--------------------------------Land use Classifications-------------------------Analysis of Land Use Patterns--------------------Residential--------------------------------------Commercial---------------------------------------Synopsis------------------------------------------

54
54
60
62
65
67
71

�SECTION VII - STREETS AND ROADS ANALYSIS
Existing Conditions------------------------------Road Classifications-----------------------------Daily Traffic Volumes----------------------------Sidewalks, Curb and Gutter-----------------------Alternative Transportation Methods---------------Problem Areas------------------------------------Synopsis------------------------------------------

73
73
75
75
78
78
81

SECTION VIII - COMMUNITY FACILITIES/SERVICES
Municipal Administration-------------------------Public Safety------------------------------------Parks and Recreation Areas-----------------------Schools ------------------------------------------Library------------------------------------------Social Services----------------------------------Medical Services---------------------------------Solid Waste Disposal-----------------------------Cemetery -----------------------------------------Sewer/Water/Storm Sewer and Public Utilities-----Energy Conservation------------------------------Synopsis ------------------------------------------

85
85

87
88
90
90
90
91
91
91
92
92

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�TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART II
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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SECTION I - INTRODUCTION------------------------------

94

SECTION II - OVERALL LAND USE-------------------------

95

Incremental Development Patterns------------------

98

SECTION III - RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Residential Development-----

106
106
108
109
111

SECTION IV - COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Commerical Development-----SECTION V -

113
113
114
115
119

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Industrial Development------

122
122
123
123
125

SECTION VI - SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Sense of Community----------

126
127
127
128
129

�SECTION VII - PARKS AND RECREATION

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Parks and Recreation--------

130
131
131
132
133

SECTION VIII - TRANSPORTATION

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Transportation--------------

134
135
138
139
140

SECTION IX - PUBLIC FACILITIES, SCHOOLS AND SERVICES
Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Public Facilities, Schools
and Services---------------------------------

141
142
145
146
147

SECTION X - COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Community Health and Safety -

149
150
150
151
153

SECTION XI - NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY CONSERVATION
Goal---------------------------------------------Land Use-----------------------------------------Qualitative Description--------------------------Implementation-----------------------------------Financing Program for Natural Resources, Energy
Conservation---------------------------------

155
157
157
157
158

IMPLEMENTATION

Development Priorities---------------------------Implementation Schedule---------------------------

159
162

CONCLUSION--------------------------------------------

165

�LIST OF TABLES
PART I
TABLE
1
2
3
4

5
6

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7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32

EATON RAPIDS AGE/SEX CHARACTERISTICS----------EATON RAPIDS AND HAMLIN TOWNSHIPS AGE/SEX
COMPOSITION-----------------------------------CITY OF EATON RAPIDS, EATON RAPIDS AND HAMLIN
TOWNSHIPS AGE/SEX COMPOSITION-----------------YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED 18 YEARS OLD AND
OVER - 1980 -----------------------------------EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION - 1980 - PERSONS 16
YEARS AND OLDER-------------------------------POPULATION PROJECTIONS------------------------PLANNING AREA HOUSING UNITS-------------------HOUSING BUILT PRIOR TO 1940 (1987) ------------MEDIAN OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING VALUE-----------MEDIAN CONTRACT RENTS-------------------------UNITS LACKING SOME OR ALL PLUMBING: 1970, 1980 EATON RAPIDS HOUSING QUALITY------------------EMPLOYMENT PROFILE BY INDUSTRY - TRI-COUNTY
REGION----------------------------------------PER CAPITA AND HOUSEHOLD INCOME - TRI-COUNTY
REGION----------------------------------------VALUE ADDED BY MANUFACTURING------------------CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN MANUFACTURING FOR
LANSING MSA AND EATON COUNTY------------------RETAIL SALES----------------------------------PERSONAL INCOME - 1979-1984 -------------------EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY - 1980 -----------------TRI-COUNTY PROJECTED POPULATION, INCOME AND
EMPLOYMENT------------------------------------MEDIAN FAMILY INCOMES - 1970-1980 -------------MEDIAN FAMILY INCOMES - COMPARABLE CITIES-----RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS AND SALES - CITY OF
EATON RAPIDS - 1963 - 1982 --------------------VOLUME OF SALES - STATEWIDE RANKING FOR PLACES
OF 2,500 OR MORE------------------------------EATON RAPIDS REAL PROPERTY - STATE EQUALIZED
VALUES----------------------------------------TAX LEVY - CITIES OF COMPARABLE SIZE 1978/1987 CITY TAX LEVIES - 1978/1987--------------------SOILS IN EATON RAPIDS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS---EXISTING LAND USE 1967, 1987 ------------------VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON MAJOR STREETS------------PARK AND RECREATION AREAS---------------------EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES-------------------------

8
10
12
14
15
19
22
24
25
25
26
28
32
33
34
35
35
36
39
40
41
42
47
48
50
52
51
55
63
77
87
88

PART II

33
34
35

FUTURE LAND USE ALLOCATIONS-------------------SCHEDULED PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT---------------IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE------------------------

97
160
163

�LIST OF MAPS
PART I

MAP
LOCATION, CITY OF EATON RAPIDS------------------STRUCTURAL QUALITY SURVEY - 1967 ----------------STRUCTURAL QUALITY SURVEY - 1987 ----------------RETAIL MARKET AREA - EATON RAPIDS---------------EATON RAPIDS POSTAL ZIP CODE AREA---------------100 YEAR FLOOD AREA, CITY OF EATON RAPIDS-------EXISTING LAND USE-------------------------------RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS - CITY OF EATON RAPIDS STREET CLASSIFICATIONS--------------------------TRAFFIC COUNTS (YEAR) ---------------------------EXISTING CURB AND GUTTER------------------------EXISTING SIDEWALKS------------------------------DOWNTOWN PUBLIC PARKING LOTS--------------------IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED - LOCAL/MAJOR STREETS-------COMMUNITY FACILITIES----------------------------EATON RAPIDS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT--------------

1
2

3
4
5
6
7
8
9

10
11

12
13
14
15
16

4
23
29
44
45
57
64
66
74
76
79
80
82
83
86
89

PART I I

MAP
17

FUTURE LAND USE PLAN - CITY OF EATON RAPIDS 20-YEAR INCREMENT--------------------------------

105

17a
17b
17c

5-YEAR INCREMENT-------------------------------10-YEAR INCREMENT-------------------------------15-YEAR INCREMENT--------------------------------

102
103
104

18
19

FUTURE STREET PLAN------------------------------DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES---------------------------

137
161

LIST OF FIGURES
PART I

FIGURE
1
2

POPULATION GROWTH, EATON RAPIDS AND VICINITY---POPULATION PROPORTIONS OF PARENT AREAS EATON RAPIDS AND VICINITY-----------------------

6

7

�APPENDICES

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APPENDIX A - Procedure for Land Use Survey--------

166

APPENDIX B - Community Opinion Survey

City of Eaton Rapids----------------Eaton Rapids Township---------------Hamlin Township----------------------

168
176
184

APPENDIX C - Survey Results-----------------------

192

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PART I
EXISTING DEVELOPMENT ·

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SECTION I
INTRODUCTION

�INTRODUCTION

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This Comprehensive Development Plan for the City of Eaton
Rapids, Michigan, is an update of the City's original plan
which was adopted in 1969.
While many of the City's physical
characteristics remain much the same today as they did in
1969, and the number of people living in Eaton Rapids has not
increased to any noticeable extent, change has nonetheless
occurred, and will continue to occur. Much of that change is
manifested in ways of doing business, new technologies and
changing social values.
New retail marketing techniques
that focus on specialty items, increased reliance on telecommunications technology, home videos, increased popularity of
jogging and walking and increased use of the automobile are
examples of the changes that have occurred since 1969 that
impact upon the needs and character is tics of the City.
To
effectively keep pace with, and accommodate, these changes,
the City needs to consistently review and change, as necessary, its physical, social and economic structure.
At the
same time, it is important to recognize the cultural and
architectural heritage of the City and retain that heritage
in future development.
This will ensure a community that is
both vibrant and culturally attractive.
Hence, the reason
for updating the original plan.
To continue to meet the
needs of its residents and to remain competitive as an
attractive and accommodating place to live and to conduct
business, Eaton Rapids must consistently be looking to, and
preparing for, the future while at the same time retaining
those elements of the community that make it unique and
distinctive.
This Plan is the primary means of facilitating
these responsibilities.
The following describes the
that this text addresses:

elements of

community planning

What is Community Planning?
i .

Community planning is planning by municipal government.
It
is concerned with the solving of existing physical, social and
economic problems in the community.
It also guides future
community growth and development.
Community planning operates under the general objectives established by State legislation.
It is also controlled by the voters of the community
through their elected officials.
In putting into effect the
recommendations of the Planning Commission, the governing
body has the final authority.
The Planning Commission only
recommends, but does so on the basis of facts and their analyses.
The governing body has the authority to act on land
acquisition, bond issues, and the effectuation of the public
works program recommended by the Planning Commission.
It
also has final authority on zoning and other legislation to
regulate land uses and population densities.
This is the
legal and administrative framework of community planning.
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What Can Community Planning Accomplish?
The most important function of community planning is to coordinate the various physical elements that make up the community.
Its aim is to achieve optimum compatibility and
efficiency between these elements.
Community planning can
prevent duplication of effort among the various departments
of government and avoid competition for land and funds. Even
more importantly, community planning can influence the stabilization, conservation and improvement of private property
and natural resources.
In general, it aids in furthering the
welfare of the people.
What is the Comprehensive Development Plan?
The Comprehensive Development Plan is a product of the
planning process. Through text, maps and other graphic aids,
it explains the philosophy and desires of a community towards
the future.
Each community must be viewed as a unique area
because of the variety of factors that influence its growth.
The Comprehensive Development Plan seeks to express an ideal,
yet achieveable community in terms of existing conditions,
growth potential and accepted planning concepts and standards.
At the same time, the Plan is flexible enough so that
changing future conditions in such areas as technology and
demands for services can be met by the community. To be most
effective, the Comprehensive Development Plan must obtain the
joint participation of citizens and public officials in the
orderly development of the community.
This Plan differs from the City's original comprehensive plan
in two major areas.
It includes a community attitude survey
that identifies residents' concerns and ideas regarding physical, economic and administrative elements associated with
Eaton Rapids.
It also incorporates data and analysis of the
two surrounding townships - Eaton Rapids and Hamlin - in the
realization that the activities and programs that occur in
Eaton Rapids impact the surrounding areas and vice-versa.
In
essence, this Plan is of areawide scope and is designed to
address future development on an areawide basis.

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SECTION II
DESCRIPTION OF PLANNING AREA

�DESCRIPTION OF PLANNING AREA

Location
The City of Eaton Rapids is located geographically within the
townships of Hamlin and Eaton Rapids in Eaton County,
Michigan.
Eaton County is part of the Lansing Metropolitan
Statistical Area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, along
with Ionia County, Clinton County and Ingham County.
It is a
rural county which has historically been primarily agricultural in nature.
Located approximately 70 miles from the
Ohio border, 65 miles from the Detroit Metropolitan Area, 30
miles from Jackson and 40 miles from Battle Creek, the City
is within a two hour drive of the majority of the state I s
population.
Map 1 depicts the general location of the City
within the Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as
the Great Lakes region .

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

'MAP 1
TRI-COUNTY REGION
CITY OF EATON RAPIDS

Gove Associates Inc •
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SECTION Ill
POPULATION

�POPULATION

Introduction
People are a community's most valuable asset.
They are the
factor which allows the community to function as a complete
unit.
All other aspects of the community (i.e., government,
structures and thoroughfares) would cease to exist without
that one important element - people.
Characteristics of the City's population determine the
quality of life available within the City.
Local residents
through individual and collective efforts form the 'built'
environment (as distinguished from the natural environment).
This environment, consisting of industry, commerce, housing,
public places, streets and highways, is in turn intended to
serve those who live in and visit the City.
The built
environment and the local economy are dependent upon the
attitudes and backgrounds of local residents.
Such factors
as age, sex, education, income, life experiences and, most
importantly, attitude determine the type and quality of
lifestyle prevalent within the City.
These factors are consequently reviewed in detail below. Most of the data listed
and analyzed in this Plan is from the 1980 Census of
Population and Housing and, where possible, is updated to
current conditions using 1987 information.
It is assumed
througout the Plan that conditions have not dramatically
changed since the 1980 Census enough to substantially alter
any interpretation of that census data.
In those instances
where past trends allow for a calculated update of information, estimated figures will be used to arrive at an analysis of current conditions.
The population growth trends for the 1950-1980 period for
Michigan, the Lansing Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
(Eaton, Clinton, Ingham and Ionia counties), Eaton County,
Charlotte, and Eaton Rapids are presented in Figure 1.
The
Lansing SMSA is located within the lower quarter of the State
of Michigan.
It is centrally located in the midst of the
area bounded by Bay City-Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo,
Battle Creek and Detroit. In 1980, it had a total population
of 471,565 inhabitants representing an 11.1 percent increase
over 1970.
The Lansing SMSA is a relatively homogeneous
unit.
Population growth within the entire Lansing SMSA has
occurred at a faster rate than within the City of Eaton
Rapids, as noted on Figure 2.
From the Figure, it can be
seen that the City of Eaton Rapids has maintained relatively
the same share of the total Lansing SMSA population since
1950.
The percentage has fallen only slightly during the
period studied, from 1.2 percent in 1950 to 1.0 percent in
1980. While Eaton Rapid's population increased 28.5 percent

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between 1950 and 1980, the City declined as a proportion of
Eaton County's total population, falling from 8.8 percent to
5 .1 percent because of population growth in the county's
townships.
The City contained 3,509 inhabitants in 1950 and
grew to 4,510 persons in 1980.
The Community's population
growth rate closely parallels that of Charlotte, the Lansing
SMSA and the State (see Figure 1).
FIGURE 1
POPULATION GROWTH
EATON RAPIDS AND VICINITY - 1950-1980
Thousands
10,000

~-

Michigan
5,000
p

1,000
0

p

500
Lansing SMSA

u
L

100
A

------

T
50
Eaton County

I
0

------

-

~

10
N

~

Charlotte
5

~

-

EATON RAPIDS
0

1950
SOURCE:

U.S. Bureau of the Census

-6-

1960

1970

1980

�FIGURE 2
POPULATION PROPORTIONS OF PARENT AREAS
EATON RAPIDS AND VICINITY - 1950-1980

25
Michigan as% of the East
North Central Region

20

Eaton County as a % of
Lansing SMSA

15

:_ ,

/
----

10
("

Eaton Rapids as a % of
Eaton County

-

r---_

5

:~

Lansing SMSA as % of Michigan
Eaton Rapids as a % of
Lansing SMSA

0
1950

SOURCE:

--

1960

1970

1980

U.S. Bureau of Census
Age/Sex Composition

Age and sex composition of the City's population is an important factor to consider in establishing the policies and programs that will best serve local residents.
Needs and lifestyles differ among various age groups.
Certain economic
factors, i.e. types of retail goods stocked and sold, are
dependent upon the proportion of men and women living in the
area.
There are several identifiable stages or cycles that individuals go through during the span of a lifetime.
These stages
each bring different predominant needs which in turn affect
other elements of life in the City, especially retail trade
and public services. The table on the following page depicts
the 1970 and 1980 age and sex composition of the City's population.
-7-

�TABLE 1
E1\TON RAPIDS AGE/SEX CCMPOOITIOO

e

I

f

Total

(%)

1970*
FanaleC%)

Male

(%)

Total

(%)

1980**
Fanale (%)

Change in Total
Age Group
1970-80
( %} Number
(%)

Male

Pre-School

I 5 and
Under

593

(11.9)

276

(10.7)

317

(13.3)

413

(9.2)

207

(8.8)

206

(9.6

(-30.3)

-180

Elarentary

6-13

904

(18.2)

476

(18.4)

428

(18.0~

678

(15.0)

315

(13. 4)

363

c16 • 9 &gt;I

&lt;-25 • o &gt;

-226

Secondary

14-18

489

(9.9)

259

(10.0)

230

c9. 7 &gt;I

430

(9.5)

210

(8.9)

220

&lt;10 • 2 &gt;I

c-12 .1 &gt;

-59

College

19-24

427

(8.6)

220

(8.5)

207

(8. 7)1

416

(9.2)

219

(9.3)

197

&lt;9. 2 &gt;I

(-2.6)

-11

Young Family

25-34

599

(12.1)

307

(11.9)

292

(12.3)1

707

(15. 7)

362

(15.3)

345

Cl6 • o &gt;I c+10. o &gt; +108

Established
Family

I 35-54 11,025 ( 20 .6)

521

( 20 .1)

504

(21.2)1

915

(20.3)

476

(20.2)

439

( 20 • 4 ~ (-10 • 7 )

-110

Mature
Family

155-641

409

(8.2)

229

(8.8)

180

c7 .6 &gt;I

379

(8.4)

211

(8.9)

168

(7.8~

(-7.3)

-30

Retired

165+

I

523

(10.5)

300

(11.6)

223

(9.4)

572

(12.7)

359

(15.2)

213

(9.9)

(+9.4)

+49

Total(%)

I

I 4,969

c100.o&gt; 2,500 c100.o&gt; 2,301 c100.o&gt; 4,510 (100.0) 2,359 (100.0) 2,151 (100.0)

(-9.2)

-459

Median Age

29.0

*Consists of Census Tract 213, City of Eaton Rapids • .Actual 1970 population for Eaton Rapids was 4,494.
**In 1980, Census Tract 213 was expanded to include portions of Eaton Rapids Township, which \\Bre in
Tract 212 in 1970.
SOURCE:

1970, 1980 U.S. Census of Population -STF3A

)

-)

-j

�Table 1 indicates that the number of residents in the 25-34
year age group and retirees ( over 65) actually increased.
These figures imply that, at least for the near future, community land uses and services that are oriented toward these
age groups might be increased in number and scope.
The
increase in the young families age group also reflect the
potential for an increase in the number of children living in
the City during the next 5 to 10 years.

I

-

Although municipal boundaries define the characteristics of
the residents of a community, they do not circumscribe the
number and characteristics of those that work, shop and play
in that community.
The volume of business and type and
quality of retail merchandise sold in downtown Eaton Rapids,
the type of labor force employed in the City and the public
services and facilities (particularly park and recreation) in
Eaton Rapids are also dependent upon the general characteristics of the population living in the immediate vicinity,
outside the City's corporate limits.
Consequently, the size
and characteristics of this population group is also an
important factor in planning for Eaton Rapids.
That is, the
City and its surrounding environs interact with, and impact
upon, each other.
Therefore the two townships (Eaton Rapids
and Hamlin) adjacent to the City are included in the analysis
of the population, housing, employment and physical characteristics of the general area.
Table 2 describes the age and sex composition of the two primary townships ( Eaton Rapids and Hamlin) within the City's
commercial market area which provide employees and customers
for businesses within the City and users of public services
and facilities within the City.

'

-

Table 2 shows that the population of the area surrounding the
City (i.e. Eaton Rapids and Hamlin townships) grew by almost
70 percent between 1970 and 1980 ( at the same time Eaton
County's population increased by 28. 2%).
New construction
permits issued for these townships since 1980 indicate that
they are continuing to grow much faster than the City.
Between 1980 and 1987, 275 permits for new residential construction were issued in Eaton Rapids and Hamlin townships,
resulting in a total residential growth rate of 99.3 percent
for these two townships combined.
The greatest population increase in Eaton Rapids Township and
Hamlin Township between 1970 and 1980 was in the 35-54 year
age group.
This age group comprised the largest portion of
the total population in 1970 and 1980.
It is interesting to
note that two age groups gained population in the City
between 1970 and 1980 - the 25-34 age group and 65 and older
age group.
Although those over 65 increased by almost 60
percent in the surrounding townships they were the fifth

-9-

�TABLE 2
EATON RAPIDS AND HAMLIN ~SHIPS
AGE/SEX Ca-1POOITION

1970

l&gt;,qe

Pre-School

1
I-'

?

I

5 and
Under

I

Falla-re- (%)

Male

Total

(%)

1980
Female (%)

Male

Total

(%)

367

(12.4)

180

(12.2)

187

&lt;12.5&gt; I

445

(8.9)

225

(9.1)

220

(%)

(%)

Change in Total
Age Group
1970-1980
(%)
Number

C8. 7&gt; I 21.3

+78

Elerrentary

6-13

428

(14.4)

200

(13.6)

228

(15.2)

812

(16. 2)

400

(16 .1)

412

(16. 2)

89.7

+394

Secondary

14-18

341

(11.5)

158

(10.7)

183

(12. 2)

539

(10.7)

246

C9. 9)

293

(11.5)

58.1

+198

College

19-24

208

(7.0)

111

(7.5)

97

(6.5)

393

(7.8)

193

(7.8)

200

(7.9)

88.9

+185

Young Family

25-34

456

(15.4)

244

(16 .6)

212

(14. 2)

812

(16.2)

418

(16. 9)

394

(15.5)

78.1

+356

Established
Family

35-54

685

(23.1)

333

(22.6)

352

(23.5)

1,274

( 25. 4)

622

(25.1)

652

(25.6)

86.0

+589

228

(7.7)

100

(6.8)

128

(8.6)

347

(6.9)

178

(7.2)

169

C6. 7&gt; I 52.2

+119

255

( 8. 6)

145

( 9. 9)

110

(7.3)

396

(7.9)

196

(7.9)

200

(7.9)

I 59.2

+141

Mature
Family

155-64

Retired

65+

I

2,968 (100.0) 1,471 (100.0) 1,497 (100.0)

Total(%)
Median Age

~)

I

I 69.1 2,050

5,010 c100.o&gt; 2,478 c100.o&gt; 2,540 c100.o&gt;

29.3

;))

.)
-

--

.l

-·-- --

!

�.....

t ••

fastest growing age group and increased at a lower growth
rate than the County's population in general.
The fastest
growing age group in the two townships is the 6-13 age group,
followed closely by 19-24 year olds and those in the 35-54
year old category.
The median age of residents in the
surrounding townships was 29. 3 years in 1980, compared to
similar 29.0 years in the City.
These were slightly higher
than in the County, where the median age in 1980 was 28. 3
years.
Table 3 depicts the age/sex composition of the entire
planning area. Overall, the City and Townships experienced a
20 percent increase (almost 1,600) between 1970 and 1980.
The largest numerical increase was in the 35-54 year age
group (established family) while the highest rate of growth
occurred in the 25 to 34 year age group (44%).
The only age
group that lost population was the pre-school (5 and younger)
group. This followed the national trend of a declining birth
rate.
Household/Family Composition
The composition of those individuals in families, single person households or group (two or more unrelated individuals)
living quarters define the socio-economic character of the
City and its surrounding area.
The number and type of
housing units and the effective buying power and purchasing
habits of local residents are a function of the type and
number of households.
Households, then, should be considered
the primary unit for evaluating and projecting housing,
retail sales and community facilities.
In Eaton Rapids,
there were 1,568 households in 1970 while at the same time
Hamlin and Eaton Rapids townships contained 905 households.
By 1980, the City's households increased by 2. 6 percent to
1,608.
The number of households in the townships increased
to 1,544 (70.6% over 1970), compared to a 69.4 percent rate
of increase in the population over that period of time.
In
effect, the City
experienced a disbursement of household
members and an increase in smaller households resulting in a
gain of housing
uni ts
and
an average decrease in the
number of persons living in each household, while in the
surrounding townships the growth in households increased at a
slightly faster rate than the growth in population.
This is
verified by the fact that the median number of persons per
household within the townships decreased from 3. 55 to 3. 22
(0.33 persons) between 1970 and 1980, while in the City the
median household decreased from 3.17 persons per household to
2. 7 9 per sons per household ( O. 3 8 per sons) during the same
period.
If existing trends continue, the need for additional
housing will continue to exist even as population within the
City declines.
Population projections, however, indicate
that the City's population will increase over the next 20
years.
-11-

�■

TABLE 3

CITY OF FATON RAPIDS, FATON RAPIDS AND HAMLIN ~SHIPS
NJF./SEX CCMPOOITION

1970

Total

p,qe

Pre-School

I
I-'
tv
I

5 and I
Older

Falla-re- (%)

Male

Total

(%)

(%)

1980
Fanale (%)

Male

(%)

960

(12.1)

456

(11.2)

504

(13.0)

858

(9.0)

432

(8.9)

426

(9.1)

(-10.6)

-102

Elem:ntary

6-13

1,332

(16.8)

676

(16.7)

656

(16. 9)

1,490

(15.6)

715

(14.8)

775

(16.5)

(ll.9)

158

Secondary

14-18

830

(10. 5)

417

(10.3)

413

(10.6)

969

(10.2)

456

(9.4)

513

(10.9)

(16.7)

139

college

19-24

635

(8.0)

331

(8.1)

304

(7.8)

809

(8.5)

412

(8.5)

397

(8.5)

(27.4)

174

Young Family 25-34

1,055

(13.3)

551

(13.6)

504

(13.0)

1,519

(15. 9)

780

(16.1)

739

(15.8)

(44.0)

464

Established
Family

I 35-54 I 1, 110

(21.5)

854

(21.0)

856

c22.1&gt;

I 2,109

&lt;23.2&gt; I (28.0)

479

Mature
Family

155-64

637

(8.0)

329

(8.1)

308

(7.9)

Retired

65+

778

(9.8)

445

(11.0)

333

(8.6)

Total (%)

SOURCE:

)
C--J

I

(I)

Change in Total
Age Group
1970-1980
(%)
Nunber

I

7,937 (100.0) 4,059 (100.0) 3,878 (100.0)

I

(23.0) 1,098

(22.7) 1,091

389

(8.1)

337

(7.2)

I (14.0)

89

555

(ll.5)

413

(8.8)

(24.4)

190

9,528 (100.0) 4,837 (100.0) 4,691 (100.0)

(20.0)

1,591

726
968

(7 .6 &gt;
(10. 2)

1970, 1980 U.S. Census of Pq,ulation - SI'F3A

JJ

·1 )

�I

\.

\..

:',. __

Each community has households consisting of married couple
families, single parent families, and individuals or two or
more unrelated persons.
These different types of households
affect the type and quantity of local services and f acilities, retail merchandise available and physical composition
of the community.
In Eaton Rapids, there were 988 married
couple families in 1980, comprising 61.4 percent of all
households. This represents a 14.4 percent decrease from the
1,154 married couple families in the City in 1970, when they
comprised 73.6 percent of all households.
At the same time,
the number of families with a female householder with no husband present almost doubled from 91 ( or 5. 8% of all households) in 1970 to 177 in 1980 (11.0%) of all households.
Between 1970 and 1980, the number of non-family households
decreased substantially from 305 in 1970 to 59 in 1980.
These figures indicate that family and non-family households
make up the major portion of the population that migrated
from Eaton Rapids between 1970 and 1980, while single parent
households are becoming an increasingly larger component of
the City's population, although husband and wife families
still comprise the majority of the City's households.
Within the surrounding townships in 19 80, there were 1,234
married couple families making up 79.9 percent of all households, compared to 718 married couple families in 1970, when
they comprised 79.5 percent of all households.
By 1980, the
number of families with a female householders and no husband
present increased to 81 (or 5.2% of all households) from 45
( 5. 0% of all households) in 1970.
Non-family households
decreased from 119 in 1970 to 27 (1.7% of all households) in
1980.
Comparison of data between the City and surrounding
townships shows that the ratio of married couple families to
total households in the townships has been much more consistent than in the City.
At the same time, families with a
female householder (most likely widowed or divorced) increased at the same rate in both areas.

-13-

�Education/Occupation
Two primary determinants of the income earning capacity and
consequent spending power of individuals and households are
the extent of formal education and the related occupations of
local residents.
Table 4 depicts the education level of
residents 18 years and older in Eaton Rapids and Eaton Rapids
and Hamlin Townships in 1980.
TABLE 4
YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED
18 YEARS OLD AND OVER - 1980

Eaton Rapids City
Percent
Number
of Total
Elementary (0-8 Yrs.)
Through High School
(1-3 Yrs.&gt;
High School ( 4 Yrs.)

833

27.4

883

26. 7

1,343

44.1

1,706

51.6

517
229
122

17.0
7.5
4.0

474
138
104

14.3
4.2
3.2

3,044

100.0

3,305

100.0

College
- 1 to 3 Yrs.
- 4 Yrs.
- 5 or More Yrs.
Total
SOURCE:

Townships
Percent
Number
of Total

1980 Census STF3A

Table 4 shows that residents of the City in 1980 had more of
a tendency to have some college education than residents of
the townships (28.5% of all residents over 18 in the City compared to 21.7% of all township residents in that age group).
This fact should be reflected in a higher per capita annual
income for the · City's residents and a higher proportion of
occupations that require a formal education. The occupational
characteristics of the residents of the City, surrounding
townships and the City of Mason are depicted in Table 5.

-14-

~

;

�_.,,,-...,.

TABLE 5
EMPIDYMENI' BY OCCUPATION - 1980
PERSONS 16 YEARS AND OLDER

i '

-

\
,,

~

L

Townships
Eaton Rapids City
Percent
Percent
Number of Total
Number of Total

,·'L.,;
r·-I-.

...

f ,

L:

't
'
'-:::--

'~

'·

.

'.

City of Mason
Percent
Number of Total

Executive, Administrative,
Managerial

159

8.8

146

7.0

231

8.5

Professional Specialty

219

12.0

149

7.1

391

14.4

Technicians and Related
Support

38

2.1

32

1.5

59

2.2

Sales

163

9.0

190

9.1

289

10. 6

Clerical Support

317

17.4

355

17.0

585

21.6

Private Household Services

18

1.0

9

0.4

19

0.7

Protective Services

11

1.0

18

1.0

41

1.5

269

14.8

129

6.2

257

9.5

0

84

4.0

51

1.9

Services, Except Protective
and Household
Farming, Forestry and
Fishing

6

Precision Production,
Craft and Repair

200

11.0

377

18.1

338

12.4

Machine Operators,
Assemblers and Inspectors

287

15.8

339

16.3

225

8.3

Transportation, Material
Moving

75

4.1

140

6.7

122

4.5

Handlers, Equiprrent
Cleaners, Helpers, Laborers

55

3.0

117

5.6

105

3.9

1,817

100.0

2,085

100.0

2,713

100.0

Total Persons
16 Years and Older
OOURCE:

1980 Census STF3A

·;-.,--

'&lt;---~,,

-15-

�Table 5 shows that a higher proportion of residents of the
City tend to have professions that require a formal education
beyond high school.
That is, a larger percentage of the
City's residents than those living
in the surrounding
townships are engaged in administrative, managerial, professional specialty, and technical occupations.
At the same
time, a larger proportion of township residents than City
residents had occupations, such as production, craft and
repair,
machine
operators,
assemblers
and
inspectors,
transporters and laborers, that require less technical and
formal education.
It is also interesting to note that a
substantially larger proportion of the City's residents than
the townships' residents had service occupations in 1980
( 14. 8% compared to 6. 2%).
These are primarily associated
with commercial services and office activities.
Population Projections
The number and composition of the population of the City and
surrounding townships over the next 20 years will be the
foundation upon which community facilities and services, land
use, housing, employment and retail trade will be structured.
While it is not possible to project the composition of the
area's future population, it is possible to estimate the
number of people that will most likely live in the City and ·
surrounding townships over the next 20 years.
The following
depicts three methods used to estimate the projected population for the City of Eaton Rapids to the year 2010.
Method I:

Past Growth Trend - Based on actual Census counts
over past 30 years.
Year
Population

1950
3,509

1960
4,052

1970
4,494

1980
4,510

Growth rates vary from 15. 5% between 1950 and
1960 to 10.9% between 1960 and 1970 to 0.36% between 1970 and 1980 or an average growth rate of
8.9% over a 10 year period.
If this average is
used, the following projections will result.
Year
Population
Method II:

1990
4,911

1995
5,129

2000
5,348

2005
5,586

2010
5,824

Population projection using new housing construction and household densities.
The following are median
taken from Census data:

household

1970

3.17 persons per household

1980

2.79 persons per household

-16-

densities

�There is a decrease of .38 persons per household
between 1970 and 1980, which is equivalent to a
12 percent decrease.
It is assumed that the percentage change value will decrease one point
every 10 years until 2010. The resulting projection of household densities is as follows:

-...,

1987
2.57

1990
2.48

1995
2.36

2000
2.23

2005
2.13

2010
2.03

The number of occupied housing units in the City
for 1986 is estimated by adding the total of new
housing uni ts constructed in the City between
1980 and 1986 (discounted by 4% for average
vacancy rate), to the total occupied housing
stock in 1980.
There is an estimated total of
1,740 uni ts for 1986, compared to 1,608 in 1980
(from the U.S. Census of Housing).
The projected future occupied housing
stock
(based on the 1980-86 construction rate) is:
1987
1,761

1990
1,827

1995
1,937

2000
2,046

2005
2,156

2010
2,265

Multiplying the estimated number of occupied
units by the estimated average household density
for each year yields the following population
projection:
;

,_

.

i

'

'

Year
Population
Method

L.

III:

Year
Population

1987
4,526

1990
4,531

1995
4,571

Use Tri-County Regional
for Eaton Rapids.*
1987
4,544

1990
4,558

1995
4,582

2000
4,563

2005
4,592

Population
2000
4,606

2005
4,630

2010
4,598
projections
2010
4,655

r ·
j
I -

*Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, October 1988,
Lansing, Michigan

-17-

�Method I represents a high projected growth in population.
Method II depicts a low increase in population and Method III
can be considered the medium projection.
The accepted projection for this Plan is that shown in Method III, or the
medium projection.
The 1980 population in the two surrounding townships totalled
5,018.
Again, three projection methods can be used to estimate the future population for this area.
The first method
utilizes past growth trends for each 10 year period, which
varied from 21.5 percent between 1950 and 1960 to 69.4 percent between 1970 and 1980.
Using an average 10 year growth
rate
of
45. 5
percent,
the
following
projections
are
established:
Method I

Year
Population

1990
7,300

1995
8,962

2000
10,623

2005
13,040

2010
15,457

The second method is based on actual new housing construction
data and the change in household densities for the two
townships.
The density change in households in Eaton Rapids
and Hamlin townships between 1970 and 1980 was -0.32 persons.
That is, the average household density decreased from 3. 55
persons in 1970 to 3.23 persons in 1980.
Between 1980 and
July 1987, 275 new "stick-built" and mobile residential units
were constructed in this area.
Projecting the future average household density for the two
townships through 2010 and multiplying that by the projected
number of housing uni ts, based upon 1980-198 7 construction
permits, yields the following population projections:
Method II
Year
Population

1990
5,709

1995
5,885

2000
6,004

2005
6,437

2010
6,417

The third method, as in the projections for the City, is to
utilize regional projections. These projections, provided by
the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, are as follows:
Method III

Year
Population

1990
7,173

1995
8,050

2000
8,926

2005
9,802

2010
10,679

In this instance, Method III, using the regional projections,
is the medium projection and will be used as the estimate of
future population for this Plan.

-18-

�Consequently, the following table recaps the population that is
projected for the Planning Area to the year 2010.
These forecasts
are
based
on past
trends
and reflect
the most
"reasonable" middle line estimates for the planning period.
TABLE 6

POPULATION PROJECTIONS
Estimate
1987

t' "'.

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

City of
Eaton Rapids

4,544

4,558

4,582

4,606

4,630

4,655

Hamlin and Eaton
Rapids Townships

6,527

7,173

8,050

8,926

9,802

10,679

11,071

11,731

12,632

13,532

14,432

15,334

I .

'L,

'

Total
Planning Area
SOURCE:

Gove Associates Inc. Projections; Tri-County Region
Population Projections
Synopsis

Historically, the City has grown at about the same rate as the
rest of the Region. However, between 1970 and 1980, the City's
growth rate was substantially lower than in the preceding
decades.
The surrounding townships experienced a relatively
large increase in population, with a 60 percent growth rate.
Based upon past trends, the City is expected to continue to
grow, although that growth will not be significant.
At the
same time, the townships should increase by more than 4,000
people.
Overall, the need for housing will continue, in both
the City and townships, as the size of individual households
continues to decline.
While forecasts are based upon past trends, these projections
can change in response to local policies and development decisions.
For example, if the City were to actively pursue residential (including multiple-family) development within its
municipal boundaries, the rate of population growth could
increase.
Additionally, the projected growth in Eaton Rapids
Township and Hamlin Township could provide a solid base for
increased commercial development within Eaton Rapids.

-19-

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l;

SECTION IV
HOUSING

�'

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HOUSH~

Housing Characteristics
Many elements of a community make up its quality of life, and
housing is one of the most important elements.
Housing is
unique because it is really the only component with the community that is intimately associated with each household and
at the same time, when taken as a whole, is a primary community resource. Whereas businesses and community facilities
are important to the total perception and functioning of an
area, they are not as integral to household functioning as
individual residences.
Consequently, the quality of housing
more directly reflects the quality of life of a household.
Housing Occupancy

l.

l ..

1 •-.

Housing occupancy refers to owner-occupied, renter-occupied
or vacant housing that is available for occupancy.
In 1970
there were 1, 714 housing uni ts in the City ( of which 1,640
were year-round) and 944 residences in the surrounding
townships (of which 940 were year-round).
At that time in
the City 1,219, or 74 percent, of the year-round units were
occupied by households that owned their own residence, while
342 units (21%) were renter-occupied and 70 units (5%) were
vacant.
Compared to the surrounding townships, where owneroccupied housing comprised 81 percent of all year-round units
and renter-occupied housing made up 14. 5 percent of yearround housing, the City had a larger renter base. The City's
position as a center for rental activity increased during the
1970-1980 decade.
By 1980, even though the total number of
housing uni ts in the City actually declined to 1,700, the
year-round housing increased to 1,665, or 98 percent of the
total supply, indicating that the majority, if not all, of
the units that were removed during the 1970's were seasonal.
During the same 10 year period, the number of owner-occupied
houses decreased by 55 units while 102 new rental units were
added to the housing stock.
Eaton Rapids and Hamlin
townships experienced a
substantial increase in owneroccupied housing (to 1,366 units) while only 41 rental units
were added to the housing supply in those areas.
By 1980,
therefore, owner-occupied housing comprised 70 percent of the
City's supply of year-round housing, compared to 85 percent
for the townships.
At the same time, rental housing made up
27 percent of the City's year-round stock and only 11 percent
of the townships'.
New housing in the City between 1980 and July, 1987 continued
to be oriented toward rental uni ts.
Of the 13 7 new uni ts
built during that period, 18 were duplexes and 86 were
multiple-family apartments, while only 33 were single-family

-20-

�structures.
At the same time, 275 uni ts were built in the
townships, including 45 mobile homes.
Although no data is
available to determine the proportion of those new units that
are being rented, it is estimated (using the same proportion
of rental uni ts to year-round uni ts that existed in 1980)
that there were 215 rental uni ts in the townships in July,
1987, or an increase of 37 rental units over 1980. Table 7 Planning Area Housing Uni ts - depicts the changes that have
occurred over the past 17 years within the City and
townships.
The table also indicates that single-family homes in the
surrounding
townships
represented the largest numerical
increase in housing type within the area. Very few multiplefamily units have been built in the townships,
while
multiple-family housing increased at a faster rate than any
other housing type in the City.
As a matter of fact, the
majority of new housing units in the City between 1970 and
1987 was multiple-family housing, reflecting the trend toward
more mobility and a changing household composition (more
single persons and childless couples).
Age of Housing Stock
An important indicator of the quality and cultural significance of a community's housing stock is its age.
In 1970,
59 percent of the City's housing was built before 1940, that
is, 30 years old or older.
By 1980, 46. 6 percent of all
housing uni ts in the City were built before 1940 and, of
those, 26 percent were rental uni ts.
Almost 46 percent of
all rental units were constructed prior to 1940, compared to
almost 48 percent for all owner-occupied housing, indicating
that, in general, deteriorated housing is not concentrated
within rental units although owner-occupied housing
is
typically maintained in better condition than rental housing.
Within the surrounding
areas
(Eaton Rapids and Hamlin
townships), 50 percent of all housing was built before 1940,
as reported in the 1970 Census.
By 1980, only 33 percent of
all the townships' housing was constructed prior to 1940.
Among all rental uni ts in 1980, 50 percent were constructed
before 1940, while 30 percent of all owner-occupied housing
was 40 years or older.
According to the 1969 Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Development
Plan survey, the largest proportion of the City's oldest
housing units were located in the northwest and central sections; that is, the area bordered by Alice Street on the
south and the Grand River on the east (see Map 2).
Table 8
displays the current distribution of older housing in the
Study Area, as of July 1987.

-21-

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TABLE 7
PLANNING AREA HOUSING UNITS

City of Eaton Rapids

-

I of
1970

I of

'lbtal

70-8

I of

1980

Total Units

100.0

1,700

100.0

1,837

100.0

7.2

944

100.0

Year-Round

1,640

96.3

1,673

97.9

1,810

98.5

9.7

943

99.9

Renter--0::cupied

2 to 9
10 or M:ire
M::&gt;bile Hailes or
Trailer

I of
Ox~ied

1970

I of
Oxueied

Total

Total

July
1987

1,606

100.0

1,881

100.0

99.3

1,606

100.0

1,881

100.0

99.5

1980

I of
CX:cupied

I of
CX:cupied

1970

Total

1980

'lbtal

July
1987

2,658

100.0

3,306

100.0

3,718

100.0

39.9

97.6

3,279

99.2

3,691

99.3

42.3

2,593

I of
Ox~ied

I of
Oxupied

'of

Chart;jE

Total

70-8

I of
Oxueied

I of
Ox~ied

1,164

72.4

1,197

68.6

-1.8

766

84.8

1,366

88.5

1,604**

88 . 2

109.4

1,985

80.6

2,530

80.3

2,801**

78.6

41.l

342

21.9

444

27.6

548

31.4

60.2

137

15.2

178

11.5

215**

11.8

56.9

479

19.4

622

19.7

763**

21.4

59.3

1,360*

I of

I of

I of

I of

I of

I of

I of

I of

I of

YearRound

YearRound

YearRound

YearRound

Year-

Year-

Round

Round

YearRound

YearRound

YearRound

1,353

80.9

1,386

76.6

1.9

938*

99.5

1,447

90.l

1,677

89.2

78.8

2,298*

88.6

2,800

85.4

3,063

83.0

33.3

278

269

16.l

293

16.2

5.3

5

0.5

46

2.9

46

2.4

820.0

283

10.9

315

9.6

339

9. 2

19.8

12

23

1.4

103

5.7

758.3

0

11

0.7

11

0.6

-

12

0.5

34

1.1

114

3.1 850.0

28

l. 7

28

1.5

N/A

102

6.3

147

7.8

WA

130

4. 0

175

4.7

-

82.9

-

*Includes M'.Jbile Hailes or Trailer
*"Gove Esturates
SOURCE:

I
I of

I of

78.l

Year-Round

Sin, le-Family

Total

I of

Total

I
I of Chan;ie
80-87
Total

1,219

lb. of Units
in Structure:

I

Olan;jE

'lbtal

Owner--Ocx::upied

IV
IV

'

I of

1,714

I of
Ox~ied

I

July
1987

Eaton ~ids &amp; Hamlin '11::7wnshies

U.S. Census 1970 Census Tract Data; 1980 srF3A; Field Survey; Consuner Questionnaire; Buildin, Permit Data

-

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Legend

.

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SOUND

c=J

MINOR

CD

SXJia:

MAJOR

REHABILITATION

-

MAP 2
STRUCTURAL QUALITY SURVEY - 1967

STANDARD'

REHABILITATION - DEFICIENT

SUBSTANDARD
STRUCTURAL

QUALITY

DISTRICTS

F.aton Rapids Carprehensive Developuent Plan, 1969

@

Gove Associates Inc.

-23-

: = = ; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -- - -- -- - - - - - -

�TABLE 8

r:

HOUSH-13 BUILT PRIOR TO 1940 (1987)

;·-;"'

YearRound
No. of
Units

'

l

, ...,
i

% of
% of
of
No.
of
Total
Total
No.
of
Total
OwnerRenter- RenterYear- ownerRound Occu:eied Occu:eied Occu:eied Occu:eied
%

l

City of
Eaton Rapids

;
~

770

42.7

555

46.4

203

37.0

Eaton Rapids/
Hamlin Twps • 533

28.3

415

25. 9

89

41. 3

1,303

35.4

970

34.6

292

38.2

!

."
.,,

~

I
1

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Total

SOURCE: U.S. 1980 Census STF3A; Local Building Permit Records

r

1

In general, the City's housing stock is proportionally older
than the townships, with owner-occupied housing containing
the larger percentage of older units while the townships have
a higher proportion of older rental housing than the City.
Newer housing units (those built since 1970), while not
indicative of over all housing quality, do reflect the relative growth, change and vitality of the community.
Since
1970, 353 new housing uni ts have been constructed in Eaton
Rapids, representing over 19 percent of the City's total
housing supply.
Eaton Rapids and Hamlin Townships combined
have had 586 new homes constructed since 1970 ( 31% of the
total housing stock in these areas).
Forty-five percent of
the new units constructed within the City since 1970 have
been multiple-family while the majority (76%) constructed
since 1980 have been dwellings of two or more units.
Within
the two townships, only seven percent of all new housing
since 1970 has been multiple-family ( 2 or more uni ts) and
since 1980 there have been no new multiple-family units
constructed.
Housing Value
The market value of housing, both in terms of median value
and percentage of housing under a specified value, is a good
indicator of housing quality as well as housing demand.
In
1970, the median value of an owner-occupied residence in the
City was $14,300 while the median value of an owner-occupied
house within the two townships was 9. 8 percent higher at
$15,700. At the same time, the median value of a house in

-24-

�Eaton County was $17,900 or 25 percent higher than in Eaton
Rapids Township and 14 percent higher than in the two
townships.
By 1980, owner-occupied residences in the City
had a median value of $34,200 - an increase of 139 percent
over 1970, and by 1988 the average sale price of a house in
Eaton Rapids was $51,395.
Between 1970 and 1980, owneroccupied housing in the township increased in value by 196
percent to $46,500 while within the County in general, the
value of such housing jumped by 155 percent to $45,600.
Table 9 shows these housing values.
TABLE 9
MEDIAN OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSIN:i VALUE
AverA9e
Sale
Price

Percent
Chanqe

1970

1980

Eaton Rapids

$14,300

$34,200

$51,395

+139

+50.l

Townships

$15,700

$46,500

N/A

♦ 196

N/A

~17.900

~45.600

N/A

+155

N,!'.A

Eaton Count:z'.
SOURCE,

1988

1970-80 1980-88

1970, 1980 Census of Housinq1 Tri-County Regional

Planning co-ission

These large rates of appreciation between 1970 and 1980
occurred during a period of artifically high inflation and
housing prices during the 1980-1988 period appreciated at
about one-third the 1970-1980 rates.
These figures do,
however, show that the value of owner-occupied housing in the
City appreciated at a slower rate than within the County as a
whole, while housing in the townships realized a substantially greater increase in value than in both the City and
remainder of the County.
Median contract rent is another indicator of the quality of
housing, although it is also dependent upon the availability
of supply and the extent of local demand for rental uni ts.
Table 10 depicts the median contract rents paid to landlords
in the townships, City and County in 1970 and 1980, as well
as an average rental rate for the City for 1989.
TABLE 10
MEDIAN MONTHLY CONTRACT RENTS
Percent
Change
1970-ilO
1980-89

1970

1980

1989

Eaton Rapids

S 84

$169

$470*

+101

♦ 178

Townships

s

72

$201

N/A

♦ 179

N/A

!107

$227

N/A

+112

N/A

Eaton Count:z'.
SOURCE:

1970, 1980 Census of Housing: Local realtor

*Represents average of rents ranging fro■ $225 for one
bedroo■ apart-nt, to $720 for new three bedroom house.

-25--,

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Median contract rents have changed most dramatically in the
townships, while the slowest rate of rent increases occurred
in the City.
It is interesting to note that during this 10
year period the cost of renting in the townships surpassed
the cost of renting in the City.
This comparative change in
ranking of rental rates between the City and townships
occurred in spite of the fact that there were more renteroccupied units added to the City's housing stock than to the
townships' housing stock.
The greater increase within the
townships may be due to a relatively larger proportion of new
rental housing having been built in those jurisdictions. The
increase in rental rates in the City was substantially higher
in the 1980-89 period than the period between 1970 and 1980
( 178% vs 101%).
This can partially be attributed to thehigher inflation that occurred in the early 1980's.
It can
also be attributed to a low supply/high demand factor for
adequate rental housing and the fact that the increased cost
of buying a home has caused many households to remain in the
rental market.
There is no current data available for
average rents paid in the townships.
However, based upon
1980 data and assuming a strong correlation between the rent
paid and the quality of the unit, the overall quality of rental housing in the City is lower than in the townships.

Plumbing Facilities
''

.

l.
! .

The lack of certain basic plumbing facilities is sometimes
used as an indicator to determine the presence of substandard
housing in a community.
In Eaton Rapids, 80 units or 4. 7
percent showed the lack of some or all plumbing facilities in
1970, including 48 owner-occupied, 21 renter-occupied and 11
vacant units.
By 1980, the number of these units decreased
substantially to 18, including 11 owner-occupied and six
renter-occupied. The percentage of units without plumbing is
substantially lower than either the townships, County or
State.
TABLE 11
UNITS LACKIN3 SOME OR ALL PLUMBIN3:

,-·

1970, 1980

f

No.
1970
Eaton Rapids
Eaton Rapids and
Hamlin Townships
Eaton County
State of Michigan

•

SOURCE:

% of
Total
Units

80
87

4.7
9.2
N/A

123,827

No.
1980
18
41
423
30,215

% of
Total
Units
1.1
2.6

-77.5
-47.1

1. 3
0.8

-75.7

1970, Census Tract Data; 1980 Census, STF3A

-26-

%

Change
1970-80

�Housing Quality

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A "windshield" housing survey was conducted in the City of
Eaton Rapids in the summer of 1987. The purpose of this survey was to gather data which would identify existing land
uses and provide the basis for determining the quality of the
existing housing stock within the City.
The information
contained in this section will help to establish present and
future housing needs, goals and objectives, and will aid in
determining suitable methods for achieving future housing
requirements.
The determination of housing quality was based on the
exterior appearance of the structure. The criteria ·for identifying and mapping structures is included in the Appendix.
Essentially, the determination of the soundness of a structure was based upon the degree of deterioration observed
through visual inspection.
If a house needed relatively
little work to bring it up to standard condition, it was considered sub-standard.
If it needed serious or major modifications, it was designated as dilapidated.
As in any community, the housing stock is one of Eaton
Rapid's primary resources.
An adequate supply of good
quality housing, available to families at all income levels,
is important to the general health and well being of the
City's residents.
An adequate housing stock is also an
important resource for attracting new development to the area
and for maintaining an aesthetically pleasing residential
environment within the City.
The results of the windshield survey, combined with derived
estimates of total housing units, shows that approximately 25
percent of the structures within the City are sub-standard or
dilapidated (Table 12).
Approximately 375 structures were
estimated to be in a sub-standard condition, while 80 were
estimated to be in a dilapidated condition.
Sub-standard
structures would require minor rehabilitation to be restored
to a standard condition.
Dilapidated structures would
require major rehabilitation to be restored to a standard
condition.

-27-

A .i

�TABLE 12
EATON RAPIDS HOUSIN3 QUALITY
f .......

Classification
Standard
Sub-Standard
Dilapidated
Total
SOURCE:

\
' •.

No. of Structures

% of Total

1,380
375
82

75.1
20.4
4.5

1,837

100.0

Gove Associates Inc.; Land Use Survey, 1987

Generally speaking, the overall quality of the housing stock
in Ea ton Rapids is good.
The majority of sub-standard and
dilapidated housing is located on the west side of the Grand
River, north of Grand Street and northwest of Michigan
Street.
These are the older residential neighborhoods with
smaller building lots and housing units. Most of the housing
in standard condition is located in the eastern section of
the City.
3 describes the general locations of concentrations of
dilapidated and sub-standard housing, as well as those areas
that are primarily or entirely developed with housing in
standard condition.

Map

Synopsis

l.

l

l ..

Eaton Rapids is experiencing a transition from a housing
stock that is predominantly sing le-family owner-occupied to
one that is expanding with rental uni ts, especially apartments.
Because the City has been the center of development
and settlement in this portion of the county, its housing
stock
is
generally
older
than
the
housing
found
in
surrounding
townships,
where
development
is
relatively
recent.
Since about 80 percent of the City's housing uni ts
were built before 1970, it is likely that many residences in
Eaton Rapids are not in conformance with current standard
housing codes.
The age of these uni ts, combined with the
fact that many are on smaller lots, has resulted in a relatively lower median value compared to housing in surrounding
areas.
Overall, however, most of the City's housing is in
fair-to-good condition, with pockets of one or more uni ts
that are deteriorating.
A primary objective should be to
protect and enhance the housing that now exists in the City
while rehabilitating those units that are worth saving.
The
resulting impact should be an improved and quality-oriented
inventory of housing.

-28-

�EATON RAPIDS#

.
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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 3
STRUCTURAL QUALITY" SURVEY - 1987

legend

UOlilllllli

STANDARD

Wffe./41
it,:,'A

MINOR REHABILITATION

scx.mcE:

MAJOR REHABILl~ATION

Eaton Rapids rana. Use

Gove Associates Inc.

survey, 1987
-29-

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SECTION V

'

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I

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,

ECONOMY

�ECONOMY
Introduction
The development of a community is influenced to a great
extent by economic activity within and near its boundaries.
Studies of the local and regional economy are therefore
essential as a basis for forecasting the type, amount and
timing of the growth that will occur in the community and
consequently the public facilities that will be required.

Regional Economy
The economy of a community is heavily influenced by regional
trends.
In large part, when the reg ion is prospering, this
prosperity is reflected in local communities.
For this
reason, regional economic trends need to be assessed before
local trends are evaluated.

, .,
I

!I

•

',... .

As mentioned previously, the City of Eaton Rapids is in Eaton
County, which is part of the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), consisting of Eaton, Ingham,
Ionia and Clinton counties.
The City of Lansing, the state
capital,
is located in the northwest portion of Ingham
County, less than 20 miles north of Eaton Rapids.
Because of
the City's proximity to Lansing and its location within the
Lansing MSA, the economic trends of the MSA directly affect
the economy of Eaton Rapids.
The Tri-County Region•sl
economic base has historically been
associated with automobile manufacturing and state government
employment.
Although the automobile industry has been
declining it still remains a major employment source within
the Reg ion.
As with the country as a whole, the Reg ion's
economy is becoming increasingly oriented toward nonmanufactur ing ind us tries, such as professional services, motel and
restaurant employment.
The Lansing-East Lansing area is the economic as well as
political center of the Reg ion.
The three major employers
are the State of Michigan, employing 22,200 people, Michigan
State University,
with
9,500
employees
and the BuickOldsmobile-Cadillac Group of General Motors, which employs
23,000 people.
Auto related manufacturing firms in the area

1 The Lansing-East Lansing MSA encompasses Eaton, Clinton,
Ing ham and Ionia counties, while the Reg ion consists of
Eaton, Clinton and Ingham counties.

-30-

�also employed about 14,000 persons in 1984.
In addition,
6,000 people are employed in agriculture or agriculturalrelated industries within the three county area.

,,,-....
'?'

The characteristics of employment in the Region, as mentioned
earlier, have changed over time from a strong emphasis on
manufacturing to a nonmanuf actur ing employment base.
Table
13, which shows the profile of regional employment in 1979,
1984 and August 1987, reflects that change.
As depicted in Table 13, the Reg ion experienced an overall
decrease in employment between 1979 and 1984, when inflation
and unemployment were high and a recession in effect.
The
recovery from that period of economic downturn is displayed
by the increase in the Reg ion's employment between 1984 and
1987.
Among those major industrial sectors identified in
Table 13, federal government employment increased at the
fastest rate between 1979 and 1987, followed by wholesale
trade and retail trade.
The largest decrease occurred in
construction employment, which declined by 28 percent between
1979 and 1984 and has pretty well stabilized since that time.
Manufacturing also lost a relatively large proportion of its
employment base during the 1979-1984 period but experienced a
slight gain between 1984 and 1987.
The net loss in manufacturing -jobs over the 1979-1987 period was the largest among
all sectors.

-31-

,,,,--....

,.

�TABLE 13

n.

EMPLOYMENI' PROFILE BY INDUSTRY
TRI-&lt;X&gt;UNTY REX:;ION*

}
~

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%

r-:

Change
1979-84

%

August
1987

%

Change Change
1984-87 1979-87

1979

1984

State and weal Governrrent

55,198

53,933

2.3

56,200

+4.2

+1.8

Manufacturing

40,527

34,892

-13.9

36,000

+3.2

-11.2

Services

37, 769

42,985

+13.8

37,100

-15.9

-1.8

Retail Trade

31,077

30,615

-1.5

31,900

+4.2

+2.6

Finance, Insurance,
Real Estate, Banking

12,693

14,140

+11.4

11,700

-21.0

-7.8

Construction

8,446

6,046

-28.4

6,000

Agriculture

6,673

6,396

-4.2

N/A

Transportation, Utilities

5,668

4,983

-12.1

5,100

+2.3

-10.0

Woolesale Trade

5,775

5,274

-8.7

7,000

+32.7

+21.1

Federal Governrrent
(Civilian)

2,449

2,875

+15.0

3,100

+7.8

+24.0

i

Military

1,067

1,275

+19.5

N/A

l ,.

Other (Industry classification not available)

2,611

3,708

+42.0

28,800

210,003

207,122

-1.4

222,900

+7.6

+6.1

L_~
'

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ra

!L~
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:

l ;
f

•

i'

0

-29.0

I

I •

f
L ••

Total

I•
;·

~ -··•

* In 1985, Benchmark adjustrrents were made to civilian labor force errployrrent and
unerrployrrent figures to reflect new population controls and errployrrent count
adjustrrents. Consequently, direct carparisons between pre-1985 and post-1985
data are not necessarily achieved. In addition, the 1987 data is fran the
Michigan E:cployment Security Carmission Lansing Labor Market Review while 1979
and 1984 data are taken fran Michigan Departrrent of Ccmnerce data.
Therefore
'other' errployment figures are not carparable.
SOURCE:

Michigan Departrrent of Ccmnerce, Econanic Profiles of Clinton, Eaton and
Ingham Counties

-32-

�Household incomes are another indicator of tne strength of
the regional economy.
Tanle 14 describes the per capita and
average household incomes for the Region for 1980 and 1985.
TABLE 14
PER CAPITA AND HOUSEHOLD INCOME
TRI-COUNTY REGION
1980-85
%

Per Capita
Household
SOURCE:

1980

1985

Increase

$7,609

$10,943

43.8

$23,278

$31,066

33.4

1985 Local Population Estimates, U.S. Census

The Region's per capita income of $10,943 in 1985 was 0.4
percent higher than the 1985 statewide per capita income of
$10,902. ·
Dollar Value Added by Manufacturing - This measure is one of
the best and most accurate means of analyzing the importance
of manufacturing in a region.
The dollar value added by
manufacturing is the amount of income which is derived from
all manufactured goods after all expenses for the cost of
materials, supplies, containers, fuel, purchased electricity
and contract work have been subtracted from the value of
shipments of manufacturing establishments.
Between 1967 and 1982, the total dollar value added by manufacturing in the Lansing-East Lansing MSA increased by 158
percent.
A smaller increase (127%) occurred at the state
level.
Eaton County has a minor portion of the dollar value added
by manufacturing in the state and in the MSA.
Three per
cent of the total state figures and 6. 3 percent of the MSA
value was produced in Eaton County in 1982.
However, in the
County,
the
dollar
volume added by manufacturing
has
increased faster than both the state and the Region at 246
percent.

-33-

�TABLE 15
VALUE ADDED BY MANUFACTURING
Million Dollars
Lansing
State

i '

l

.t

~A

% of
State

% of
calhoun State

Eaton

% of
State

Jackson

% of
State

1982

$39,ll8 -l

$1,892.4

4.8

$1,049.5

2.7

$119.4

0.3

$481. 7

1.4

1977

37,566.0

1,435.5

3.8

944.2

2.5

ll2.4

0.3

542.9

1.4

1972

23,377.4

981.4

4.2

635.0

2.7

59.9

0.3

377.9

1.6

1967

17,241.6

733.0

4.25

473.4

2.7

34.5

0.2

277.9

1.6

scx.H:E:

Census of Manufacturers

New Capital Expenditures in Manufacturing - This is another
good indicator of manufacturing activity within an area.
New
capital expenditures represent the money spent for permanent
additions and major alterations to industrial plants, as well
as for new machinery and equipment. New capital expenditures
in the Lansing MSA and Eaton County are shown in Table 16.

r.
I

I

New capital expenditures
increased considerably in the
Lansing MSA and Eaton County between 1958 and 1963. Spending
on capital items depends somewhat heavily on the national
economy.
In 1958, there was a national recession and new
capital expenditures everywhere were low.
In 1963, the
national economy was doing very well and new capital expenditures were much higher.
By 1982, capital expenditures for
manufacturing in the Lansing MSA had increased substantially, but did not keep pace with the state's increase in
expenditures between 1963 and 1982.
Eaton County, on the
other hand, experienced a very small capital expenditure
increase and fell almost to the same proportion of the state's capital expenditure that it accounted for in 1958.
In
essence, Eaton County did not keep up with industrial growth
within the Lansing SMSA between 1963 and 1982, decreasing
from 27 percent of the region's capital expenditures in 1963
to eight percent in 1982.
It would appear that much of the
increase is located in Delta Township due to the Lansing Mall
and BOC Plant V.

-34-

�TABLE 16
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN MANUFACTURIOO FOR LANSIOO MSA AND
EATON COUNTY

Lansing MSA
($1,000,000)

Year

%

Eaton County
($1,000,000)

of State

%

of State

1958

$ 9.916

2.2

$ 0.962

0.2

1963

35.502

4.7

9.482

1. 2

1982

127.1

SOURCE:

U.S. Bureau of Census, Census of Manufacturers,
1958, 1963, 1982

3.6

10. O

0.3

Retail Sales - Retail sales is another important indicator of
business activity in an area.
In Table 17, the retail sales
for the Lansing MSA and Eaton County are shown.
TABLE 17
~

RETAIL SALES

,,,--._

($1,000)
I Increase
1967-82

County
Clinton

1967

Per
capita

Per

capita

74,U7

$1,483

$

1977

C,apita

ll4,306

$2,130

Per

Per

capita

Total C,apita

$ 151,303

$2,738

217.5

160.5

1982

$ 47,661

$1,051

Eaton

89,031

1,410

190,601

2,619

337,887

4,095

463,840

5,264

421.0

273.3

Ingham

486,702

1,978

666,457

2,525

1,000,941

3,691

1,274,798

4,692

161.9

137.2

Iooia

55,601

1,235

79,443

1,689

139,309

2,785

161,887

3,122

191.6

152.8

Total $678,995
Lansing-Fast
Lansing l\SA

$1,699

$1,010,628

$2,330

$1,592,443

$3,428

$2,051,828

$4,394

202.2

158.6

SClR:E:

$

1972

Per

Census of Retail Trade: Census of Population: Galle Associates F.st.urates

Table 17 shows that, relative to the other counties in the
Lansing-East
Lansing
MSA,
Eaton
County's
retail
sales
increased rather dramatically between 1967 and 1982, both in
terms of total sales and per capita sales.
In 1967, retail
sales in the County represented only 13 percent of the MSA's
total sales and by 1982 the County's portion of retail sales
in the four county area increased to 22. 6 percent.
Eaton
County's retail trade economy, therefore, is a strong factor
in the County's economic base.

-35-

~

�.
{
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_.

,_-

Income Characteristics
Personal income is a key barometer of the economic condition
of an area.
Personal incomes determine the amount of money
available for retail expenditures, housing purchases and
local
investments.
These expenditures
and
investments
directly and
indirectly determine
the
amount of money
available for public facilities and services, primarily
through the local property tax base.
Table 18 depicts the
personal incomes in each of the Lansing-East Lansing MSA
counties and the state during the years 1979-1984.

TABLE 18
PERSONAL INCOME - 1979-1984
($1,000)

% of

County
Clinton

$

Eaton
Ingham
Ionia

Total
Lansing-East
Lansing M3A
Michigan
l -

SOURCE:

1979

M3A

% of
State

467,485

11.6

0.5

804,349

20.0

2,389,218

% of

%
% of Increase
State 1979-84

1984

M3A

657,049

11.6

0.6

40.5

0.9

1,137,792

20.1

1.0

41.5

59.2

2.8

3,335,266

59.0

2.9

39.6

369,455

9.2

0.4

519,648

9.2

0.5

40.7

4,030,507

100.0

4.7

5,649,755

100.0

4.9

40.2

100.0

$114,534,498

100.0

34.0

$85,447,655

$

u:x::a1 area personal incane; Personal incanes in all Great Lakes
Region; U.S. Deparbrent of Carmerce

According to Table 1'a , the counties in the Lansing-East
Lansing MSA increased at comparable rates over the six year
period.
The MSA as a whole saw a greater increase in personal incomes during that time than did the state.
Eaton
County experienced the highest growth rate among the four
counties and was the only one to increase, although slightly,
as a proportion of the MSA for personal incomes.

-36-

�Local Economy
An assessment of the local economy of Eaton Rapids provides
an insight into the role that the City plays in the Region.
The local economy will be analyzed according to major
employers, labor force, household income, retail trade and
assessed valuation.
Major Employers

l

Eaton Rapid's close proximity to Lansing creates a situation
whereby many residents living in and around Eaton Rapids are
employed in the Lansing area.
Many of these residents work
for the state or General Motors-B.O.C. Group, the Lansing
area's two major employers.
Within and near Eaton Rapids,
service and manufacturing industries provide the largest
employment base.
Major service employment includes Eaton
Rapids Public Schools (279 employees), Eaton Rapids Community
Hospital (180 employees) and the VFW Home (84 employees) and
the City of Eaton Rapids (46 employees). Major manufacturers
in and around Eaton Rapids consist of Eaton Technologies
Company
(250
employees),
Green Bay Food Company
(150
employees), Michigan Packaging Company (100 employees) and
Landalet Manufacturing Company (25 employees) and Dowding
Tool Products in Springport (40-45 employees).
In addition,
there are approximately 350 employees of retail businesses
within the City.
Labor Force
The 1980 labor force in the Eaton Rapids area consisted of
3,899 persons, including 1,187 in Eaton Rapids Township,
1,019 in Hamlin township and 1,817 in the City.
This represented 41 percent of the area's 1980 population.
The City's
labor force in 1980 also represented 40 percent of the City's
population, which was an increase over 1960 when 38 percent
of the City's population was in the labor force. The primary
reason for that increase in the labor force rate is the
number of women that have joined the labor force over the
last two decades.
In 1960, women made up 35 percent of the
City's labor force, compared to 44 percent in 1980. Also, in
1980, women comprised 41 percent of the areawide labor force
- that represented approximately 52 percent of all women over
16 years of age in the planning area.
The survey questionnaire results indicate that, within the
planning area, over 77 percent of all employment is full ~time
and the balance (23%) is part-time.
The proportion of fulltime to part-time employment ranges from 70 percent fulltime per 30 percent part-time in Eaton Rapid's Township, to
80 percent full-time per 20 percent part-time in the City of
Eaton Rapids.
The survey also showed that, on the average
1.56 persons per household were employed full-time and 1.18
persons per household were employed part-time in the planning
-37-

.i

�area, indicating that most households had at least two
employed people.
The questionnaire also showed that,
areawide, almost half (45%) of all full-time employed residents work in Lansing and over half of all part-time
employees work in Eaton Rapids.

1

•

'-·

Table 19 displays employment by industry for the City and two
townships for 1980.
While these figures do not obviously
reflect current conditions because of changes in economic
structure over the past nine years, they do indicate the
general importance of each sector in the local economy.
Table 19 shows that in 1980, nondurable goods manufacturing
was the predominant industry in which residents of the
planning area were employed.
Retail trade and educational
services were also major sectors of the area's economy. With
the substantial downturn in manufacturing, finance, insurance, real estate, construction and transportation and utilities employment between 1979 and 1987 at the regional level
(see Table 13), it is assumed that local employment in those
sectors has also decreased since 1979.
At the same time,
this Plan assumes that employment increases over the past
eight years in some sectors, particularly federal government
and wholesale trade, is reflected in those employment characteristics in the planning area.
Table 20 is an excerpt from the Tri County Region 1987
Overall Economic Development Program and displays projections
at the regional level in employment.
In general, regional
employment is expected to increase at the highest rate
between 1985 and 1990 and increase at a lower rate for each
five year period after 1990.
Manufacturing employment is
expected to continue to decrease, although between 1984 and
1987 it actually increased slightly, while other sectors
including retail trade and public sector employment are
expected to increase.
Eaton County and the Eaton Rapids
area, as a portion of the Region, and with many local residents employed in the Lansing Area, should also follow those
trends.

-38-

�,,,.-...._

TABLE 19

t!"-'

EMPLOYMENI' BY INDUSTRY - 1980
City of
Eaton
Rapids

Industry

% of
Paton
Twp.
Rapids
City
Total Township Total
% of

% of
% of
Hamlin Twp. Total Area
Township Total Area Total

9

0.5

58

4.9

49

5.5

116

3.0

60

3.3

59

4.9

40

4.5

159

4.1

131
457

7.2
25.2

36
371

3.0
31.2

45
276

5.0
30.8

212
1,104

5.4
28. 3

Transportation

42

2.3

37

3.1

32

3.6

111

2.8

Cannunication,
Utilities

17

0.9

20

1. 7

18

2.0

55

1. 4

Wholesale Trade

64

3.5

40

3.4

26

2.9

130

3.3

225

12.4

183

15.4

115

12.8

523

13.4

Finance, Insurance,
Real Estate

56

3.1

34

2.9

30

3.4

120

3.1

Business and Repair

67

3.7

36

3.0

11

1.2

114

2.9

Personal Entertainment 67

3.7

38

3.2

16

1.8

121

3.1

Health Services

173

9.5

74

6.2

57

6.4

304

7.8

Educational Services

236

13.0

83

7.0

72

8.0

391

10. 0

75

4.1

25

2.1

20

2.2

120

3.1

138

7.6

93

7.8

88

9.8

319

8.2

1,817

100.0

1,187

100.0

895

100.0

3,899

100.0

Agriculture, Forestry,
Fisheries
Caistruction
Manufacturing
- Durable Goods
- Nondurable Goods

Retail Trade

Other Professional
Services
Public Admi.n.
Total
SOURCE:

1980 Census - STF3A

. -39-

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TABLE 20
TRI COUNTY REGION
PROJECTED POPULATION, INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT
1980-2005
Actual

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

406,811
-3.08

421,743
3.67

429,379
1.81

438,164
2.04

446,183
1.83

406,811
-3.08

405,522
-0.32

412,865
1.81

421,312
2.05

429,022
1.83

20.20

19.22
-4.85

19.21
-0.05

18.75
-2.39

18.00
-4.00

17.24
-4.22

35,436

33,072
-6.67

31,215
-5.62

28,018
-10.24

25,805
-7.90

23,360
-9.47

Retail
% change*

26,535

27,484
3.58

29,119
5.95

30,408
4.43

31,474
3.51

32,535
3.37

Government

48,267

43,371
-10.14

44,225
1.97

44,607
0.86

44,686
0 .18

44,762
0.17

88,552

88,711
0 .18

95,152
7.26

100,294
5.40

105,522
5.21

110,625
4.84

198,790

192,639
-3.09

199,710
3.67

203,326
1.81

207,486
2.05

211,283
1.83

Population

High

% change*

419,750

-

Estimated

Low

% change*
Total Personal
Income (1972 $)**
% change*
Employment
I

""'

0

I

Manufacturing

% change*

% change*
Other
% change*
Total

% change*

* % change from previous period
** hundred million dollars
Source :

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, "Work Paper 116, Assumptions and
Equations for Employment Projectsions (1985-2005) ," July 1984.

·;
"

I

�Family Income
Family income is an important barometer of the economic well
being of an area.
Family income may be analyzed best in two
ways, via median household income data and by distribuiton by
income categories.
Median Family Income - Table 21 indicates 1970 and 1980
median family incomes of Eaton Rapids, surrounding townships,
Eaton County and the three county region.
TABLE 21
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOMES - 1970-1980

1970

1980

Eaton Rapids

$10,210

$21,727

112.8

Eaton Rapids Township

$10,633

$25,360

13-8.5

Hamlin Township

$ 9,420

$22,069

134.3

Eaton County

$11,423

$24,574

115.1

Reg ion

$11,213

$23,278

107.6

SOURCE:

%

Increase

Reg ion IIIA; 1980 Census STF3A

Table 21 indicates that the City's median family income was
the second lowest of the five jurisdictions in 1970 and by
1980 was the lowest, with Hamlin Township's median household
income surpassing the City's.
The Eaton Rapids area as a
whole, however, enjoyed a greater increase in median family
income levels over the 1970-1980 period than either the
County or Region.
It is also useful to compare median family incomes in Eaton
Rapids with such incomes in surrounding communities of comparable size. All of the cities in Table 22 had 1980 populations of between 4,000 and 8,500.

-41-

�TABLE 22
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOMES - COMPARABLE CITIES
Median Family Income
Poeulation
1980
1970
Eaton Rapids
St. Johns
Mason
Grand Ledge
Charlotte
Average
(unweighted)
SOURCE:

4,494
6,669
5,467
6,033
8,242

4,510
7,376
6,019
6,920
8,251

%

1970
$10,210
$11,357
$10,656
$11,175
$10,025
$10,685

1980
$21,727
$22,726
$21,744
$21,668
$19,599
$21,493

Increase
112.8
100.1
104.0
93.9
95.5
101.3

Tri County Regional Planning Commission;
1980 Census of Population

As displayed in Table 22, Eaton Rapids had the second lowest
median family income among comparable cities in 1970. By 1980,
however, the City had experienced the largest growth rate in
family incomes among these communities and actually had the
third highest median family income.
The survey questionnaire asked respondents for household income
ranges. The results indicate that, areawide the largest single
group of respondents earn between $10,000 to $20,000 annually.
In Hamlin Township and the City, 21 percent and 20.8 percent,
respectively, of the respondents had incomes in that range,
while only 15. 7 percent of Eaton Rapids Township residents
declared incomes in that range.
The City has the highest proportion of residents earning less than $10,000 and over 53 percent of its respondents say they have household income of less
than $30,000.
At the same time, only 37.3 percent of Eaton
Rapids Township respondents and 34.6 percent of Hamlin Township
residents report income of less than $30,000.
Assuming the
survey results are indicative of the entire population, residents of the City therefore tend to have lower incomes than
their counterparts in the townships.
That conclusion is also
verified in Table 21.
Retail Trade

Retail trade is an important segment of Eaton Rapids' economy,
although it has decreased over the past decade as a result of
substantial competition from suburban shopping malls in the
Lansing, Jackson and Battle Creek areas.
In 1984, the City commissioned a downtown redevelopment plan
that included an analysis of the City's retail market area.
In
the process of putting that plan together, a survey questionnaire was distributed to local residents in communities
-42-

�-'
··- i
I

considered to be part of the Eaton Rapids area of retail
influence.
Map 4 depicts the outline of that market area.
Most of the residents of that area do not do most of their
comparison (major appliances, automobiles, etc.) or even convenience (groceries, hardware, gasoline, etc. ) shopping in
Eaton Rapids.
These people may occasionally be drawn to
Eaton Rapids to make a particular major purchase or because
of a special sale.
This is also the same general area in
which the weekly shopping guide is distributed. Eaton Rapids
is, however, a major shopping area, especially for convenience i terns, for residents of the City and Eaton Rapids
and Hamlin Township.
The 1984 Market Study identified this
primary market area as the area that is covered by the Eaton
Rapids' postal zip code (see Map 5). The following analysis
of the Market Area's population is an except from the 1984
redevelopment plan:
Eaton Rapids Area Composition Analysis:
More than
half of the residents in the Eaton Rapids Zip Code
have above average or high spending potential.
About
one-quarter
have
below average
spending
potential, principally blue collar households of
average income. The following population categories
in the Eaton Rapids Zip Code merit special attention
in terms of marketing, sales and advertising.
Average Education, Two Income Households, Homes
Built in the 60's and 70's:
2,726 people or 21 percent of the Eaton Rapids Area are in this category.
These people have high purchasing potential and are
attracted by convenient (evening) store hours due to
the high incidence of two-paycheck households.
Young, Married Homeowners, with Larger Families and
Children:
3,854 people or 29.6 percent of the
Eaton Rapids area is in this category.
The median
age of adults in this group is 34.0 or 39.9 years
and between 49.0 and 50.4 percent of households have
children. In addition, 80 percent of this group are
homeowners.
Generally, this group of people is
attracted by events and sales promotions involving
children.
Although
they
have
above
average
purchasing potential, they generally seek wholesome,
inexpensive entertainment for the family. Moreover,
they are likely to attend church on at least a semiregular basis.
They are likely to have discretionary income for shopping at specialty stores and
crafts shops.
These people are often attracted by
good
general
merchandise
stores
where
school
supplies, hardware and similar items are available.
Based upon the consumer surveys, these people do

-43-

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'-------------------------------------EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 4
RETAIL MARKET AREA
EATON RAPIDS

Gove Associates Inc.

-44-

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 5
POSTAL ZIP CODE AREA
EATON RAPIDS

(48827)

Gove Associates Inc.

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most of their comparison shopping at regional malls
in the Lansing area.
There, sho[)ping, eating and
perhaps attending a movie, create an entire day of
entertainment.
Although many of these people will
visit downtown to feed the ducks or walk around the
island, there is not enough attraction to hold their
interest.
Events that entail par tic ipa tion . f ram
schools and contests involving children are typically most successful in changing these persons'
perceptions
about
downtown
and
in
ultimately
altering their shopping patterns.
Blue Collar Workers, with Children, Homeowners in
Rural Areas:
3,087 or 23. 7 percent of the Eaton
Rapids Zip Code is in this category.
Eight out of
every 10 of these households are homeowners and
about half have children.
In addition, more than 40
percent are blue collar households.
These people,
who have average purchasing potential, buy fewer
expensive goods than the previously described category and they have little discretionary income for
S[)ecialty store items,
including meat and fish
markets,
bakeries
and
expensive
crafts
shol?S.
Cultural events and art shows generally do not
attract this group of people. Rather, they are most
often attracted by events involving non-rock music,
affordable food and events involving children.
Table 23 compares the number and associated sales volumes for
different types of retail establishments in the City in 1963
and 1982.

-46-

�r

TABLE 23

•·
RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS AND SALES
CITY OF EATON RAPIDS - 1963-1982
1963

1982
Sales
Estab. ($11000)

lisl'lllents

Sales
($11000)

Lunber, Building Materials,
Hardware

7

$ 640

4

General Merchandise Group

6

216

ll

Est.ab-

I Change
1963-1982
Estab.

Sales

$ 990

-42.9

54.7

l

(D)

-83.3

(D)

2,665

4

13,045

-63.6

389.5

3

1,850

2

(D)

-33.3

(Dl

Servic:e Stations

ll

938

5

6,089

-54.5

549.l

Apparel, .Accessories

6

368

2

CD)

-66. 7

(D)

Furniture, lbne Furnishings

l

2

(Dl

100.0

(Dl

Eating, Drinking Places

8

9

(D)

12.5

(Dl

Drug and Proprietary Stores

2

3

(Dl

50.0

(Dl

Miscellaneous Retail

9

10

(D)

11.l

(D)

Type

Food Stores
Auto Dealers
Gas

Total

(D)

284

(D)
Sil

42

64

-34.4

(Dl Data is suppressed or deleted due to small nUlliler of establishllents in that
category.

SOORCE:

Census of Retail Trade, Michigan; U.S. Departllent of Ccmnerce

In 1982, Eaton Rapids was ranked 144th in Michigan for
volume of retail sales for places of 2,500 or more inhabitants.
This put Eaton Rapids behind Alma, St. Johns,
Charlotte, Ionia, Albion and Mason and ahead of Grand Ledge
and DeWitt.
The City's total retail sales volume for that
year was $35 .1 million ( see Table 24).
When compared to
those communities in terms of retail sales per capita,
however, Eaton Rapids fares well, with $7,873 in sales per
person in 1982.
A high retail sales per capita does not
necessarily mean that the residents of Eaton Rapids spend
more in the City then residents of other areas do in their
own communities, but quite likely reflects the fact that
people living outside of Eaton Rapids spend a portion of
their income in Eaton Rapids.
That is, the City is a retail
center for residents living in outlying areas, even though
the number of retail establishments in the City decreased
between 1963 and 1982.

· -47-

•I

�. .:
'· .

TABLE 24
VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES
STATEWIDE RANKIN3 FOR PLACES OF 2,500 OR MORE
(Selected Areawide Cities of Comparable Size to Eaton Rapids)
1982

City
Alma
St. Johns
Charlotte
Ionia
Albion
Mason
Eaton Rapids

I''

SOURCE:

Sales
($1,000)
73,615
64,337
62,482
50,195
39,133
37,928
35,135

Rank

Estimated
1982
Population

Sales
Per
Capita

81
89
92
111
138
140
144

9,511
7,454
8,430
5,933
10,820
6,166
4,463

$7,740
8,631
7,412
8,462
3,617
6,151
7,873

U.S. Department of Commerce - 1982 Census of Retail
Trade

By 1984, the number of retail establishments in Eaton Rapids
consisted of 24 miscellaneous retail outlets, seven automotive establishments, three food and grocery stores and nine
restaurants and taverns for a total of 43 retail establishments, which is consistent with the 1982 Census of Retail
Trade tabulation.
In 1982, 345 paid employees were working
in retail establishments in the City.
The Eaton Rapids, Hamlin and Eaton Rapids township survey
responses
indicated a general dissatisfaction with the
current mix and lack of variety of stores in the downtown
area. This reaction may be based on a negative perception of
downtown Eaton Rapids compared to what is available in suburban shopping malls in Lansing and Jackson.
There appears to
be a concern among local residents regarding the rate of
turnover of new businesses in the downtown area.
This turnover can be attributed to a lack of business volume which in
turn is due to the inability of the downtown area to compete
effectively with newer, more modern retail facilities and
merchandising techniques in larger urban areas.
The key to
downtown Eaton Rapids success as a retail center will lie in
its ability to find and establish an appropriate 'niche' in
the area's retail and service market, which will require
structural (physical) alterations and improvements and new
or different organization and merchandising techniques.

-48-

�r

State Equalized Valuation
The State Equalized Valuation on real property is very important to a community since it is the basis for local property
tax revenues, one of the primary sources of revenue to meet
government expenses.
Equalized Value
Equalized value is a barometer of the economic activity
occurring in an area.
Equalized value reflects market value
of real property and hence a comparison of equalized values
of real property classifications over time will indicate the
relative strengths of the various types of property in the
community.
Table 25 displays the change in real property values and
number of parcels for each major property type for the
planning area over a 10 year period between 1978 and 1987
The table shows that, compared to surrounding townships, the
City's equalized valuation for all real property grew at a
relatively slow rate.
The townships also created a larger
number of new parcels than did the City.
Residential
valuation increased more than any other property class, commensurate with the rather large increase in the number of
residential parcels.
In 1978, the average residential parcel
had an assessed value of $8,478, or a true cash value of
$16,957.
By 1987, that average valuation increased to
$17,455, or a true cash value of $34,910.
Residential property valuation in Eaton Rapids Township increased from
$11,192 per property to $23,571 per parcel, and in Hamlin
Township the average assessment per residential parcel
increased from $6,562 to $20,000.
The number of commercial
parcels in the City increased only slightly over that 10 year
period.
In addition, only three commercial properties were
added to the township's tax rolls. Of all property classifications in the planning area, commercial parcels and commercial assessments showed the lowest rate of growth.
In 1978, the City's tax levy for municipal operations
(including general operation, parks and sanitary landfill)
was 13. 75 mills.
At
an assessed valuation of $17,116,400
for real property, the City collected $235,350 from its local
real property base, representing 10. 2 percent of the City's
total budget of $2,313,291.
In 1987, the City was operating
at 10.6557 mills (for general operations and parks) with a
real property assessed valuation of $34,975,600, capturing
$372,690 from real property taxes, or 8.4 percent of the
City's total budget of $4,447,620.
~

- -49-

�t

I

~Agriculture
No. of Parcels

I

I

l~i,-,-

EATON RAPIDS REAL PROPER'

$

-•

~r-

s-1-::,E

%

.... .,...,,

, .....

55.5
6

$

0
0

~: .:AL}_.:,.)

Paton Rapids 'lbwnship

Paton Ra_eids

lJl
0

J

_._... ...... _
-

J..., ,..,,,

.... ., .... ,

-

Vt·~~

ES

t ••

.i

'J

Hamlin 'lbwnshi_e

%

·--

... .,,_

-

... ., ... ,

'),,

·1

I

'lbtal Area
%
•--.-

_.,,

·-

.... .,..,,

_..........

%
...,_

$4,208.0
273

$8,792.2
281

108.9
2.9

$2,588.7
294

$8,220 . 0
313

217.5
6.5

$6,852.2
573

$17,012.2
594

148.3
3.7

Coomercial
No. of Parcels

3,210.1
173

5,256.1
177

63.7
2.3

287.4
14

414.6
15

44.3
7.1

84.5
20

282.1
22

233.0
10.0

3,582.0
207

5,952.8
214

66.2
3.4

Industrial
No. of Parcels

1,472.5
21

2,158.1
35

46.6
66.7

87.9
7

142.8
8

62.5
14.3

87 . 6
3

84.5
5

-3.5
67.0

1,648.0
31

2,385.4
48

44.7
54.8

Residential
No. of Parcels

12,378.4
1,460

27,561.5
1,579

122.7
8.2

7,946 . 0
710

22,840.4
969

187.4
36.5

3,510.6
535

14,179.9
409

303.9
32.5

23,835.0
2,705

64,581.8
3,257

171.0
20.4

23.8

16

114

31.0

Exempt No . of Parcels

Total
No. of Parcels
SOURCE:

63
$17,116.5
1,723

78
$34,975.7
1,869

IDcal Equalized Valuation Analysis

104.3
8.5

$12,529.3
1,020

27
$32,190.0
1,300

68.8

8

156.9 $6,271.4
860
27.5

9

$22,766.5
758

12.5
263.0
23.0

87
$35,917.2
3,603

$89,932.2
4,227

150.4
17.2

�r-

Table 26 depicts tax levies for cities of comparable ·size for
1978 and 1987. The S.E.V. in the table represents total real
and personal property.
Eaton Rapids has the lowest millage
of all the cities identified and experienced the largest
decrease in millage C-22.5%) between 1978 and 1987.
City
residents and businesses also paid the second lowest total
tax rate (58.27 mils), although the total millage increased
by almost 10 percent over the 10 year period - the third
highest growth rate among the cities analyzed.

~
- I

Table 27 displays the actual personal and real property tax
by those municipalities in 1978 and 1987.
In 1978, Eaton
Rapids had the second lowest property tax revenue and by
1987, the City's property tax revenue was the lowest of the
seven municipalities, due to the combination of its relatively low S.E.V. and tax rate.
TABLE 27
·CITY TAX LEVIES - 1978-1987
Estimated
Population
1987
1978

City

Taxes
1978

Taxes
1987

Taxes Population
%
%
Chan:Je Chan:Je
~

Charlotte

8,250

8,880

$ 943,478

$1,129,302

19.7

7.6

DeWitt

2,674

3,556

229,894

451,514

96. 4

33.0

Eaton Rapids

4,506

4,526

318,036

422,982

33.0

0.4

Grand I.ed:_;;e

6,743

7,258

522,686

930,101

77.9

7.6

Mason

5,909

6,534

397,431

816,879

105.5

10.6

Ionia

6,008

5,970

423,765

726,952

71.5

-0.6

St. Johns

7,235

7,649

845,526

1,118,348.8

32.3

5.7

SOURCE:

State Tax Cornnission, Michigan Departrrent of Treasury, 1978-1987
Gove Associates Populations Estimates; U.S. Census of Population,
1980; Population Estimates (1986) and Per capita Incone for
Selected Towns and Townships and Incorporated Places - U.S. Census
Bureau; Tri-county Ra;Jion Population Projections

-51-

)

;

�:· •--. -,
l, .

' ~

-.

~

,.i

-~:; ~ - .1

TABLE 26
TAX LEVY - CITIES OF COMPARABLE SIZE 1978-1987
'lttal. 'la&gt;es

S.E.V. ($1 100))

O:ll1ty '1aK Rite

City '1aK Rite

%

Ci

1978

Crerld:te 48,383.5

1987
73,188.7

%

1978

1987

51.3

5.50

6.75

9:h:ol '1aK Rite*

(MIIS)

(MIIS)

1978

1987

15.43 -~.9

32.86

38.~

1987

Z2.1

19.50

(MIIS)

%

%

1978

'llDeS ($1.!CXX))

Rite

(MIIS}

%

%

1978

1987

18.4

57.86

61.00

1978

1987

5.6

2,W.5

4,470.4

e

W.8

U:witt

15,429.2

34,598.7 124.2

5.70

5.00

1.8

14.~

13.(6 -12.4

41.45

47.39

14.3

62.(6

f6.24

6.8

957.4

2,291.9 139.4

Eatrn

23,129.8

39,695.0

71..6

5.50

6.75

Z2.1

13.75

1D.f6 -Z2.5

33.78

4l.87

21.0

53.03

58.27

9.9

l,~.6

2,ID.l

00.6

Grarrl
I..a:ge

:rl.692.0

55,862.7

82.0

5.50

6.75

Z2.1

17.03

16.65

-2.2

39.55

44.16

11.7

62.00

ol.%

8.8

l,~.4

3,774.0

~-1

Mi9:I1

:r&gt;, ro0.9

59,W.6

94.4

7.94

7.63

-3.9

12.92

13.f6

5.7

38.00

47.15

21.3

59.74

f6.44 11.2

1,837.7

4,092.7 l'Z2.8

Iroia

27,339.3

43,523.0

59.2

5.15

5.25

1.9

15.50

16.70

7.7

35.84

-:Il.32

39.0

47.49

59.27 24.8

1,298.5

2,579.7

~-i

St:. •.J::t-IB

44,501.4

78,625.7

76.7

5.70

5.00

1.8

19.00

14.Z2 -25.2

:ll.33

~-70

21.0

55.03

%.72

3.1

2,448.9

4,459.9

82.l

R:pi.d,

I
U1

N

I

*School TaX Rate includes local public school and internediate school district rates
SCXJOCE:

State

Tax

Conmission, Michigan I:epartnent of Treasury, 1978-1987

,. '

]

�....

Synopsis

l

Economic development is the key factor in community growth
and the quality of life available to local residents.
Employment,
family
income,
retail
sales
and
property
valuation, all reflect the viability of the areawide and the
community's economy.
Eaton Rapids' economy is healthy in terms of personal incomes
and employment opportunities available to local residents.
That condition is, however, tempered by the relatively lower
incomes of the City's residents when compared to the
surrounding townships and the fact that most residents of the
area are employed outside of the area, primarily in Lansing.
Total retail sales in Eaton Rapids are not at the level of
other ,comparably sized communities in the general Lansing
area and that is reflected in the slow growth in the total
number of new commercial establishments.
Retail sales per
capita, however, indicate that the City is still a viable
center of commercial activity for City residents and those
living outside the City.
Property valuations are increasing
at a slower rate than in the surrounding townships. However,
that is to be expected because of the relatively developed
character of the City compared to the amount of undeveloped
land in the surrounding townships. The city's relatively low
total tax levy, while not maximizing local revenues for
municipal capital improvements and operating costs, does
potentially help to create a more favorable business climate.
In essence, the City's economy is a mixed picture, with the
Lansing
area
providing
the
major
resource
for
local
employment, and with a continuing growth in new households in
the City's surrounding townships, which could potentially
help to increase retail activity in Eaton Rapids.
The
nucleus appears to be in place for expanded commercial activity in the future.

-53-

J

rr---- I1

~
'·

I

�r·

'; .'
I

:

·•

'

..

,.
l.

SECTION VI
!

'

-•

EXISTING LAND USE
AND NATURAL RESOURCES

�......

'

.,

EXISTIN'.i LAND USE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Introduction
Any decisions that impact upon or change the physical development of the City must be done in the framework of existing
development.
Residential, commercial, ind us trial and other
land use patterns will greatly influence such decisions.
Of all the data required for the Comprehensive Development
Plan, the study of existing land use has perhaps the widest
variety of applications.
Following are some of the basic
applications of the analysis of existing land use that local
officials may find useful:
defines principal traffic generators.
can be used to estimate
municipal services.

existing

needs

for

shows areas and particular locations of incompatible land uses.
provides an understanding of physical features
and their relationship to the development of
various land uses.
can be used in the day-to-day
zoning and subdivision review.

problems

of

Along with the relationship of various land uses within the
planning area, the strengths and weaknesses of land use patterns will be analyzed. Major problems in land development,
including drainage, destruction of scenic areas, strip commercial development, and other natural and man-made problems
will be identified.
On the other hand, inherent positive
resources, such as woodlands and scenic areas, will also be
discussed.
I ..

In collecting information to be used in developing this
plan, the Planning Commission conducted a survey of all
structures and vacant lands within the City during the
summer of 1987. This information, combined with aerial photography from 1985, provides a composite of the planning
area's existing land use mix.
Natural Resources
The specific land uses of any area are often determined, in
a large part, by the existing natural resources.
This
includes factors such as topography, soil types, climate,

-54-

�vegetation, groundwater, and wildlife. Because Eaton Rapids
is a part of a much larger area - i.e., Eaton County and the
south-central region of the State - many of its features are
similar to the surrounding areas, and may be dealt with in
general terms (i.e. climate).
Other resources, such as
wetlands and forest areas, are much more specific to various
parts of the City, and can be mentioned independently.

I

The City of Eaton Rapids covers approximately three square
miles, with a fairly level topography throughout. The Grand
River runs through the center of the City, with Spring Brook
branching from it. The residential portions of the City are
located around a central business district, and there are
dispersed woodlots, wetlands, and agricultural areas toward
its periphery.
i

Soils

,I

An important consideration when determining the use of land
in most areas are the various soil types available.
Soils,
and their various associations, are related to geology, land
forms, relief, climate, and natural vegetation of the area.
Each soil type and/or association has defined limitations
for specific types of development, and is, in turn,
reflected in the analysis and establishment of the land use
plan.
Eaton Rapids has eight different soil types, primarily consisting of the Boyer Series (approximately 50% of the City).
The following table describes each soil type and their limitations.
TABLE 28

SOILS IN EATON RAPIDS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS

Type

Boyer wamy Sand
Boyer Sandy IDain
Cohoctah Fine Sandy
IDain

Gilford Sandy IDain
Houghton Mucle
OWosso-Marlette Sandy
I.Dams

Shoals-Sloan
wasepi Sandy
SOURCE:

I.Dams

IDain

Shallow
Excavations

Dwellings
Without
Basements

Dwellings
With
Baserrents

Severe
Severe

M:rlerate
M:rlerate

Slight
Slight

Slight
M:rlerate

M:rlerate
M:rlerate

Severe
Severe
Severe

Severe
Severe
Severe

Severe
Severe
Severe

Severe
Severe
Severe

Severe
Severe
Severe

Slight
Severe
Severe

M:rlerate
Severe
Severe

Slight
Severe
Severe

M::xierate
Severe
Severe

M:rlerate
Severe
Severe

Soil Survey of Eaton County, Michigan
· -55-

IJ:Jcal
Small
Comercial Roads &amp;
Buildings Streets

�L

j

,. ... ..,
I

Of those soils listed, the Boyer series is generally best for
residential and commercial development.
This is consistent
with much of the existing land use in the City, as the residential and commercial areas are concentrated primarily on
the Boyer soils.
Most other areas are suitable only for
agriculture.
Although some building on these soils may be
possible, it generally is restricted to residential developments in limited areas.
'·; .

Topography

L
'l. .
..

(

The topography of the City is representative of the county
and surrounding areas in general.
The relatively flat land
varies only from a low point of 871 feet above sea level at
Main and State Streets, to a high of 928 feet above sea level
in the northwest corner of the City (Kemler and Dexter
Roads).
Generally, elevations range around 880 to 900 feet
above sea level. The lower elevations tend to be centralized
in the City, primarily where the Grand River and Spring Brook
intersect to form the Central Business District Island. This
is also the area of highest commercial density.
Moving outward toward the periphery produces higher elevations, but
also larger open areas used for residential and agriculture
purposes.
Some quarrying and mining, along with wetland
areas, do exist on the west side of the City, resulting in
lower elevations in these locations.
Water

r

'I
j

•

The Grand River enters the City from the southeast (Hamlin
Township), and flows toward Lansing to the northeast (Eaton
Rapids Township).
The river runs through the City from the
south to the north, on the eastern side of the Central
Business District. Spring Brook, which is a tributary of the
Grand River, branches off east of North Main Street toward
the southwest.
This effectively leaves a portion of the
Central Business District on an island surrounded by Spring
Brook on the north and the west, the Grand River on the east,
and a channel between the two on the south. The Grand River
has two islands east of the Central Business District, the
largest (Island Park) which acts as a focal point in the City
and a linkage to the downtown.
Map 6 is a copy of the Flood Insurance Rate Map for the City
(October, 1982).
Shown on the map are areas containing the
100 and 150 year flood boundaries.
Primarily, flooding in
the Grand River is during the winter and spring, although
heavy summer thunderstorms may also cause flooding.

I-,

-56-

�~

EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
MAP 6
100 YEAR FLOOD AREA
CITY OF EATON RAPIDS

Gove Associates Inc.

-57-

�Three dams, which act as flood protection measures and
electrical generation backwater retension, are located
Grand River.
Two are positioned below the Knight
Bridge and impound water for Island Park.
The third
at State Street, and a diversion canal to Spring Brook
a hydroelectric plant in the City.

hydroin the
Street
dam is
serves

I _

r-•
1

;I

-.

't

-f

•

L.'

One mile southeast of Eaton Rapids is the Smithville Dam,
which is also used for hydroelectric generation.
This facility is the main source of flood control for the City, while
only one of the smaller dams in the City can be opened to
send water downstream in case of severe high water.
The following zones apply to the Flood Insurance Rate Map 6
(Flood Insurance Study, City of Eaton Rapids).
ZONE

EXPLANATION

A

Areas of 100-year flood; base flood elevations and
flood hazard factors not determined.

AD

Areas of 100-year shallow flooding where depths are
between one Cl) and three (3) feet; average depths
of inundation are shown, but no flood hazard factors
are determined.

AH

Areas of 100-year shallow flooding where depths are
between one Cl) and three (3) feet; base flood
elevations are shown, but no flood hazard factors
are determined.

A-l-A30

Areas of 100-year flood; base flood elevations and
flood hazard factors determined.

A99

Areas of 100-year flood to be protected by flood
protection system under construction; base flood
elevations and flood hazard factors not determined.

B

Areas between limits of the 100-year flood and 500year flood; or certain areas subject to 100-year
flooding with average depths less than one (1) foot
or where the contributing drainage area is less than
one square mile; or areas protected by leaves from
the base flood.
(Medium shading)

C

Areas of minimal flooding.

-58-

(No shading)

�Climate

Because Eaton Rapids is inland within the State, the influence of the Great Lakes' is small.
Lake Michigan's most
noticeable influence is increased cloudiness, which moderates
the minimum temperature during cold spells late in the fall
and early in the winter.
The City's climate is continental.
Daily, seasonal, and annual temperature changes recorded at
weather stations in the county (e.g. at Charlotte) are larger
than those recorded at stations at a similar latitude near
the Great Lakes.
Because the day-to-day weather is controlled largely by the movement of pressure systems across
the nation, prolonged periods of hot, humid weather in
summer, and extreme cold in winter, are seldom experienced.
Temperatures will range from an average daily low of 14°F in
January, to 84 °F in July.
The annual average in the County
is 58.8°F for a high, and 36.4°F for a low.
Precipitation averages approximately
majority falling in June (almost 4").

32"

a

year,

with

the

Eaton Rapids will also receive approximately 68 days a year
which have at least one inch or more of snow cover.
Vegetation

When areas around Eaton Rapids were first settled, lumbering
was second in importance to farming.
Several forest types
occurred on soils of certain similar characteristics.
The
moderately coarse textured, well drained soils - such as the
Boyer - supported oak-hickory type forests that locally included beech, sugar maple, elm, ash, and walnut.
The finer
textured, well drained and moderately well drained soils such as Owosso-Marlette - supported maple-beech type forests.
Another hardwood forest type occurred on the somewhat poorly
drained, and very poorly drained mineral soils such as
Gil£ ord.
Here, elm, ash, so£ t maple, hickory, and swamp
white oak have been the dominant species.
Only a few woodlots of second growth timber remain, mostly on
the poorly drained mineral soils.
This second growth timber
is about the same as the original vegetation.
Many areas
which have been pastured support a thorny undergrowth.
The tree coverage which does exist in the City is relatively
scattered.
The largest groupings occur in the north along
the City boundaries, in the southeast at the Grand River as
it comes into the City from Hamlin Township, and in the
southwest at the Spring Brook-Hobart Drain area and extending
up into the central-western portion of the City.

-59-

·,I

�Land Use Classifications

r
\

,

A classification of land uses is necessary to insure a
common understanding of the material presented.
Land use
can be grouped into major categories such as residential,
commercial, industrial, open land uses and others. However,
these categories are not precise enough for planning purposes
and further division of the major categories is necessary.
The following is a description of the various land use
classifications used in this plan.
Residential
This indicates an area in which dwellings with their
accessory buildings occupy the major portion of the land and
including the following subcategories:
Single-Family Residential - An area in which a singlefamily dwelling unit and its accessory buildings are
located.
Duplex - A building containing two separate
quarters for occupancy by two households.

living

Multiple-Family - An area in which there are three or
more dwelling units per residential structure or lot,
consisting primarily of apartments.
Mobile Homes - Year-round or seasonal mobile homes.
Commercial
These uses are land areas, with or without structures, where
goods are distributed or personal business services are provided, including the retail sale of goods and services to
local residents and highway oriented uses.
Offices
This category would include such uses as professional
offices, real estate offices, banks and insurance companies.
Public and Quasi-Public
Land areas and facilities which are available to or used by
all of the people within a particular service area, such as
schools, libraries and government buildings, are in this
category. Also included in this classification are areas and
buildings which are used by a limited number of persons with
particular interest and nonprofit organizations.
They are
uses such as churches, clubs and other activities.

-60-

�Recreation and Open Space
.I

This category includes land areas with or without structures
that cater to the recreation needs of the public.
Such land
uses include parks, recreation areas and similar uses.

I

_}

Warehousing and Storage
This classification applies to land areas which are used for
the open storage of materials, such as concrete block, coal,
junk cars or other waste materials, or enclosed storage
areas, such as storehouses, depots or other warehousing.
Manufacturing and Utility Plants
Manufacturing includes land areas with or without buildings
where new or semif inished material is processed, fabricated
and/or manufactured.
Utilities include both public and private uses for providing general utility services, such as
electric power stations, gas regulator stations and other
facilities of this nature.
Transportation
This category is comprised of all dedicated surface rightsof-way, includin~ highways and railroads, which are used for
the movement of people and goods and parking areas.
Agricultural Land
This classification is applied principally to land areas used
for crop land, permanent pasture land and land lying fallow
but which indicates cultivation at an earlier date.
Due to
the variations in the agricultural practices of farmers in
terms of land cultivation, this classification is flexible
for specific parcels.
Vacant Land
Vacant land is land not used for any purpose heretofore
listed in built-up areas or undeveloped portions of the
planning area and includes scrub areas and vacant lots within
built-up subdivisions.

-61-

'
.I

�Analysis of Land Use Patterns

''

...

The land use categories as defined above were used in mapping
the results of the field survey as shown on Map 7.
The map
is a generalization of the various patterns of land use
within the City as of the summer of 1987. The purpose of the
map is not to show every detail of development within the
area.
Instead, land uses that display similar characteristics are grouped into categories.
Patterns are thus
discernible and analysis is made possible.
An acreage summary of the land uses is presented in Table 29.
During
the _summer of 1987, the Eaton Rapids Planning
Commission conducted a "windshield" survey of land uses
within the City.
The purpose of that survey was to obtain a
current inventory of the type, location and condition of the
primary structures on each lot,
excluding the Central
Business District.
The Central Business District was
excluded, as recent data on the CBD was available from other
sources.
Using vehicles, the Planning Commission surveyed structures
in all other sectors of the City, denoting the use of primary
structure
(residential,
commercial,
office,
industrial,
church, etc.), the number of stories in that structure and
the general condition (good, deteriorated or dilapidated) of
the structure.
This data was then transferred from field
maps to a composite base map to establish a comprehensive
overview of existing land uses.
Map 2 reflects the results
of this survey relative to structural condition.
The composite base map was compared to a 1985 aerial photograph of
the City and adjusted accordingly.
The result is the
existing land use map (Map 7).
The procedure used on conducting the land use survey is identified in more detail in
Appendix A.

-62-

�I'.:"""\ ;

TABLE 29
EXISTIOO LAND USE
EATON RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - 1967, 1987
Acreage
land Use
Residential
Single-Family
Multiple Residential

1967

1987

332

487

16.0

23.5

330*

469

13.5

22.6

2

17

0.1

0.8

Duplex
Canrercial
Office
Public and Quasi-Public

Percent of Total
1967
1987

1

0.01

31

38

1.5

1.8

2

7

0.1

0.3

112

134*

5.4

7.9

Recreation and Open Space

22

54

1.1

1.2

warehousing and Storage

17

19

0.9

0.9

Manufacturing

44

50

2.1

2.4

Transportation

229

229

11.0

11.1

1,198

969

58.0

46.8

water

85

85

4.1

4.1

Total

2,072

2,072

100.0

100.0

Agriculture an Vacant

*Includes duplex units.
**Includes 58.7 acres general public/semi-public, 30.l acres schools,
42.4 acres cemetery, 2.6 acres public parking.

SOURCE:

1969 Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Plan;
Gove Associates Inc. Estimates (1987)

-63-

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
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MAP 7
EXISTING LAND USE
EATON RAPIDS

legend

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Residential
Retail Cannercial

~ W:lrehouse

Q School

lS)

Office

l!l!llllffiPublic Facility

T

Manufacturing

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Gove Associates Inc.

�Residential
Single-Family Residential
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Within Eaton Rapids, 469 acres or 22.6 percent of the City's
area is devoted to single-family use ( see Map 8).
Three
distinct areas of single-family use are discernible.
One
area is in the northwest part of the City. Another is to the
south of Spring Brook and to the west of the Grand River.
The third area is to the east of the Grand River.
The first residential area is divided by major highways, M-99
and M-50.
This has fragmented residential development so
that a cohesive neighborhood has not developed.
Mixing of
commercial and industrial land uses in this area has tended
to downgrade single-family development.
Some single-family
homes within this area are substandard.

'
'

..

'

The second residential area is also divided by several major
transportation arteries.
South Main Street (M-50 and M-99)
and Water Street (M-188) create an east-west division.
Furthermore, the prevalence of small blocks with alleys
causes a disproportionally large acreage in transportation
facilities.
A mixture of land uses occurs in Area II.
Commercial uses
have located along South Main Street and warehousing and
storage has located along the former railroad. As in Area I,
some single-family homes are substandard and this area will
become more deteriorated unless corrective measures are
taken. In the far southwest portion of Area II, new residential areas have developed.
The third area, on the east side of the Grand River, is not
fragmented by transportation arteries.
While State Street
di vi des the area into north and south, it also acts as a
collector street for residential development.
Single-family
development to the north of State Street represents early
residential development in Eaton Rapids.
Most of the single
family homes in this area are basically in sound condition,
with a few units showing signs of deterioration. A number of
multiple family complexes are located in the area.
Property
on the City's eastern boundary north of State Street has
recently been subdivided and is projected to be the area
where most new residential development will occur in the near
future.

•

The area south of State Street has both old and new development. Overall, this section of the City has the highest rate
of housing in good condition .

-65-

�•-•-•.:.....•-•-•~--•-•

...,,,..---.~-====-==~~L

AREA
111

EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 8
RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS
EATON RAPIDS

Gove Associates Inc.

-66-

�Multiple Residential

'

,

Land area devoted to multiple family housing has increased
substantially from two acres to 17 acres between 1967 and
1987.
The greatest concentration of such development is in
Area III, adjacent to State Street. The high cost of housing
coupled with changing lifestyles will create a more intense
demand for multiple family housing, consisting of both condominium units and rental apartments.

i .•
t,j __

Other Residential

I

•

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Other residential property consists of mobile homes and
duplexes.
There are an estimated 28 mobile homes in the
City, encompassing a total of about five acres. The majority
of these units are located within one mobile home park. Most
of the City's duplexes are concentrated in Area I and encompass one or two acres of land.
Most of the units are older
and located next to single-family housing. In addition, nine
new duplex units have recently been built in Area III.
Mobile homes and duplexes are not uses that conflict directly
with single-family housing although they are not necessarily
always compatible with single-family housing.
By law,
however, mobile homes are allowed to be located in 'stickbuil t' single-family areas.
A 148-uni t Manufactured Home
Community is being planned on Hyatt Street in the southwest
part of the City.
Commercial
These uses in the City represent about 38 acres, an increase
of seven acres over 1967.
Two separate types of commercial
development exist and will be discussed individually.
Central Business District
This is the core area of the City and encompasses about five
acres.
Retail stores, offices, entertainment and dining
spots and service establishments are congregated in one location.
The past several decades have witnessed the general
decline of central business districts due primarily to obsolescence,
traffic congestion,
and shopping center competition.
Eaton Rapids' CBD is no exception to the above
problem.
Obsolesence of the CBD is apparent.
The buildings
are old and sometimes not cared for, especially the rear of
the stores.
The back of stores becomes important when
Customer parking is to the rear of buildings as it is in
Eaton Rapids.
Vehicular traffic has ready access to the CBD by Main Street
(M-99, M-50).
Parking as well as movement of vehicles are
primary considerations in a CBD. Parking is essential.
The

-67-

�west side of Main Street has parking lots behind the stores
fronting on Main Street, as well as a parking lot off of Hall
Street. The east side of Main Street has less parking behind
stores.
Also, the loading and unloading of trucks may cause
a problem on the east side of Main Street since alleys are
narrow and parking does not abut all stores.
The Eaton Rapids CBD has one major physical advantage that up
to the present has been largely ignored.
This natural asset
is water.
The Central Business District is virtually an
island.
The only effort to attract shoppers to the CBD has
been the redesign and landscaping on Hamlin Street between
Main Street and Island Park.
For the most part, businesses
have turned their back to the water and fronted onto Main
Street.
Island Park provides an excellent beginning in developing a scenic area in conjunction with the CBD.
Further
emphasis should be placed on integrating existing and potential park areas with the CBD.
There is currently an effort
underway to redevelop the block north of Knight Street,
including the old Horner property on the corner of Main and
Canal as a central market place emphasizing the river.
Done
properly, the redevelopment can act as a major emphasis for
commercial growth downtown.
Non CBD Commerical
In every city, there are commercial uses that are not
located in the Central Business District. These uses include
gas stations, motels, drive-in eating establishments, and
similar commercial uses that rely on passing motorists as
their customers and locate along major highways.
Such uses
are found along South Main Street, Dexter Road, and Michigan
Street Call state trunklines).
Unless properly controlled, commercial developments along
major highways can create several problems.
These commercial
establishments cause turning movements onto and off the highway.
Such movements conflict with through traffic, slowing
the traffic and creating a safety hazard.
Service roads and
limitation of driveway permits would minimize this problem.
If not properly controlled, such commercial development can
have a depressing effect on contiguous residential land.
Adequate buffering from residential development is necessary.
Warehousing and Storage
This land use is primarily located in relation to industries
and the abandoned Penn Central Rail Line.
Approximately 19
acres are devoted to such use.
When storage is located along
with industry, the effect upon the remainder of the community
is negligible.
However, when warehousing and storage mixes

-68-

&gt;

;
I

,I

�with residential property, as it does in Eaton Rapids,
particularly in Area I, then it causes a deteriorating
influence
on
residential
homes.
To
prevent
further
deterioration, warehousing and storage should be removed and
relocated in the City's Industrial Park, or buffered from
residential areas.
Greenbelts or ornamental fencing should
be provided to protect the property values of surrounding
residential development.
Manufacturing and Utility Plants

I ,

l.

The City of Eaton Rapids has 50 acres in industrial use, an
additional 6 acres over 1967. The older manufacturing plants
have located in the southern portion of the City near the
former Penn Central Railroad and new industrial park.
The
City's industrial park encompasses a total area of 23 .16
acres adjacent to Hamman Road. The site contains an improved
entrance road, water and electric service.
Approximately
nine acres are developed with existing ind us tries, leaving
almost 14 one-half acres available for future development.
Whenever an industrial area is contiguous to a residential
area, an adequate buffer strip, maintained by the industry,
should be provided.
This also applies to utility transformers in residential areas.
Several manufacturing plants
are located adjacent to residential subdivisions.
Plant
traffic uses residential streets as access to the plant and
this produces a large volume of traffic on residential
streets, creating a traffic hazard.
Transportation

r.

I

I "

Approximately 229 acres or 11 percent of the City's land area
is in transportation use. Transportation uses demand a large
proportion of the land area, and if not properly planned, the
transportation system can consume valuable land needlessly.
The road rights-of-way are the largest single land use in the
transportation category.
Those areas in Eaton Rapids that
were developed around the turn of the century have a high
proportion of their area in roads and alleys.
The newer
residential areas have larger blocks with less of their area
in streets and alleys in these areas have been eliminated.
Three state highways go through the City.
While the poor
condition of M-99 north of the CBD is serious, the Michigan
Department of Transportation is currently realigning M-99 and
M-50 at the corner of Canal and Main Streets to provide a
safer intersection. M-99 from this intersection to the north
City limits is also being widened to three lanes.

-69-

�The Grand River, Spring Brook, and the channel connecting
them, present a natural barrier to transportation.
To unify
Eaton Rapids, bridges had to be constructed. Two bridges for
vehicular traffic currently cross the Grand River and connect
residential development on the east side of the River to the
CBD and Main Street on the west side of the River.
An additional bridge should be constructed across the Grand River
north of the CBD to access the residential areas east of the
Grand River.
Office
Approximately seven acres are devoted to office use, compared
to two acres in 1967.
The largest share of this total is in
the CBD and constitutes bank, insurance and professional
offices.
Office uses are becoming increasingly important to
CBD's since offices attract workers who use the various services in the CBD. Other offices in the City are used in connection with industrial firms and the City's Municipal
offices are located in one building on the corner of Hamlin
and Main Streets.
Public and Quasi-Public
These uses represent 7. 9 percent of the City's area or 164
acres.
The largest uses are the sewage treatment plant, a
cemetery and schools.
There are seven churches in the City,
covering about 14 acres, with property ranging in area from
6,600 square feet to 10 acres. Public uses, such as schools,
the hospital, and municipal offices are further analyzed as
to adequacy,
location and site size in the Community
Facilities Services Section.
Churches have historically located wherever church officials
desired.
In Eaton Rapids most churches are located on local
streets in residential areas.
Several nuisance factors can
be associated with church development. For example, churches
generate traffic, especially on Sunday and off-street parking
often is inadequate with overflow of parking on Sunday
generally occurring on local streets.
City officials should
insure that church sites are large enough to provide for adequate off-street parking.
Recreation and Open Space
Such land area is essential to a community.
In the City of
Eaton Rapids about 54 acres are devoted to such use.
(This
does not include recreation uses associated with schools).

-70-

.J

�.,...

The other developed recreation area is the old athletic field
north of Spring Brook.
This field is low and marshy and
seems best utilized for recreation space.
In addition, the
marshy areas along the Grand River in the northern part of the
City and other wet, lowland areas could become recreation
space.

l

Open land between McArthur River Drive and the Grand River
acts as a scenic greenbelt.
Similar greenbelt space should
be encouraged as much as possible on both sides of the river.

l '

Vacant Land
'
L

Nine hundred sixty-nine acres are in vacant, water or agricultural use.
While a small amount of this land is used for
agricultural purposes, it can be expected that, with rising
property values, agriculture will not long remain a land use
within the City.
Very little land is forested.
Wherever stands of trees do
-exist, an effort should be made to preserve them as woodland
provides a refreshing contrast to open land.
Also, much of
the City's area, (85 acres), is water.
The natural beauty
and recreation value of the river has not been fully
realized.
Concentrated efforts should be made to integrate
water resources with urban development in Eaton Rapids.

Synopsis

l '

The City of Eaton Rapids may be divided into three distinct
single-family residential areas, one on the north and northwest of the Central Business District, one to the south and
one to the east.
The first two areas evidence a mixture of
land uses with commercial and industrial uses interspersed
with
the
residences;
the
third area
has
a
few nonresidentially related uses and it contains the bulk of the
City's
newer
subdivisions.
Apartment
development
is
increasing, especially in the eastern portion of the City.
The majority of new residential development is expected to
take place in this area.
The bulk of the commercial and office uses are concentrated
in the Central Business District, which is in need of
substantial revitalization to promote a restructuring of its
niche in the greater Lansing market.
The unique position of
the downtown surrounded by water offers a substantial potential as an attractive shopping area.
One hundred eighty-eight acres are devoted to public, semipublic, recreation and open space uses.
They are discussed
in the Community Facilities Study.

-71-

�Properties bordering the southern segments of Main Street
(M-99) are in the process of making the transition from residential to commercial land use, creating potential traffic
problems and contributing further to the decline of business
in the CBD. Proper designation of land use in this area is a
key component of future land use planning.

I
-,

i
I

warehousing and manufacturing uses are located adjacent to
the Central Business District of the City, and on the south
side of the City within residential areas.
The development
of the City's new industrial park on Kinneville Road is a
step in the right direction to concentrate industries in an
appropriately designed area.
Almost half of the City is still vacant, particularly along
the northern and eastern perimeters, providing an excellent
opportunity to plan for the future development of the City.
A large portion of vacant land in the western part of the
City is in low lying topography, and susceptible to 100 year
flooding.
These areas should be set aside for open space or
recreation.

-72-

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SECTION VII
STREETS AND ROADS ANALYSIS

�, ....

STREETS AND ROADS ANALYSIS

Existing Conditions
:
I

:

'

.

{
l

The primary road in Eaton Rapids is Main Street (M-50/M-99)
which bisects the commercial core of the downtown.
On the
north, the street turns west toward Charlotte (becoming
Dexter/M-50),
and
northeast
toward
Lansing
(Canal;
Michigan/M-99).
South of the Central Business District,
Water
Street
( M-18 8)
intersects
with Main
Street and
Spicerville Highway and Kinneville Road intersect at the
south end of the City.
The remainder of the roads are primarily local streets which serve residential neighborhoods.
State Street is a primary road on the east side.
Road Classifications

The network of streets in Eaton Rapids may be defined in a
functional hierarchy, by evaluating the size and use of the
road, and the land uses it serves. This includes:
'

\

.

Arterial (e.g. M-99):
Relatively high capacity
roads which provide unity throughout a contiguous
urban area; medium speed/capacity roads for intracommunity travel as well as access to rest of
county-wide arterial highway system.
Should have
minor access control and channelized intersection.
Four miles of arterial roads exist within Eaton
Rapids.
Collector
(e.g.
State
St.):
Relatively
low
speed/low volume street, typically two lanes, for
circulation within and between neighborhoods.
The
roads serve generally short trips and are meant to
collect trips from local streets and distribute
them to the arterial network.
The City currently
contains 6.7 miles of collector streets.
I

•

Local Streets (e.g. Leonard St. ) :
Low speed/low
volume
roads
which
provide direct
access
to
abutting land uses.
Nonconducive to through traffic.
There are currently 19.95 miles of local
streets in the City.
It should be noted that M-50, M-99,
Michigan/Main,
and
Water
Streets,
designated as State trunklines.

-73-

and M-188 (Dexter,
respectively),
are

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1-CITY OF

EATON RAPlbS
EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
legend
MAP 9
STREET CLASSIFICATIONS

ARTERIAL
'11.Z ZZZ ZZZZZ COLLECTOR

@

·LOCAL
-74-

Gove Associates Inc.

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Daily Traffic Volumes
Exact 24-hour traffic counts in Eaton Rapids have been somewhat sporadic over the years, as shown on the next page.
However, from this we can determine where the majority of
traffic is entering and/or leaving the City.
This breaks
down as:

i..:

.
;

.
J.

Michigan Street (M-99)
South Main Street (M-50/M-99)
Dexter Road (M-50)
Spicerville Highway
Water Street (M-188)

40%
28%

21%
7%
4%

Evidently, the Lansing area on the north and Charlotte on
the west exhibit the greatest influence on the City of Eaton
Rapids. This primarily reflects individuals traveling to and
from work, and shopping in the other communities.
Map 10
identifies traffic counts in different years, primarily along
Main Street .
As shown on Table 30, vehicular traffic on major streets
have, in general, increased slightly over the part 10-15
years.
The most noticeable increase has occurred on Brook Street and
on Main Street just north of Hamlin.
This would tend to
indicate that a greater amount of activity (new construction,
more jobs and other attractions) have occurred on the western
side of the City.
However, it is likely that this has
levelled off in the past five years, and more traffic is and will be - generated on the eastern side of the City. New
developments in this location and a general tendency for the
City to expand in an eastern direction may increase traffic
volumes on all streets in this area, although not by a significant amount.
With the redevelooment of the Old Horner
Woolen Mill site, additional traff i"c will be added to the
Canal/Main street area which is already one of the highest
traffic volume areas in the City.
Sidewalks, Curb and Gutter
Except for approximately 2,000 linear feet,
the City's
streets are essentially paved or seal-coated.
Of the
approximately 31 miles of streets within the City, approximately 47 percent are improved with curb and gutter.
These
are primarily located within the older, more established portion of the City, including the Central Business District,
the residential area between North River Street and East
Street, and north of, and along, Dexter Street, as well as
residential areas south of King Street between Water Street

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 10

TRAFFIC COUNTS

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�TABLE 30
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VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON MAJOR STREETS

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Vehicle
Count for
24 Hr. Period

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Vehicle
Count for
24 Hr. Period

Year
Count
Taken*

%

Charge/Yr

3,810

1973

4,362

1986

984

1975

1,447

1982

4.6

7,003

1973

9,695

1986

2.1

11,877

1973

14,596

1986

1.4

1,913

1977

1,828

1982

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M:iin/Hamlin

lU,546

1977

13,015

1982

3.8

M:iin/Broa.d

13,783

1973

15,139

1986

.69

M:iin/W. Plain

11,396

1973

11,852

1983

.16

1,171

1973

1,112

1986

-.39

71U

1974

89Y

1986

1.8

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Dexter Road

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Brook Street

(

Year
Count
Taken*

.97

.

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W. Hamlin

W3.ter/W.

s.

W:l.ter

*lt&gt;te:
SOURCE:

Plain

Counts not available for sorre years in all locations
Michigan Cepartnent of Transportation

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and Hale Street (see Map 11).
The majority of curb and gutters are along collector streets such as State Street, Hall
Street and East Street.

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There are 16.02 miles of sidewalk within the City.
As with
curb and gutter, the majority of sidewalks are located in the
older, more developed portion of Eaton Rapids (see Map 12).
While most areas that are improved with sidewalks, contain
sidewalks on both sides of the street, there are several
streets that have sidewalks on one side.
The majority of
those streets do not have curb and gutter.
In essence, while
about 50 percent of the City contains curb and gutter and/or
sidewalks, the majority of streets away from the core of the
City, and which were built at a later time period, do not
have curb gutter and sidewalk improvements.
Alternative Transporation Methods
Other than by private vehicle, Eaton Rapids only other form
of transit is via the EATRAN Public Bus System. Rail service
is no longer available in the City, and the closest commercial airport is in Lansing CCapital City Airport) approximately 25 miles north. The small Charlotte municipal airport
is 10 miles to the west.
The EATRAN system works on a reservation-required basis only.
Although residents may be picked up almost anywhere in the
City,
a
one-hour
reservation
is
needed
to
join
a
"Dial-A-Ride" route between Eaton Rapids and most adjoining
communities.
Rides to other outlying areas require a reservation 24 hours in advance, since only one vehicle is allocated for this service.
Connections to the Capital Area
Transit Authority (CATA) are also offered, which services the
greater Lansing Area.
In total, EATRAN serves Eaton Rapids
with 14 scheduled bus routes daily, although no specific
pickup and drop points are provided.
Problem Areas
The most often cited problem areas for traffic evolve around
the core of the downtown.
Individuals looking for parking
spaces, specific establishments, or simply as through traffic, tend to slow down and add congestion to the overall flow
of traffic.
If vehicular control devices (stop signs,
lights, etc.) are poorly placed, the problems are magnified.
Most readily identifiable is the Hamlin/Main Street intersection.
Vehicles traveling east on Hamlin have trouble maki~g
a left on Main to proceed north.
Many residents have asked
for a traffic signal in this location, but the number of left
turns attempted has not been sufficient for the state to
authorize a traffic signal at this time.
Another problem
area is in the vicinity of the Main Street and Marlin Street
intersection, due to left-turn traffic.

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MAP 11
EXISTING CURB AND GUTTER
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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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MAP 12
EXISTING SIDEWALKS
AND PUBLIC PARKING

SIIEWALKS
PUBLIC PARKIN;

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A potential problem may also develop further north on Main
Street as the old Horner Woolen mill site is redeveloped.
A
project at this location may add a great deal of traffic to
the existing system, and at a er i tical point in the City
(M-50/M-99/Main Street intersection).
Vehicular parking is also a concern in the City, especially
to individual merchants.
A lack of parking close to a consumers destination is often enough discouragement to forego
"one-stop" shopping.
Other times, parking spaces which are
close enough are generally filled - sometimes by employees of
the stores, other times by commuters, car pools, etc.
The
City does not allocate lots (or portions of them) specifically for long term ( 2 hours or more) vehicular parking.
There are seven off-street public parking areas in the
Central Business District between Spicer Street and the old
Horner property.
In addition, there are also nine private
off-street parking lots in this area (see Map 13).
The City's Department of Public Works identified a little
over three miles of streets in Eaton Rapids that needed some
type of improvement ( right-of-way realignment, storm sewer
improvement, paving) as of June 1988.
The majority of these
are local streets located in the eastern and southern portions of the City (see Map 14).
In response to the question" ... how would you rate ... services and facilities in Eaton Rapids?", residents ranked
streets as the third worst overall.
This may include not
only the condition of the streets, but also vehicular control
devices employed (turning lanes, speed limits, signs, lights,
etc. ) .
Ranked fifth worst was the City sidewalks, which
would assume not only their condition, but lack of existence
in many areas.
This provides a handicap to many alternative
forms of movement (walking, bicycles, etc.).

Synopsis
The
State
Department
of
Transportation
is
currently
completing work on two improvements/expansions to specific
streets within Eaton Rapids.
These include:
1.

M-99 project from N. Main to the north City
limits, including the realignment at Main
Street and Canal Street and the widening of
Canal Street and Michigan Street to three
lanes.

2.

Extension of North Street south to Dexter/
M-50 as part of the M-99 project; this would
also include the termination of Division
Street at North Street.

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�EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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MAP 13
DOWNTOWN PUBLIC PARKING LOTS
PUBLIC PARKIN;
PRIVA'IE PARKIN:;

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MAP 14
IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED
LOCAL/MAJOR STREETS

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In addition, streets in the Irish Downs
Subdivision 1-4 have been completed.
These
will connect with existing Union/Connemara,
Knight, and Miller Drive (This is being
constructed by a developer and is not a
project being administered or constructed by
the Michigan Department of Tranportation).

.,
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These projects, and those of the future, should be considered
in relation to the proposed goals and objectives, and their
methods of implementation.
By doing this, existing problems
and concerns may be alleviated, and potential ones avoided.
The addition of sidewalks, curb and gutter on residential
streets that currently do not have these facilities would
contribute substantially to the City's attractiveness and
quality of life, as would bicycle pathways/lanes within the
City.

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SECTION VIII
COMMUNITY FACILITIES/SERVICES

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COMMUNITY FACILITIES/SERVICES

Municipal Administration
The City is constituted as a Home Rule City, with a Council/
Manager form of government. Local decision-making is made by
a five member City Council with several Council appointed
boards
and
commissions,
consisting
of
the
Planning
Commission,
zoning
Board of Appeals,
Board of Review,
Advisory Park Board; Library Board, Mechanical Board of
Appeals,
Housing
and Building
Board of Appeals, Local
Officers Compensation Commission and the Downtown Development/Tax Increment Finance Authority.
The day-to-day operation of the City are guided by a City Manager, including the
overview of various departments and divisions.
There are 42
full-time and four part-time City employees.
The City Hall of Eaton Rapids is located downtown on the
corner of South Main and West Hamlin Streets.
It contains
the offices of the City Manager, City Clerk-Treasurer, and
the Building Inspector.
It also houses the City Council
Meeting Room. Although the City Hall is old (built in 1912),
it is presently adequate for the City's needs.
Its &lt;:entral
location is well suited for the public's convenience.
No
relocation plans are now under consideration. However, owing
to the age of the building, it is likely that a new building
will be warranted in the future.

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Eaton Rapids contains four DPW buildings.
The Garage, which
was built in 1960 houses City vehicles plus offices and a
service area.
The two Pole Buildings, one constructed in
1967 and the other in the 1980's, function for the storage of
seasonal equipment, vehicles and job materials.
The Salt
Building, also erected in 1987, is used for street salt
storage.
All four buildings are in excellent condition.
They will adequately service the City in the future.
Public Safety
The City's Fire Department includes its chief and 17 volunteers, and it utilizes nine vehicles to serve the City.
The
fire department now services only the City of Eaton Rapids.
The City Police force consists of a chief and a staff of
seven sworn officers.
They make use of three vehicles,
replacing one annually, and issue 1100-1200 citations per
year.
Approximately 60 citations per year are for drunk
driving, with about 1/3 of them going to residents of Ea.ton
Rapids.
State Street and Dexter Street near the schools are
where most speeding citations are issued. There are very few
major crimes in the City; primarily vandalism and local noise
enforcement is handled by · the department.
Eaton County
Sheriff Department and Michigan State Police assistance are
provided on an as-needed basis.

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Schools D
7:"""1rorthwestern Elementary (Playground and Nature Study)
2. Union Street Elementary (Playground)
3. Eaton Rapids High School (Ball Fields, Stadiwn, Track,
Tennis Courts)
4. Southeastern Elementary (Playground)
s. Eaton Rapids Middle School (Pool)
6. King Street Adult Education
7. School Administration/Bus Garage
Municieal Facilities A 0
City Hall, Police Department
9. Fire Oepartment
10. Library
11. Cemetery
12. Sewage Treat Plant
13. Water Plant
14. Pub lie Works Garage
15. Public Restrooias

a.

Park - Recreation O
16. Old Athletic Field
17. Hall Street Park
18. Island Park
19. McArthur River Park
20. Hemori al Park
21. Biggs Park
22. Senior Citizens Center

23.

MAP 15
COMMUNITY FACILITIES

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�Parks and Recreation
The City's parks and recreation areas are located primarily
near the center portions of the City, and to the north of the
downtown.
McArthur River Park, a neighborhood park along the
east side of the Grand River at McArthur River Drive, is the
farthest point south in the City provided for recreation.
TABLE 31
PARK AND RECREATION AREAS

Description

Name

Size
(Acres)

Location

Amenities

Northwestern
Elem. School

Playground

6.0

Dexter Rd.

Play Equipment

Southeastern
Elem. School

Playground

8.0

Greyhound
Drive

Play Equipment

Union St.
Elem. School

Playground

5.0

Union St.

Play Equipment

Island Park

Community

2.0

DowntownGrand
River

Picnic Facilities
Play Equipment,
Gazebo

Old Athletic

Community

W. Knight
Street

All-purpose Tennis
Courts, (tennis/
basketball/dances)
5 Ball Fields,
Pavilion, Tables,
Grills, Horseshoes

Hall St. Park

Neighborhood

0.8

N. Hall
Street

Grills, Benches
Tables

McArthur
River Park

Neighborhood

1.0

McArthur
Drive

Playground, Grills,
Tables, Boat Launch

Memorial Park

Neighborhood

S. Main
Street

Veterans Memorial,
Shuffleboard

Biggs Park

Neighborhood

Senior
Center

Community

SOURCE:

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Montgomery
Street

Gr ills, Swings,
Picnic Tables,
Play Area

Grand &amp;
Hall Sts.

Senior Citizen
Services

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Schools
The Eaton Rapids School District ( see Map 16) has, as of
September 1988, 2944 students.
This is an 8.7 percent
decline from 1967-68, and consists of 1262 pupils in kindergarten through the fifth grade, 592 pupils in grades six
to eight, 831 pupils in grades 9-12, 159 adult education students and 100 special education students.
The following facilities
educational purposes:

are

currently

being

utilized

for

TABLE 32
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

Building
Size
Size
(Sg. Ft.) (Acres)

Name/Ty:ee
Northwestern Elem.
Southeastern Elem.
Union Elem.
E.R. Middle School
E.R. High School
King St. - Adult Ed.
Maint./Board of Ed.

30,121
37,175
22,500
120,000
119,000
31,386
12,200

40
10
20
20
20
3.5
3

Year
Built

Site
Enrollment
se12t. '88

1958/66 Add.
1969
1962
1969
1963/69 Add.
1938
1952/1968
Total

533
452
313
619
852
159
2,928*

*Total enrollment by school does not equal total school districk enrollment as some students (special ed.) are not
assigned to a specific school.
SOURCE:

Eaton Rapids Public Schools

The school district's administration includes 16 special
education teachers for the gifted, talented, and learning
disabled and emotional children.
Additionally, vocational
students attend classes at Lansing Community College, and the
county cooperative schools allow students to travel and
attend classes elsewhere if they are not available at the
home school.
The school system requires a $40.00 fee of students to enter
the athletic program, with all of the activities handled
through school.
The facilities available include:
elementary playground equipment; swimming pool in the middle
school; gymnasiums; softball and baseball diamonds, track;
football and soccer fields.
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EATON

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
MAP 16

legend
EATON RAPIDS
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

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----- TOWNSHIP LIMITS

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�There are no private or parochial schools within the City.
The nearest private school is the Eaton Rapids Christian
Fellowship Academy, located about three miles west of the
City on M-50.
This school consists of grades K-12 and
currently has 12 students, including four from Eaton Rapids.
Library
The library is located in a building downtown which is rented
by the City near City Hall.
It contains over 20,000 volumes,
and has cooperative privileges with the Capital Area Library
Cooperative.
Its total circulation in 1988 was 55,253 volumes. Because of the cooperative privileges, audio and video
tapes are also available, although no computer aids are
supplied.
The library has a five member board, and its serves the City
plus Eaton Rapids
and Hamlin townships,
and half
of
Brookfield Township. Funding is received from general funds,
State aid and penal fines.
Social Services
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Home is located
approximately four miles southeast of Eaton Rapids.
The
facility has a national scope, with two programs relating to
the care of veterans:
1.

The national parent
and children).

program

( Single

parents

2.

Residential (State licensed) - children without parents.

The complex originated in 1925, and now has 640 acres and 63
buildings (including 36 single and two-story homes). Present
residents include 81 children, 13 parents, and 15 scholarships.
There are also 84 staff members/employees, plus consultants.
Medical Services
The Eaton Rapids Community Hospital (1500 s. Main Street) has
41 beds and was built in 1957 with community support.
An
additional wing was added in 1977.
The hospital receives no
federal funding, but does have a high degree of cornmuni ty
support.
Of 150 employees at the hospital, four are doctors, under
contract, 42 are registered nurses, and there are 15 LPN's.
Approximately 90 physicians from the general area (including

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Twentyfour hour emergency service is available, in addition to
surgery, laboratory, pathology, internal, pharmacy, pediatrics and others specialties.

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The Eaton Rapids Professional Building, located across from
the hospital, is a privately run practice.
This clinic has
18 employees and four physicians.
It specializes in internal
medicine and family practice.
Some out-patient services include therapy, radiology, stress
tests, laboratory, cardiology, and health education.
An
advance life support ambulance service attended by paramedics
is provided through a Charlotte-based ambulance company.
Solid Waste Disposal

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The City does not provide for refuse pickup for its citizens.
Residents and businesses contract with three private hauling
firms in the area for this service.
Residential waste is
collected via curbside pickup on specified days each week,
while commercial waste is deposited in 'dumpsters' for pickup
by packer trucks.
Refuse is then trucked to the C&amp;C Landfill
in Calhoun County.
The Eaton County Solid Waste Management
Plan calls for landfilling to be the primary method of waste
disposal over the next five to twenty years, with the possibility of a drop-off or curbside collection system for
recycling.
A central recycling processing facility is proposed for the county which will collect, segregate and ship
recyclable mater i als to various markets.
Leaf composting in
municipalities will also be encouraged.
Cemetery

Rosehill Cemetery is the only cemetery within the
located in the southwest corner off of West Street.
approximately 45 acres in size.

City,
It is

Sewer/Water/Storm Sewer and Public Utilities

The water system in Eaton Rapids contains six wells, 172 fire
hydrants and 1700 service connections.
The water tower capacity is 250,000 gallons, and the normal water consumption in
the City is approximately 500,000 gallons minimum per day.
The maximum consumption rate the system can handle is
3,600,000 gallons/day.
The primary wastewater treatment plant, with a 1.2 million
gallons per day design capacity and a 2.0 million gallons per
day maximum capacity, had a three million dollar secondary
expansion in 1978.
The City has two sanitary sewer lift stations with 22.5 miles of sanitary sewer line ranging from 6"
to 21", and 381 manholes.
The City also has 17. 6 miles of
storm sewer lines ranging from 8" to 36", two storm sewer
lift stations, 163 storm sewer manholes, and 410 catch basins.
-91-

�Eaton Rapids owns a 2,400/4,160 volt wye electrical distribution system consisting of approximately 179 miles of primary
and secondary conductors.
Electrical service is supplied to
the City by Consumers Power Company at a substation near the
center of the City.
In addition, the City has 413 fixtures
which light the streets, parks, athletic fields, parking
lots, and the downtown district.
They are made up of a
variety of high intensity lamps.
Natural gas service throughout
Consumers Power Company.

the

City

is

provided

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Energy Conservation
The high cost of energy impacts upon the cost of municipal
operations as well as household, commercial and industrial
expenses.
The City purchases electricity from Consumers
Power and bills local residences and businesses accordingly.
It is up to individual users to practice energy conservation,
including
adding
insulation,
improving
window openings,
changing to more efficient furnaces, etc.
The City has practiced energy conservation by upgrading the
windows in City Hall for better thermal insulation. In addition, over the past 10 yea-rs the fire station has been
upgraded with insulated overhead doors, new thermopane windows, removal of windows and closure of window and door openings, downsizing of windows and replacement of furnaces with
energy efficient units.
Any future upgrading of City Hall
would also include energy conservation measures.

Synopsis
The City contains a full range of public facilities and services needed for daily activities that occur within its
jurisdiction. Administrative procedures are defined by state
statutes, although decision-making processes reflect local
preferences.
Administrative facilities, while adequate to
meet present needs, may need to be updated to accommodate
greater efficiency and continuing changes in administrative
procedures and technologies. Public safety, including police
and fire services and facilities also appear to be adequate.
Public facilities near the Grand River and public access to
the river are available but limited.
The Grand River is a
major asset to the community and presents a prime opportunity
for public recreation as well as enhancement of the Central
Business District.
A full range of educational facilities
and services are available in Eaton Rapids through the Eaton
Rapids Public Schools.
In addition, easy access to higher
education in Lansing and East Lansing contributes to the
comprehensiveness of formal education available to local
residents.
All of the existing school buildings are relatively modern and should meet the needs of the school system

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through the twenty-year plan period.
The library is an
important component of the cultural and educational character
of the area, and as such, should be promoted within the City
and townships.
The location of the Eaton Rapids Community
Hospital within the City is a positive element of the City
and surrounding area.
However, with the current f inane ial
problems that many hospitals face, the Community Hospital
will likely have to expand its capabilities while operating
at reduced budgets in order to remain competitive. There are
a number of sewer, water and stormwater improvements that
should be made in order to maintain and improve the public
infrastructure as the City develops. Coordination with development adjacent to the City in surrounding townships should
also be encouraged.

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Overall, the major problem in providing for the expansion,
improvements, or in some cases, retention, of public facilities and services, is the acquisition and allocation of
financing for those facilities and services.
Efforts to
raise revenue for public and quasi-public entities should
involve an annual cooperative effort between the public and
private sectors to guarantee financing to retain and improve
those types of community assets.

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�PART 11
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_SECTION I
INTRODUCTION

ii

�INTRODUCTION

Up to this point, the text has defined and analyzed past and
present data and information that comprises the City of Eaton
Rapids and its immediate area.
In Part I, the City's
characteristics relative to population, housing, economy,
land use, natural resources, and community facilities were
described individually as well as bein:; integral components
of the area's total economic, human resource and physical
(land use) system.
Part II relies on that analysis to formulate a development plan for the next 20 years.
This plan
sets forth the various components that will comprise the City
of Eaton Rapids, given the opportunities that are currently
available and will likely be available at some future time
for residents and elected and appointed officials.

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In general, the City will not grow substantially in terms of
quantity ( new residents and new businesses).
The intent of
the development plan, therefore, is to promote and set forth
change - that is, the revitalization of those elements that
now comprise the City to consistently improve and maintain
the area's quality of life.
The format for describing that
development plan consists of identifying its individual components - i.e., the individual plans and programs for residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, parks and
recreation, community facilities and services, overall land
use, natural resources conservation and improvement, and
overall sense of community.
Each component is described in
terms of its goal, objectives and policies, land use pattern,
narrative description, and implementation program.

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SECTION II
OVERALL LAND USE

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�OVERALL LAND USE

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Over the next 20 years, Eaton Rapids' municipal boundaries
should remain as they are today, as there is enough vacant
developable land within the City to accommodate expected
growth.
The majority of the City's land area (approximately
991 acres, or 48%) will be devoted to single-family or duplex
residential development.
Another 69 acres will be allocated
to multiple-family housing in various locations, particularly
in the eastern and northern portion of the City as well as
near the downtown core.
Both sing le-family and multiplefamily
housing
may
also
be
located
in
Planned
Unit
Development areas, which will encompass 140 acres near the
City's northern boundaries.
In addition, multiple-family
housing may also be combined with offices in designated areas
that cover over 17 acres, primarily just north of the Central
Business District.
These uses are intended to complement
the City's downtown commercial area and create higher density
activity in the CBD.
Mobile homes, are for the most part, to
be concentrated in a 36 acre planned mobile home development
in the southwest portion of the City.
In total, residential
land uses will occur at various densities on approximately
1,100 acres of land, or 55 percent of the City's total area.
Commercial land use will continue in the existing downtown
area, with an emphasis on redevelopment and revitalization.
That includes redevelopment/reuse of the Old Horner property
as well as storefront and building renovation along Main
Street, streetscape improvements and occupancy of existing
vacant buildings.
More defined commercial uses will be
allowed along South Main Street, between South Street and
Park Street on the West side, and between Plain Street and
Haven Street on the east side, and between Marlin Street and
the southern City limits on the east side.
These will be
primarily automobile oriented businesses that will have their
own off-street parking facilities.
There will be a total of
54. 2 acres devoted to commercial use, with approximately 30
percent ( 16. 5 acres) being in the Central Business District
and 70 percent (37.7 acres) along South Main Street.
Industrial land use will comprise over about 127 acres, most
of which is in the City's southern boundary, including 23
acres in the City's industrial park.
It is the City's intent
to concentrate these activities as much as possible in one
area, realizing that some existing industrial activities will
continue to exist outside of this area.
Industrial land uses
will include manufacturing, assembly and warehousing operations.
Public
facilities,
including
municipal
administrative
offices, police and fire station, Department of Public Works
garage, sewage treatment plant, well field and school grounds

-95-

�and buildings will cover over 110 acres.
Because these
facilities are considered to be adequate to accommodate the
City's needs over the next 20 years, the amount of area
devoted to public facilities will not be expanded.
The seven churches currently serving the City encompass
almost 16. 5 acres.
While there are no existing plans for
additional churches, it is possible that additional land will
be set aside for such uses in the future.
Typically,
churches and church-related facilities are located within
residential or commercial areas.
Eaton Rapids Community
Hospital covers over seven acres.
There are no plans for
expansion of this facility and the Plan proposes the same
amount of land be devoted to the hospital over the next 20
years.
Open space and recreation will play a major role in forming
the quality of life in Eaton Rapids. Linear greenbelts adjacent to the river as well as neighborhood and community parks
and natural preservation areas will cover almost 174 acres.
These areas will, in some cases, include playground and
recreation/entertainment facilities,
and in other cases
remain essentially undeveloped.
They will take advantage of
the City's major resources primarily the Grand River, to provide a full range of passive and active recreation activities
for the City's residents and visitors.
Streets and sidewalks, including curb and gutter, will continue to require expansion and improvement over the next 20
years.
New development, on large vacant parcels, particularly in the northern and eastern portions of the City,
will likely include additional local, and perhaps even
collector, streets.
Those residential portions of the City that do not contain
curb and gutter and/or sidewalks on at least one side of the
road will be areas in which such improvements should be concentrated. Additional sidewalks, curbs and gutters should be
constructed on M-99 south to the City limits and along M-50
to the western City limits.
Separate walking /biking paths
would be constructed within the linear greenbelt along the
Grand River and in the natural area on the western boundaries
of the City. Bike lanes on existing road rights-of-way would
connect these walking/biking paths.
This is the proposed land use distribution that the City wiJ l
attempt to achieve over the next 20 years.
In reality, not
all land that is designated for the various types of development scheduled in this Plan will actually be developed.
It
is expected that at the end of the planning period, vacant
lands will still exist within the City.
Obviously, the
extent to which land is developed depends upon the overall
economic, social and physical attractiveness of Eaton Rapids
to new businesses and residents.
-96-

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Table 33 depicts the general allocation of future land uses
proposed in this Plan.
1

TABLE 33
FUTURE LAND USE ALLOCATIONS
,

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Acres

Land Use

Percent of Total

Residential

,

..

- Single-Family
- Multiple Family
- Mobile Home Parks

991
69
42

47.8
3.3
2.0

Office/Multiple-Family

17

0.8

16
38

0.8
1. 8

127
109
16
7
174
241
85
140

6.1
5.3
0.8
0.3

Commercial
Central Business District
- South Main Street
Industrial/Warehouse
Public Facilities
Churches
Hospital
Open Space/Recreation
Streets
Water
Planned Unit Development*
Total

8.4

11.6
4.1
6.8

2,072

*Area includes streets, recreation, residential and/or commercial development.
A Planned Unit Development is a type
of development on a larger site that requires the total
development concept, land use patterns, circulation, landscape and structure design, utilities and other site amenities to be identified prior to approval and development.
The Planned Unit Development concept allows flexibility in
design, platting, street layout, and other elements relative
to standard development controls, such as zoning and subdi vis ion regulations.
The result is a more efficiently
designed development that creatively utilizes the environmental conditions of the site on which it is located.
A
Planned Unit Development can consist of all residential land
use, all commercial land use, or industrial land use, or a
combination of land uses.
Typically, Planned Unit Development contains open space/recreation areas.
SOURCE:

Gove Associates Inc.
-97-

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Incremental Development Patterns

l

As with any community, the development of Eaton Rapids will
occur in various phases over time. This development will not
likely be consistent, but rather the City will experience
change in II spurts 11 , typically in conjunction with regional,
state and national economic fluctuations.
To achieve the
results (goals) called for in this Plan, the City will have
to develop programs to direct and guide growth in the desired
manner.
While it is not possible to determine with any certainty where and to what extent development will actually
occur within the City, this Plan has attempted to describe,
in graphic form, the patterns of development for the City in
five year increments over the next 20 years.
Maps 17, 17a,
17b, 17c depict the most desirable (preferred) land use
patterns at 5, 10, 15 and 20 year stages.
These depictions
are general and, in reality, actual land uses at specific
locations may very well differ from what is proposed.
Overall, changes will consist of new developments occurring
in existing vacant areas near the outer perimeter of the City
as well as redevelopment of existing "built-up" areas.
The following briefly describes the progressive changes,
depicted in the development maps, by land use category:

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Year 0-5

During the first five years, single-family residential will
continue to be predominant, with infill of vacant buildable
lots in existing residential neighborhoods.
A new mobile
home park is being constructed east of Hyatt Street.
Commercial development over the first five years will consist
of retaining the Central Business District between State
Street and Brook Street and making continued improvement to
the buildings and public facilities in the area.
Some 'highway• oriented commercial infill will occur south of Marilyn
Street and Spicerville Highway as well as the intersection of
Elizabeth and Main streets.
Off ice development will be concentrated in an area between
Division and Brook streets during the first five years of the
Plan.
Multiple-family housing will also be allowed in this
area.
Industrial land uses will, for the most part, be concentrated
in the area east of Jackson Street ( south of Haven Street)
and in and around the City's industrial park.
In two
instances, industries will remain in their current location
outside the area of industrial concentrations with limited
expansion to allow for buffering between these activities and
adjacent residential areas.
These are the properties located

-98-

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on the corner of Brook and Main streets and the area between
Plain, Hall, Hyatt and Elizabeth streets.
The general area
bounded by Kinneville Road, Jackson Street, Haven Street and
Water Street will be infilled with industrial activities over
the 20 year plan period. These industrial activities will be
required to include natural or man-made buffers to separate
them from conflicting residential development.
In the next
five years, the City's industrial park, bordered by Hamman
Drive, Hults Drive and Kinneville Road will begin to attract
smaller light industrial operations located on separate parcels.
Community facilities will, for the most part, remain
intact, with expansion of utilities (such as wastewater
treatment) as necessary to accommodate future demand.
A r i verwalk along the west side of the Grand River running
north from State Street to a point northeast of Mill Street
will be constructed to allow greater pedestrian access to the
river in the downtown area. It is expected that this walkway
will 'open up' the backside of the buildings in this area to
pedestrian access and consequently enhance the rear facade of
these buildings.
Year 5-10

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Between the 5th and 10th year, additional "infill" in
existing single-family neighborhoods will occur and new
single-family development will take place west of West
Street ( north of the cemetery), near the southeast corner
of the City, east of the Grand River and in the northwest
quadrant, north of Knight Street and east of Kerry Street.
These will vary in intensity from one-fifth or one-four th
acre lots to one acre or larger single-family sites.
Development of multiple-family housing will be concentrated
in a block area bounded by Minerva, Division, Canal and
Lansing streets, as well as Market Street to and along
Michigan Street to a point beyond Wood Street.
By the 10th year, the property at the corner of Canal Street
and Main Street will be converted from warehousing to mixed
commercial/office and additional 'highway' commercial businesses will be constructed along Main Street between Plain
Street and Elizabeth Street.
Redevelopment activities wi 11
continue within the Central Business District.
By the 10th year, the area east of canal, southeast of Market
and west of the Grand River will also be developed as mixed
office/multiple-family.
Between the 5th and 10th year, the City's industrial park
will be almost, if not completely, developed.

-99-

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Recreation and open space development between the 5th and
10th year consist of a riverwalk/linear greenbelt adjacent to
the Grand River from the mill race near the Horner property
to State Street.

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Year 10-15
By the 15th year, new single-family housing development will
take place primarily in the northwest corner of the City,
along Dexter Street, west of Canal Street and north of
Lansing Street.
Additional multiple-family development will
take place west of N. River Street, adjacent to the Grand
River (condominium development would be the highest and best
use at that site) and west of Greyhound Drive, across from
the Junior High and High Schools.
By the 15th year, a higher density commercial activity will
occur between Plain Street and Alice Street, primarily along
Main Street but also adjacent to Jackson Street.
Industrial
activity
(primarily
light
manufacturing
and
'high-tech' businesses) and warehousing will expand from the
City's industrial park north and east to incorporate much of
the vacant property north of Hammon Drive and east of Holts
Drive.
This development should occur as an expansion of the
indusrial park concept initiated by the City, although it
could occur as either a private for-profit venture or as a
public or non-profit industrial development.
Between the 10th and 15th year, the area surrounding Spring
Brook will be formally retained as open space/recreation,
including the establishment of a bicycle/pedestrian path.
A
large open space area west of Lake Street will also be developed as well as an ext ens ion of the r i verwalk/g reenbel t on
both sides of Grand River north of Union Street, including a
large open space area north of the City's wastewater treatment plant.
Year 15-20
By the 20th year, inf ill in existing neighborhoods will be
substantial with only a few buildable lots likely remaining.
New single-family housing will occur at varying densities on
the outer perimeter of the City, including Planned Unit
Development west of Canal Street and north of Dexter Street
( this will be predominantly single-family and within a 'L'
shaped parcel east of East Street. This latter P.U.D. parcel
will be a ·combination of resort/hotel, multiple-family and
single-family development. Multiple-family housing will also
be constructed north of Brook Street near the City's west
boundary.

-100-

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�By the 20th year, 'highway' commercial will be in place between w. Plain and Alice streets on the east side of Main
Street and between South Street and Park Street on the west
side of Main Street.
Additional highway commercial on the
east side of Kyle Street will also take place.
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By the 20th year of the planning period, the entire area in
the south central 'triangle' will be devoted to industrial/
warehousing land use.
Open spaces will be distributed
throughout this area and greenbelt buffers will be located
around the perimeter to minimize or mitigate conflicts between industrial activities and surrounding residential and
commercial land uses. Most industrial and warehousing operations will be aggregated within the industrial 'triangle'.
By the year 2010, another park/open space area will be
established between the Grand River and Water Street (across
from Haven Street).
The foregoing descriptions are intended to reflect and identify the most desirable timing and location of land use
development and redevelopment.
In reality, given the projected population growth for the City, it is likely that
there will, by the end of the 20 year planning period, be
some land on the City's perimeter that will remain undeveloped.
Nevertheless, the desired 20 year plan land use pattern represents the optimum distribution of activities for
the entire City as it will look when fully developed.

-101-

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RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

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EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
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FUTURE LAND USE PLAN
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�RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal
High quality residential development which will fulfill the
needs of the various population segments in the area.
Objectives

.

A.

Provide decent housing for persons of all e c onomic
levels.

B.

Provide a range of housing types
housing conditions in the City .

C.

Obtain coordinated and balanced housing development
among the City of Eaton Rapids and the surrounding
townships (Eaton Rapids and Hamlin).

while

improving

)

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Policies
1.

Encourage home ownership in
and
duplexes,
condominiums
designated areas.

the area, including
modular
homes
in

2.

Encourage, directly or indirectly, rehabilitation of
substandard dwellings and preservation of quality
older homes.

3.

Encourage demolition of severly dilapidated housing
and develop, adopt and administer a citywide housing
code to ensure adequate code enforcement of existing
housing.

4.

Encourage new developments to be built in a manner
sensitive to the physical character of the Eaton
Rapids area, including the infilling of vacant lots
in established residential areas through the use of
architectural design ordinance and flexible zoning.

5.

Encourage
continued
single-family
residency
established single-family neighborhoods.

in

Land Use
The definition of the
be consistent with the
dential development to
lation segments in the
objectives.

residential future land use plan must
goal of obtaining a high quality resifulfill the needs of the various popuCity of Eaton Rapids with its specific

-106-

�The City of Eaton Rapids will experience an increase in population of approximately 2. 4 percent over the next 20 year
planning period (refer to Table 6 "Population Projections",
Part I).
Because of this, new housing stock must be made
available, and in a variety of forms, to suit household needs
and financial requirements.
The future land use plan reflects the new and proposed
single-family development on the eastern side of the City.
Additional single-family residential areas are proposed on
Michigan Street as it runs north to the City limits, and as
"inf ill" in scattered vacant areas which are now predominately residential.
However, in an effort to achieve greater
compatibility among adjacent land use, some existing singlefamily areas have been designated for other uses.
This
includes various areas on Main Street (from State Street
south) and a portion on Brook Street at the western City
limits.
New multiple-family housing units are designated for Canal
Street an~ along Michigan Street, along with a large section
of land on the north side of Brook Street (west of Vaughn).
Other smaller areas of existing multi-family housing uni ts
have been slightly expanded in the Plan, which includes portions on State Street and McArthur River Drive.
One location in the City is set aside by the Land Use Plan
specifically for mobile homes, to be located on Hyatt Street
in the southwest corner of the City.
Adjacent uses include
single-family residential lots, a cemetery and public open
space. Currently, mobile homes are primarily concentrated in
the three acre Hickory Haven Trailer Park located on Haven
Street.
Presently there are many areas which have a smattering of
various residential types - primarily duplexes and low density multiple-family mixed with single-family.
The proposed
land use plan would segregate the uses somewhat by lumping
areas together, which will also help create buffers between
single-family residential and other uses of high intensity.
Specific areas are designated in the Plan for a combination
off ice and multiple-family use.
Located northwest of the
Central Business District at Brook,
Cherry and Dexter
streets, the area will serve as a buff er from the singlefamily residential on the north to the industrial and Central
Business District area in the south.
Farther north, and
along the corporate line, are two larger areas set aside for
Planned Unit Development (PUD).
This may include a variety
of residential types, along with compatible off ice and commercial uses.

-107:-

V

�Qualitative Description
The quality of the City's housing stock is a prime component
of the overall attractiveness of the community - both to
individual residents and potential employers.
To attain a
desirable level of quality, existing housing in various portions of the City needs to be upgraded and design and
construction standards that promote quality need to be
encouraged.
Existing housing that is deteriorated or dilapidated, especially those concentrated in certain locations or "pockets"
need to be upgraded to meet housing codes.
Such upgrading
should be the City's top priority in addressing the quality
of its housing, as no individual or household should live in
a unit that is, or is close to being, uninhabitable.
At the
same time, the upgrading of these units should not make them
unaffordable for those residents that are on limited or fixed
incomes.
This is a critical factor in meeting the objective
of providing decent housing for persons of all economic
levels.
In addition, housing that is in good condition and
affordable for low-income first-time buyers should be made
available within the City.
These sing le-family uni ts typically 800-1,200 square feet in area could be publicly financed
and partially subsidized with the stipulation that the units
are sold back to the lender at a fixed rate of inflation to
be resold at a lower price to another first-time home buyer.
Such a program would: 1) make available decent affordable
housing for first-time homebuyers on a continuing basis and
2) allow those homebuyers a reasonable return on their
investment to purchase a larger home over time. One restriction may require the purchaser to agree to buy the second
home in Eaton Rapids when he or she sells the first home.
Additional housing would include a wide range of multiplefamily projects that meet higher yet affordable site plan
standards, medium to luxury priced condominium units and
single-family housing in planned unit developments. The City
should keep abreast of up-to-date concepts in housing development and analyze each concept to determine its applicability to Eaton Rapids.
Flexibility in design and regulation
should be adhered to.
For example, local development standards should be adopted
for 'site' condominium development.
Site condominium development essentially allows single-family detached homes to be
built on separate condominium 'envelopes', or parcels, with
streets, sidewalk and open spaces considered as belonging to
the condominium association.

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�Mobile home park development should be encouraged,
if
designed, constructed and maintained with an emphasis on
quality.
That includes circular streets, relatively larger
mobile
home
sites,
landscaping,
open
space,
on-site
recreation and continued maintenance.
such standards can be
retained while making the uni ts affordable to low/ moderate
income households.
The overall intent of the City's approach to residential
activities should be to accommodate the housing needs of its
residents, including changes in lifestyles and age groups,
while promoting quality development, including housing for
low income households.
Implementation
The actions related to housing in the City of Eaton Rapids
deal basically with the rehabilitation of neighborhoods, the
preservation of quality older homes, and the supply of housing uni ts for households with different income categories.
In any case, actions should respond to the clear identification of the needs of the City of Eaton Rapids, as well
as those of its surrounding townships.
The City of Eaton Rapids could implement the following
actions in order to obtain high quality residential development which will fulfill the needs of the various population
segments in the area:
o

Contact private developers and study the
possibility of establishing a public-private
partnership to develop multi-family projects
for low/moderate income households and senior
citizens.
Although the majority of housing in the United
States is provided by the private sector, it
is possible for the public sector to influence
the market and increase the supply of subsidized housing units.
The City must develop
an entrepreneurial attitude in originating or
taking a lead role in the development, using,
for instance, city-owned parcels or other
assets to participate in joint ventures with
private developers.
Often, the City may have
to assume much of the risk involved in the
projects, however, this leadership role has
the advantage that once the projects have been
completed, the City could also share in their
benefits. Furthermore, any successful project
is an incentive for additional developments in
the area.

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Give priority processing to those projects
that provide housing uni ts for moderate and
low income households.

0

Determine a percentage of units (10 or 15 percent, for example) that each new development
shall dedicate for occupancy by very low, low,
and
moderate
income
households
prior
to
granting approvals and permits.
An alternate requirement, such as the dedica tion of land to the City for future public
facilities, should be established when the
developer · cannot include low/moderate units
inthe project.

0

Promote ownership of housing units among residents.
This action could be implemented through the
promotion of programs among landlords aimed at
giving incentives to renter households to
become owners.
Preferences could be given to
occupants willing to make improvements to the
house and with a long-term period of occupancy.
Inc en ti ves such as setting aside a
portion of the annual rent to be used, after a
specified number of years, as a down payment
could be effective for the renter household.

0

Establish a nonprofit housing development corporation that could, among other things, take
possession of deteriorated housing and through
the Michigan Department of Social Services,
repair and sell those units to qualifying low
income households.

0

Promote the creation of community development
corporations and other types of communitybased non-governmental organizations related
to neighborhood development.

0

Encourage the maintenance of quality older
homes,
the
rehabilitation of deteriorated
housing uni ts, and in some cases the demolition of severely dilapidated housing units.
The City Council and the Building Inspection
Department could implement this action by
creating
special incentives such as communitywide recognition for well maintained
older homes, or assist owners in identifying

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�available resources for housing and neighborhood rehabilitation, and organizations such
as the Local Initiatives Support Corporation
(LISC) and the proposed Michigan Neighborhood
Builders Alliance, whose main objective is to
improve the conditions of neighborhood life by
supporting local community development.
Financing Program for Housing
At the federal level, housing developers in the City of Eaton
Rapids can apply for loans offered by the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That
agency ch·a nnels credits to rural residents and communities;
considering as rural areas those located in rural communities
with population under 10,000, which is the case in Eaton
Rapids (there are currently several projects in the area).
Some Farmers Home Administration programs that could be utilized in Eaton Rapids include the following:
Section 502,
which provides loans to buy, build or rehabilitate adequate
but modest housing; Section 504, which gives loans and grants
to low income applicants who lack repayment ability for a 502
loan; and Section 515 loans, which can be used to build rental housing units to be occupied by low and moderate income
households.
The eligible applicants for those loans are
individuals with low or moderate incomes who are or will be
owners/occupants of the dwelling in rural areas and who cannot obtain credit elsewhere.
Another federal aid program for housing is the Housing Development Action Grant, administered by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
Its objective is to stimulate
rehabilitation of deteriorating urban areas through a partner shp of the public sector, community groups, and private
industry.
Grants are given to applicant communities, who in
turn distribute funds to private developers. Eligible applicants for these grants are cities with physical and economic
distress (poverty, low per capita income, population growth
decline, etc.), willing to implement projects related to
neighborhood revitalization and rehabilitation of residential
structures.
At the state level, the Michigan State Housing Development
Authority (MSHDA) is the public agency that has been created
to address the housing needs of low and moderate income
citizens. The MSHDA has several housing programs to meet the
needs of the community, including loans, grants and different
types of subsidies.
The following are some of the existing
housing programs of the MSHDA:
Home Improvement loans,
Michigan Energy Bank, Section 8 rental assistance and rental
rehabilitation.

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Home Improvement Loan Programs are designed to provide below
market interest rate loans for home improvements.
The MSHDA
offers three alternative programs:
the Home Improvement
Program (HIP), the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP),
and the Community Home Improvement Program (CHIP).
It is
important to stress that these programs are not mutually
exclusive, they are all possible simultaneously and open to
lenders and communities.
In no case can these funds be used
for luxury and/or recreational improvements.
MSHDA housing projects are funded through the Community
Development Block Grant (CD.83) program, as well as sale of
bonds through the State of Michigan.
The Community Block
Grant program in Michigan has two major components:
one for
economic
development
reJ:ated
projects
(managed
by
the
Michigan Department of Commerce) and the other for housing
projects (administered by the MSHDA).
Eligible applicants
for the Housing Grant Programs are small cities, townships
and villages of less than 50,000 population.
Resources in
this program are dedicated to projects related to home
improvement
programs,
rehabilitation
of
rental
units,
homesteading of vacant properties, programs for the homeless
and public facilities' improvements linked to targeted home
improvement programs •

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SECTION IV
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

�COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
. -[

Goal
Continued development of Eaton Rapids as the commercial/
service center of the southeastern portion of Eaton County,
while meeting the shopping and employment needs of local
citizens.
Objectives
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A.

Attract visitors and shoppers to the area.

B.

Reinforce
the
role
of
Eaton
Rapids
as
the
commmercial/service center of the southeastern portion of Eaton County.

C.

Improve the "mix" of retail and commercial service
businesses to meet the needs of local citizens.

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Policies

I

1.

Encourage future commercial development to occur
within or near already developed commercial areas.

2.

Attract businesses into the Eaton Rapids area that
will provide for the best commercial/service "mix"
and which will meet known deficiencies.

3.

Formulate a "partnership" between all levels of
government and the Eaton Rapids Business Community.

4.

Take steps to enhan.c e Downtown Eaton Rapids' position
as
a
comparison
shopping
area,
while
encouraging downtown to provide a wide variety of
competitively pr iced convenience i terns designed to
meet the needs of the area residents.

5.

Initiate an aggressive campaign by which to utilize
vacant or obsolete industrial facilities within
the City for commercial retail, service and office
activities.
Land Use

The proposed land use plan should provide the City of Eaton
Rapids with enough space to achieve the general goal and the
specific objectives defined in the commercial development
plan.

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The proposed land use plan distributes commercial activities
in three separate areas along Main Street and the first block
to the east and/or west of Main (this varies by location).
Proposed commercial land uses run from Canal/Main street
intersection (east side) on the north to State Street, from
Plain Street to Alice Street and from Marlin Avenue to the
southern City limits on the south.
At present, the southern
eight blocks of Main Street are predominately residential
with some commercial establishments interspersed.
The greatest concentration of proposed commercial land use is
on Main Street at Knight, Hamlin and Spicer.
This follows
existing developmment as the highest commercial densities are
found in this three block area.
However, as mentioned
earlier, a Planned Unit Development proposed for a northern
section of the City may also include some commercial activity.
Although this would be rather limited and intend to
primarily service the surrounding residential uses.
Qualitative Description
Eaton Rapids' commercial development is probably the greatest
single physical element that defines the image of the City to
outside visitors. The current image of downtown Eaton Rapids
to many residents is not very positive.
Yet, the natural
environment and physical setting of the Central Business
District offers the potential for establishment of a positive
image as a unique commercial _d istrict.

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The central business core, from Canal Street to State Street,
will be the center of the City's commercial and service
activity. However, to maximize that potential, modifications
and alterations and repairs to existing buildings, particularly storefronts, are needed.
These include replacing
rotted wood, repainting masonry joints, removing metal rust,
repainting
buildings,
adding
new
or
additional
trim,
improving interiors and performing structural alterations as
needed to ensure the soundness of the building.
The City
should strive to retain those buildings that have archi tectural and historical integrity, while modifying or removing
those that have outlived their useful life and do not fit
into the overall historical integrity of the downtown area.
An appropriate mix of specialty retail shops, service commercial and entertainment facilities, including restaurants and
performing arts theatre, should be the primary components of
the Central Business District.
Upper floors of buildings
that as structurally sound, or can be renovated, should be
converted into mid-price to luxury apartments. To complement
building
renovation
and
alterations,
the
City
should
establish a downtown streetscape improvement program.
Such a
program could include, but not be limited to:
sidewalk redesign using brick pavers, street lamps, tree, shrub and flower

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planters, street furniture, historical or theme signage,
landscaped off-street parking and other similar improvements.
Redevelopment of the old Horner property at the intersection
of Canal and Main streets should be accomplished using a
theme that will complement the remainder of the buildings in
the downtown core area.
This property should be redeveloped
into a retail/service/office complex, but should not detract
from the revitalization of the balance of the Central
Business District.
Emphasis should also be placed on the
Grand River and Spring Brook, with river walks, lighting,
landscaping, boating and outdoor restaurants adjacent to the
river, with retention of, and improvement to, Island Park.
The overall intent of revitalization of the downtown core
should be to establish _ a pedestrian-oriented area that
attracts customers and patrons from the greater Lansing area.

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The two other commercial areas bordering South Main Street
will be highway or auto-oriented commercial districts.
They
will be larger retail/service outlets into a linear "minimall" configuration or larger discount or grocery stores in
individual buildings.
These buildings will contain their
own off-street parking.
The businesses in these areas will
not compete with the specialty stores in the Central Business
District but will rather serve the daily needs of consumers.
Typical businesses would include larger chain discount
stores,
supermarkets,
fast-food
restaurants,
appliance
stores, auto repair facilities, laundromats and similar
outlets. The design integrity of these commercial facilities
can be controlled by the City to a certain extent through
site plan review, which could require certain standards in
signage, parking and landscaping, as well as buffers between
commercial and residential land uses.
Implementation
Those actions recommended to achieve the commercial development goals and objectives are aimed basically at reinforcing
downtown, attracting investment to the City, promoting the
expansion of local businesses, and improving public facilities related to the commercial development of Eaton Rapids.

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Commercial activity plays a key role in the economic development process of the City.
However, the volume of commercial
activity in the Central Business District has decreased
during the last decade, following the general behavior of
Central Business Districts around the country.
According to
surveys conducted in the area, Downtown Eaton Rapids needs to
improve its current mix of businesses, as there is a negative
perception of downtown among local residents. The perception
is that Eaton Rapids is not competitive when compared to the
variety of stores located in shopping malls in Lansing and
Jackson.

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The following are some of the actions recommended to improve
the commercial conditions of the City of Eaton Rapids:
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The "Managing Downtown" Market Study identified some businesses that could fit into
downtown's "niche", which are the following:
meat market/deli selling quality meats and
selected
ready-to-eat
foods,
children's
clothing stores, big and tall men's shop,
retail bakery, an · antique mall, and a sit down
restaurant.

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The City Council could establish a program of
incentives to attract investment to the City,
and at the same time encourage the expansion
of locally owned business.
The following are some of the incentives that
could be established: purchase or acquisition
of tax deliquent properties to be used by the
City as leverage for new or expanded commercial development (land "writedowns"); entering
into a
public/private partnership with a
qualified developer ( such an arrangement can
vary
from
offering
municipal
funds
for
"start-up" costs to a full partnership in
which the City and developer share assets and
liabilities); improvement of public facilities; and the retention and expansion of local
development corporations, such as the Ea ton
Rapids Alliance for Community Development.
In
addition, development and investment plans for
the Horner property should continue to be
pursued.
Some financial assistance for these
actions could be obtained from the Community
Development Block Grant and Small Business
Administration programs.

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Contact private developers in order to promote
the market possibilities that types of businesses have in the area.
This should be done
by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

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DOA and other City organizations should be
involved
in
the
construction
of
new
parking facilities, the promotion of special
events
to
attract
people
downtown,
the
rehabilitation of deteriorated facilities, the
demolition of
delapidated facilities,
the
occupancy of vacant structures, and the adequate provision of public services,
such as

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�police
protection,
fire
protection,
snow
removal, etc. Street level spaces in downtown
buildings should be oriented toward commercial
retail and service businesses while second and
third floor areas should be limited to office
and apartment uses.
0

The

DDA and downtown property owners

should

work together within a committee structure to

ensure that vacant retail
are filled accordingly.

'I

spaces

The search committee could serve an important
function as a DDA clearing house for inf ormation on business opportunities in Eaton
Rapids.
The committee could handle initial
inquiries but would particularly be helpful as
a group to which inquiries from prospective
new business operators could be directed.
Information
about
such
contacts/inquiries
would then be given to the DDA for further
follow-up.
Business
people
should
be
encouraged to keep any negative opinions they
may have to themselves and to direct inquiries
instead to the search committee.
The committee should poll local business operators frequently to elicit intormation on inquiries or
expressions of interest which they may have
had from friends, business associates in other
towns, or information on potential new business operators who might be contacted as
prospective occupants of space. Membership on
this committee should consist of realtors,
bankers, etc.

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and off ice

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One class of occupants for additional floor
space are Central Business District businesses
which may be in need of expanded space.
The
revitalization of downtown business is also in
part a function of the ability of the downtown
area to serve as a breeding ground for new
commercial enterprises.
One way to plan for
this type of commercial growth is to encourage
and facilitate the expansion of existing businesses, which not only promotes the growth of
established firms but opens up smaller commercial spaces for new businesses. The potential
barriers to transfers of this sort, such as
the prospect of having to pay a higher rent or
having
to
make
substantial
interior
and
perhaps exterior improvements, may be overcome
with local initiatives.

�•

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A source of potential tenants for local commercial space consists of established independent operations currently located in nearby
cities and towns out of the market area. Many
established independents may have found that
they have grown to the limits of their market
at their present location.
Establishing an
additional office or store in the downtown
area can be presented as an advantageous means
of expanding their businesses.
A business
search committee can begin the process of
targeting
potential branch operations for
downtown by making
exploratory trips
to
surrounding towns . and cities with an eye to
spotting healthy small businesses of types not
currently represented in Eaton Rapids.
In
addition, it can assist in promoting negotiations between owners and prospective downtown
"relocatees" or new tenants and in
developing proposals which would include provisions for · building improvements and for
linking increased rental income to the growth
in sales realized by the new or
relocating
business, as well as
looking for new innovative businesses to locate, or expand: i.e.,
auto mall for service to auto while people
shop and work is an example, or a previously
owned auto dealership ·.
The ini~ial task of this committee is getting
(and then updating) hard facts about all
available properties in the DDA area.
This
information which should be issued per iodically to property owners and brokers who
market the space, includes every unit of
retail, off ice or other space available for
sale or rent. The data includes property status (in pre-leasing, ready-to-go, or needs
work),
floor
level
of
the
space,
area
available, approximate rental Cidentified in
categories, i.e., $2-$3.99/sq. ft., $4-$5.99/
sq. ft., $6-$7.99/sq. ft., etc.), utilities,
parking
availability,
carpeting,
air
condi tionim;,
and
adjoining
vacant
expansion
space. This committee should also mail a promotional package to all appropriate businesses
within the Eaton Rapids Market Area. The committee should follow-up on leads and get them
actively interested in downtown.
The promotional package should stress the positive
features of downtown. First, it should stress
that Downtown Eaton Rapids is a fun place to

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�visit and is active, colorful and interesting.
Secondly, it should explain that downtown
businesspeople are working together to exploit
market opportunities and target marketing and
sales efforts.
Thirdly, it should stress the
concept of quality goods and services, as
opposed
to
mediocre
or
cut-rate
i terns.
Fourthly, it should emphasize that the DDA is
providing resources by which private investment is supported with a public commitment.
It should be a high priority of a search committee to assure that upper floor spaces are
being utilized for their best and highest use.
Within the commercial area, most buildings
have upper floors which are used for storage
or business purposes.
These would also support offices or
small retail
businesses.
Physical
improvements
through
CDB3 /Housing
Funds in the upper floor space for housing,
offices or retail space will improve the
quality of tenants and add to potential clientele.
Financing Programs for Commercial Development

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While there are many programs related to economic development, the majority of them are oriented to financing projects
that support business activity, especially infrastructure
(sewer, water, streets, etc.). Many of the programs directly
related to economic development are aimed at the promotion of
small businesses, due to the recognized importance of these
types of businesses for regional (and national) economic
development.
At the federal level, the Small Business Administration is
the agency that provides loans and loan guarantees to help
small businesses.
The SBA has several different programs,
such as:
Section 7(a):
Regular Small Business Loans.
Their
objective is to aid small businesses that are unable
to obtain financing in the private credit market.
Besides the independently owned small businesses,
state and local development companies can apply for
loans, for projects such as construction, purchase
of buildings, equipment and material, and working
capital.
Section 8(a): Business Development Program, ensures
participation of businesses owned and controlled by
disadvantaged persons in federal contracting, in
their process to become independent.

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At the state level, the principal program directly related to
economic development is the Michigan Community Development
Block Grant CCDBG), which is administered by the Michigan
Department of Commerce.
The primary criterion for economic
development grants is the number of jobs that the project
will generate.
The program also addresses economic development planning, community redevelopment and economic development related infrastructure.

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Section 503:
Certified Development Company Programs.
Their objective is to stimulate the growth
and expansion of small businesses by providing them
with long-term financing.
Activities such as
acquisition of land and buildings, construction,
expansion,
renovation and modernization can be
financed by this program; however, some restrictions apply for applicants.

I

Two specific programs offered by the CDOO for commercial
development are:
Commercial/Retail Loan,
and Downtown
Development and Emergency Community Assistance.
At the local level, the City has financial resources that
could be used to promote commercial development. Besides its
normal revenue sources, the City of Eaton Rapids could use,
and has in place, Tax Increment Financing.
In addition,
Public/Private Partnerships and Special Assessment Taxes
could be used.

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Tax Increment Financing programs can be used to redevelop
Central Business Districts that are experiencing declining
property values and create and improve public facilities and
buildings for industrial development.
These programs, under
P.A. 198, the Downtown Development Authority Act, or P.A.
450, the Local Development Finance Authority Act are not tax
abatements, as long as they do not lower any tax rates.
Basically, the idea is to establish a project area and
"freeze" all property valuations (assessments) of the project
area at the beginning of the TIF, and all increases in
assessments due to property improvements are either pledged
for bonds or used directly for making further public improvements in the TIF district.
Once the TIF program is
completed, future tax revenues are returned to the full tax
base of the community.
Public/private co-development is another tool to induce commercial growth.
One form of co-development is ground
leasing, whereby the City leases land or buildings it owns to
a developer or business for a minimum base payment plus a
percentage of the income generated by the project or business or some other arrangement.
There are several advantages to ground leasing
as a means of public/private
partnership in commercial development.
If the project is
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�successful, the City can recover all of its costs plus additional revenues.
Ground leases can be subordinated - the
City can mortgage its interest in the property as security
for a development loan to the business or developer.
The
smaller capital investment required for leasing a space will
give a developer a better return on his or her investment.
Leasing also allows the City control over the way the property is developed or used, and offers flexibility by structuring
payments
to
meet
the
needs
of
the
project's
requirements for cash flow.
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Special assessment taxes are another means of financing
public improvement which, in turn, can lead to further private development.
Special assessment districts require the
approval of the majority of the property owners in the proposed district.
Since this is, in essence, a self-imposed
tax, there is little likelihood of approval of a downtown
assessment district unless the projects it is intended to
fund are regarded by those property owners as necessary.
Such a district is beneficial if the improvements lead to
increased business, and it is established only for a specified period of time, unless it is approved by the property
owners as an ongoing assessment.
Another way to finance programs and promote small business
development at a local level is the creation of a Community
Development Corporation (CDC), which is a nonprofit, private
and city-based organization.
Its main purpose is to involve
low income residents in the long-term and comprehensive
development of their communities.
CDCs participate in programs related to housing rehabilitation, commercial revitalization, infrastructure development,
job
training,
planning,
and
financial
and
technical
assistance for small businesses.
Some of the advantages of this type of organization include
no bureaucratic constraints, use of local initiative to
address local needs, use of private development techniques
for public purposes, attraction of private resources and
reinvestment in the community.
The Alliance for Community
Development could be expanded to become a community wide CDC.
Neighborhood areas could also create their own neighborhood
development corporation.

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SECTI.ON V
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

�INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal
Provide for substantial and diversified clean industrial
growth in the Eaton Rapids area through orderly placement of
land uses and strengthened local organization.
Objectives
A.

Increase the
the area •

B.

Increase industrial employment.

C.

Prevent or minimize polluting effects of industrial
developments.

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number of diversity of

industries

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Policies
the
use
the
and

1.

Encourage noncyclical industries to locate in
Eaton Rapids area in
accordance with the land
plan and at a rate which is consistent with
ability to provide housing, services, utilities
amenities.

2.

Locate industrial uses in areas which have the
necessary transportation carrying capacities, while
preventing industrial development in environmentally
sensitive areas such as wetlands and adjacent to the
Grand River.
Land Use

The general
provide the
diversified
of land uses

goal of the industrial development plan is to
City of Eaton Rapids with a substantial and
clean industrial base through orderly placement
and strengthened local organizations.

The proposed land use plan denotes approximately twice as
much area to industrial use than what currently exists.
Primarily this is in the southeastern portion of the City
utilizing the existing industrial area, including the City's
ind us trial park and a large vacant tract.
The only other
ind us trial activity in the City will occur on the parcel
located on Brook Street between the intersections of Brook
and Knight streets and Brook and Main Street.
This is currently occupied by Michigan Packaging Company and several
single-family homes. The designation of this entire block as
industrial allows for additional expansion of the existing
industrial activities as necessary.
In addition, a parcel
that is currently used for warehousing on W. Knight Street
north of the Old Athletic Field will continue to be used as
such.
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�Locations in the City which are currently devoted to warehouse uses are to remain relatively unchanged under the new
plan. Land containing warehouse uses are oriented around the
railroad tracks (no longer in use) and on the northwest
corner of the Central Business District (with industrial
uses).
Qualitative Description
The City's industrial activities, aside from the manufacturing and warehousing parcels on w. Knight and Brook
streets, will be concentrated in the southeastern portion of
the City.
This includes the 23 plus acre City industrial
park on Hamman Drive. Light manufacturing facilities are the
preference of local residents and this area should be devoted
primarily to such industry. Approximately 20 percent of this
97-1/2 acre area (or about 20 acres) should be set aside for
heavy
industry
to
be separated from light
industrial
activity.
The City's industrial park should be completely developed or
have development commitments before additional improvement
for industrial developments are made adjacent to the park.
The City, or a private developer, or nonprofit corporation,
should then purchase and, improve the property north of
Hamman Road for an industrial park, including street, water,
sewer and storm sewer improvements. The existing industrial
park currently has water, sanitary sewers and electric service.
Storm sewers should also be extended into this area.
Standards for landscaping, building design and noise and
vibration should be adopted and administered.
A buffer between the industrial area and surrounding land uses should be
maintained.
Such a buffer should consist of vegetation,
along with an adequately high earth berm.
In addition, heavy
industry should be separated from light industry by a major
entrance road and more strict setback requirements.
In effect, every effort should be made to limit, within
reason, negative environmental impacts associated with manufacturing activity within the industrial park and to maintain
high standards for design and siting of industrial buildings
and landscaping.
Implementation
The actions proposed to promote industrial development within
the City of Eaton Rapids are very similar to those proposed
for commercial development, in the sense that they are both
intended to attract investment into the City, and/or expand
businesses and industries already located in Eaton Rapids.

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:::.:"

�At least two factors should be considered before any action
is implemented:
first, the need to identify the types of
industries
that
are
most
conducive
to
the
economic,
employment and physical characteristics of the Eaton Rapids
area; and secondly, an analysis should be conducted to identify the ef f ect:s (i.e. , environmental, social and economic)
these industries could have on the City.
Some of the actions recommended
goal are the following:
0

to

achieve

the

industrial

The EDC, or local development corporation,
should identify industries with a potential for
success within the area, and then contact
prospective companies - especially nonpolluting
industries - in order to promote their location
in Eaton Rapids.
Any marketing plan to promote the City must
consider the factors that affect the decision
of a firm when conducting a business location
search and selecting a site.
The necessity of
a new plant could be the result of an anticipated capacity shortfall, or any other factor
such as too many workers of an existing plant,
new production technology that requires a new
facility, improved proximity to markets, etc.
Although the selection process is different
depending on the factor that motivates the new
location, there are some common factors that
concern companies when making their decisions.
There are, among others: labor costs, transportation costs and facilities, proximity to raw
material sources, proximity to existing company
facilities and quality of life in the area.
For this
reason
it is
important
for the
City to maintain updated information about its
socio-economic conditions, and to prepare a
brochure that could be sent to prospective companies when required.
The effort to attract new industries into the
City should include a campaign with direct
mail, brochures with information, phone calls
to staff members of prospective companies and
even personal visits to the company.

0

Create some incentives in order to attract
industrial investment into the City, and retain
and expand those industries already located in
Eaton Rapids.
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�The following are some of the incentives that
could be established: real property tax reduction, industrial revenue bonds, federal loan
guarantees, joint ventures and investment tax
credits.
The City currently has established
Tax Increment Finance programs for the downtown
area and industrial park.
o

Encourage industries to enter into voluntary
agreements to give hiring preferences to local
residents and to improve training programs.

Financing Programs for Industrial Development
Most of the financing programs mentioned for commercial
development could also be used to finance industrial development.
There are some programs, however, that are specific
for industries, such as the Base Industries Loan which is
offered by the Michigan Community Block Grant (CDB3).
At the local level, Industrial Development Bonds are used by
local governments for public improvements and industrial
projects.
Under Act 62 of 1963, local governments are
authorized to issue bonds whether an economic development
organization exists in the area or not. These types of bonds
do not require voter approval, as the principal and interest
of the bond is paid back through the revenue received from
the project after it is completed.
Other types of bonds are
general obligation bonds, which in most cases require approval by the voters, and special assessment bonds, which
require a public hearing before approval and are used to pay
for specific improvements to designated properties.

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SECTION VI

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SENSE OF COMMUNITY

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SENSE OF COMMUNITY

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Characteristics such as size, configuration, architecture,
lakes, rivers, history, economy and public relations, makes a
city specific and unique.
They create a feeling of identity
among its residents and a sense of community that is required
to achieve social and economic development.
Goal
Preserve and encourage a strong sense of
the Eaton Rapids area.

"community" within

Objectives
L,

A.

Increase residents' participation
decision-making process.

in

the

City's

B.

Promote coordinated action among different community
entities in order to promote the economic development of the area.

c.

Retain and improve the aesthetic and architectural
characteristics of the City, preventing the destruction of landmark buildings and sites.

D.

Preserve the City's small town atmosphere.

Policies
1.

Provide residents from within each section of the
Eaton Rapids area the opportunity for input into
the decision-making process by periodically surveying
surrounding
township
residents
regarding
their concerns and impressions and establishing a
"town meeting" format for residents of the City.

2.

Provide guidance to local commissions and boards
regarding their responsibilities and functions while
improving coordination among these bodies.
Coordinate with other units of government, nonprofit
agencies
and
developers/investors
to
promote
economic development in the Eaton Rapids area.

3.

Periodically review and update this comprehensive
plan to make it current with community needs and
conditions.

4.

Encourage
sites.

preservation

of

landmark

buildings

and

�Land Use

Each community has its own particular physical and environmental characteristics that give it its own unique identity.
Eaton Rapids has a distinct advantage over many other communities because of the
'island' on which the Central
Business District is located, the potential of its older commercial buildings and the quality of some of its residential
areas.
The City needs to capitalize upon these elements to
retain and enhance its sense of community.
Improving and
rehabilitating the downtown area, appropriately emphasizing
the Grand River and Spring Brook with walkways, boardwalks,
landscaping, boating facilities and improvements to the rear
of buildings in the Central Business District, concentrating
upon retaining and improving and expanding residential neighborhoods to make them more cohesive and identifiable, providing additional public and private recreation activities in
defined neighborhoods as well as the downtown area, creating
commercial areas on south Main Street that are compatible
with the small town environment Eaton Rapids desires to maintain and creating a district industrial area appropriately
designed and landscaped are all land use applications
intended to achieve a sense of commmunity.
Qualitative Description
Eaton Rapids currently retains a certain sense of community.
That is, its residents can identify with, and relate to, the
entire City as a unique area.
That sense of community,
however, is not as positive or as strong as it could be. The
major deterrents to a strong sense of community consist of:
a deteriorating Central Business District; lack of competition, choice and quality in commercial businesses;
absense, or lack of maintenance of some residences; an inadequate local employment base; inadequate recreation/entertainment f ac ili ties;
inadequate communication between local
government and residents.
This Plan proposes that those deterrents be eliminated or
minimized through coordinated efforts of the public and private sector.
Local citizen involvement in the formation and
operation of nonprofit community development organizations,
neighborhood organizations, and community sponsored volunteer
groups is a primary component in efforts to garner resident
investment in community development and increase overall
sense of community.
Local government related organizations,
such as the Downtown Development Authority and an Economic
Development Corporation can use state enabling legislation to
initiate improvements to commercial and industrial areas and
solicit potential commercial and industrial tenants.
The
City can help organize and advertise these organizations, as
well as promote overall coordination among these groups to

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�to maximize efficiency and communication.
If these measures
are initiated and/or improved upon, the result will be
tangible, identifiable improvements to the physical and
social composition of the entire City.
These in turn will
create and enhance a positive sense of Eaton Rapids' unique
character.
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Implementation
Recommended actions for the City of Eaton Rapids to achieve a
stronger sense of community are:
0

Once community organizations and committees
are established, the City should develop a
coordination progr·am whereby these groups are
continuously apprised of each others activities
and hold meetings at a specified time where
these organizations, as a whole, can provide
feedback and recommendations to the City,
including
the
City
Council
and
Plannin~
Commission.

0

The Planning Commission should define those
character is tics that make the City of Eaton
Rapids specific, authorizing only those new
developments that are compatible with them.

0

The Planning Commission should identify sites
and buildings that could be considered as
landmarks in order to prevent their des truetion.

0

The City Manager and the City Council could
promote the creation of nonprofit organizations
and committees formed by residents to participate
in
neighborhood
rehabilitation,
planning, economic promotion, etc.

0

Besides the preservation of the sense of community
related
with
the
physical
characteristics of the City, it is essential to
motivate citizen's participation in the decision making process.
Economic development
should be coordinated between the local government and private sector.
The ODA should provide the link between the City and downtown
businesses while separate groups be formed
representing the interests of non-CBD commercial businesses.
An EDC or Local Development
Finance Authority should be formed to oversee
the development and financing of industrial
activities in the City.

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�Financing Programs for Sense of Community
Various opportunities are available for enhancing a sense of
community within Eaton Rapids. The Local Initiatives Support
Corporation (LISC) is a nonprofit organization established to
provide funding and support to local nonprofit community
development corporations for housing and economic development.
LISC has recently established a statewide off ice in
Michigan.
The Michigan Community Builders Alliance is a
state program designed to fund various community economic and
social development efforts, including neighborhood revitalization.
Again, nonprofit community development corporations
play a key role in this program.
Local tax-generated revenues
for
downtown and industrial
improvements
can be
generated through Tax Increment Financing, via a DDA and/or
Local Development Finance Authority.
Other funding programs
designed to ultimately enhance community life and provide a
sense of community include United Way and the Michigan
Community Development Block Grant program.
The City should
continuously keep abreast of the various programs available
and orchestrate them into an overall strategic approach
toward community development.

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SECTION VII
PARKS AND RECREATION

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PARKS AND RECREATION

Goal
Provide the City with an open space system, parks and
recreation facilities that are accessible, affordable, safe
and attractive to all residents.
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Objectives

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A.

Use existing spaces to provide outdoor
for the citizens of Eaton Rapids.

B.

Provide access for all to recreational activities
and facilities regardless of interest, age, sex,
income, cultural background, housing environment, or
handicap.

c.

Create parks and recreation facilities to meet the
needs of local residents of all ages.

D.

Integrate public recreation with all other public
services, such as education, heal th, and tr ansportation.

E.

Make recreational
requirements.

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facilities

adaptable

recreation

to

future

Policies

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1.

Evaluate and improve ( if necessary) existing park
sites,
and undertake annual evaluations,
maintenance,
and
adequate
replacement
of
existing
recreational facilities as needed.

2.

Develop municipal park and recreation facilities in
appropriate areas in accordance with concentrations
of population,
easy access,
environmental sensitivity and natural attractiveness.

3•

Encourage
the
development
recreational facilities.

4.

Design parks to enhance
recreation functions.

5.

Establish a network of trails (pedestrian, bicycle,
etc.) throughout the City, linking parks and recreation areas.

-BO-

of

private

neighborhoods

and

sector
serve

�6.

Develop a requirement for any new residential development to dedicate land or pay a park fee for public
parks, based upon the impact of that development on
capacity of existing park facilities.

7.

Create a park logo and a consistent design for park
signs and furniture.
Land Use

The proposed land use plan provides the City with elements
that are necessary to achieve the goal and the objectives
associated with parks and recreation.
The overall goal of
the parks and recreation plan is to provide the City with an
open space system and with parks and recreation facilities
that are accessible, affordable, safe and attractive to all
residents.
The existing park and recreation system in the City will
remain intact under the new Plan, along with the dedication
of a number of additional areas.
Primarily, this includes
adding a large tract of land along the City's western border
- contiguous with the existing athletic fields and including
Spring Brook.
This site is essentially to remain as a
natural open space area, to include a pedestrian/bike path.
A large parcel along the Grand River between North East
Street and a residential section on North Michigan Street is
also to be reserved as natural open space.
Another vacant
parcel on the Grand River off of Water Street, south of
Blake, is proposed as an additional open space area, and a
large parcel between Lake Street and the City's western
boundary is to be set aside as open space.
Over 170 acres
( 8. 4% of the City's incorporated area) are scheduled to be
devoted to recreation and natural open space, not including
school facilities. This is an increase of 150 acres over the
existing area allocated to recreation and open space use.
The land use plan also proposes a bike/pedestrian route
throughout the
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location of parks and river areas, providing easy access to
various social and cultural amenities throughout the area.
Qualitative Description
The intent of this Plan is to identify and formalize those
areas of the City that are to be used for recreation and o~en
space preservation.
The improvement and use of the City's
natural resources for the enjoyment of the City's residents
and visitors will substantially add to the quality of life in
Eaton Rapids.
Areas where soils will not allow development,
such as the large open space site adjacent to Spring Brook on
the City's western boundary, are best preserved and utilized

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�as natural areas for the enjoyment of the general public.
The construction of pathways in these areas, perhaps with
interpretive sig nage, would open those areas to the community. Obviously, policies and programs must be adopted and
administered to minimize abuse and vandalism.

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A major component of the City's park/open space system is the
development of a linear parkway/open space area adjacent to
the Grand River.
While it may not be possible to construct
hiking/biking paths along the entire length of the City's
river system, efforts should be made to make those improvements wherever possible.
Particular attention should be
paid to the downtown area, where boardwalks, lighting and
outdoor dining/entertainiment should be developed, emphasizing the river.
Controlled nonmotorized boating on the
river should also be encouraged in this area.
Private recreation facilities, roller skating rink and other
similar indoor activities, should be encouraged to locate
within the City, preferably the Central Business District.
Implementation
Open space, parks and recreation facilities are very important for a community, in the sense that they make life in the .
City more enjoyable and attractive.
The following are some
programs that should be implemented by the City.
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Eaton Rapids should rehabilitate or develop
much of its open space, creating parks and
various types of recreation f ac ili ties, such
as bike paths, jogging and walking courses,
playgrounds, etc.
To ensure those facilities, the City should
establish a recreation capital improvements
program, identifying specific projects and
their associated costs and revenue sources as
well as project phasing.
Those capital improvements should be in conjunction with the
recreational improvements identified in the
future land use element and be built upon the
City's Park and Recreation Plan.
This includes a proposed paved bike path,
which can also be used as a jogging and
walking course.
This bike path would connect
different parks and open spaces within the
City, using the abandoned railroad right-ofway and following the City waterways through a
linear open parkway.

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�0

The City Council could create incentives for
the private sector to develop recreation facilities around the City, including requiring
recreational facilities to be included in residential developments as a prerequisite for site
plan approval, if it is determined such development would create additional recreation demands that the City cannot immediately provide.

In addition, in 1989 the Parks and Recreation Department has
established the following projects to be completed in both the
short-and long-term.
Short-Term:
1.

Rebuild Island Wall.
Get the community involved in fund
raising.
Locate additional funding through grants, foundations, etc.

2.

Purchase the railroad property at the Old Athletic Field.

3.

Establish green areas in the south end, to include the
intersections of Kyle &amp; s. Main St. and Kyle &amp; Kinneville.

Long-Term:
1.

Purchase the railroad property across
from the Old
Athletic Field.
Expand the r i verwalk from Spring Brook
to W. Plains Street.

2.

Provide lighting and fencing on diamond #5.*

3.

Expand the riverwalk, to include DDA plans.

4.

Establish a roadside park in the Industrial Park on lots
A, B, or C.
*Short-term goal #2 must be accomplished before this can be
done.
Financing Programs for Parks and Recreation

At the state level, projects related with recreation can be
financed using the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund
(N.R.T.F.), which replaced the Michigan Land Trust Fund in
1985.
The overall goal of the NRTF is to financially assist
both the purchase of land for recreation uses, or the protection of the land because of its environmental importance or
scenic beauty.
Local funding sources for land purchase and/or site improvements include fraternal organizations, a locally generated
recreation trust fund, and general obligation bonds.
-13'.l-

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SECTION VIII
TRANSPORTATION
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Goal

'

Provision of safe, efficient, and accessible transportation
methods and facilities available to all residents of the community which are compatible with land uses and minimize
intermodel conflicts and negative environmental inputs.
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Objectives
A.

the efficient use of existing transportation facilities . while providing for a variety of
public-transportation modes
as
desirable
alternatives to the automobile.

B.

Develop an integrated network of streets,
and pedestrian paths in the community.

C.

Implement street standards for new development which
promotes optimum, safety and design relationships
and result in construction and maintenance economies.

D.

Improve and maintain the City's road system.

L.

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Maximize

bikeways

Policies

'

1.

Make every effort
to insure that the transitdependent public will be served, including efficient
inter-system scheduling.

2.

Provide higher levels of transit service to the community by improving the routing, headways, transit
facilities, hours of operation, and the structure of
public transportation.

3•

Upgrade, improve and maintain parking areas in and
around commercial areas, while amending the zonin3
ordinance to apply specific parking standards and
requirements for all types of development within the
City.

4.

Prepare and implement a plan to improve the accessibility,
convenience,
and
efficiency
of
public
transportation in the City, and investigate various
alternative methods for financing transportationrelated improvements.

5.

Prepare, adopt, and keep up-to-date
parking plan for the City.

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-134-

a

traffic

and

�6.

Provide bicyclists with a safe and convenient means
of traveling to, through, and within the City.

7.

Create a barrier-free environment
and avoids intermodel conflict.

8.

Develop a sidewalk plan that contains standards and
guidelines specifying where, when, and what type of
facilities should be provided (including barrierfree),
including
improving
pedestrian
crossing
safety and convenience.

9.

Create a pedestrian/transit/bicycle oriented CBD and
limit the use of all alleyways to delivery vehicles,
bicyclists, and pedestrians.

10.

Increase the efficiency of intersections through
improved signalization procedures and construction
of turning lanes.

11.

Include a bicycle lane in each direction along
major roads.

12.

Continue to require and construct path ramps at all
intersections and crosswalks on new sidewalks and
streets.

13.

Improve existing municipal,
in a cost-effective manner.

14.

Expand the City's road system to allow for easy
access to proposed residential areas and accommodate
future residential and commercial development as
needed.

15.

Improve transportation connections between the east
and west sides of the City.

that discourages

new

county and state roads

Land Use

The transportation plan for Eaton Rapids is formulated to
achieve the goal of providing the City with safe, efficient
and
accessible
transportation
methods
and
facilities
available to all residents of the community, being compatible
with land uses and minimizing intermodel conflicts and negative environmental impacts.
The objectives of the transportation plan are:
1.

maximize the efficient use of existing transportation facilities while providing for a
variety of public-transportation modes as
desirable alternatives to the automobile;

-135-

�2.

develop an integrated network of streets,
bikeways ana pedestrian paths in the community.

3.

implement street standards for new development
which promote optimum safety and design relationships and result in construction and maintenance economies; and

4.

improve and maintain the city's road systems.

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The major street plan is essentially the transportation element of the Comprehensive Plan, based primarily on the Street
and Road Analysis completed earlier in the text.
This element is structured to prqvide general transportation goals
for all transportation-related activities in the City, along
with specific objectives, strategies and actions.
Because of its obvious importance in the functioning of
today's society, a solid transportation analysis and plan
must be integrated with the land use plan.
The planning of
an efficient road network in Eaton Rapids, and recommendations for solving existing traffic problems, will help
ensure a system which is able to accommodate future traffic
as the City changes and grows.
Overal~, the City's existing composition of artery, collector
and local streets will remain intact, with the major changes
associated with extensions of local streets into undeveloped
areas and the possible upgrading of some local streets to
become collector streets, as future development warrants.
Since a great deal of Eaton Rapids is still undeveloped, a
specific street system does not exist along the perimeter of
most of the City.
Roads which have been recently added on
the east for new development, and those proposed for the
future, are all local streets.
Angling (nonlinear) street
systems should be encouraged in future residential development to contribute to design aesthetics and deter excess
speed.
All existing unpaved streets should be paved, and
improved with curb and gutter.
Assuming a general increase in traffic volumes for each area
of the City in the near and distant future, a much more indepth traffic analysis should be undertaken by the City.
This is especially critical for areas of the City which are
designated for more commercial development and higher density
residential uses, which will generate more traffic.

•

A study with greater detail will also be able to include specific planning principles.
This involves the development of
certain standards for the various types of streets
(width,
parking, movement, signage, etc), and the coordination of a
local plan with adjacent municipalities and with regional and
state planning agencies.
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EATON RAPlbS
EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

EATON RAPIDS COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
legend

MAP 18
FUTURE STREET PLAN

STREET CLASSIFICATIONS

ARTERIAL
Z2.ZZZllZZ2Z

COLLECTOR

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LOCAL

- 137-

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As part of a thorough traffic analysis, a detailed investigation of existing and future parking demands is needed.
As
the City grows and more activities take place, an increased
parking demand will be felt by both residents and visitors.
Because of the possible diversity of activities in the City,
the demands for parking will fluctuate (i.e., the greatest
demand for parking spaces will not always occur during business hours).
Specific points in the City will have to be
identified and improved as vehicular parking lots and new
development (or alterations to existing structures) should
meet approved parking requirements as presented in the text
of the Zoning Code.
Downtown merchants have already voiced
their concern regarding an inadequate parking system.
The construction of sidewalks, curbs and gutters along
existing streets that do · not contain these improvements,
should be a priority item related to street improvements.
At the same time, all new development should be required to
include these amenities.
Sidewalk maintenance programs,
funded by both the City and property owners, should be used
to ensure safe and functional walKways.

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Because a transportation plan is not limited solely to individual vehicular traffic,
mention should also be made of
public transportation, bicyclists, service/delivery vehicles
and pedestrian walkways.
Although these four forms of
transportation account for only a small portion of the area's
total traffic volume, they are an integral part of any City
fabric - especially in a community the size of Eaton Rapids.
The harmonious functioning of these elements are essential to
the City so that it does not become predominately vehicularoriented.
As City streets are constructed or expanded, ample
provision should be made to accommodate bicyclists and
pedestrians. Further, the land use plan calls for a bicycle/
pedestrian path throughout
the City which
is free of
motorized vehicles.
To serve those residents who prefer (or
are dependent upon) public transportation, the City should
explore and maximize the most efficient use of these
facilities.
Qualitative Description
The previously completed Street and Road Analysis identified
a number of problem areas in the City.
It also presented
goals and objectives, strategies and actions to follow which
will help remedy these situations and guide the City in the
future.
In summary, this includes:

•

Problem Areas:
Vehicular congestion downtown
1.
Conflict between various forms of traffic
2.
Poor street alignment
3•
Lack of sufficient parking
4.
Poor condition and/or lack of pedestrian walks
5.
-138-

�6.
7.

Community is too 'vehicular-oriented'
Lack of
standards/regulators
to guide trafficrelated issues during and after development and
during short- and long-range planning.

Proposed Changes:
Build new bridge across Grand River to connect
1.
Michigan Street with North East Street.
Explore and establish new parking standards and
2.
requirements
Identify and use specific areas for parking lots,
3.
ramps, etc., making use of various forms (i.e., permit parking, metered, commuter lots, shoppers only,
etc . )
Establish and institute standards for pedestrian
4.
walks and bicycle paths
Provide for maximum use of EATRAN and other public
5.
transportation facilities
Purchase available Michigan Central railroad right6.
of-way for construction of local and collector
streets between Hyatt and West streets and as an
extension of Kimbark Avenue southeast to the City
Limits.
Implementation
Improvements in transit facilities such as streets, sidewalks, sig nali za tion, lighting and parking spaces, are a
prerequisite for economic development.
For this reason it
is important to implement the following actions:
o

The City of Eaton Rapids should improve street
conditions.
According to recent information provided by
the City of Eaton Rapids there is a total of
24,495 feet of streets that require improvements, which represents around 16 percent of
the total street area in the City.
These
improvements should be included in a street
and
roads
capital
improvements
program.
Special assessments, Act 51 revenues, and tax
increment financing programs, as well as allocations from the City's general fund represent
various
means
of
conducting
street
and
sidewalk repairs and improvements.

0

The City Council could create a program to
increase the number of parking spaces in and
around commercial areas of the City of Eaton
Rapids.

�Such a program should include the identification of possible sites and a study of
the feasibility of purchasing those sites and
their adaptation to parking spaces.

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A comprehensive bike route should be laid out
within the City, utilizing separate bike paths
and bike lanes in appropriate areas.
The construction of bicycle routes within the
City, connecting downtown with some neighborhoods around the City, is a complementary
action associated with both transportation and
recreation.
The development of this system
should be identified in a long-range capital
improvements program, specifying those increments to be constructed or designated during
each year of the program.
Financing Programs for Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation provides funds that can
be used to develop a community's infrastructure and improves
its communications network.
Funds are available through the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Urban Mass
Transportation Administration (UMTA).
Two of its programs
are the Capital Improvement Grant, which helps finance the
purchase, construction, reconstruction and improvement of
equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation service in both urban and nonurban areas; and Section 5, Capital
and Operating Assistance Formula Grants, which has the same
purpose as the Capital Improvements Grant Program, but provides additional aid for payment of operating expenses.
Publicly and privately owned operators of mass transportation
services are eligible to apply for this program.
The Michigan Transportation Economic Development Fund is a
recently passed piece of legislation that provides revenues
to meet the demands that economic development places on highways, roads and streets.
This program is available to local
government units (such as Eaton Rapids) having roadway
responsibility as well as to the Michigan Department of
Transportation.
There are six categories that qualify for
funding:
1) highway projects related economic development
projects; 2) additions to the state trunkline system; 3)
reduction of congestion on primary county roads and major
city streets within counties with a population greater than
400,000; 4) road improvements in counties with a population
of 400,000 or less to create an all-season road network; 5)
construction/reconstruction of roads essential to development
of commercial forests; and 6) road and street improvements in
cities in counties with a population of 400,000 or less.
Categories one and six would be applicable to Eaton Rapids.
-·140-

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SECTION IX
PUBLIC FACILI.TIES, SCHOOLS, SERVICES

�PUBLIC FACILITIES, SCHOOLS AND SERVICES

Goal
' ,

Improve the area's existing public and cultural facilities to
accommodate existing needs and provide additional facilities
and services to serve present and future population.
Objectives

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A.

Provide adequate public facilities
(i.e. water,
sewer, etc.) to allow vacant areas to develop as
indicated on the proposed land use plan.

B.

Ensure that all public facility improvements provide
Eaton Rapid's residents with the highest social and
economic benefits and the least amount of negative
impacts on the environment (air, water, noise,
etc. ) •

C.

Maximize the extended use of existing public facilities for year-round and evening use.

D.

Promote the development of schools and institutions
for post-high school education.

E.

Provide transportation and recreation opportunities
in proximity to centers of student population.

F.

Encourage use of public school sites for
and - after - school child care.

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before

Policies

\

1.

Construct feeder systems for water and sewer to
serve selected vacant areas, to be paid for by those
who would benefit in an equitable manner.

2.

Reduce any sewage
Grand River.

3.

Provide separate sanitary and storm sewers for all
new development, and take action to separate any
existing combination systems.

4.

Ensure that the Planning Commission reviews all
public works projects for environmental, economic,
social and land use impacts.

5.

Place new elementary school sites in centrally
located areas of residential development; schools
should not be located on arterials.

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or

dumping

into

the

�6.

To provide adequate space for cultural
for which there is a demonstrated need.

activities

7.

Provide for adequate office and maintenance facilities for City government functions, which are easily
accessible to the general public.
Land Use

Public Administration
The City should see little to no change in its form and hierarchy of municipal administration.
As the City expands in
both development and population, additional employees will
probably be required, especially in public safety and public
service (e.g. blue collar employment} jobs. However, at this
time the primary concern seems to be the consolidation of
City facilities and buildings.
It has been indicated
that
grouping of services and employee work stations/offices would
provide a greater benefit to the public as a whole.
Public Safety
The City police and fire departments should have relatively
few changes in the future, other than to maintain their
existing facilities and remain up to date in their procedures. They may face the possibility of an expanded staff in
the future, as the population of the City rises.
Schools
Assuming the number of school children in the Eaton Rapids
system increases proportionally to the projected total population of the area, the City will contribute an additional
131 students in the next twenty years ( 4. 3% increase).
The
existing facilities should be adequate to accommodate this
increase.
However, looking at the total planning area which includes Hamlin and Eaton Rapids Townships - an addition of approximately 645 students could be realized.
This
may produce a significant change among teachers and apministrators, as well as cramped facilities and resources.
Educational administrators and staff should now be looking at
different areas in the City and Townships where new development is likely to occur.
These areas should be given high
priority for the establishment of a neighborhood school concept.
At the same time, consideration should be given to
design standards for additions and/or new facilities at
existing structures and grounds.

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�Library
I,

The Eaton Rapids library could be significantly more successful with a little more community involvement and a reactivation of former support groups.
With the space opportunities for expansion possible, more supplies and materials
could be available for library users.
Additionally, cooperative privileges
could be
expanded,
providing
greater
resources for the residents of the area.
To help produce a higher quality and more successful library,
funds should be collected from the Townships.
This will
supplement the current funding sources: general fund, state
aid, and penal fines.
A concentrated effort should also be
made to reestablish - and maintain - specific support groups
such as the Friends of the Library.
Social Services
The Senior Citizen Office in Eaton Rapids appears to be successful in serving senior citizens in the area, as a wide
range of programs and activities are offered to older citizens.
A variety and diversity of events (luncheons/dinners,
educational seminars, trips, home meal delivery, counseling,
etc.) are scheduled to appeal to a wide range of the seniors
in the community.
Funding for these programs, however, is
inadequate at this time, particularly in regard to staffing
at the Center.
Revenues are provided through the United
Fund, Tri-County Office of Aging, the City of Eaton Rapids,
Eaton Rapids Public Schools, and various capital producing
projects which the citizens stage themselves.
The VFW National Home appears to be adequately serving its
purpose, although on a much larger scale. Located outside of
the City, the Home still impacts upon the residents of the
area as it provides housing, schooling, and other services to
single parents and children.
Volunteer ism is becoming a more important element in providing social services to the general public, particularly at
a time when federal programs devoted to social programs are
decreasing.
To coordinate and facilitate volunteer efforts
in Eaton Rapids, local nonprofit social service organizations
should form a "volunteer bank".
Such a program would act as
a clearinghouse for residents who wish to provide their time
and effort in the community.
Medical Services
Existing medical services appear adequate to serve the community.
This includes the hospital on south Main Street,
ambulance service from Charlotte, the Springport Medical
Clinic, and the Eaton Rapids Medical Clinic.
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�Water Supply and Distribution Network
The existing system has an "excess capacity of approximately
800 persons, which could be increased to approximately 1,700
persons by replacing the plant's high service pumps with new
units.
This project would cost between $50 and $75 thousand
(1988 dollars).
With respect to the distribution system,
the existing
transmission main network (8, 10, 12 inch water mains)
requires several improvements to complete the arterial
transmission loop around and through the City water service
area.
Additional storage capacity is also required to
supplement
the
present
250,000
gallon
storage
tank.
Accordingly, the Water Distribution Network Analysis2 recommended the construction of a storage facility (at Greyhound
Drive)
in conjunction with the proposed southern loop
transmission main (8, 10, 12 inch). The project has an estimated cost of $1,425,000 (1987 dollars).
Storm Sewer System
The storm sewer master plan for the City of Eaton Rapids was
presented in 19783, but as little has been done, the plan is
still valid.
In this plan the City is divided into eleven
sections and each one is analyzed according to the existing
sewer system, recommending some improvements when they are
required.
There are three developments that need special
attention:
construction of a trunk sewer in Jackson Street
in order to attend the needs of the industrial area,
construction of a new trunk sewer along Forest and Leonard
streets, and construction of a sewer in Hall, Knight and Mill
streets, to solve problems in the downtown area.

2capitol Consultants, "Water Distribution Network Analysis
for the City of Eaton Rapids, Michigan".
(May, 1987)
3capitol Consultants, "Storm Sewer Master Plan, City of Eaton
Rapids, Michigan".
(March, 19 78)

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Sanitary Sewer System
According to the capacity of the wastewater treatment facilities, prepared by private consultants for the City of Eaton
Rapids (March, 1988) 4, all interceptor sewers have adequate
capacity to handle present flows, except the River Crossing
sewer.
The siphons of this sewer should be replaced with
larger siphons, with an estimated cost of between $75,000 and
$100,000 (1988).
On the other hand, the wastewater treatment plant has to be
upgraded in order to expand its hydraulic loading and its
organic treatment capacity, which is overloaded due to
industrial waste.
An alternative action to reduce organic
loadings (and costs) is the implementation of the Industrial
Pretreatment Program ( IPP).
Costs without IPP would be in
the range of $740,000 and $1,050,000, while implementing IPP,
costs would be reduced to the range of $305,000 to $485,000
(1988 dollars).
Solid Waste Disposal

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In the future, the City may wish to consider public pickup
of the solid waste generated by residents and businesses.
This is generally funded through property taxes, although
various alternatives are available.
However, at this time,
private hauling of waste appears acceptable for the City.
Residential, commercial and industrial recycling should be
encouraged.
To facilitate recycling, the City should study
the feasibility of providing a collection facility for
recyclable materials to the general public.
Cemetery

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Rose Hill Cemetery adequately serves the community's needs,
and should continue to do so in the future.
If expansion is
ever necessary, enough land is available on different sides
to significantly increase the cemetery size.
Qualitative Description

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The City's infrastructure must be maintained to ensure
existing residents and businesses are adequately served and
expanded to meet future demand as well as to promote the City

4capitol Consultants, "Capacity Evaluation water Supply and
Wastewater Treatment Facilities, City of Eaton Rapids,
Michigan."
(March, 1988)

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in attempts to attract new development and investment.
At
the same time, Eaton Rapids, as other cities, has limited
financial resources to provide such facilities and services.
Consequently, each facility and program that is proposed
requiring municipal funds should be thoroughly reviewed to
determine if it can be efficiently utilized for more than one
purpose.
All of the City government's real property should be maintained and improved to meet changing demands and functional
design requirements.
City Hall should be a priority in a
municipal program for capital improvements.
The existing
facility should be studied to determine if it could or should
be renovated and remodeled, or if a new City Hall should be
constructed.
Aside from the City Hall, police station,
library and all other municipal facilities should be adequate
to serve the City's needs over the next 20 years.
Maintenance and ( in the case of water, stormwa ter and sanitary
sewer lines) expansion of existing facilities should be the
primary focus of municipal operation over the planning
period.
Implementation
To maintain, expand and, in some cases, upgrade the City's
facilities
and
services,
the
following
implementation
measures are suggested:
o

Develop
a
five
year
capital
improvements
program, utilizing City officials and private
sector representatives to provide recommendations for specific projects.

o

Review and revise, as necessary, the City's
policies and standards for new residential,
commercial and industrial development as they
pertain to municipal infrastructure.

o

Work with the City's senior center and areawide
Council on Aging to increase the level of
funding available to the Center. One possibility would be to expand funding sources to
include the townships of Eaton Rapids and
Hamlin, since seniors living in these townships
have access to the Senior Center.

0

Coordinate with Eaton Rapids Public Schools to
maximize the use of the school district's
resources, including education and recreation
facilities
and
programs,
for
the
City's
residents.

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�0

Meet with school representatives to discuss
the establishment of an after-school day care
program for children of working parents using
school facilities.
Study the potential of
utilizing senior citizens (particularly those
associated with the Senior Center) to staff
after-school day care.

0

Require that all major public works capital
by
the
improvement
projects
be
reviewed
Planning Commission for coordination of consistency with this Comprehensive Plan.

0

Establish an annual survey of City residents to
obtain feedback on attitudes and ideas and to
provide a mechanism for positive public relations.
Financing Programs for Public Facilities, School and
Services

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Farmers Home
Administration, offers two different programs related to
public facilities and infrastructure.
These are, Community
Facility Loans and Water and Waste Disposal Systems for Rural
Communities. The first program is aimed at the construction,
extension, or improvement of community facilities that provide essential services to rural residents.
The second
program provides project grants and direct loans for new and
improved water and waste disposal facilities for rural communities (open country or towns with less than 10,000
population).
Public bodies and nonprofit corporations are
eligible applicants for these programs, however, there are
additional restrictions that have to be reviewed before
applying for a program.
At the state and local levels there are some programs that
have been mentioned before that could be used by the City of
Eaton Rapids to finance public facilities and infrastructure
related
projects.
Community
Development
Block
Grant
Programs, administered by the Michigan Department of Commerce
and MSHDA, provides resources for infrastructure and public
facilities improvements when linked to either economic development or targeted home improvement programs.
It has to be
stressed that the economic development grants administered by
the Michigan Department of Commerce are awarded based on the
impact the project will have on job creation.
Therefore,
those projects looking for financing resources from the CDBG
program have to be presented in a way that shows their linkages to the economic development of the community.

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�A state program that can be used to finance local projects is
the Michigan Municipal Bond Authority (MMBA).
This program
was designed to provide Michigan municipalities with low
interest
bonds
by
using the state's high bond
market
rating.
The MMBA is authorized to issue bonds to make loans
to local communities through the purchase of municipal obligations.
This way municipalities do not have to enter the
bond market on their own, but combine with other local units
to gain access to highly rated low interest bond financing.
These resources could be especially useful to finance
infrastructure related projects such as water and sewer
system improvements.
At the local level the City could finance its infrastructure
and public facilities projects using local tax revenues, combined with federal and state loans and grants. General obligation bonds, special assessment bonds and revenue bonds
could be issued by the City to finance these programs.
In
addition, special tax assessments could be used.

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SECTION X
COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

�COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY

Goals

Provide adequate public health and safety programs facilities
and equipment through coordination among the City's service
providers.
Eliminate the hazards to health and safety that
may exist in the City.
Provide effective and economical
police, fire and emergency services to residents.
Ensure
that cost-effective social services are available in response
to public needs. Make adequate medical services available to
all residents.
Objectives
A.

Eliminate 75 percent of all existing hazards in the
City by 1995 which are detrimental to the heal th,
safety, and welfare of the residents.

B.

Prohibit potential hazards from developing.

C.

Increase public awareness of fire and other natural
hazards, and of methods to avoid or mitigate the
effects of these hazards.

D.

Insure that critical facilities will function during
and after a disaster.

E.

Ensure quality fire prevention and protection facilities and equipment,
and maintain or
increase
current performance levels of police, fire and
emergency personnel.

F.

Work with health providers to ensure consistent,
high quality health care to the City's residents and
promote health maintenance programs and events.

G.

Encourage volunteer ism within the community to
assist in providing health care to the elderly and
economically disadvantaged.

H.

Incorporate fire and crime protection measures into
development planning.

I.

Encourage the continuation and expansion of social
services necessary to serve Eaton Rapids residents,
including financially supporting these services provided locally that are determined to be costeffective in meeting local needs.

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�Policies
1.

Coordinate information and programs with the City's
volunteer fire department to ensure that the department is aware of the most recent training, technology and equipment available.

2.

Establish an implementable and practical communitywide disaster response plan utilizing citizen input
and make every effort to educate the public about
the plan.

3.

Work with local health care providers to encourage
community-wide events that promote health maintenance for all age groups.

4.

Initiate a volunteer program that encourages local
health care professionals to donate time to provide
limited free examinations to economically disadvantaged residents.

5.

Work with the hospital to ensure continued operation

of

the

facility

and

expansion

of

health

care

programs.

6.

Encourage community-wide health and fitness programs
through public and private promotion and development
of public recreation/exercise facilities.
Land Use

The City has a valuable resource in the Eaton Rapids
Community Hospital.
That f ac il i ty should form the nucleus
for heal th care activities in the City and private medical
offices should be located adjacent to the hospital.
The
expansion of the City's recreation/open space areas will also
impact community health by providing facilities for walking,
jogging and biking.
School facilities should continue to be
available for recreation by local residents.
The fire
department and police department should remain within the
downtown area, to be easily accessible to all parts of the
City.
Senior centers and nursing care homes should be
located in areas designated for multiple-family development
and be within quick response distance to the hospital.
Qualitative Description
The provision of health and safety facilities and services is
a major component of community living.
An effective police
and fire department, as well as quality medical service, is
very important to most residents, particularly senior citizens.
The proliferation of crime, particularly in large

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cities, has made small community and rural living more
attractive to many people.
The perception of a particular
community as safe is one of the more important er i ter ia. a
person or household will use in the process of deciding to
relocate into that community.
Therefore, in attempt to
accommodate new development, the City should achieve and
maintain a reputation as a safe place in which to live.
At
the same time, every effort must be made to increase er ime
prevention measures to combat the predictable increase in
crime associated with increasing population.
Consequently,
the City, and its police and fire departments, should develop
programs to include the general public in crime prevention,
including education, and to work with th.e area's youth to
institute
alternatives
to
crime-related
activities
and
behavior.
Health maintenance should be strongly encouraged
within the City.
To promote heal th maintenance, the City
should work with the Eaton Rapids Community Hospital and
local physicians to establish a "health fair", to be held
over a one or two day period each year, with booths, displays
and exhibits regarding health care and health maintenance
principles, along with more conventional fair rides, food
booths, etc.
The City should also encourage a local organization to sponsor local exercise and fitness events, such as
a walk, fun-run and other similar activities.
The City should also adopt a housing maintenance code, with
inspection of rental units and possible inspection of owneroccupied uni ts upon sale of · the house.
A community-wide
disaster plan should be developed and widely advertised
throughout the community.
Other local events that promote
health and safety and increase the community's awareness of
health and safety practices should be encouraged and, as
necessary, initiated by the City, involving volunteers.
Implementation

The following actions related to heal th and safety, education, hazard prevention and social service effectiveness are
recommended:
1.

Identify existing hazards (i.e., poor intersections, high fire areas, etc.) and prepare an
elimination program by 1990,
involving
the
Planning Commission working with the Police,
Fire, and Engineering Departments to identify
alternative solutions and cost estimates.

2.

Implement and enforce various procedures and
standards
for
handling,
transporting,
and
disposing of hazardous materials throughout its
City.

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�3.

Review
all
new
developments
to
identify
possible safety and health hazards and impacts
on future capacity.

4.

Establish and enforce standards for noise, air,
and water quality/supply for existing and proposed development, and continue to monitor
their level of quality.

5.

Maintain an updated disaster response plan that
identifies and provides for essential emergency
facilities to ensure that they will function in
the event of a disaster.·

6.

Allow land uses in areas prone to natural
hazards only with appropriate mitigation procedures.

7.

Cooperate with other public agencies to store,
organize, distribute, and administer emergency
medical equipment, supplies, services, and communication systems.

8.

Have the Police Chief and Fire Chief annually
review the performance of their respective departments and other departments from which the
City
obtains
emergency
services
(i.e.,
paramedics).

9.

Expand the annual police and fire reports to
include a performance evaluation which would
cover such areas as response times, information
on public relations, lives saved or protected,
etc., and note any possible trends or future
problems due to new developments, shifting
population, etc.

10.

Ensure that the Police and Fire Departments
continue to train personnel in first aid and
CPR, and that classes in these areas be promoted through the schools.

11.

Require any agencies requesting funding to submit an annual performance report to the Council
and City Administrator.

12.

Prepare a
report which investigates costeffective alternatives in providing for the
needs of the public.

13.

Provide local information and referral service
for parents seeking child care.

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�14.

Establish a volunteer network that will link
programs that require volunteer efforts with
local residents that desire to provide their
time and services.

15.

Establish a panel comprised of the police
chief, fire chief, building inspector and private
residents
to
develop
and
promote
a
community-wide disaster response and hazard
elimination plan.
Such a plan should identify
solutions to eliminate most existing hazards in
the City within a 10 year period.

16.

Adopt and enforce a municipal housing code that
is applicable to rental and owner-occupied
units.
vacant rental and owner-occupied units
should be inspected for code violations.

17.

Meet with Eaton Rapids Community Hospital
officials and local physicians to discuss the
possibility of establishing a "health fair".

18.

Meet with
local
businessmen and volunteer
groups to determine interest in establishing
and sponsoring an annual "fun-run".
Meet with
school and hospital officials to encourage them
to
co-sponsor
community
physical
fitness
programs and periodic physical fitness events.

19.

Meet with Ea ton Rapids Community Hospital and
physicians and their staff to encourage them to
donate their time ( annually or semi-annually)
to provide free health checkup services to
those residents that are economically disadvantaged.
The City or school district could Qrovide the facilities and promotional effort for
such a program.

20.

Establish a household hazardous waste collection program, whereby residents are encouraged
to drop-off their household hazardous wastes at
a specified time and location.
This should be
undertaken
in
conjunction with
the County
Health Department.

21.

with the fire and pol ice departments to
define and establish annual performance goals
and standards.
Work

Financing Programs for Community Health and Safety
As in the other elements called for in this Plan, financing
for community health and safety programs will consist of a

.:.J.53--

�combination of public and private funding sources.
Police
and fire capital and operation expenditures are included in
the City's annual budget.
Revenue is comprised primarily
from local property taxes and state shared revenue.
At the
present time, there are no available state and federal
programs designed specifically to assist in funding police
and fire protection.
Therefore, the primary source of revenue for these public safety components will continue to be
generated locally.
Major capital improvements, if needed,
could be funded through a general obligation bond issue.
This should, however, be a means of last resort.
The potential also exists of encouraging the judicial system to allow
the police department to confiscate the property of convicted
drug felons and sell such property for drug enforcement
revenue, and to require those convicted of driving under the
influence of alcohol to reimburse the community for the costs
of arrest and prosecution as well as victims of any accident
resulting from drunk driving.
Most of the programs and projects identified in this section
would be financed primarily from business and individual
contributions and volunteer labor.
In conjunction with this
local resource, fund-raising events, such as arts and craft
sales,
walk-a-thons
and
similar
activities
could
be
established.
The City should work with these volunteer
groups to encourage fund-raising events for health and safety
programs and ensure that they are coordinated.

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SECTION XI
NATURAL RESOURCES,
ENERGY CONSERVATION

�NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY CONSERVATION

Goal
To have a harmonious relationship between the natural environment and the activities of the Eaton Rapids community,
minimizing negative impacts of one upon the other to the
benefit of both.
Objectives
f -·

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A.

Continue to develop recreational and cultural opportunities along the Grand River and Spring Brook in a
manner sensitive to the environment •

B.

Preserve and protect the rivers and streams in Eaton
Rapids in their natural state as open spaces,
natural resources, and habitats.

C.

Use waterways as a starting /focal point when considering
adjacent
land
uses,
redevelopment
of
existing areas, and new development.

D.

Regulate, provide, and monitor controls on urban
development relative to soil conditions, ground
cover, and climate in Eaton Rapids.

E.

Recycle solid waste when possible and promote
conservation of nonrenewable energy resources.

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Policies
1.

Continue to emphasize the Island Park and its linkage to the downtown.

2.

Adopt appropriate modifications
(i.e.
control plan), and institute a flood plain
ment ordinance to reflect requirements
Federal Flood Insurance Program,
along
natural resources management plan.

3.

Maintain wetland areas (marshes, swamps, bogs, etc.)
as a naturally occurring habitat for many biotic
species.

4.

Provide for the retention of natural vegetation in
all areas of the City, primarily in areas with new
development, and establish screening requirements
for all new developments.

5.

Carefully control all activities and development in
the floodway and floodplain.
-155.:.

erosion
manageof the
with a

�r----.
6.

Improve the quality of water in the Grand River and
its tributaries, while monitoring water levels and
reducing peak flood flow rates, as necessary.

7.

Encourage water-orientated activities/recreation in
and around waterways, including river routes for
biking, jogging, etc.

8.

Emphasize and ensure public access to the waterways
in Eaton Rapids, where feasible.

9.

Provide safe and adequate access across waterways
for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

10.

Identify specific areas in the City which would
provide greater visibility to the waterways, and
develop the areas accordingly.

11.

Encourage and ·manage public and private plantings to
create and preserve tree cover in the ·City, while
maintaining the functional aspects of plant materials (microclimate).

12.

Provide land use controls (zoning, site plan review)
which permit appropriate flexible design responses
to existing soil conditions and problems.

13.

Preserve and protect the waterways in the City by
monitoring existing and proposed development for the
type and amount of waste/discharge of any kind into
the rivers.

14.

Continue to provide specific open areas in the City
(primarily undeveloped land due to poor soils,
heavily wooded areas, etc.).

15.

Investigate the aquisi tion of property rights, and
provide specific development controls to protect
environmentally sensitive areas.

16.

Promote solid waste recycling.

17.

Encourage conservation of energy consumption.

18.

Establish
gram.

19.

Encourage volunteer interest and involvement in recycling.

an

areawide recycling

-156-

facility

and pro-

�Land Use

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The future land use element of this plan identifies those
areas of the City that are to be set aside for open space and
recreation.
The majority of that land (150 acres) or about
86 percent of all land devoted to open space and recreation
will be preserved in its natural state.
Linear greenbelts
along both sides of the Grand River and surrounding Spring
Brook are major components of the open space system.
The
intent of preserving these areas as natural open spaces is to
protect encroachment of development upon the City's river
system while opening them up to public use, as well as define
those areas that are undevelopable and establish them as formal natural preserve areas for use by the community.

\.

Qualitative Description

The system of open space and recreation land within the City
will be designed to integrate formal active and passive
recreation with open space preservation and conservation.
The City's existing parks will continue to exist and contain
amenities such as ball diamonds, playground equipment and
picnicing facilities.
About one-half of the area designated
as natural, open space will be limited to hiking/biking
trials, interpretive signage and limited picnicing facilities.
More specifically, pathways should be constructed
where possible, along the Grand River within the linear
greenbelt, primarily from State Street north to the City's
northern limits.
The linear. greenbelt on the southside of
Spring Brook and the large acreage designated as open space,
west of Hyatt Street will be preserved as natural open area,
with improvement limited to a walking/biking path, interpretive signs and possibly picnic areas.
The open space area
west of Lake Street will in essence remain undeveloped and
possibly linked to the open space site south of Brook Street
at a later point in time.
The designated open space areas
east of north Michigan and east of Water Street will also
remain unimproved for the duration of the Plan.
New development will be reviewed for approval utilizing established criteria and standards for preserving open spaces within such
development.
Implementation

To establish a coordinated open space/recreation system, the
City should take the following steps:
1.

Establish a citizen committee to recommend specific sites that should be preserved as open
space.

-157-

�2.

The committee should undertake a detailed
analysis of the general areas (as well as other
possible sites) identified in this Plan to
determine their desirability and potential as
open space/natural areas.

3.

The City should accept and review the results
of the committee study and recommendations and
establish a schedule for acquisition.

4.

The resultant acquisition projects should be
incorporated into the City's capital improvement programs.

5.

The City will establish site plan review standards for new planned residential, commercial
and
industrial
development
that
considers
natural preservation of appropriate areas on
the site.

Financing for Natural Resources, Energy Conservation
Acquisition of larger parcels for greenbelt and open space
preservation should utilize the Michigan Natural Resources
Trust Fund as a primary funding source.
Other statewide
environmental organizations should also be contacted to
determine the potential for obtainin9 their financial or professional assistance.
Private developers required to provide open space within
their developments will incur the costs of preserving these
areas (i.e. opportuntiy costs that have been lost by not
utilizing the land for its maximum development potential).
The City should set aside a certain portion of its annual
budget to make energy conservation improvements to City
facilities as needed.

-J.58-

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IMPLEMENTATION

�DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

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Now that the future development plan, including the proposed
land use plan,
has been described, the implementation
of the Plan is facilitated by the establishment of a schedule
for phasing the development program over the life of the
Plan.
Such a schedule should be based on the most immediate
needs and demands of the City, a realistic assessment of the
capacity of each phase of the program to be implemented
(usually cost is the major factor) and the overall impact of
the program on the quality of life in the City.
The phasing program for the City of Eaton Rapids Comprehensive Plan is established according to 'development areas'.
The programs are scheduled to be completed in five year
increments over the 20 year life of this Plan.
That is,
Phase I improvement areas are scheduled for development
within the first five years, Phase II areas are to be
improved during years 6 through 10, Phase III areas during
the 11th through 15th year and Phase IV from years 16 through
20.
These development areas and projects are identified in
the following table and depicted on Map 19.
These priorities are intended as general guidelines for the
City in establishing scheduling of projects and undertaking
detailed analysis and evaluation of those projects.
The
City's Capital Improvement Plan and Program should follow
this sequence of phasing for area development.
The Planning
and Zoning Commission should undertake more specific projects
that define the recommendations in this Plan in greater
detail and in accordance with this schedule.
In effect, this
schedule is an important component of the implementation
efforts associated with this Plan and should be referred to
as a guide for further detailed planning and programming.

l .. ,

-159-

�TABIE 34

SCHEDULED PHASES OF DEVEWPMENT

Developnent Area
( 1)

M::&gt;bile Hone Park
Hyatt Street

Infrastructure or Public
Irrprovenents Needed

Phase

Public Inprovenent Planni~

Phase I

(2) MUltiple-Family/Office None - City Utilities in Place Private Inprovenents Necessary
Brook/Dexter

Phase I

(3) Cormercial Errphasis
S. ?-Bin

Phase I

( 4)

DOA Ri verwalk

None - City Utilities in Place Private Inprovenents
Public Irrprovenents Needed
and Land Acquisition
North
South

(5) Cornnunity Developnent

&amp;
&amp;

W=st Section
East Section

Phase I
Phase II

Possible Expansion of City
Utilities - Private Developnent

Phase II

None - Utilities in Place
Private Irrprovenents

Phase II

Michigan Avenue
( 7)

Recreation Area
S.W. City Limits

Public Irrprovenents Needed
Sone Land Acquisition

Phase III

( 8)

Recreation Area
N.E. City Limits

Public Inprovenents Needed
City Owns Property

Phase III

( 9)

Recreation Area
water Street

Public Irrprovenents Needed
Land Acquisition

Phase

IV

Needs Expanded Utilities

Phase

IV

Needs Expanded Utilities

Phase

IV

Horner Property
(6) MUltiple-Family

(10) P.U.D.

Northeast City Limits
( ll)

P.U.D.
N.W. City Limits

OCOURCE:

EATON RAPIDS PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION

-160-

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-161-

�Implementation Schedule
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The following Implementation Schedule relates recommended
programs
to
participants,
project phasing
and
funding
sources. The programs are in conformance with the suggestions
and recommendations identified in the various sections of
this Study, while the action associated with each program is
a more specific performance or exercise intended to carry out
that program.
The participants that are responsible for
undertaking each action are identified.
In those instances
where more than one participant is involved, coordination is
necessary.
The time or phasing of each action is stipulated
in years.
Funding sources are identified for each action as
primary or secondary.
Primary sources are those that should
supply the majority of the financing for a particular action.
Secondary funds are intended to supplement the primary revenue sources.
Special assessments refer to either a tax
assessment levied against specified properties by the City
for a particular public improvement or by the Downtown
Development Authority or
the Local Development Finance
Authority sponsored activities.
Contributions refer to personal or group voluntary contributions as well as fees and dues, etc., levied against
merchants or groups.
The list of funding sources is by no
means exhaustive and should be added to and updated as new
sources are found and existing financial programs change.
This chart is to be used as a general guide and its utility
lies in its ability to unify and coordinate the various
recommendations associated with this Plan.

-162-

�PARTICIPANIS

TIMIN:;

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TABLE 35

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YEAR-

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
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POLICllS
LAND USE __

. _ .. _ ___ __ _ _

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. __ __

Pericafcilly review land use procedures - SAME
C.OOrdina~ land use plan with ne!_g_hbor- - Pr!:5ram ~iodic ueetings bet"Ween
ing- tc,.mships
tD,.mship and city r~resentatives
Prroote areas suitable for different
- Contact developers
~ of develcpient

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RESIDENTIAL

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Create a CcmnunityDevelo;rrent _~iporati'Oll
Study ]pisibility of est.ablishlng a
I public private _partnership to develop
multi-family projects
Prcm:,te naintenance of quality older
hcrres
PrCJTOte deTOiiHon of seve:-ely
dilapidated housing units

- Solicit local interest in fanning
neighborhocd or areawide CDC's
- Stud:t: housinq needs in the ci tyz
cxmtact_private developers

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- O:rnnunit
1t en for well
uaintain 0 er
- Use powers of condemnation (cnly
as last resort)

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COMMERCIAL

Prarote develqxrent of the CBO

Develop incentives for rehabTI1tat1cn
an..!.£reservation of do.mt.a..n

- Establish a TIF plan and r29ram ·
- Purchase and rehabilitate:reircdel
deteriorated prc:perties and sell
at l0w narket rate
- Prem:&gt;
1 events
- Form
tee to solicit
ures

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Research and establish tax incre:rent
financing ~ram

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- St~:t:.advantages~disadvantages - i f ~ ]
p:,s1tive, establish a Iocal Devel-

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Prarote industrial develocrrent
Prarote local e,oloVITEnt

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OPEN SPACE. PARKS AND RECREATION
Rehabilitate ~ snace

TRANSPORTATION
Tnnrove transnortation facilities

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health and safl"tv

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Create sense of carmunitv

COMM!JNITY HEH ,TH

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- Identify types of industries that
are JJOSt conducive to the ~il!l.l
characteristics of the ci tv1
identitv effects of those industrie!
· en the citv (envlron.rrental. ec:oncrn.i C • social)
·· - Cbntact or----:'"~ve industries
I.&amp;
- Prcrrote aqreenents to aive hlrina
oreferences to local residents, ·
innroverent of trainina oroarans

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Prarote industrial develo;:rrent in the
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- Prcrrote creaticn of citizen c:i::m-mi ttees or CDCs for neiahborhood
rehabilitation. olannina. etc.J
encouraqe orivate and public
nartnershios in addressina loca.J.
social service needs.
- Construct narks and recreational
facilities: create incentives for
the onvate sector to develoo
recreation facilities

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- Irrole-nent oroqrams to inorove
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na;or and local streets1 increase
number of narkina facilities
around i::cmrercial areas:
desian and construct bikeoath
_..
'-"Stem, strioe bikelane d..long side
of roadwav

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Maintain an uroated citv clfc,,.e+•o~
resnonse rilan
- Maintain educational
()n
health and safety

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�CONCLUSION

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APPENDICES
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APPENDIX A - PROCEDURE FOR LAND USE SURVEY

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APPENDIX B - COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEY

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APPENDIX C - SURVEY RESULTS

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APPENDIX A

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PROCEDURE FOR LAND USE SURVEY

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PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING A LAND USE SURVEY FOR
CITY OF EATON RAPIDS
Purpose:

In order to develop a community plan, or to establish and retain a
current inventory of activities within the community, it is
necessary to conduct a land use survey. This survey can be used as
a tool for analyzing problems and potentials associated with individual parcels and the spatial relationship between parcels as well as
between whole sectors of the City. Patterns of past, present and
future development can be determined and assessed, and a comprehensive overview of the activities occurring within the corranunity at
any one point in time can be attained.

General Approach: To conduct a land use survey efficiently, the planning
area should be divided into sectors and each surveyor (or team of
two or more surveyors) is assigned a particular sector or sectors.
Each individual or team should cover their assigned sector(s) over a
specified period of time (say 1 or 2 weeks). Each person (team)
will be given a map of his/her assigned sector(s), along with
instructions for identifying and recording land uses. Either a
windshield survey (by car) or a walking survey is acceptable. If
vehicles are used, at least two people per vehicle is desirable one to drive and one to record on the map. The map should be
attached to a clipboard for stability.

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Equipment: A base map of the City, containing the road system and,
if possible, lot splits; clipboard or other hard surface, several
pencils, erasures.
Procedures: Beginning at one of the corners of the assigned sector, drive or
walk through the area in a predetermined pattern that will minimize
repetition or "back-tracking". If in a car, drive at a slow enough
speed to allow the person recording to register appropriate information on the map. When recording a structure on the map, the surveyor may often have to estimate as closely as possible the location
of the structure within a particular block or section. Each
recorder will use the following symbols in conducting the survey:

11

0 Single-Family Residence

'iJ

Manufacturing

&lt;D Multiple-Family
(3 or more units per building)

X

Warehouse

□

School (Specify Elementary, Junior High,
High

f&gt;

Public Facility (Specify)

e
''

.

Duplex

0 Mobile Home

□
0

Retail Commercial

□

Office

Church

H Hospital

-166-

�Only the primary structure needs to be recorded. For example, for a parcel
that contains a house and a pole barn, or other accessory building, only the
house needs to be identified on the map. If a commercial building contains,
for example,. a retail store on the first floor, offices on the second floor,
and apartments on the third floor, the following symbol would apply:

§
That is, where a structure can be identified as housing more than one activity, record the primary activity that's occurring on the 1st floor, the primary activity on the second floor, etc., using the appropriate combination of
symbols, as in the example above.
Identify the number of stories in a building with a small subscript (1,2,3,4,
etc.) outside the symbol on the lower left. Identify the condition of the
structure with either an A, 8, or Con the lower right, outside of the symbol.
"A" indicates the structure appears to be in good condition, with little or no
repair/fix-up needed; "8" indicates the structure is somewhat deteriorated and
needs minor-to-moderate repair; "C" indicates the structure is dilapidated and
needs major repair or is beyond repair. This is a subjective evaluation, so
everyone conducting the survey should agree as to what constitutes minor and
major repair.
Combining these symbols will result in a process that identifies the type of
dwelling, the number of stories, and its general structural condition.

(D
For example, a symbol such as~ 6 depicts a multiple-family residence that
contains 3-stories and is somewhat deteriorated. Even in the instance of a
multiple story structure that has different uses on each floor (such as the
retail/office/apartment building depicted above) the total number of floors
should be noted in subscript. This helps to identify vacancies.

0

□

For example the symbol 4DA depicts a 4-story building in good condition that
contains three different uses on 3 floors, with no use (or vacancy) on a 4th
fl oar.
If a primary building is vacant, the symbol representing that structure should
be lightly shaded in. This obviously does not need to be done in the example
cited immediately above.
In cases where a particular land use, such as a golf course, airport, park or
other similar type of activity covers a large area, the land use can be written down without using a symbol. Also, if the surveyor believes a particular
structure or site has any significant historical or cultural value, he or she
should reference that in a brief notation on a separate note pad, with
reference to a letter o~ number that would identify the site on the ma~.
Once all the participants have completed their surveys, they will be combined
into one composite map by the consultant and presented to the Planning
Commission as a body for review and corrections as necessary .

._167-

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APPENDIX 8
COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEY

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�CITY OF EATON RAPIDS
COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEY
(Total Surveys 375)
1. To what age group do you belong?

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2.

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(1)

21

18-25

(2)

(4)

~

46-55

(5) _£__ 56-64

_lLless than 1 yr.

(1)

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(4) .2!_11-20 years

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26-35

(3)

87 36-45

(6) 103 65 and older

How long have you been a resident of the City?

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74

(2) _g_l-3 years

(3) ~4-10 years

(5) 177 over 20 years
( 2)

rent

Do you own your home or are you renting?

4.

How many individuals in the following age groups reside in your household?
110 0-5

(1)

(5) 272 . 36-54
5.

6.

(2) 199 6-18

(3)

(6)

(7)

79 55-64

(1) 293 own

77

3.

66 19-25

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(4) 142 26-35

65 and older

In what type of housing are you living now?
(1) 306 single-family House

(2) __!_!_ duplex

(3)

(4)

~

apartment/townhouse

5 mobile Home

No Answer 4

Please indicate the appropriate range of your household income before taxes
last year.
(1)

~

less than $10,000

(2) Z!._ $10-$20,000

(3) .§!_ $20-$30,000

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(4) _2! $30-$40,000
7.

~

$40-$50,000

(6) 42 over $50,000
u No answer

(2) ..11._ part-time

What are the occupations of employed members of your household?
Manager-IO; Prof. Specialty-9; Technician-8; Sales-3;
Clerical-17; Protective Services-I; Services-I;
Precision Production, Craft, Repair-2; Machine
(1)
full-time (identify) Operators-14; Transportation-4; Handlers, Laborers-IO;
(2)

9.

~

How many employed people are in your household?
(1) 384 full-time

8.

(5)

part-time

Manager-1; Prof. Specialty-3; Sales-4; Clerical-2;
(identify) HH Services-2; Services-6; Handlers, Cleaners, Laborers-

In what City do the employed members of your household work?
(1)

full-time

Eaton Rapids-88

Lansing-131

Other-67

(2)

part-time

Eaton Rapids-45

Lansing-22

Other-19

-1-168-

�10.

How many people in your household have:
(1) 409
(3)

completed high school only

85 have a college degree

(1) 119 retired

(2) 180 have 1 to 3 years of college
(4)

53 have completed more than 4
- - years of college

(2) _l.L planning to retire within the next 5 years

11.

Are you:

12.

How long do you expect to reside at your present residence? - - - - - - - - -

13.

Do you plan to move out of town sometime?

14.

If yes, what type of housing would you be looking for:
(1) 114

single-family Home

(1) 124 yes

(2) 203

no

(2) _7_ duplex

(3) ..1Z_ apartment

(4)

6 mobile home

( 5) other

------------------

15.

16.

Do you believe that most new single-family houses in Eaton Rapids should be:
(1) _7_ approximately less than 800 square feet

(2) 109

(3)

(4) 140 don't know

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over 1200 square feet in size

800 to 1200 square feet

Which of the following residential types should be promoted in the City of
Eaton Rapids? (Please check all desired types)
(1) 299
(3)

single-family house

(2) 139 multi-family (apartments)

60 mobile homes

(4) 154

(5)

86 modular homes
- - (prefabricated single-family)

(7)

~

condominiums

-2-

duplexes (two-family)

(6) 125 townhouses

�,.,

17. Which of the following residential types should be promoted in Eaton Rapids and
Hamlin Townships? (Please check all desired types}
(1) 297
(3)

(2) 128 multi-family (apartments}

single-family House

(4) 139

79 mobile Homes

(5) 109 modular Homes
- - (prefabricated single-family)

(7)

duplexes (two-family)

(6) 103 townhouses

86 condominiums

I.,

18.

Are there any additional comments you care to make about residential development?
Various comments - not much has devefoped; housing is difficult to find; keep
taxes at a reasonable percent of valuation; the town is not interested in

.
i

growth; take better care of what we have; Inverness and Raeburn Street area needs

(

'

repaving, curb and sidewalk; need owners that take pride in appearance and maintenance of property.
19.

a.

Do you feel there is sufficient commercial development in Eaton Rapids?
(1)

b.
'

l

.l

, ..

( 2) 299

no

If you answered "no", where should commercial development be encouraged?
(3)

.

_§!_ yes

~

downtown area only

(5) 150 along M-99 south of downtown
20.

(4) 199

along M-99 north of downtown

(6)

other sections of the City

45

We would like to have any comments you care to make regarding commercial
facilities or services in Eaton Rapids •
Various comments - encourage all businesses, allow franchises to operate; more
men's or men's/women's apparel stores; medium priced restaurant; greater
variety of shopping; fast food restaurants; need tax incentives to encourage
more downtown commerce in available office space; prices are too high; put
commercial development on Kennyville Road; need fine dining restaurant; there
are no job opportunities - no incentive to stay; supermarket north of CBD specialty stores downtown; because Eaton Rapids is between Jackson and Lansing,
it should grow like Holt.
-3-

,.__

-170-

�21.

How do you feel about industrial development in Eaton Rapids?
(1)

22.

(2)

69

limited development
should be encouraged

(3) 161 major industrial development should
- - be encouraged

(4)

63 should be limited to the
- - City's industrial park

(5) 206

(6)

61 heavy industry should be
- - encouraged

light industry should be encouraged

Should Eaton Rapids attempt to attract:

(Indicate, 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices)

(1)

health oriented service industries
- - 1st 2nd 3rd
74 4I 27

( 3)

( 5)

( 7)

23.

22 there is sufficient amount already

high-tech Industries
- - 1st 2nd 3rd
109" 25" zr

(2)

manufacturing industries
1st 2nd 3rd
86 o(Y --zg-

(4)

agricultural-related
industries
1st 2nd 3rd
7:8 47 """)6"

(6)

a 11 of the above
1st 2nd 3rd
80 7o 7r

(8)

tourists
1st 2nd

7U"

~

3rd
-z7

educational institutions
1st 2nd 3rd

9

30

73

other (describe)
1st 2nd 3rd - - - - - - - --, -3 4

Are there any particular restrictions you would care to place on Industrial
Development in Eaton Rapids, such as location; size, amount and type of
pollutants; aesthetics, etc?
Various comments - no pollution; no chemical companies; should be localized,
not necessarily in industrial park; no noise; no odor; locate outside resid.
areas; no restrictions - needs jobs; ensure attractive building fronts; grounds,
etc.; discourage heavy industry; should enhance the community

24.

Are there any additional comments you care to make about future Industrial
Development?
Various comments - electrical power is sufficient only for small ind~stries;
develop more jobs

-4-

�Should there be any restrictions on Development along the Grand River in the
City:
(1)

(2)

267 yes

61

no

If yes, should development be restricted to:
(1)

90

(3)

~

low density residential

(2) 176

low density commercial

(4) 149 outdoor recreation

(5) other
26.

Should not detract from area; proper mix; proper facilities/restrooms

How far back from the river's edge should such restrictions apply?
(1)
(3)

18 within 25 ft.
~

within 100 ft.

(2)

63 within 50 ft.

(4)

85 within more than 100 ft.
(Specify)

1.

27.

---------------

Should the City strive to develop more public park and recreation opportunities
in Eaton Rapids?
(1)

l ,

scenic open space

215 yes

(2) 101

If yes, where?

no

Old fair grounds, near downtown; along river; corner of Main

and Canal, near hospital; State and Main Streets
What type?

Picnic area/playground, canoeing outdoor ampitheatre; nature

center; nature walks; benches and shade; family type recreation
r

I
\

,,.I

'

28.

With which of the following land uses would you prefer to see Eaton Rapids
develop in the future? (Please check 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices)
1st
120

-sr

manufacturing

79

82

59

(4)

services (offices, etc) 16

recreational

47

46

68

(6)

no new development

(1)

residential

(3)
(5)
29.

3rd
48 (2)

m

2nd 3rd
47 52

1st 2nd 3rd
BIT 94 Lf5"

8

36

49

1

5

1st 2nd 3rd
54 89 36

( 2)

commercial

47

(4)

services (offices,etc) 12

17

39

50

54

(6)

agricultural

15

28

3

8

(1)

residential

( 3)

manufacturing

78

78

( 5)

recreational

38

( 7)

no new development 5

'

·-

;

-5..~.

commercial

With which of the following land uses would you prefer to see Eaton Rapids and
1st

'9

2nd

-172-

19

�·30 ·.

Are you satisfied with the way Eaton Rapids has been growing and developing up
to now?
(2) 213 no
If no, why not? Various comments ( 1) .!!l_ yes
needs a larger tax base; lack of school financial support; little progress
made; businesses come and then leave; lack of variety in stores; no fast food or
teen places; roads in need of repair or expansion; need more office space; fix
up old homes; 20 years behind time; empty storefronts; too many people go else.

where for entertainment and shopping; need to coordinate development
31.

On a scale of 1 to
Eaton Rapids?
1
2
3
(1)

5 how would you rate the following services and facilities in
=
=
=

very good
more than adequate
adequate

4 = less than adequate
5 = very poor

(2) 2.46 library

3.01 housing

(3) 2.54 EATRAN

(4) 2.66 medical services

(5) 2.57 law enforcement

(6) 2.47 emergency rescue unit

(7) 3.65 recreational facilities

(8) 3.17 zoning &amp; building code enforcement
(10) 3.03 sanitary sewer facilities

(9) 2.77 water supply facilities
(11) 2.99 storm sewer facilities

(12) 2.75 public education

(13) 2.47 school facilities

(14) 2.57 fire protection

(15) 3.92 streets

(16) 3.31 curb &amp;gutter

(17) 3.49 sidewalks

(18) 3.13 public buildings (specify)

(19) 3.85 City Government
- - communication with the
public

(20) 3.84 City Government responsiveness to
- - public needs/problems

(21) 3.33 attempts at building
- - community pride

(22) 3.12 historic preservation

(23) 2.86 community beautification

(24) 2.61 community involvement by nonprofit
- - organizations and service clubs

(25) 2.56 trash and garbage service (26) 3.11 street cleaning
(27) 2.72 snow removal

(28) 2.72 electric facilities

(29) 2.32 cemetery maintenance

(30) 4.29 other (identify) businesss community I";"
support; planning for future; new store
fronts, City management; tourist and
industrial promotion; senior facilities
-6-°173-

I

�..,
32.- From the items in question 31, which three items do you believe are most
important?
1st 2nd 3rd
(1)
34 26
Law enforcement

«

1st

33.
I ,
I -

2nd 3rd
79 u

(2)

«

(3)

1st 2nd 3rd
29 24 u

Streets
City Government Comm.

What type of recreational activities (public
developed or improved?
( 1)

49

(2) 105

bowling

(4) 223

bicycle/walking/jogging paths

baseball/softball/football

( 6)

soccer

teen center

(8) 198 movie theatre

golf

(3) 138 canoeing
(5)

~

(7) 210
( 9)
(11)

33 tennis
~

&amp; private) would you like to see

32

(10) ..11_ racquetball

other-hunting and fishing; basketball; boating; swimming; shuffleboard;
roller skating; outdoor concert; comedy club; ice rink; mini-golf;
cross-country skiing; health spa

..

I

'

34.

What type of public and private cultural activities would you like to see
developed?

'

f

(1) .!.l!:!_ performing arts theatre

(2) _29__ art gallery

( 3) 137 museum

(4)

19

other (identify) sports area; home

tours; dinner theatre; teen activities
35.

Is Eaton Rapids a place you would like to live on a long-term basis?
(1) 300 yes
Why?

(2)

39

no

Various comments - (yes answers) - nice people; close to Lansing;

quiet; small town; potential for great schools; born here; safe, low crime
rate; pretty setting;
(no answers) - needs to grow with the times; offers nothing; City is stagnating

-7-174-

�36.

Is Eaton Rapids effective in solving its problems?
If no, how could it be more effective?

(1)

107 yes

(2) 176 no

Various comments - needs more effective

leadership; needs to convnunicate with the public; should be more aggressive
in solving problems; need public input into problem solving; need new City
Council members; residents should vote on major issues; needs newspaper; should
be more responsive to voters

37.

Would you like more input to the City's decision-making process?
(1)

J2§__ yes

(2) 100 no

If yes, by what means?

Various comments - keep people informed; have open.

forum, conduct surveys for large expenditures, through commercial, service and
manufacturing leaders; newspapers; flashes

38.

How can Eaton Rapids better serve its residents?
Various comments - have its own newpaper; provide more recreation and
cultural activities; improve the school system; provide apartments/duplexes;
improve in-town businesses; reduce property taxes; keep the public informed;
activities for young people; fast-food restaurants; take this survey seriously;
be more helpful to new businesses; stimulate business growth; build on
uniqueness of small town; river.

-8-

-175-

�EATON RAPIDS TOWNSHIP
COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEY
Total Surveys 102
1.

To what age group do you belong?

;':

(1)

2 18-25

(2)

21

26-35

(3) _1L 36-45

.- ,

(4)

20 46-55

(5)

19

56-64

(6)

10 65 and ·older

1

No Answer

I

2.
, .-

How long have you been a resident of Eaton Rapids Township?
1 less than 1 yr.

(1)

(2) _9_1-3 years

(4) -.£Z_ll-20 years
I

(3) ..J.L4-10 years

(5) ~over 20 years

3.

Do you own your home or are you renting? (1)

own (2)

4.

How many individuals in the following age groups reside in your household?

~

2

rent

1 No Answer

i .., _

5.

·-~

;~

(1) ~0-5

(2) 71

6-18

(3) 16

(5) ~36-54

(6) 33

55-64

(7) 21

(4) 39

26-35

65 and older

In what type of housing are you living now?
(1)

6.

19-25

~

single-family House

(2)

0

duplex

(3) _0_ apartment/townhouse

(4)

3

mobile Home

1 No Answer

Please indicate the appropriate range of your household income before taxes
last year.
(1) _6_ less than $10,000
(4) .!!_ $30-$40,000

(5)

(2) 1§._ $10-$20,000
~

$40-$50,000

(6)

(3) 1§._ $20-$30,000
~

over $50,000

7.

How many employed people are in your household?

(1) 115 full-time

8.

What are the occupations of employed members of your household?

16 No Answer
(2) ~part-time

Sales-2; Clerical-?; Protective Services-I; Mgmt-11;
Farmer-2; Prof. Specialty-IO; Technician-14; Precision
Production, Craft-4; General Services-4; Machine
(1) _jJ__ full-time (identify) Operators-9; Transportation-4; Handlers-2
(2)
9.

~

part-time (identify) Technician-1; Sales-5, Prof. Specialty-I; Clerical-6;
Services-?; Machine Operator-I

In what City do the employed members of your household work?
(1)

f u11 - ti me _ _L_a_n_s,_·n_g~-_4_8___E_a_t_o_n_R_a__p_i_d_s_-1_7___0_t_h_er_-_1_9_

( 2)

part-ti me _ _E_a_t_on_R_a.._p_id_s_-_1_4_ _L_a_ns_,_·n....g__-_7___0t_h_e_r_-_7_ _
-1-176-

�10~

How many people in your household have:
(1) 130 completed high school only

(2)

~

(3)

(4)

10 have completed more than 4
- - years of college

22

have a college degree
(1)

11.

Are you:

12.

How long do you expect to reside at your present residence?
0-2 Yrs

13.

3

retired (2)
answer

3-5 Yrs

5

19

6-10 Yrs

planning to retire within the next 5 years

10 11-20 Yrs

48

20+ Yrs

3

No Ans

33

Do you plan to move into Eaton Rapids sometime?
(1) _8_ yes
Why?

14.

22

-rr- no

r

have 1 to 3 years of college

(2)

89

no

No Answer 5

--------------------------------

If yes, what type of housing would you be looking for:
(1)

single-family Home

~

(3) _3_ apartment

(2)

2

duplex

(4)

0

mobile home

(5) other

87
------------------

15.

Do you believe that most new single-family houses in Eaton Rapids Township
should be:
(1) _5_approximately less than 800 square feet
(3) ~over 1200 square feet in size

16.

(4) 27

(2) 35 800 to 1200 square feet
don't know

No Answer

7

Which of the following residential types should be promoted in the City of
Eaton Rapids? (Please check all desired types)
(1) _JJ__ single-family house

(2)

(3)

(4) ___li_ duplexes (two-family)

(5)
(7)

12 mobile homes
23 modular homes
- - (prefabricated single-family)
22

condominiums

-2-177-

46 multi-family (apartments)

(6) ..ll.__ townhouses

�17.

Which of the following residential types should be promoted in Eaton Rapids
Township? (Please check all desired types)
(1)

87 single-family House

(3)

26

....J

(5)

(7)
18.

mobile Homes

33 modular Homes
- - (prefabricated single-family)

(2)

22

multi-family (apartments)

(4)

35

duplexes (two-family)

(6)

18 townhouses

15 condominiums

Are there any additional comments you care to make about residential development?
Various comments - do not allow houses to deteriorate; have landlords clean up
homes and businesses on M-99 N; large apartments, townhouses not needed; can
build on any size lot; housing or trunklines may be destroying possible

'.

business and industrial locations; more independent housing for elderly;
develop in southern part of Eaton Rapids •

...

•

19.

a.

Do you feel there is sufficient commercial development in Eaton Rapids?
(1)

b.

_1L yes

( 2)

84

no

No Answer

3

If you answered "no", where should commercial development be encouraged?
(3)

24

downtown area only

(4)

(5)

41

along M-99 south of downtown

(6)

57

along M-99 north of downtown

16 other sections of the City
Wriere?

-----------

20.
!

.

We would like to have any comments you care to make regarding commercial
facilities or services in Eaton Rapids.
Various comments - need family type restraints; discount store; theatre; fix
up store fronts and develop theme; needs: shopping center, community radio
station, high quality dining, fast food restaurants, department store, men 1 s
store, shoe stores, newspaper; do not develop any more than is; has been no
major effort to expand development; need more competition; need large bowling
alley; City is pushing commercial businesses outside of town by not working
with them

-3-

-178-

�30~

Are you satisfied with the way Eaton Rapids has been growing and developing up
to now?
(2) 55 no
No Answer 12
If no, why not?
(1) 2L yes
--No vision; bad streets; growth too tightly controlled; need more employment; too
much inferior housing, not enough commercial development; no "new" money; businesses come and go; not enough services, growing too slow; businesses fold
because of lack of support from people; no places for recreation and entertainment; no place for teens.

31.

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the following services and facilities in
Eaton Rapids?
1 = very good
4 = less than adequate
2 = more than adequate 5 = very poor
3 = adequate
Average
Average
(1) 2.94 housing
(2) 2.49 library
(3) 2.60 EATRAN

(4) 2.96 medical services

(5) 2.90 law enforcement

(6) 2.60 emergency rescue unit

(7) 3.71 recreational facilities

(8) 2.99 zoning &amp; building code enforcement

(9) 2.73 water supply facilities

(10) 3.00 sanitary sewer facilities

(11) 3.04 storm sewer facilities

(12) 2.84 public education

(13) 2.56 school facilities

(14) 2.79 fire protection

(15) 3.54 streets

(16) 3.05 curb &amp;gutter

(17) 3.09 sidewalks

(18) 3.24 public buildings (specify) _ _ __

(19) 3.87 City Government
- - communication with the
public

(20) 3.83 City Government responsiveness to
- - public needs/problems

(21) 3.26 attempts at building
- - community pride

(22) 3.12 historic preservation

(23) 2.72 community beautification

(24)

2.71 community involvement by nonprofit
- - organizations and servi~e clubs

(25) 2.78 trash and garbage service (26) 2.92 street cleaning
(27) 2.76 snow removal

(28) 2.85 electric facilities

(29) 2.46 cemetery maintenance

(30) 4.57 other (identify) teen center;
restaurants; education
. -6-

-181-

----

�\.

,'

32.· From the items in question 31, which three items do you believe are most
important?
Law Enforcement-16; School Facilities-11; Housing-9; City Govt. Commission-8;
(1) Public Education-a

f. .

School Facilities-14; Medical Services-13; Fire P:rotection-10;
(2) Law Enforcement-10
(3) Law Enforcement-16; Medical Services-12
33.
! •

What type of recreational activities (public
developed or improved?
(1)

_9_ golf

(3)

~

(2)

22

bowling

(4) _.2§___ bicycle/walking/jogging paths

canoeing

•

....

(5) ...1i._ baseball/softball/football

l'.•.·

(7)

53 teen center

(9)

14 tennis

(11)

12 other

1

&amp; private) would you l i ke to see

( 6)
(8)

6 soccer
50 movie theatre

i

(10) _6_ racquetball
all; cross-country skiing; swimming; mini-golf; areas for girl
scouts

What type of public and private cultural activities would you like to see
developed?
(1) -1!_ performing arts theatre

(2) ...1i._ art gallery

( 3)

(4)

32 museum

9 other (identify) all; high school
band; camping; teen center

35.

t

Is Eaton Rapids Township a place you would like to live on a long-term basis?
(1)
Why?

~

yes

(2)

10

no

No Answer

6

Friendly people; enjoy country living; away from City; quiee, grew up

here; lived here all my life; little or no commercial development; good roads;
good place to raise family; good school district; no - getting too populated;
not if it keeps deteriorating

-7-182-

�'

36~

Is Eaton Rapids effective in solving its problems?
No Answer

(1)

~

yes

(2)

52

no

25

If no, how could it be more effective?

City and Townships, must work together;

resolve fire department situation to benefit of taxpayers; more open forums for
people to express views; better communication; better convnunity involvement;
expecting better government in charge in City Council

37.

Would you like more input to the City's decision-making process?
(1)

....!§_ yes

(2)

23

If yes, by what means?

no

No Answer 33

inform public; more public involvement; City and

Townships should work together, newspapere; opinion pools, questionnaires
and surveys

38.

•--

How can Eaton Rapids better serve the area?
Encourage new businesses and industry to locate in area; more recreation; better
restraints; improved schools, listen to public; be cooperative and open to
new ideas; install pride back into community; provide more jobs and entertainment; community preservation and beautification; townships and City should work
together; police should serve surrounding area - Sheriff takes too l~o_n=g_t_o___
respond

-8-

-183-

I

�HAMLIN TOWNSHIP
COMMUNITY OPINION SURVEY
Total Surveys 81
l ,
I

1. To what age group do you belong?

-

2.

..

f

2 18-25

( 2)

(4)

23 46-55

(5)

8 26-35
11

( 3) _g_,Q_ 36-45

56-64

(6)

16 65 and older

How long have you been a resident of Hamlin Township?
(1)

_2_1ess than 1 yr.

( 2) _7_1-3 years

( 3) .!§__4-10 years

(5) ~over 20 years

(4) ~11-20 years

'I

l ·~•

(1)

own

1 rent

Do you own your home or are you rent.i ng?

4.

How many individuals in the following age groups reside in your household?

(1)

79

( 2)

3.

~ ~

(1)

.!.L_0-5

( 5) ~36-54
1·
1

5.

r~
~
6.

7.

,

'

(3) 19

( 6) ~55-64

( 7)

19-25

~

(4) ~26-35

65 and older

(1) _2L single-family House

(2)

(3) _0_ apartment/townhouse

(4) _O_ mobile Home

1

duplex

Please indicate the appropriate range of your household income before taxes last year.
(1) _5_ less than $10,000

(2) .!Z_ $10-$20,000

(3) _6_ $20-$30,000

(4) ..!.!_ $30-$40,000

(5) .!§__ $40-$50,000

(6) 12

over $50,000

How many employed people are in your household?
85 full-time

(2) _JJ_ part-time

What are the occupations of employed members of your household?
Management-6; Prof. Specialty-13; Technician-6; Sales-2;
Clerical-9; Services-2; Farming, Forestry-2; Precision
full-time (identify) Production, Craft, Repair-5; Machine Operators-13;
Transportation-2

(1)

Prof. Specialty-4; Technician-4; Clerical-5; Household
part-time (identify) Services-2; Services-4; Machine Operators-1; Transportation-1; Laborer-1

(2)
9.

6-18

In what type of housing are you living now?

(1)
8.

(2) 38

In what City do the employed members of your household work?
(1)

full-time

Eaton Rapids-20

Lansing-31

Other-12

(2)

part-time

Eaton Rapids-15

Lansing-1

Other-5

-1-

-184-

�10.

How many people in your household have:
(1)
(3)

completed high school only

~

17 have a college degree

11. Are you:
12.

(1)

~

retired

(2)

(4)

40

have 1 to 3 years of college

20 have completed more than 4
- - years of college

12 planning to retire within the next 5 years

How long do you expect to reside at your present residence?
0-2 Yrs

13.

(2)

0

3-5 Yrs 4

6-10 Yrs

7

11-20 Yrs

Do you plan to move into Eaton Rapids sometime?

32
( 1)

20+ Yrs

3

yes

(2)

No. Ans

35

no

Why?

14.

If yes, what type of housing would you be looking for:
(1) _6_ single-family Home

(2) _2_ duplex

(3) _4_ apartment

(4)

0 mobile home

(5) other

69
------------------

15.

16.

Do you believe that most new single-family houses in Hamlin Township
should be:
(1) _l_approximately less than 800 square feet

(2) 19 800 to 1200 square feet

(3) ~over 1200 square feet in size

(4) 30

don't know

Which of the following residential types should be promoted in the City of
Eaton Rapids? (Please check all desired types)
(1)
(3)
(5)
(7)

~

single-family house

(2)

16 mobile homes

41

multi-family (apartments)

(4) ..1!_ duplexes (two-family)

23 modular homes
- - (prefabricated single-family)
18 condominiums

-2-185-

(6)

22

townhouses

�c. ..-;

•

.

~

17 • Which of the following residential types should be promoted in Hamlin Township?
(Please check all desired types)

t.

~·

18.

(2)

18 multi-family (apartments)

mobile Homes

(4)

23

(6)

13 townhouses

~

( 3)

21

( 5)

27 modular Homes
(prefabricated single-family)

( 7)

14

r-

i.

single-family House

(1)

duplexes (two-family)

condominiums

Are there any additional comments you care to make about residential development?
Various comments - need for lower income housing; existing M.H. Park is ghetto;

r

leave it up to the individual; in Hamlin Township - too many houses on small

I..

lots; Townships are growing - what CBD doing to accommodate that growth?; place

t

restriction on house size, lot size, house placement, compatability with other

r

houses

L

[ij

19.

a.

Do you feel there is sufficient commercial development in Eaton Rapids?
(1)

\'.

b.

[

_8_ yes

If you answered

(2)
11

70

no

no 11 , where should commercial development be encouraged?

(3) ....ll_ downtown area only

(4) _iL along M-99 north of downtown

(5) _l]__ along M-99 south of downtown

(6)

r.

1

20.

19 other sections of the City
Where?

We would like to have any comments you care to make regarding commercial
facilities or services in Eaton Rapids.
Various comments - need anolther major grocery store; not enough commerical;

,.
\

re-do downtown; nice craft shops; clean-up old IGA parking lot; need to go to

I

•

Lansing to buy specialty items; Eaton Rapids has discouraged business expansion;

l

need: family dining, fast-food restaurants; movie theatre

-3-186-

�36.

Is Eaton Rapids effective in solving its problems?
If no, how could it be more effective?

(1)

~

yes

(2)

48

no

Various comments - be more cooperative

with the townships; get rid of police department and dope pushers; quit driving

out what business you have; more public voice in government; more communication;
work toward the common goal

37.

Would you like more input to the City's decision-making process?
(1)

__R_yes

(2)

26 no

If yes, by what means?

Various comments - open meetings; citizens

advisory board; work through township officials

38.

How can Eaton Rapids better serve its residents?
Various comments - Take power from manager and give to Council; beautification;
bypass around Main Street; let people have a voice; eliminate police harrassment; check for drug pushers in Eaton Rapids schools; allow more business
competition; upgrade the school system; provide more housing; make City
officials responsible for their actions; encourage well-known, established
commercial businesses/franchises for long-term growth; encourage cooperation
between city and townships; build up the town, have more activities; give
people the freedom to do what they want

-8-

-191-

�I

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i )

APPENDIX C
SURVEY RESULTS

I&lt;

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'• ,.

I

�EATON RAPIDS SURVEY RESULTS
,' ..

i

i '

,

.

Distribution and Return Rate - The total 1987 population of the Planning
Area (Eaton Rapids, Eaton Rapids Township, Hamlin Township) is 10,107. The
City distributed 1,640 questionnaire surveys. Using an average areawide
household density of about 3.0 persons, approximately 4,900 persons, or
almost 50 percent of the area's population, was covered in the questionnaire mailing. Of the 1,640 questionnaires that were distributed, 285
(17.4%) were mailed to Eaton Rapids Township residents, 297 (18.1%) were
sent to Hamlin Townshp residents and the balance, 1,058 (64.5%) were sent
to the City of Eaton Rapids households.
The overall return rate was relatively high, with 558 (34%) questionnaires
being completely or partially filed in and returned. Of the 558 returns,
102 were from Eaton Rapids Township (a 35.8% return rate for that
Township), 81 were from Hamlin Township (a 27.3% return rate) and 375 were
returned from City residents (a return rate of 35.4%). The 558 returns
result in a confidence level for areawide results of 99 percent.!. 5 percent.

Tabulation Results - The following is a synopsis of the tabulation results
for the entire area and each of the jurisdictions.
Question 1 - Age Groups of Respondents:
Areawide - The largest single age group among respondents was the
36-45 year group (24.5%), followed by those 65 and over (23.1%).
City - Senior (65 and older) were the largest single group of
respondents (27.5% of the total), followed by the 36-45 group
(23.2%)
Eaton Rapids Township - The 36-45 age group (28.4%) made up the
single largest category, followed by the 26-35 year age group at
20.5 percent.
Hamlin Township - The 46-55 year age group comprised 28.4 percent
of all respondents, followed by the 36-45 year age group at 24.7
percent.
Question 2 - Years as Resident:
Areawide - By far the largest category of respondents have lived
1n the area for 20 or more years (44.5%), followed by those living
here between 11 and 20 years (20.2%). Only five percent have
lived here less than one year.
City - 47.2 percent of all City respondents have lived in the City
20 or more years, followed those who have lived here between four
and 10 years (16.5%) and 11 and 20 years (15.5%).

-192-

�Eaton Rapids Township - 42.2% of all Township respondents have
lived in the Township over 20 years, while 26.5 percent have lived
there from 11 to 20 years and 21.6 percent between four and 10
years.
Hamlin Township - 35.8 percent of all respondents have resided in
the Township over 20 years, with one-third (33.3%) having lived
there 11 to 20 years.
Question 3 - Own or Renting:
Areawide - 84.4 percent own, while 14.3 percent rent.
City - 78.1 percent own, while 20.5 percent rent.
Eaton Rapids Township - 97.1 percent own, while 2 percent rent.
Hamlin Township - 97.5 percent own, while 1.2 percent rent.
Question 4 - Age Categories of Residents (in percent)
0-5

6-18

19-25

26-35

36-54

55-64

65+

9.7

20.4

6.6

13.2

29. 2

9.1

11.8

11.0

19. 9

6.6

14 .2

27.2

7.9

13 .1

Eaton Rapids
Township

7.7

24.8

5.6

13.6

29.4

11.5

7.3

Hamlin
Township

6.5

16.5

8.2

8.2

37.0

11.3

12 .2

City

9.2

24 .5

9.2

15.7

20.3

8.4

12. 7

Townships

8.9

26.8

7.8

16.1

25.3

6.9

8.1

Areawide
City

Census:

Question 5 - Type of Housing Living In:

(percent)

Single-Family

Duplex

Apartment

Mobile

Areawide

86.6

2.1

8.8

1.4

City

81.6

2.9

13 .1

1.3

Eaton Rapids Township

96.1

0

0

2.9

Hamlin Township

97.5

1.2

0

0

City

75.4

Townships

89 .2

1987 Count:

·?.....__.

0
30
-193-

7.8

I

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Question 6 - Income Categories (percent)
0-$10,000 $10-$20,000 $20-$30,000 $30-$40,000 $40-$50,000 $50,000+
Areawide

12 .3

19.9

15.4

14 .8

14.0

12.5

City

15.5

20.8

17.1

14.4

12.5

11.2

Eaton Rapids
Township

5.9

15.7

15.7

17.6

14. 7

14. 7

Hamlin
Township

6.2

21.0

7.4

13.6

19.8

14 .8

Question 7 - Persons Employed:
Full-Time
% of Total
Employment
Areawide

Ave./Household

Part/Time
% of Total
Employment

Ave./Household

77 .4

1.56

22.6

1.18

City

80.5

1.57

19. 5

1.06

Eaton Rapids Twp.

70.1

1.55

29.9

1.53

Hamlin Township

75.9

1.51

24 .1

1.12

Question 8 - Three most often mentioned:
City - Clerical, Operators, Managers, Labors, Services, Sales, Specialty
Eaton Rapids Twp. - Technicians &amp; Related Support, Professional Technicians,
Machine Operators
Hamlin Township - Professional Specialty, Machine Operators, Clerical
Question 9 - City of Employment:
'

f

I

I

•
t

Full -Time
Eaton Rapids Lansing

Other

Part- Time
Eaton Rapids Lansing

Other

Areawide

27.7%

45.2%

27.1%

51.4%

27.9%

20.7%

City

30.8%

45.8%

23.4%

52.3%

25.6%

22 .1%

Eaton Rapids
Township

57.1%

20.2%

22.6%

50%

25%

25.0%

Hamlin Twp.

31.7%

49.2%

19%

71.4%

4.8%

23.8%

-194-

�Question 18 - Additional Comments About Residential Development.
There were a variety of comments offered - some in direct conflict with each
other (for example, one respondent said people should be able to build on any
size lot while another thought restrictions should apply to size of house,
size of lot, placement of the house and compatibiliity with the surrounding
area). While a general concensus is not readily available, it could be
inferred that those who made additional comments on this subject generally
believe that additional and more varied housing should be constructed and
more multiple-family housing, especially for the elderly, is needed.
Existing housing needs to be maintained better than it currently is.
Question 19 - Is There Sufficient Commercial Development?

(percent)

Where Should Commercial Development Be?
Downtown
Other
Answer
Area
M-99N
M-99S
No

Yes

No

Areawide

13.8

81.2

5.0

17.2

40.7

31.1

11.0

City

14.4

79. 9

5.9

18. 6

41. l

31.0

9.3

Eaton Rapids Twp.

14.7

82.4

2.9

17.4

41.3

29. 7

11.6

9.8

86.4

3.7

12.7

42.1

36.6

18.8

Hamlin Township
Question 20 -

Comments regarding commercial facilities or services in Eaton Rapids.

~

f

While there were various comments about commercial facilities and services, a
number were stated more frequently than others. These include the need for
family or medium priced restaurants, fast food restaurants, a supermarket, a
movie theatre; the need for more competition; the City has discouraged commercial development. Other notable comments include the need for tax incentives to encourage more downtown commerce in available office space; the need
for specialty stores; and the need to fix up store fronts and develop a theme.
Question 21 - Perceptions About Industrial Development in Eaton Rapids?
Sufficient

Limited
Develop.

Major
Develop.

Limit to
Ind. Park

(percent)

Light
Indus.

Heavy
Indus.
( %)

( %)

( %)

( %)

( %)

( %)

Areawide

3.6

11. 7

28.2

11. 5

35.0

9.9

City

3.8

11.9

27.7

10.8

35.4

10. 5

Eaton Rapids Twp.

3.8

10 .1

2.5

14.6

32.9

10.1

Hamlin Township

2.9

12. 9

30.2

10.1

36.0

7.9

Many respondents gave more than one answer to this question about industrial
development. Over a third of all respondents feel the City should encourage
light industry, while a slightly lower percentage believe that major
industrial development should be encouraged. These responses are fairly consistent among all jurisdictions and indicate that, in general, major
industrial development containing light manufacturing is preferred.
-197-

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Question 22 - Types of Businesses Eaton Rapids Should Attempt to Attract.
Respondents were requested to give their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices for preferred businesses. The total number of responses given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd
choices for each business category were tabulated. The total number of 1st
choice responses for each category was then multiplied by a weight factor of
1
3 1 ; the total number of 2nd choice responses was multiplied by a 1 2 1 and the
total number of 3rd choice responses for each business category was multiplied
by a factor of 1 1 1 • The composite score (total 1st, 2nd, 3rd place answers
multiplied by appropriate weight factors) was calculated for each business
category. On an areawide basis the three categories that accumulated the
highest total points are: 1) manufacturing industries; 2) high-tech
industries; 3) all of the industries identified in the questionnaire. Based
on raw data tabulation, high-tech industries received the most 1st choice
responses, all industries received the next highest number of 1st choice
responses and manufacturing industries received the 3rd highest number of 1st
choice responses.
Among City respondents, the most popular choices based upon the calculation
method identified above are: 1) high-tech industries; 2) manufacturing
industries; 3) agricultural-related industries. High-tech industries
received the largest number of 1st choice responses, manufacturing
industries received the 2nd highest number of 1st choice responses, and all
of the industries mentioned received the 3rd highest number.

•
I.

I

;

'·.
' .

.1
',

For Eaton Rapids Township, results of the weighted calculations indicate
that all industries and manufacturing industries received the highest
point total, agriculture-related industries had the 2nd highest accumulated
point total and educational institutions received the 3rd highest point
total. For 1st choices, all industries, manufacturing industries and hightech industries received the largest number of responses.
Among Hamlin Township residents, weighted calculations result in the
following choices: 1) high-tech industries and all industries; 2) manufacturing industries; and 3) agricultural-related industries. The most popular
1st choice are all industries, high-tech industries and manufacturing
industries.
Question 23 - Restrictions that should be placed on industrial development.

J \

The overwhelming popular concensus is that any industry locating in the area
should be non-polluting or pollution should be minimized. Other responses
include keeping industries away from residential areas; residents should have
a strong voice in the planning and location of industries; industries should
be limited to the industrial park; consider appearance.
'

.

'
! .

'

Questin 24 - Additional Comments Regarding Future Industrial Development.
Most respondents are in favor of industrial development, as long as it do~s
not pollute. Various comments include the suggestions of planting pines in
front of the industrial park, using present facilities before building more,
not giving tax abatements, and not over-developing with industry.

• -·•

-198-

�~-'

Question 31 - Rate facilities and services in Eaton Rapids.
Respondents were asked to rate various facilities and services on a scale
of 1 (very good) to 5 (very poor). An average score was calculated for each
response, with the following results:

- I
I

Five hi!hest ratings
(w1th i having the
highest average score)

Five lowest ratings
(w1th il having the
lowest average score)

Areawide

Eaton Rapids

1. Cemetery maintenance
2. Emergency rescue

1. Cemetery maintenance
2. Library

1. Cemetery maintenance

3. Library, school
faci 1 ities
4. Eatran

3. Emergency rescue,
school facilities
4. Eatran

3. School facilities

5. Trash service
1. City government
convnunication
2. City govt. response
3. Streets
4. Recreational
facilities
5. Sidewalks

Eaton Rapids Township
2. Library

Hamlin Township
1. Emergency rescue

2. School facilities,
Cemetery maint.
3. Library
4. Eatran

5. Trash service

4. Emergency rescue,
Eat ran
5. Nonprofit/service
involvement

1. Streets
2. City government
communication
3. City govt. response
4. Recreational
facilities
5. Sidewalks

1. City government
convnunication
2. City govt. response
3. Streets
4. Recreational
facilities
5. Public buildings

l. City government

5. Nonprofit/service
involvement

2. City govt. response
3. Streets
4. Recreational
facilities
5. Bui 1ding - comrmiun i tJ
pride

I
I"":

~

Question 32 - Three most important services/facilities
Using the weighted scoring system, on an areawide scale, law enforcement,
City government communication and medical services are considered the three
most important community facilities/services. Items receiving the most
responses on 1st choice are: 1) law enforcement; 2) streets; 3) City government communication. Among City responses, cumulative scores placed law
enforcement, streets and medical services and City government responses as
the 1st, 2nd and 3rd most important services/facilities. Law enforcement and
streets received the most responses as the 1st choice while City government
communication and school facilities were mentioned second and third most
frequently as most important. Eaton Rapids Township responses, when
weighted, result in law enforcement, school facilities and medical facilities
receiving the three highest scores. Law enforcement, school facilities and
housing were most frequently mentioned as most important. In Hamlin
Township, the cumulative weighted scoring system results in City government
communication, city government response, law enforcement and medical services
having the highest points, with City government communication, law enforcement and City government response being mentioned most frequently as the
primary facilities/services.

~201-

�Question 33 - Preferred recreational activities:
Areawide
Golf
Bowling
Canoeing
Bicycle/jogging path
Baseball/softball/football
Soccer
Teen Center
Movie theatre
Tennis
Racquetba 11
Other

l

l.

Eaton Rapids

(%)

(%)

4.0
9.5
13.2
19.7
5.4
2.7
18 .5
17.5
3.1
2.3
4.0

4.4

Eaton Rapids
Township

Hamlin
Township

(%)

(%)

3.2
7.7
15.1
19.4
4.9
2.1
18. 7
17 .6
4.9
2.1
4.2

9.4
12.4
20.0
5.0
2.9
18. 9
17.8
3.0
2.1
4.1

3.4
12.3
14.4
18.6
7.6
2.5
16.9
15.7
1. 7

3.8
3.0

Responses were consistent among all jurisdictions. Bicycle/jogging/walking
paths, a teen center, a movie theatre and canoeing appear to be the most
popular choices. Other types of activities mentioned include hunting and
fishing, basketball, boating, swimming, shuffleboard, roller skating, outdoor concerts, ice rink, mini-golf, cross-country skiing, health spa,
fishing, family playground, campground.
Question #34 - Preferred public and private cultural activities.

•
r
I

l.,

,

-

i

Areawide
Performing Arts Theatre
Art Gallery
Museum
Other

Eaton Rapids

(%)

(%)

35.5
15.5
41.2

36.4
15.4
42.3
5.9

7 .8

Hamlin
Township

Eaton Rapids
Township
(%)
37.5
15.9
36.4

(%)

29.5
15.3
42.3
12 .8

10. 2

Responses to this questiori are also relatively consistent among jurisdictions. A museum and performing arts theatre are the most popular choices.
Other suggestions include discussion groups, gourmet dining, good newspaper,
more adult education, high school band, home tours, dinner theatre, activities for teens.
Question #35 - Is City/Township place you want to live long-term?
Areawide
Yes
No
No Answer

•

Eaton Rapids

·Eaton Rapids
Township

Hamlin
Township

(%)

(%)

(%)

(%)

81.7
9.3
8.9

80.0
10.4
9.6

84.3
9.8
5.9

86.4
3.7
9.9

A large majority of respondents said they would like to live in their jurisdiction for a long time. Township residents tend to be slightly more
affirmative about this question than City residents. When asked why,
various responses include friendly people, have lived in the jurisdictions a
long time, convenient location; Township residents like the country, like
their township government, think the townshi·p is a good place to raise a
family. City respondents like the quiet, small town environment, potential
for great schools, pretty setting and low crime rate.
-202-

�Question 36 - Effectiveness in problem solving.
Areawide
(%)

Yes
No
No Answer

25.4
49.4
25.2

Eaton Rapids
(%)
28.5
46.9
24.5

,r--..,_

Eaton Rapids
Township
(%)
24. 5
51.0

24.5

Hamlin
Township
(%)
12.3
59.3
28.4

i

.. /

Overall, about one-half of the respondents do not believe the City is effective in solving its problems. City residents tend to believe the City is
effective more frequently than Township residents. Hamlin Township respondents responded most negatively, with a relatively small proportion indicating yes to this question. Various suggestions given for improving the
City's techniques for problem solving include being more cooperative with
the Township, more public voice in government decision-making, more communication, being more aggressive in problem-solving, establishing a
newspaper.
Question 37 -

Yes
No
No Answer

More input into City's decision-making process.
Areawide
(%)
45.6
26.7
27. 7

Eaton Rapids
(%)
46.9
26.7
26.4

Eaton Rapids
Township
(%)
45.1
22.5
32. 4

Hamlin
Township
(%)
39.5
32.1
28.4

(\

A little less than half of all respondents desire more input into helping
the City make decisions. City respondents have a slightly greater desire
than Eaton Rapids Township residents and substantially more than Hamlin
Township respondents. Many Township residents do not believe it is their
responsibility to become involved in the City's decisions. Various
suggestions for more input include keeping people informed, having open
forums, conducting surveys when large expenditures are proposed, having
input through commercial, service and manufacturing leaders, using newspapers, distributing questionnaires, having a citizens adversary board.
Question 38 - How can Eaton Rapids better serve its residents?
Various answers include letting people have a voice in decision-making,
checking for drug dealers in Eaton Rapids schools, allowing more business
competition, providing more housing, encouraging commercial business
franchises; encouraging cooperation between the City and townships,
upgrading the school system, more recreation, providing more jobs, more
entertainment, community preservation and beautification; having police
department serve surrounding area, having its own newspaper, providing
apartments/duplexes, improving in-town businesses, reducing property taxes,
having activities for young people, fast-food places, and building
an uniqueness of being a small town with the river.

-203-

1;;;;;::::::::::::::::::::::::--------================---=-=-=-=-=---=----=------_-_-_-:_-i:._

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                    <text>d
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

HOPE
WARREN

MILLS

EDENVILLE

@LEMAN

GENEVA

JEROME

LINCOLN

LARKIN

FORD

HOMER

GREENDALE

LEE

MOUNT
.JASPER

PORTER

HALEY

lNGERSOLL

�MIDLAND COUNTY
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Prepared for:
MIDLAND COUNTY
Midland, Michigan

APRJL 1993

PROJECT NO. El2157-4

Prepared by:
GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.
1601 Portage Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001

�MIDLAND COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION
Robert R. Thurlow, Chairman
Dale C. Bement
Sue L. Broughton
Betty L. Fillmore
Michael W. Garety
Jeremy W. Kilar
Gale L. Klingensmith
E. Barbara Schoenherr
Hugh E. Sullivan
Vincent F. Vornhagen
Dale A. Wolfgang

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
Richard A. Maltby, Director of Planning
Deborah S. Hughes, Clerk Secretary

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Karl F. Freed, AICP, PCP
Nick Evers, AICP
David E. Bee

�1

PREFACE

This Plan is an update of the 1987 Midland County
Comprehensive Plan, which in turn was an update of the
County's 1974 General Development Plan. The functional goal
of this update is the same as the 1987 update: to provide a
current inventory and analysis of conditions in the County as
well as to address new and recurring planning and
development issues. As with the 1987 Plan the County
Department of Planning provided guidance and technical advice
in compiling this updated Plan.
Although the format for this Plan is generally the same as the
1987 Plan, it differs from that document in several ways. This
Plan considers a current and important concept in area-wide
planning - unified growth management techniques - that
promotes implementation through a coordinated approach
among the various units of government within the County. The
Comprehensive Land Use Plan map is revised from the 1987
map in that it reflects a change in the designation of rural
residential development in some townships.
The most
extensive difference is the expansion of the implementation
program to include additional goals and objectives to address
new issues and the inclusion of an implementation "matrix" to
identify the specific strategies and activities that should be
undertaken over the life of the Plan. In effect, this Plan update
incorporates the traditional comprehensive planning approach
with the more recently developed strategic planning process to
provide a "result" oriented document. This Plan relies upon a
variety of participants working together to make the likelihood
of success more probable.
As the 1987 Comprehensive Plan acknowledged, the updating
of the County Plan required the cooperation of a large number
of individuals, agencies and organizations. We are appreciative
of their efforts in assisting in the development of the Plan and
trust they will continue to be involved in the effort to implement
this Plan.

�We believe this Plan reflects the best, and most realistic,
direction the County should follow to ensure that its overall
"quality-of-life" is retained and even enhanced. Cooperation,
wise management of growth and development, and a clear
vision of the future are the key factors that will enable the
County and its residents to achieve the goals promoted in this
Plan.
This report is organized into eleven sections, corresponding
closely with the actual process of analyzing the County's
needs and problems and updating the Comprehensive Plan.
Section A gives the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan and its
recommendations. The County's historical setting is described
in Section B. A physical profile of the County, focusing on
geographical features, farmlands, environmental quality, and
historic sites is presented in Section C. Section D includes a
socioeconomic profile of the County, which describes the
County's population and housing characteristics and economic
conditions. Planning and development relationships, based on
various State, regional, County and local government plans, are
described in Section E. Section F describes the transportation
facilities and services in the County. Section G describes the
community facilities in the County, including water and sewer
facilities, recreation facilities, public and quasi-public facilities
and services, and County government facilities. A description
of the County's community development trends, patterns, and
problems is presented in Section H. Statements of goals,
policies and actions regarding planning in the County are
presented in Section I. The Comprehensive Plan, which
focuses on land use, community facilities, housing,
transportation, economic development, environmental
management, and planning coordination and implementation,
is described in Section J. Growth management techniques and
a program for implementing the Comprehensive Plan are
presented in Section K.

�TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1 - A-4
Plan Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
HISTORICAL SETTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1 - B-2
PHYSICAL PROFILE ...................................................... C-1 - C-24
Geophysical Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Topography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Floodplains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1
Water Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4
Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4
Soils
........................................................ C-4
Soil Erosion . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6
Farmlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7
Prime Farmlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7
Unique Farmlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8
Farmland Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9
Forest Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11
Environmental Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11
Water Quality . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11
Environmental Contamination Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-13
Air Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-14
Historic Sites ......................................................... C-18
SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE ......... . ..................................... . D-1 - D-43
Demographic Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Population Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Housing Profile • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . • • • . . • • D-16
Housing Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-16
Home Improvement Loans ..................................... .. .. D-17
Housing Development Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-20
Housing Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-22
Economic Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-28
Labor Force Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-28
Occupational Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-29
Income by Jurisdiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-30
Building Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-31
Employment Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-33
Future Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-34
Development Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-34
Industrial Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-35
Tourism ....................................................... D-35
Sport Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-38
Development Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-39

I

�Future Labor Force . . .
Industrial Siting . . . . . .
Constraints . . . . . . . . .
UtUities . . . • . . . . . . . .
Transportation . . . • . .
Income Projections . . .

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D-39
D-40
D-41
D-41
D-41
D-42

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT RELATIONSHIPS ............................... E-1 - E-15
State of Michigan Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1
Recreation .......•...•... .......... ............................. E-1
Transportation ................................................... E-4
Natural Resources &amp; Environment ..................................... E-4
Regional Plans . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
Adjacent Counties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
East Central Michigan Planning &amp; Development Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-6
Saginaw Bay Resource Conservation and
Development Area ............................................. E-7
Midland County Development Plans .......................................... E-7
County Facilities Master Plan - 1990 Update ............................. E-7
Capital Improvements Program ....................................... E-8
Comprehensive Community Corrections Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-8
Solid Waste Management Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-8
Affordability Housing Study for Out-County Area
of Midland County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-9
Midland County Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-9
Recreation Plan 1988 ............................................. E-10
River Protection Plan ............................................. E-10
Local Government Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1 o
Municipal Goals &amp; Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-11
Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy City of Midland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-14
Coleman Strategic Plan ........ ..... .............. ................. E-14
Future Land Use Composition ....................................... E-14
TRANSPORTATION ....................................................... F-1 - F-9
Traffic
Major Thoroughfares .............................................. .
Highway and Street Functional Classification System ............................ .
Rural Major Arterials .............................................. .
Rural Minor Arterials .............................................. .
Rural Major Collectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .
Rural Minor Collector ......................................... .... .
Local Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... .
System Improvements .................................................. .
State Road Improvements .......................................... .
County Road Improvements ........•................................
Related Plans and Programs ........................................ .
Midland County Long-Range Transportation Plan ......................... .
Public Transit ....•.....................................................
RaU ........................................•........................
Air ........................................ , ........................ .
Jack Barstow Airport .............................................. .

F-1
F-1
F-2
F-2
F-3
F-3
F-3
F-3
F-5
F-5
F-5
F-5
F-6
F-6
F-7
F-7
F-7

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Tri-City International Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7
Private Air Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-8
Nonmotorlzed Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-8
COMMUNITY FACILITIES .................................................. G-1 - G-51
Utilities and Services ..................................................... G-1
Sanitary Sewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1
Water
.........•........•.................. ..... ............. . G-1
Solid Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-2
Drains ......................................................... G-6
Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1 O
Existing County Park Facilities &amp; Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1 O
Municipal/Township Parks ......................................... G-12
River and Stream Corridor Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-12
Future County Park &amp; Recreation Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-14
Public and Quasi-Public Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-16
County Government Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-16
CltyjVillagejTownship Halls ........................................ G-17
Township and Municipal Descriptions ................................. G-17
Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-25
Medical &amp; Emergency Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-26
MidMlchigan Regional Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-27
Midland County Fairgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-27
Public Education Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-28
Colleges &amp; Universities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-34
Community Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-40
Senior Citizen Centers ............................................ G-42
Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-43
County Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-44
Pinecrest Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-44
Harbour House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-44
Children's Center ................................................ G-45
Horizon Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-45
Department of Animal Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-45
Midland County Mosquito Control Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-46
Sheriff Department Emergency Services Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-46
Fire Departments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-46
Midland County Road Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-46
Midland County Jail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-48
Mental Health Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-49
TRENDS, PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS ....... ... ............................... H-1 - H-7
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of Physical and Natural Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of Public Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of Public Schools ................................................
Analysis of Higher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analysis of County Facilities ..................... ... . .... ............... ...
Conclusion ............................................................

H-1
H-1
H-2
H-3
H-3
H-4
H-6
H-6
H-7
H-7

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GOALS, POLICIES AND STRATEGIES .......................................... 1-1 -1-22
Land Use ....•.......•................................................. 1-1
Community Facilities . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . • . 1-5
Housing • . • . . • . • . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Transportation .......•.................................................. 1-9
Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Planning Information, Coordination and Implementation ........................... 1-14
Implementation of 1987 Comprehensive Planning Policies ......................... 1-18

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ................................................... J-1 - J-34
Land Use • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-1
Existing Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-1
Recommended Future Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-1
Agricultural Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-1
Residential Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-4
Commercial Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-7
Industrial Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-12
Public Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-13
River and Stream Preservation Corridors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-16
Nonmotorized Transportation Corridor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-17
Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-17
Community Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-18
Sewer/Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-19
Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-19
County Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-20
Township/Municipal Halls .......................................... J-20
Police and Fire Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-20
Community Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-20
Senior Citizen Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-20
Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-21
Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-21
Medical and Emergency Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-21
Public Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-21
Synopsis ...................................................... J-22
Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-22
Housing Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-22
Future Housing Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-23
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-25
Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-26
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-28
Future Land Use Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-29
Planning Information, Coordination and Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-32
IMPLEMENTATION ....................................................... K-1 - K-32
Growth Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K-1
Implementation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K-3

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�UST OF TABLES

TABLE
1
ANNUAL EROSION - 1982 MIDLAND COUNTY ...................................... C-7
2
COMPARISON OF FARMS IN MICHIGAN AND MIDLAND COUNTY ....................... C-9
3
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION SITES LEGEND ................................ C-15
4
HISTORIC SITES IN MIDLAND COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-20
5
POPULATION BY JURISDICTION - MIDLAND COUNTY ................................ 0-2
6
POPULATION BY AGE AND SEX - 1980-1990 ....................................... D-3
7
AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION BY JURISDICTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4
8
POPULATION PROJECTIONS - MIDLAND COUNTY .................................. 0-7
9
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY JURISDICTION .................................... D-8
10
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE .. ... ............ ..... ...................... D-9
11
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE {MALES) ...................... . ............. D-10
12
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE {FEMALES) ................................. . D-11
13
PROJECTED CHANGES IN AGE DISTRIBUTION: 1990-2015 ........................... D-12
14
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY RACE - MIDLAND COUNTY .......................... 0-13
15
PERSONS PER HOUSEHOLD: 1990 AND 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-14
16
HOUSEHOLD PROJECTIONS BY JURISDICTIONS - MIDLAND COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-15
17
LOANS ISSUED ON YEARLY BASIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-17
18
MUNICIPAL LOANS ..... . .................. .............. . ..... ............. D-18
19
HOUSING QUALITY BY MUNICIPALITY .......................................... D-19
20
HOUSING AGE BY PERCENT OF TOTAL HOUSING ................................. D-21
21
HOUSING QUALITY BY JURISDICTION: 1978-1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-25
22
FACTORS DETERMINING HOUSING QUALITY ..................................... D-26
23
TYPES OF HOUSING IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1990 .................................. 0-27
24
LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS - MIDLAND COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-28
25
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY-HISTORICAL PERCENT OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT ........... 0-29
26
EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATIONS - 1990 - MIDLAND COUNTY ........................ D-29
27
1990 ESTIMATED INCOME BY JURISDICTION ..................................... D-30
28
BUILDING PERMITS AND CONSTRUCTION IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1980-1990 ............. 0-32
29
EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS - MIDLAND COUNTY ................................ 0-33
30
MIDLAND COUNTY INDUSTRIAL AND RESEARCH PARKS ............................ 0-36
31
MIDLAND COUNTY PER CAPITA AND MEAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME PROJECTIONS ........ 0-42
32
SUMMARY OF CRITERIA FOR PROJECT SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2
33
STATUS OF COUNTY, MUNICIPAL AND TOWNSHIP MASTER PLANS: NOVEMBER 1992 ..... E-12
34
CLOSED DUMPS IN MIDLAND COUNTY .......................................... G-7
35
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT LONG-RANGE OBJECTIVES ............................ G-9
36
COUNTY OWNED AND/OR ADMINISTERED PARKS ................................. G-10
37
TOWNSHIP/VILLAGE/CITY OWNED AND/OR ADMINISTERED PARKS ..... .............. G-13
38
COUNTY RECREATIONAL ACREAGE NEEDS ...................................... G-14
39
COUNTY RESIDENTS' RECREATIONAL NEEDS .................................... G-15
40
NUMBER OF SCHOOL AGE RESIDENTS IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1980-1990 ............... G-29
41
STUDENT COUNTS IN MIDLAND COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ....................... G-30
42
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-36
43
FIRE DEPARTMENT STATUS .................................................. G-47
44
COMMUNITY FACILITIES, MIDLAND COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-50
45
EXISTING LAND USE {ACRES) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-3

�46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54

RESIDENTIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-5
COMMERCIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS (PER CAPITA)
BASED ON POPULATION GROWTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-8
COMMERCIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS - BASED ON RETAIL AND SERVICE SALES . . . . . . . J-8
INDUSTRIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS PER CAPITA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-11
PROJECTED HOUSING NEEDS BY JURISDICTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-24
ACREAGE OF PLANNED LAND USES .............................................. .
GROWTH MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K-2
SURVEY OF CITY, TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE ZONING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K-4
MPLEMENTATION PROGRAM .................................................. K-5

UST OF MAPS
MAP
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

TOPOGRAPHY AND FLOODPLAINS .............................................. C-2
DRAINAGE BASINS .......................................................... C-3
SOIL SUITABILITY ........................................................... C-5
IMPORTANT FARMLANDS .................................................... C-10
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION SITES ....................................... C-17
HISTORIC SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-24
INDUSTRIAL AND RESEARCH PARKS ..................................... . ..... 0-37
COMPOSITE FUTURE LAND USE .............................................. E-15
STREET AND HIGHWAY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-4
UTILITY SERVICE AREA ............................................. . .... . .... G-4
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL SITES ................................................ G-8
PARKS/RECREATION AREAS ................................................. G-11
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-35
COMMUNITY FACILITIES ............ . ........................................ G-51
EXISTING LAND USE ......................................................... J-2
NATURAL FEATURES ....................................................... J-15
COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-34
UST OF FIGURES

FIGURE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

WIND SPEED - MIDLAND COUNTY 1989 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-19
CHANGES IN POPULATION: 1980-1990 ........................................... 0-3
POPULATION PROJECTIONS: 1990-2015 ................................ . ......... D-6
HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE: 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-16
TYPES OF HOUSING: 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-20
MEDIAN VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS: 1990 .................. . .... D-23
VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED UNITS: 1990 ...................................... 0-23
MEDIAN RENT: 1990 ......................... . .............................. D-24
TENURE OF OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS: 1990 ................................... D-24
MIDLAND COUNTY PER CAPITA INCOME PROJECTIONS AND
MEAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME PROJECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-43
MUNICIPALITIES ........................................................... G-17
1990-1991 STUDENT COUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-28
1990-91 TEACHER COUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-28

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�Introduction

�INTRODUCTION

programs for
proposals.

This Comprehensive Plan update is a
culmination of several analyses and
assessments of the County's physical,
social, economic, and environmental
needs and problems. Data collection
and analysis were started in April 1991.
In order to properly address the County's
needs and problems, seven planning
elements, or special areas of
consideration, were identified to make up
the Comprehensive Plan.
These
planning elements include:
Transportation, Housing, Community
Facilities, Land Use, Economic
Development, Environmental Management, and Planning Coordination and
Implementation. The Comprehensive
Plan addresses the whole fabric of
community development in the County
rather than one particular aspect. The
purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is
broad in scope.

implementing

plan

4. To coordinate urban and rural
development in the County based on
significant natural features, countywide goals and policies, needs and
priorities, projections and planned
utilities, community facilities and
thoroughfares.
5.

To address and establish unified
growth management techniques
within the County that will ensure the
timely and efficient use of public
resources to accommodate new
development.

6. To promote resource conservation
and development through an
informed identification of the
County's natural resources and the
optimum use and protection of those
resources.

Plan Purpose

In addition to these, the Comprehensive
Plan also serves to facilitate the following:

The Comprehensive Plan for Midland
County is authorized by the County
Planning Act (Public Act 282 of 1945, as
amended). The broad purposes of the
Comprehensive Plan are:
1. To address the long-term physical,
social and economic developmental
needs of the County.

1. The Plan provides a planning context
within which local units of
government may operate. It is the
intent of this Plan to provide for the
coordination of development within
the various townships, cities and
village in the County.

2.

To address the long-term environmental and preservation issues
facing the County.

2.

3.

To address both short-term and
long-term solutions and action

A-1

The Plan provides an informational
base from which other plans may
draw. This allows any agency or unit
of government to use this information
to evaluate their own planning efforts.

�I
recommended policy issues include the
following:

3. To remove as much uncertainty as
possible from the development
process within Midland County and
thereby facilitate optimum locational
decisions on the part of all
community sectors (developers,
businesses, industries), as well as
the respective local governments.

Land Use Planning Policies

4. The Plan considers the cumulative
impact of local, regional and state
plans existing at the completion of
the Plan. This information should be
valuable to each agency or unit of
government in their individual
planning efforts by providing a
means by which land use, facility and
other needs might be evaluated.
5. The Plan acts as a framework for
discussion and resolution of specific
issues, such as economic
development, site selection and utility
planning. While the Plan will not, in
and of itself, provide specific
solutions, it will provide at least some
of the information required to reach a
decision.
6. The Plan offers continuity in terms of
direction of Midland County's future
growth through successive County
administrations.

1.

Identifying areas potentially
unsuitable for on-site wastewater
disposal.

2.

Implementing regulations prepared
for governing floodplain development.

3.

Identifying, protecting and preserving prime agricultural lands.

4.

Improving erosion control practices
throughout the County as a means
of curbing soil loss.

5.

Achieving a coordinated and
efficient set of regulatory and
administrative processes throughout
the County related to the splitting of
lots, access to land parcels, and
control of subdivision design and
development.

6.

Ensuring an environmentally safe,
small watershed and drainage basin
system within the County.

7.

Encouraging the formulation and
adoption of minimum uniform
standards and regulations throughout the County, governing land use
and community development.

Recommendations

This Comprehensive Plan recommends
several different types of special, or
functional, plans, studies, and policies
that should be prepared and implemented to complement the overall thrust
of comprehensive planning in the County.
These plans and policies correspond to
the numbered policy issues in Section I,
Goals, Policies and Strategies.
The

8.

A-2

Encouraging local communities to
consider as part of their planning
process, the scenic and recreational
value of the County's major water
features.

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�17. Preserving and protecting personal
safety, while maximizing access to
property, and providing for the
needs of through traffic.

Community Facilities Planning Policies

9.

Developing a management system
capable of coordinating both
County and local service delivery, to
achieve optimum efficiency in
providing quality services.

18. Preparing an area-wide comprehensive transportation plan and
capital improvements program.

1o. Implementing an efficient, costeffective, waste management system
capable of meeting the diverse
needs of Midland County.

19. Preparing a comprehensive plan
and capital improvements program
directed at bicycle and pedestrian
trafficways.

11. Providing a coordinated program of
water distribution and sanitary
sewerage planning.

Economic Development Planning
Policies

12. Encouraging cooperative/coordinated efforts between various
school systems in Midland County.

20. Promoting commercial and industrial
development in areas meeting
necessary site criteria.

13. Providing for a mechanism for a
coordinated, efficient program for
spending public resources.

21. Encouraging the stabilization of the
County's farm economy.
22. Determining the future labor force
needs of Midland County residents.

14. Ensuring an equitable provision of
social services within the County.

Environmental Management Planning
Policies

Housing Planning Policies

15. Encouraging a county-wide housing
mix which provides housing
opportunities to accommodate all
economic levels of income and
lifestyles, and creating a nonprofit
corporation to administer a housing
trust fund.

23. Regulating development in nonsewered locations in order to
protect groundwater resources.

Transportation Planning Policies

24. Providing an adequate and accurate
system capable of measuring and
interpreting local ambient atmospheric emissions/conditions resulting from industrial processes.

16. Developing improved north-south
vehicular routes within and through
Midland County.

25. Protecting local groundwater
supplies/aquifers from contamination.

A-3

�26. Establishing a comprehensive
county-wide plan to define and
address existing and potential air,
surface water, groundwater, soil,
noise and visual pollution.

functional plans, in addition to the Street
and Highway Functional Classification
System (Map No. 9) and Comprehensive
Land Use Plan (Map No. 17), include the,
following:

Planning Coordination Policies

1. Water Distribution
Sewerage Plan

27. Encouraging local units of
government to develop and/or
update comprehensive plans in
coordination with the County
Comprehensive Plan.
28. Promoting coordination and consistency among local governmental
units through leadership of the
County Planning Commission.

and

Sanitary

2. County Financial Management Plan
3. Social Services Delivery .System Plan
4. County Housing Plan
5. Area-wide Comprehensive
portation Plan

Trans-

29. Encouraging local communities to
prepare and maintain those
documents necessary to properly
guide growth and development.

6. Bicycle and Pedestrian Trafficways
Plan

30. Establishing a geographic information system at the County level.

Studies

7. Environmental Management Plan

31. Providing financial and professional
staff support to strengthen County
planning efforts.

In addition, special studies are
recommended to be undertaken, taking
into consideration the population growth
patterns in the County. These special
studies include the following:

32. Providing the establishment of a
mechanism for requiring intergovernmental coordination of
planning within the County.

1. Adequacy of fire fighting facilities in
the expected growth areas.
2. Expansion and funding of police
protection in the growth areas.

33. Identifying or providing for an
organizational structure(s) within the
County that will be able to
implement, or at least promote, the
proposals identified in the County
Comprehensive Plan.

3. Siting of a senior citizens center in
the south-central area of the County.
4. Siting of an ambulance station on
M-20 in the southwest section of the
County.

Plans
Implementation of these policies should
result in the formulation of other
recommended county-wide plans. These
A-4

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�Historical Setting

�HISTORICAL SETTING

site of Sanford. By that time settlers had
begun arriving, at the urging of Dr. Daniel
Fitzhugh, a New York investor who had
bought 700 acres at the current site of
.the City of Midland.

Prior to 1837, when permanent settlers
first began to live in Midland County, the
area was a center for Indian travel.
From the mid-1 SOOs to the early 1800s
the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi
Indians hunted and fished in the County.
In 1819 the Federal government
established the Chippewa Indian
Reservation at Little Forks, now
commonly referred to as the Tridge area.

From 1850, when Midland County was
first organized, the logging industry
dominated the area. But the massive
clearing of stands of trees soon
exhausted the lumber operations and by
1890 the City of Midland was threatened
by extinction. However, in that year,
Herbert Henry Dow, an engineer from
Ohio, began capturing bromine from
local salt wells, which were first sunk in
1878 by lumbermen.

The Tittabawassee and Chippewa rivers,
which join in what is now the City of
Midland, were major "highways" through
the dense woods which dominated the
area.
In fact, a large number of
archaeological sites have been identified
along these rivers.
The Oxbow
Archaeological District is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places and
the Little Forks Archaeological District
has been determined to be eligible for
listing. These districts are southwest of
Midland. The State Archaeologist of the
Michigan History Division of the Michigan
Department of State has indicated that
"Archaeologists have not yet surveyed
most of these rivers, but wherever they
have looked, they have found prehistoric
sites." (Letter from John R. Halsey,
March 24, 1983).

From that beginning the Dow Chemical
Company, based still in the City of
Midland, has expanded and now
dominates the economy of the County.
Accordingly the development of modern
Midland County is concentrated in the
areas adjacent to Midland.
Part of Midland County's heritage is
highlighted in the Historic Sites Table 4,
in the Physical Profile section. This table
indicates those sites/buildings of
significance to the history of Midland
County.
Additional information was
collected in a systematic reconnaissance
level survey of historic buildings and
presented in the East Central Historic
and Architectural Resources Survey,
Phase Ill, Final Report (1979).

In 1837 the first State Geologist, Douglas
Houghton, at the direction of the State
Legislature, began searching for salt,
which was then being imported from New
York. The first discovery was made at
the mouth of Salt Creek, near the current
B-1

�-I

Information on historic sites is far from
complete. Local officials and project
developers are advised to discuss their
plans and projects with historians if they
suspect any negative influences on
historic sites or buildings. The historical
organizations that should be contacted
are: Bureau of History of the Michigan
Department of State; Midland County
Historical Society; and Midland Historic
District Commission.

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�Physical Profile

�II
II
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PHYSICAL PROFILE

The physical make-up of Midland County
helped shape its history and will continue
to influence its direction in the future.
The rivers, forests and farmlands are
important assets to the economic vitality
and quality of life in Midland County.
This section examines the importance of
those physical features and the impacts
of sensitive environmental surroundings.
Community awareness and understanding of these conditions will help
maintain the quality of life for future
generations.

Topography

Geophysical Features

Floodplains

As noted above, the County has a flat
profile with topographic changes of about
100 feet from one side of the County to
the other.
The topographic profile
indicates a shallow valley generally
following the Tittabawassee River. The
land generally rises from that basin out to
the edges of the County.
The
Topography and Floodplains map
illustrates the lack of relief in the County
(Map 1).

Geology

The geologic history of Midland County,
as in the rest of Michigan, is dominated
by the influence of glacial action, and of
ancient seas.
Rock formations of
gypsum, dolomite (a limestone or marble
rich in magnesium carbonate),
sandstone, limestone and shale to a
depth of 450 feet are covered with a
variety of glacial deposits, called drift.

The only identified floodplain, as
acknowledged by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, is in the City of
Midland.
Studied in detail was the
Tittabawassee River, Chippewa River,
Sturgeon Creek, Inman Drain and Snake
Creek. The area involved lies around the
confluence of the Tittabawassee and
Chippewa rivers on the southwest side of
Midland. This floodplain area, as well as
flood-prone areas are noted on the
Topography and Floodplains map.

When the last continental glacier
receded, Lake Saginaw, a shallow pondlike lake covered the entire County. It is
the combination of glacial drift deposited
in low areas and wave action from the
lake which accounts for the sand ridges
(former beaches) and the lack of
topographic relief in the County.
Drainage from this area to Lake Huron
and Saginaw Bay accounts for the rivers
and their tributaries.

According to gauges placed on each of
these rivers, the highest recorded water
flows were in 1916, 1948 and 1986.
While the water flows in 1916 and 1948
equate to just under the predicted 50year flood level for the Tittabawassee
River, water flow in 1986 exceeded the
1OD-year flood level.
The 1DO-year floodplain is the measure
used to gauge flood risk. The definition
of the 100-year flood is that flood level
which has a one percent chance of being
reached in any given year. Flood-prone
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Wetlands

areas are those subject to the same
flooding potential but are not defined
precisely as to flood levels .

Regulation of wetland areas is through
the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources.
Wetland resources are
important in recharging groundwater and
filtering surface waters by trapping
impurities. They also serve as wildlife
habitats. Determination of wetlands is
accomplished through the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
(MDNR) on a site-by-site basis. The
Existing Land Use map, which is on file
at the Midland County Department of
Planning, indicates the areas designated
by the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources as being a type of wetland.
These areas comprise approximately 3.6
percent of the total County land area.
The Kawkawlin Wildlife Flooding and
Refuge Area in Mills Township is one of
the County's largest wetlands.

Water Features

The most significant water features in the
County are the Tittabawassee, Chippewa,
Pine and Salt rivers and Sanford and
Wixom lakes. The principal value of
these water features . is for scenic and
recreational use, with some agricultural
and industrial applications. There are
seven dams in the County:
Dow
Chemical Company's dam on the
Tittabawassee River, Wolverine Power
Corporation's dams at Sanford and
Wixom lakes, the Kawkawlin Flooding
and Robert Dulude dams in Mills
Township and the Gregor and Marcus
dams in Jerome Township.
The
Tittabawassee River -is a noted sports
fisheries resource possessing a sizeable
walleye population.

Soils

In the history of the County the rivers
were especially important transportation
routes, creating a number of significant
historic areas. Indians and early settlers
relied heavily on these routes, as did
logging activities in l~ter years.

The latest available soils information is
from the report entitled Soil Survey of
Midland County, completed in 1979 by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil
Conservation Service. Included in this
report is a generalized description of
various soil types and restrictions. To
make this information useful, various soil
types and slope conditions have been
consolidated into a developmental
context.

The report entitled Midland County River
Corridor Study identifies the historic,
natural and recreational attributes of the
river corridors. Other plans and activities
are under development to take
advantage of the scenic and recreational
value of the rivers.

Three development classifications have
been used and are mapped under the
title "Soil Suitability." This term has been
used to emphasize the importance of soil
content and structure in determining the
ability of the soil to absorb development
without wholesale replacement. A generalized indication of such areas is
shown on Map 3, the Soil Suitability map.

Sanford and Wixom lakes have significant
recreational use as well as substantial
residential
development on their
peripheries.

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CLASS C - SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT LIMITATIONS

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to various forms of erosion (Table 1).
The majority of this loss (265,500 tons) is
related to cropland.
The Soil
Conservation Service has identified a
significant soil erosion problem in Porter
Township in the south half of Sections
31, 32 and 33, all of 34 and 35 and all
but the northeast quarter of Section 36.

Class A - Slight Development Limitations:
Few areas of the County are totally free
of any development limitations. This is
due primarily to the high water table and
poor drainage characteristics found in
much of the County. Class A defines
those areas where soil types and
conditions present only slight limitations
on building and site development.

Wind erosion is the most significant
source of erosion causing an estimated
soil loss of from 6. 7 to 15.5 tons per acre
per year in this area of Porter Township
alone. This is caused by the lack of
protection measures in existence and the
sandy soil conditions prevalent in this
location.

Class B - Restrictive Development
Limitations: The Class B areas define
soil types and conditions that present
development limitations that require
treatment. This may include areas of
topographic relief, poor drainage, high
water tables or other factors that may
require corrective measures.

The Soil Conservation Service has
identified some soil conservation
practices that could reduce soil loss.
These practices include: conservation
cropping system, conservation tillage
system, cover and green manure crop,
crop residue use, field borders and
planting of field windbreaks.

Class C - Significant Development
Limitations: These ,.areas include muck
soils, severe slopes or other conditions
that may require s·ubstantial treatment,
such as deep soil base replacement or
extensive earthwork. The environmental
impact of development in these areas
may also be substantial.

Although other areas of soil erosion exist
in the County, the Soil Conservation
Service is concentrating effort in Porter
Township. As other areas are identified,
further contact and work in selected
areas will be accomplished.
As a
preventative measure, the Midland
County Road Commission administers
the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation
Control Act on behalf of the County.

Nonevaluated Urban Areas: The cities of
Midland and Coleman and the Village of
Sanford contain substantial areas of
urban type soils. 'These are soils that
have, over time, been disturbed or
replaced to the extent that detailed
evaluation and mapping is not possible.
Soil Erosion
A significant problem in any community
where agriculture forms a significant
element of the economy is soil erosion.
Every ten years the Soil Conservation
Service publishes a report that details soil
loss in Midland County. According to
this report, Midland County experiences
a soil loss of 271,800 tons annually due
C-6

�TABLE 1
ANNUAL EROSION - 1982
MIDLAND COUNTY

Wind
Sheet/Rill

Cropland

TOTAL
Pastureland

Wind
Sheet/Rill
TOTAL

Forestland

Wind
Sheet/Rill
TOTAL
Wind
Sheet/Rill

Other

TOTAL
SOURCE:

196,900
68,600

2,400
800

265,500

3,200

0
200

0
0

200

0

0
700

0
0

700

0

3,100
2,800

200
200

5,900

400

Soil Conservation Service;
1982 Resource Inventory
Midland County

Farmlands

Farmland at 72,01 O acres, Unique
Farmland at 61 acres, and Additional
Farmland of Local Importance at 24,926
acres. Prime and Unique Farmlands are
described as follows:

Farming in Midland County is a
significant part of the economy of the
area. The 1987 Census of Agriculture
indicates that there were 459 farms in
operation at that time. The average farm
size was 206 acres with a total of 94,465
acres in production; this equates to 28.1
percent of the total County land area.
Current Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
estimates indicate a total of 96,997
farmland acres.
These have been
divided into three classifications: Prime

Prime Farmlands

Prime farmland is land that has the best
combination of physical and chemical
characteristics for producing food, feed,
forage, fiber and oil seed crops, and is
also available for these uses. The land
could
be cropland,
pastureland,
C-7

�1982 but decreased 7.8% to $33,394 in
1987. During that five-year period the
average per-farm market value of
agricultural products in the State
increased by 12.7 percent - from $44, 123
in 1982 to $49,736 in 1987.

rangeland, forestland, other land, but not
urban built-up land or water. It has the
soil quality, growing season, and
moisture supply needed to economically
produce sustained high yields of crops
when treated and managed, including
water management, according to
acceptable farming methods. In general,
prime farmlands have an adequate and
dependable water supply from
precipitation or irri_
gation, a favorable
temperature and growing season,
acceptable acidity or alkalinity,
acceptable salt and sodium content, and
few or no rocks. They are permeable to
water and air. Prime farmlands are not
excessively erodible or saturated with
water for a long period of time, and they
either do not flood frequently or are
protected from flooding.

Table 2 conveys the changes that have
occurred between 1982 and 1987 in both
Midland County and Michigan as a
whole. The number of farms in Midland
County decreased at a slower rate than
in the State. Land devoted to agriculture
in Midland County increased by 1.2
percent but decreased by 5.7 percent
state-wide. The average farm size in
Midland County increased slightly more
than the farms in Michigan as a whole.
The most extreme difference is in the
average per-farm market value of
agricultural products sold as noted
above.

Unique Farmlands .

Unique farmland is land other than prime
farmland that is used for the production
of specific high value food and fiber
crops. It has the special combination of
soil quality, location, growing season,
and moisture supply needed to
economically produce sustained high
quality and high yields of a specific crop
when treated and managed according to
acceptable farming methods. Examples
of such crops are specialized fruits and
vegetables.
The last two Agricultural Census',
completed in 1982 and 1987, indicated a
trend of larger farms in the County, which
is the same trend that is occurring
nationally.
At the same time these
farming operations in the County are
becoming less productive. The average
per-farm market value of Midland County
agricultural products sold was $36,233 in
C-8

�TABLE 2
COMPARISON OF FARMS IN MICHIGAN AND MIDLAND COUNTY

Number of
Farms

58,661

51, 172

-12.8

502

459

-8.6

Land
Devoted to
Agriculture
(Acres)

10,942,172

10,316,861

-5. 7

93,299

94,465

1.2

187

202

8.0

186

206

10.8

44, 123

49,736

12. 7

36,223

33,394

-7.8

Average
Farm Size
(Acres
Average
Per-Farm
Value of
Products
Sold ($)

SOURCE: 1987 Census of Agriculture
The Census divided the type of activity
conducted on farms into two categories:
crops and livestock, poultry and related
products. Farms with crop production
numbered 318; livestock farms numbered
236.

suitable, in terms of soil qualities,
drainage, topography and related factors
for agriculture use.

Farmland Preservation
The State of Michigan has instituted
programs for the preservation of existing
agricultural land.
One of the most
significant programs available is Public
Act 116 of 1974, the Farmland and Open
Space Preservation Act. This program
allows communities to designate parcels
of land as either agricultural or open
space and commits the property owners
to a ten-year period when no
development can take place. In turn the
property owner receives a tax credit

Of the 459 farms in production in 1987,
282 were owner-operated, 150 were part
owners and 27 were farming tenants.
Farming was the principal occupation of
177 operators, or 38.6 percent of all
operators. The remainder had some
other occupation upon which they
depended for their livelihood.
The Important Farmlands map (Map 4)
indicates those areas which are most
C-9

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�statistics, about one-half of Michigan's
residents, or about 4.5 million people,
depend on groundwater as their sole
source of drinking water. In Midland
County nearly all of the area outside the
City of Midland and Water District No. 1
depend on groundwater for domestic
and business use. Protection of that
groundwater, therefore, is a significant
county-wide concern.
The City of
Midland and Midland County Water
District No. 1 are supplied with water
from Saginaw Bay (White Stone Point)
with treatment of the water at the Midland
City water treatment plant.

based on income and is exempt from
special assessments such as public
water or sewer line construction
assessments.
Midland County makes extensive use of
Act 116 as a preservation tool.
Significant areas of land, amounting to
approximately 44 percent of total
farmlands have been designated under
this program for preservation.
The
majority of the P.A. 116 lands are found
in the southern one-third of the County.
Forest Resources

Midland County has 159,988 acres of
forested lands. This represents 47.1
percent of the County's total land area.
Major tree species include:

A number of potential activities could
contribute to groundwater problems in
the County.
1. Brine - There are significant
underground brine or salt deposits in
the County which are adjacent to
groundwater sources.

Northern Hardwood
18,484 Acres
Aspen and Birch
17,033 Acres
Lowland Hardwoods
36, 165 Acres
Aspen Predominates
85,314 Acres
Pine
2,903 Acres
Lowland Conifers
12 Acres
Managed Christmas Trees
77 Acres

2. Brine Wells - As of 1986 all Dow
Chemical Company brine well activity
ceased operations. By the end of
1988 all of the 119 wells were sealed.
The wells were sealed by pulling the
pipe and completely filling the well
with concrete. The sealed well sites
are constantly being cleaned up brine that could have spilled during
operation of the wells is captured in
drain tiles and treated in the water
treatment facilities at Dow.

Commercial forestry is limited in the
County, with slightly less than 500 acres
enrolled in the State Commercial Forest
Preservation Program.
To protect
forested lands, however, the County is
currently administering a gypsy moth
suppression program. This program will
be continued with funding coming from a
special millage (0.3 mills).

3. Oil Wells - Although actual drilling
operations are generally well
protected from accidental groundwater contamination, the pumping
and transporting of oil may create the
opportunity for spillage and seepage
into groundwater supplies.

Environmental Quality
Water Quality

Groundwater: According to Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
C-11

�8. Storage Tanks
Leaking
underground storage tanks can pose
a potential threat to the area's
groundwater if the leaks are not
detected or any contaminated area is
not rectified. While most owners or
operators of Underground Storage
Tanks (USTs) want to rectify any
problems created by leaking tanks,
financing such a project is often
substantial.
The Michigan
Underground Storage Tank Financial
Assistance Act (MUSTFAA) (Act 518,
P.A. of 1988) can assist owners of
leaking tanks. The program was
implemented for the following
reasons:

4. Landfills - Testing of wells is
necessary to ensure that protection
measures constructed at the landfill
site are intact.
5. Land Use - Some land uses, such as
junkyards, gas stations and closed
dumps may be potential
contamination sites. Midland County
also has a number of major chemical
and petroleum facilities that, while
adequately protected, are potential
problem areas.
6. Septic Systems - The general lack of
sewer service outside the cities of
Midland and Coleman require
reliance upon alternate sewage
disposal service, principally septic
tanks and fields.

a. To assist owners/ operators in
meeting their financial
responsibility requirements.

One other significant aspect of this
problem is the Midland Urban Growth
Area (MUGA) policy.
It is
implemented through the requirement
that sewer service only be extended
to those areas which are annexed to
the City of Midland. However, it is
apparent that significant pressure for
new growth and development will be
forthcoming in the townships
adjacent to the City of Midland. At
the same time some degree of
resistance to annexation is evident.
Therefore, without proper vigilance or
control by the townships new
commercial, residential and industrial
growth could potentially take place
without adequate long-term sewage
disposal.

b. To create funds to address
problems with releases from
underground storage tanks
(USTs), such as gasoline or
diesel fuel tanks.
c. To promote compliance with
certain regulations.
MUSTFAA funds are available for
cleanup of soils or groundwater
associated with leaking underground
storage tanks.
Funds are also
available as loans to assist
owners/operators in upgrading their
systems.
Basically MUSTFAA will pay cleanup
costs in excess of $10,000 if the
owner/ operator meets certain basic
requirements such as the following:

7. Agricultural Uses - Improper use of
fertilizers and herbicides/pesticides
could create groundwater problems
affecting large areas.

1. Registers the tank.

C-12

•
•
•
•■
■
■

•■
I
■

•■
■

•
•
•I

�2. Notifies the Fire Marshall 30 days
prior to removal of the UST.

11 percent of the test sites were
improperly disposing of wastes.

3. Notifies the Fire Marshall within
24 hours of a confirmed release
(call 1-800-MICH UST).

Corrective measures were not
undertaken directly but it was found that
many residents were unaware of the
problems they had created. In a number
of instances problems had been caused
by sewage systems constructed prior to
the advent of modern public health
regulations. Therefore these are nonconforming systems that should be
eliminated over time.

4. Provides an abatement report
within 20 days, and the
necessary site reports within 45
days.
5. Proceeds with an approved
MUSTFAA contractor.

Potential activities which contribute to
surface water pollution include:

The Michigan Department of Natural
Resources has available informational
and educational publications relating to
groundwater. They have also identified
activities and programs which may be
conducted by local governments in a
brochure entitled Local Roles in
Groundwater Protection Management.

1. Septic Systems - Homes adjacent to
water bodies may inadvertently
dispose of waste directly into the
water.
2. Agricultural Uses - This is perhaps
the greatest single source of water
pollution. Increased use of fertilizers,
herbicides and pesticides combined
with a lack of water run-off control
can contribute significant amounts of
pollutants to drains, creeks or rivers.

No significant contamination problems
have been locally identified. The Midland
County Health Department has groundwater sampling information available but
not in a format which is easily recoverable or significant on a large area basis.

•
•
•
•

3. Land Uses - Various commercial and
industrial uses in scattered locations
may dispose of wastes in drains or
creeks which act as tributaries to the
rivers. Industrial wastes particularly
need to be treated prior to disposal.

Surface Water: Significant surface waters
include the Pine, Chippewa, Salt and
Tittabawassee rivers and Sanford and
Wixom lakes. According to the Midland
County Health Department, information
on water quality is limited, with the
exception of a study conducted on
Sanford Lake from 1975 to 1978.

Environmental Contamination Sites
No significant County pollution problems
have been locally identified. However,
the Michigan Environmental Response
Act, Act 307 of 1982, requires the
identification, risk assessment and priority
evaluation of environmental contamina-

The Sanford Lake Study principally dealt
with dye-testing of individual on-site
residential sewage disposal systems.
The results of this study found that about

C-13

�Resources Department, while three are
owned by Dow Chemical Company. The
stations are portable and may be
relocated based on need. They are used
to measure traditional versus exotic
pollutants.

tion sites in the State. The Environmental
Contamination Sites map gives the
general location of these sites in Midland
County (Map 5).
The Environmental Contamination Sites
map indicates all of the sites identified in
Midland County. The legend (fable 3)
for Map 5 gives the name of the site and
the related data.

Traditional pollutants include sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate
matter, carbon monoxide, ozone and
lead. Exotic air pollutants refer to other
forms/types of emIssIons lacking
proscribed emission standards. Often
the human impacts are not known.
Within Midland County exotic pollutants
are generally associated with new or
experimental chemical processes. The
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources has indicated that an average
of three air quality permits are issued
weekly in Midland County for emissions
of the exotic type.

With regard to many of the brine spills,
Dow Chemical Company is studying the
spill sites and decontaminating them
where necessary based on a consent
agreement with the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources. The sites are
being cleaned by catching runoff and
directing it to Dow's water treatment
facilities.
Dow Chemical Company's
brine spill site investigation was
completed in 1989; however, the time
allowed for decontamination goes
beyond 1989 in order to restore the sites
to their previous use category.

The following is from the Department of
Natural Resources 1990 Air Quality
report:

Several other environmental contamination sites include chemical production
manufacturing, landfills, oil drilling, a
scrap metal yard, gas station, laundry,
dry cleaner and gasoline transport spills.

Sampling for suspended particulates in
Midland County consists of one HI-VOL
operated by the Air Quality Division, three
by the Dow Chemical Company and two
PM10 monitors operated by Dow
Corning. The particulate filters from the
AQD site are also analyzed to determine
the presence of various trace metals.

Air Quality

Air quality within Midland County falls
under the responsibility of the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, Air
Quality Division. Principle tasks handled
by the Department include the issuance
of air quality permits governing
commercial and industrial processes and
air quality monitoring.
There are
presently four mobile monitoring stations
in the County.
One is under the
ownership and control of the Natural

Both the AQD and Dow Chemical
Company total suspended particulate
sites recorded values below 150 ug/m3
during 1990. In the previous year, two of
the industrial TSP sites recorded a value
above 150 ug/m 3 • (A portion of the 1989
industrial TSP data was challenged due
to questions regarding quality assurance.
Even so, the recorded elevated values
C-14

�TABLE 3
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION SITES LEGEND
..•

,,.

·-:••

Source of
Contamination

. Common Site Name* /
Status**

1. Tittabawassee River

Point of Release

Dichlorobenzene
PBCs DDT
Chlordane
Halogenated
Biphen

Surface Water
Fauna

Oil Drilling

Pipeline Pit

Brine
Crude Oil

Surface Water
Groundwater
Flora

Unknown

Unknown

Benzene
Toluene Xylene
Bhylbenzene

Groundwater
Soil
Residential Well

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Groundwater/Soil

Unknown

Unknown

Toluene

Groundwater

Auto Repair

Surface Drainage

Tolunene
Methylene
Chloride

Groundwater
Soil

Chem Product Mfg.

Unknown

Dioxins

Soil

Isabella Road
EIR
EIR

4. Mooney Oil Co .
5. Res Well Nine Mile Rd .

,;;, Resources ··0· ·
Affected

Unknown

No Actions Taken

3. Res Contam W.

.Pollutant

Chem Product Mfg.
No Actions Taken

2. Porter Field

:•:•:-

-:--.·

IR (S) EP

6. Mostly Mopars

EP

7 . Dow Chemical Mid. Plant
E (P)

8. Shepherd Rd .

EP

Unknown

Unknown

Ethyl benzene
Xylene

Groundwater

9. Res Contam Curtis Rd.

EP

Private Residence

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Soil

Brine use ,
disposal

Unknown

Brine

Groundwater
Residential Well

Scrap metal yd .

Pile / Barrel

PNAs / Oil

Soil

12. Dalton Pesticide Spill-Mid .
IR (P) E (P)

Chem. Transport

Surface Spill

2, 4-D

Groundwater /Soil

13. O'Conner's Marathon

Gas Station

Underground Tank

MEK
Gasoline

Groundwater /Soil

14. Hubbard Mobile Home Service
EP RA

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Groundwater/So il

15. Tridge Area

Landfill

Landfill

Domestic Comm

Surface Water /Soil

16. Dow Chem Brine Pipeline
Spills
E (P) FR (P) IR (P)

Brine use,
disposal

Pipeline

Brine

Groundwater
Surface Water
Soil Flora

17. Forward Car Wash

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Groundwater /Soil

Plastic Rubber

Aboveground Tank

Toluene

Groundwater /Soil

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Soil

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Benzene

Groundwater /Soils

10. Res Well Bradford· Rd.

E (P)

11 . Gordonville Rd.

EP

Gasoline

IR (P) E (P)

18. Dow Corning

EP

EP
IR (P)

19. Anderson Service Station
IR (P)
20. Jefferson St. Tanks
IR (P) EP

Toluene

Xylene

C-15

�TABLE 3 - ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION SITES LEGEND· CONTINUED

·•:••

Common ·Site Name* / ·

::::

Status••
21 . Central Michigan Petroleum

···••,·

·.;,

·.. Source of
· :Contamination

·,:,:,:-:-:::.:

}· \

Resources
Affected

Point of Releases .

Pollutant

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Benzene
Toluene
lsopentane

Groundwater

EP

22. D and G Laundromat

EP

Laundry dry
cleaning

Lagoon

PCE
Dichloroethane
Bromodichlorometha

Surface Water
Groundwater

23. Warren Township Dump

EP

Dump

Dump

Domestic Comm
Light Industrial

Surface Water
Groundwater

24. Rebel Station Midland

EP

Gas Station

Aboveground Tank
Underground Tank

Gasoline
Kerosene

Soil

Chemical
Transport

Underground Tank

Xylene BTEX
Dichlorobenzene
Trichlorobenzene

Soil

Car Wash

Underground Tank

BTEX

Groundwater /Soil

Gas Station

Underground Tank

BTEX

Groundwater /Soil

Gas Station

Underground Tank

BTEX
Lead

Groundwater/Soil

Plastic Rubber

Surface drainage

Benzene

Groundwater/Soil

Iron Steel Fdry.

Pile

Heavy Mfg.

Soil

Painting

Barrel
Underground Tank

MEK Xylene
Ethyl benzene
Toluene
Dichlorobenzene

Soil

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Gas Station

Underground Tank

Gasoline
Fuel Oil

Soil

25. Transport Services
IR (P) E (P)

26. Firehouse Auto Wash
IR (P) E (P)
IR (P)

27. BandeensfWilson Oil

28. Amoco Sta. Jerome St.
IR (P) E (P)

29. Dow Corning Benzene
IR (P) E (P)
IR (P)

30. Midland Iron Works
31. Midland Painting

IR (P) E (P) RA

32. Speedway Midland

E (P) IR (P)

33. Mccreadie Sales/Service
IR (P)

34. Dow Corning LUST

IR (P) E (P)

Plastic Rubber

Underground Tank

BTEX / Methanol

Soil

35. Henry Oil Company

IR (P) E (P)

Fuel Oil Dealers

Underground Tank

Gasoline

Soil

Oil drilling

Lagoon
Geologic

Chlorides

Surface Water
Groundwater

Coin-op Laundry

Underground Tank

Fuel Oil

Soil

Landfill

Landfill

Pentachlorophenol
Benzene

Groundwater

Coin-op Laundry

Underground Tank

Tetrachloroethylene / PCE

Groundwater/Soil

36. Oil Field Area Andreason
Res

EP

37. Midland Co. Bldg. LUST

IR (P)

38. Poseyville LF

E IR

39. Midland County Bldg. PCE
IR (P) EP

*The common site name is for identification only and is not necessarily a party responsible for contamination
**IR = Interim Response (alternate water, surface removal , site security and other partial remedies);
E = Evaluation (Studies); FR = Final Response (final cleanups); RA = Regulatory Action (agency actions to initiate site work,
e.g. negotiations, peliminary investigations); EP = Evaluation Pending (sites currently with insufficient priority for publicly-funded
response); (P) = Privately-funded actions; (S) = State-funded actions; (F) = Federally-funded actions
SOURCE:

Michigan Sites of Environmental Contamination, March 1991

C-16

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•
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ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTAMINATION SITES
MIDLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN

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1.

LOCATIONS ARE GENERALIZED.
SEE ACT 307 LIST FOR ACTUAL
LOCATIONS.

2.

SEE TABLE 3 FOR CONTAMINATION
TYPES AND AFFECTED RESOURCES.

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SOURCE :

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MICHIGAN SITES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTAMINATION PRIORITY LISTS
( APRIL, 1992 &gt; ACT 307 OF 1962

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6250 12500

25000

37500

Gove Associates Inc.
1601 Portage Slre l:
K.alamuoo, Michi&amp;&amp;b ◄ 9001
r.. 17

�•
did exceed 150 ug/m 3 .) During 1988,
the landfill location on Waldo Road
logged two values above 260 ug/m3
which is the old primary health related
standard and 5 values above 150 ug/m 3 •
All sites met both primary and secondary
particulate standards during 1987 and
1986. In 1985, as in 1984, one site
recorded two excursions of the
secondary 24-hour standard. However,
in each case one of the excursions was
due to meteorological conditions.

frequently generated by Midland's
chemical industry.
_ There is little interaction between
health related agencies and the public except at times of major emergencies. Little concern is expressed
by the public over air quality.
The Air Quality Division hopes to
eventually monitor exotic pollutants, as
well as alleviate (or monitor) the other
concerns addressed. To do so requires
additional State funding which is
somewhat tenuous at this time. This lack
of funding also accounts for the
reduction of the number of air sampling
facilities that has taken place over the
past several years.

Two PM 10 monitors began operation
near the Dow Corning landfill during June
of 1989. In 1990 both sites indicated
compliance with applicable federal
standards, as in the previous year.
Two industrial nitrogen dioxide monitors
began operation in July of 1988. Data
generated thus far indicate compliance
with the standards.

Historic Sites

Midland County is an area rich in history,
both recent and prehistoric. Table 4 lists
the sites that are listed in the National
Register of Historic Places and/or
Michigan's Register of Historic Places.
Of the 20 sites listed in Table 4, 16 are
listed in the National Register. The Dow
House and Alden B. Dow Home and
Studio are listed as National Historic
Landmark properties. Of the 16 sites on
the National Historic Register, 12 are
related. These 12 historic sites were
nominated in 1989 as "Residential
Architecture of Alden 8. Dow in Midland,
1933-1938 Thematic Nomination."
Another site listed on the National
Register is the Midland County
Courthouse, built in 1925.
It is an
example of rustic tudor design. The
Oxbow Archeological District in the
Chippewa Nature Center and the
victorian style Bradley House built in

The Wind Rose (Figure 1) is also taken
from the 1991 Air Quality Report and
shows the direction and velocity of wind
in Midland County.
Discussions. with Natural Resource
Department staff revealed several areas
of concern pursuant to air quality. These
include:
-

Monitoring of exotic pollutants is
either nonexistent or minimal at best.

-

Industrial processes existing prior to
1967 are not governed by air quality
permits. Unfortunately, it appears
Midland County h~s many of these.
There is often a lack of knowledge
concerning the potential health
impacts of new processes that are
C-18

�-1

I

FIGURE 1
WIND SPEED - MIDLAND 1991 (26-111-0007)

N

NNE

NNW
NW

ENE

WNW

w

E

I
I
I
I
I
J
I

I
WSW

15%
SW

SE
SSE

SSW

s
1-3

'----...11

(}:::::::::::;::/:},&lt;:f

1(?6~:t•.k~It!:jl

4-7

8-12

13-18

WINO SPEED - MPH

C-19

-

&gt;19

ESE

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t
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l

�TABLE 4
HISTORIC SITES IN MIDLAND COUNTY - NATIONAL OR STATE REGISTRY
:::.

..·.

Date ····•

Listed

Registry

1038 W. Main St.
Midland, Ml

05-11-76

National Register
National Historic Landmark Property

1227 W. Sugnet
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

1411 W. St. Andrews
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

1505 W. St. Andrews

12-04-89

National Register

209 Revere St.
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

1605 W. St. Andrews
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

2407 Manor
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

2705 Manor
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

2913 Manor
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

301 W. Main
Midland, Michigan

03-13-86
05-21-85

National Register
State Register
Historic Marker Site

Joseph A. Cavanagh House*

415W. Main
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

Oscar Diehl House•

919 E. Park
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register

06-19-73
09-29-72

National Register
State Register

.Address·, . . .
Herbert H. Dow House

Dr. Charles L MacCullum
House*
Howard Ball House•
Sheldon B. Heath House•

Earl Stein House•
Alden Hanson House•
John S. \Nhltman House•

Dow House

-

-

Donald Conner House•

-

F.W. Lewis House•

-

Midland County Courthouse

-

Oxbow Archeological District

Chippewa Nature
Center Site

-

••·•

Bradley House

Corner of Cook Rd &amp;
Main St., Midland, Ml

07-31-72
04-23-71

National Register
State Register

George Greene House•

1115 W. Sugnet
Midland, Mi

12-04-89

National Register

Alden B. Dow House•

315 Post St.
Midland, Ml

12-04-89

National Register
National Historic Landmark Property

John Kelly House

505 W. Main
Midland, Ml

07-24-84

State Register

Chemical Industry

700 Block of W. Main
Midland, Ml

09-17-57

State Register

James T. &amp; Elsa Pardee House

812 W. Main
Midland, Ml

03-19-87

State Register

Currie Parkway over the

08-18-88

State Register

09-19-91

State Register

Upper Bridge
Homer Township Cemetery

Currie Parkway
Bridge

Tittabawassee River
113 East Prairie Rd.
Homer Township, Ml

*Residential Architecture of Alden B. Dow in Midland, 1933-1938 Thematic Nomination
SOURCE: Michigan Department of State; Bureau of History

C-20

�Jesuit Priest Burial Site: Relics of a
cross, chalice and robe were found at
this burial site.

1874 and open to the public, are also
listed on the Natural Historic Register.
Sites that are listed on the State's
Historic Register, but not the National
Register include the John Kelly House
built in the 1870s, a chemical industry
site, the Pardee House and the Currie
Parkway Bridge.

Battle of the Oxbow: This was the site of
a great battle between the Sauk and
Chippewa Tribes.
Indian Mission: This mission settlement
served Indians in the area until the
1800s.

Other sites that are of historic
significance to the area, but are not on
the National or State Register include:

Family Cemetery: Sites in this cemetery
date back to the 1800s.

Prehistoric:
The Little Forks
Archaeological District, located southwest
of the City of Midland, has been
determined as being eligible for listing on
the National Register of Historic Places.

Manitou Rock: This large stone had
some religious significance to area
Indians.

Wayne Cemetery: On the high bank of
the Pine River - this was a settlement
during the logging era in the 1870s.

Salt Spring: This spring attracted wildlife
for salt and therefore was considered
sacred by the local Indians.

Irish Cemetery: This site contains graves
dating back to 1877.

Chippewa Village: This site along the
Pine River was excavated and remains of
human bones, tools and lodgings were
found.

Wright's Bridge: This was a post office
settlement during the 1860s.

Redstone Village: This was the location
of an early post office settlement.

First Salt Well: This is the location of the
first salt well, discovered by Michigan's
first State geologist in 1837.

Herbert H. Dow Laboratory: Site of Dr.
H.H. Dow's first successful electrolysis of
brine to produce bromine. This is also
the site of Even's Grist Mill, the building
where Dr. Dow first began operations.

Averill Rollway and Banking Ground: At
one time this was the site of the largest
riverbank log rollway in the world.
Father Nouvel's Landing: In 1675, Father
Henri Nouvel became the first white
person to visit this area.

Sanford Museum: Formerly an early 20th
Century brick four-room school building.
CCC Camp - Pine Haven: To create jobs
for youth during the 1930s, a camp was
constructed in what is now known as the
Pine Haven Recreation Area.

Fur Trading Post: This is the location of
the first white settlement in the County.

I

C-21

I

�•
•

travel to and from Saginaw, located on
the Tittabawassee River at Main and
Benson streets.

Veterans Memorial Park: A County park
developed in 1951 on land purchased by
the County in 1923 from the State of
Michigan. Originally the state property
was intended for a state sanatorium .
Coal Mine:
Exploration site
commercial extraction of coal.

Midland Chicory Plant: A manufacturing
plant located in Midland in 1910 near the
intersection of Ellsworth Street and Bay
City Road by the Franck Chicory
Company, processing chicory root as an
additive to coffee for taste and aroma
enhancement.

for

Hope Township Hall: Built in 1881, the
structure is Midland County's only
standing original township meeting hall
still in use as a township hall.

Coleman Chicory Plant: Another chicory
manufacturing plant was located in
Coleman. In 1926 all chicory in the
United States was grown in the Midland
County area.

First Oil Well: This is the site of the first
oil well in the County, drilled in 1932.
Camp 16:
Camp 16 was an early
logging camp located at the confluence
of the Tittabawassee and Tobacco rivers
in Edenville Township.

The legend below lists the historic sites in
Midland County shown on Map 6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11 .
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

Red Keg Saloon: Located in what is now
called Averill near the rollway and
banking ground on the Tittabawassee
River. Red Keg was the first name of the
Averill hamlet.
Grand Traverse (Mackinac) Trail: This
trail is an ext~nsion of the Saginaw Trail
from Detroit to Higgins Lake, where it
branched into two trails; the Mackinac
Trail extended to the Straits of Mackinac
and the Grand Traverse Trail went to
Traverse City.
John Larkin Saw Mill: One of Midland's
original saw mills.
Indian Trails: Junction of three Indian
trails: Grand Traverse (Mackinac), Pine
River and Chippewa trails.
Dock of the Belle Seymore: Midland's
original dock for passenger and freight
C-22

Oxbow Archaeological District
Little Forks Archaeological
Wayne Cemetery
Irish Cemetery
Wright's Bridge
First Salt Well
Averill Rollway and Banking Ground
Jesuit Priest Burial Site
Fur Trading Post
Father Nouvel's Landing
Bradley House
Battle of the Oxbow
Indian Mission
Family Cemetery
Manitou Rock
Salt Spring
Chippewa Village
Redstone Village
Herbert A. Dow Laboratory
Sanford Museum
Midland County Courthouse
CCC Camp - Pine Haven
Veterans Memorial Park
Coal Mine

�25. Hope Township Hall
26. First Oil Well
27. Camp 16
28. Red Keg Saloon
29. Grand Traverse (Mackinac) Trail
30. John Larkin Saw Mill
31. Indian Trails
32. Dock of the Belle Seymore
33. Midland Chicory Plant
34. Coleman Chi:cory Plant
35. John Kelly House
36. Herbert H. Dow House
37. Dr. Charles L. MacCullum House
38. Howard Ball House
39. Sheldon B. Heath House
40. Alden Hanson House
41. John S. Whitman House
42. Donald Conner House
43. F.W. Lewis House
44. Joseph A. Cavanagh House
45. Oscar Diehl House
46. George Greene House
47. Alden 8. Dow House
48. Chemical Industry
49. James T. and Elsa Pardee House
50. Upper -Bridge

C-23

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C-24

�Socioeconomic Profile

�SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE

changes that occurred between 1980
and 1990.

This section describes the characteristics
of Midland County's people, housing and
economy. Past trends and the existing
socioeconomic conditions are presented
to help define both opportunities and
constraints for the future. The reaction to
these issues along with the vitality of the
Great Lakes Region will influence the
future population and economy in the
County.
Forecasts of population,
employment, households and income
presented in this report are based on the
Midland County, Michigan, "Local
Development Scenario," 1992 Data
Pamphlet (May 1992) produced for
Midland County Planning Department by
Woods &amp; Poole Economics, Inc.

Households in the County numbered
27,791 in 1990. The average household
size in Midland County has decreased
since 1980.
In 1980 the average
household size in Midland County was
2.94 persons per household and in 1990
this figure decreased to 2.67 persons per
household. The areas of the County that
have a lower average household size
than the County as a whole include the
cities of Midland and Coleman and the
Village of Sanford. All of the townships
have average household sizes larger
than the County's figure of 2.67 persons
per household.

Demographic Profile

The age of the population has increased
since 1980 reflecting a nation-wide aging
trend. This fact can be seen in the
percent change between 1980 and 1990.
The County's overall percent change in
population was 2.8 percent. The largest
percentage increase was in the 65 years
and over category which increased 41.1
percent. The age group with the second
largest percent increase was the 25-44
category which increased by 13.0
percent (Table 6). The 45-64 category
increased by 12. 1 percent. Decreases
occurred in all age groups under 25.
The 15-19 age group, with a 25.5 percent
decrease experienced the largest decline
in population. The 20-24 age group
decreased 14.3 percent, the 5-14 age
group decreased by 12.3 percent and
residents under 5 years of age
decreased by 2.0 percent.

Population Characteristics

The population of Midland County is
centered in the City of Midland, which
accounts for 50.0 percent of the County
total. Adding the townships adjacent to
the City (Midland, Larkin, Homer,
Ingersoll and .Lincoln Townships) raises
that total to 67.8 percent. Overall County
growth from 1980 was 2.8 percent with
Edenville, Greendale, Jerome, Larkin,
Lee, Lincoln, Mt. Haley, Mills and Porter
townships posting growth increases. The
City of Midland grew in population by 2.8
percent.
The City of Coleman and
Geneva, Homer, Hope, Ingersoll, Jasper,
Midland and Warren townships all
decreased in population between 1980
and 1990. Table 5 shows the specific
changes in population that occurred in
the various municipalities.
Figure 2
graphically shows the population

D-1

�county figure and nine have figures over
the County's median age.
The
percentage of residents in Midland
County under 18 years of age is 27.4
percent. Lee Township, in addition to
having the lowest median age, has the
highest percentage of residents under 18
years of age (33.7 percent). The City of
Midland and the Village of Sanford have
the lowest percentage of residents under
18 years of age (25.1 percent). Only five
municipalities have percentages of
residents under 18 years of age lower
than the County's overall average.

Table 7 gives age distributions for all of
the County municipalities. Additionally,
the overall sex distribution, the median
age, the percentage of residents under
18 years of age and the percentage of
residents 65 years or older, are also
shown on Table 7. The median age for
residents in Midland County is 32.5
years. Lee Township has the lowest
median age with a median age of 27.4
years of age. Hope Township has the
highest median age with a figure of 36.4
years of age. Overall, ten municipalities
have median ages under the overall

TABLE 5
POPULATION BY JURISDICTION - MIDLAND COUNTY
:-·

.,.

.,; ..

1980
Jurisdiction
Townships:
Edenville
Geneva
Greendale
Homer
Hope
Ingersoll
Jasper
Jerome*
Larkin
Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley
Porter
Warren
Cities Nill ages:
Coleman City
Midland City

Population

1970-1980

% of
County

Total.

1,461
1,586
1,113
1,846

2.8
1.6
1.7
6.1
1.7
4.1
1.5
5.7
4.5
4.5
2.2
3.2
2.0
2.1
1.5
2.5

1,429
37,035

1.9
50.3

Sanford Village
864
Countv
73,578
*Includes the Village of Sanford.

1.2
100.0

2029

1,157
1,244

4,4n
1,249

3,011
1,129
4,171
3,284
3,325
1,643
2,389

%of
Population
Change..

''/:

1990

Population

73.6
69.4
12.6

13.1
32.2
31.8

36.7
32.2
31.6
31.4
15.9
-5.2
45.4

25.7
23.8
43.9

10.3
5.9

5.6
15.4

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population 1980, 1990; Gove Associates Inc.

D-2

2,367
1,048

•·•

::;:::

% of .
County
Total

1980-1990 ·•·
% of
Population
Change

20.2
-5.4
-2.3
-7.4
-2.9
7.2
9.3
20.8
10.0
-7.0
11.9
4.4

1,812

3.1
1.4
2.0
5.6
1.6
3.7
1.5
5.9
4.7
5.3
2.4
2.9
2.2
2.2
1.5
2.4

1,237
37,819

1.6
50.0

-13.4
2.1

889
75,651

1.2
100.0

2.9
2.8

1,495
4,235

1,220
2,788
1,096
4,470
3,588
4,017
1,807
2,221

1,635
1,656
1,140

16.8
-9.4

1

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1

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2.4

-1.8

I

�FIGURE 2
CHANGES IN POPULATION: 1980-1990

CHANGES IN POPULATION:

iillfil]

0

~

1980-1990

MOUNT

LOSS IN POPULATION

HAL£Y

POR'Tc:R

0-10 PERCENT GROWTH
OVER 10 PERCENT GROWTH
SOURCE:

1990 CENSUS OF POPULATION

TABLE 6
POPULATION BY AGE AND SEX - 1980-1990
MIDLAND COUNTY
1990

1980·

%

:.

. -·•·

% of
Age

Male

Female

Total

Total

Male

Female

Total

% of
Total

Change
1980-90

Under 5

3,061

2,751

5,812

7.9

2,948

2,749

5,697

7.5

-2.0

5-14

6,909

6,359

13,268

18.0

6,011

5,627

11 ,638

15.4

-12.3

15-19

3,960

3,627

7,587

10.3

2,923

2,728

5,651

7.5

-25.5

20-24

3,242

3,136

6,378

8.7

2,872

2,593

5,465

7.2

-14.3

25-44

10,791

11 ,051

21,842

29.7

12,154

12,533

24,687

32.6

13.0

45-64

6,602

6,733

13,335

18.1

7,354

7,601

14,955

19.8

12.1

65 and

2,246

3,110

5,356

7.3

3,097

4,461

7,558

10.0

41.1

36,811

36,767

73,578

100.0

37,359

38,292

75,651

100.0

2.8

Over
TOTAL
SOURCE:

U.S. Census of Population, 1980 and 1990

0-3

�TABLE 7
AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION BY JURISDICTION
•,

(Years)

191

32.7

28.3%

8.1%

228

121

34.2

28.0%

11 .5%

500

250

104

28.9

32.8%

7.0%

397

1,402

924

364

33.5

27.1%

8.6%

264

94

366

310

123

36.4

26.8%

10.1%

210

604

242

961

542

229

31.9

29.2%

8.2%

514

93

247

97

328

243

88

30.8

31.0%

8.0%

2,261

2,209

312

890

412

1,507

970

379

33.2

26.9%

8.5%

Larkin Twp.

1,798

1,790

258

855

296

1,181

782

216

32.7

31 .0%

6.0%

Lee· Twp.

2,013

2,004

420

934

475

1,318

630

240

27.4

33.7%

6.0%

Lincoln Twp.

936

871

153

393

164

665

333

99

30.5

30.2%

5.5%

Midland Twp.

1,092

1,129

196

429

192

727

476

201

33.0

28.1%

9.0%

Mills Twp.

841

794

135

394

164

556

295

91

29.7

32.4%

5.6%

Mt. Haley Twp.

843

813

140

379

150

575

287

125

31.0

31 .3%

7.5%

Porter Twp.

581

559

88

255

104

355

238

100

31.9

30.1%

8.8%

Warren Twp.

933

879

110

424

131

575

388

184

33.7

29.5%

10.2%

City of Coleman

574

663

112

261

118

350

218

178

30.9

30.2%

14.4%

Village of Sanford

420

469

58

165

76

299

203

88

34.8

25.1%

9.9%

City of Midland

18,263

19,556

2,733

6,765

4,272

12,190

7,362

4,507

3~.2

25.1%

11.9%

Midland County

37,359

38,292

5,697

15,011

7,761

24,687

14,955

7,540

32.5

27.4%

10.0%

Jurisdiction

25 -44

1,153

164

506

204

823

479

Geneva Twp.

526

522

60

233

98

308

Greendale Twp.

744

751

144

346

151

2,146

2,089

316

832

614

606

63

1,403

1,385

577

Jerome Twp.

Hope Twp.
Ingersoll Twp.
Jasper Twp.

SOURCE:

5-17

18-24

1,214

Homer Twp.

..

Age Distribution
Under 5

Edenville Twp.

0I

:•:_::••., ❖

Female

Male

~

M,:gfn.

. %§5
and
Over

%
.
·.·.
•· Under
..1 8

Male/Female
Distribution

{\\·

45-64

65+

.·.

1990 U.S. Census of Population

- l- .. :• ,_•- :- ·- ·-

-

-

�The percentage of residents in Midland
County 65 years or older is 10.0 percent.
The City of Coleman has the highest
percentage of residents over 65 (14.4
percent).
Lincoln Township has the
smallest percentage of residents 65 or
older (5.5 percent). Overall, only five
municipalities have percentages of
residents 65 or older greater than the
County's overall figure.

of Economic Analysis ...The third stage is
to forecast population by age, sex and
race for each EA on the basis of net
migration rates projected from
employment opportunities ...The fourth
stage replicates stages two and three
except that it is performed at the County
level, using the EAs as the control total
for the County forecast."
(Midland
County, Michigan Local Development
Scenario 1992 Data Pamphlet).

The population projections for the
communities in Midland County (Table 8)
are based on the percentage of the
County that each community accounted
for in 1970, 1980 and 1990 - with more
recent trends influencing the projected
percentages more than older trends.
The population projections for the County
were developed by Woods and Poole.
The projections are based on existing
and past population and employment
figures, as well as other economic and
demographic variables. As described by
Woods &amp; Poole, the "database contains
over 300 economic and demographic
variables for every county in the United
States for every year 1969 through 2015.
This comprehensive database includes
detailed population data by age, sex and
race; employment and earnings by major
industry; personal income by source of
income; retail sales by kind of business;
and data on the number of households,
their size and inco.me .... The methods
used by Woods &amp; Poole to generate the
county forecasts proceed in four stages.
First, a forecast to 2015 of total United
States gross national product, personal
income,
unemployment,
inflation,
employment by industry, population, etc.,
is made with a macroeconomic model.
Second, the country is divided into 183
Economic Areas (EAs) as defined by the
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau

The percentage of the County's
population that each township, city or
village contained in 1970, 1980 and 1990
was used to determine the future
distribution of the County's population.
The 1990 percentages were weighted
more than 1980 or 1970 percentages,
and the 1980 percentages were given
more weight than the 1970 percentages.
Weighted factors of one, two and three
were applied to the 1970, 1980 and 1990
percentages, respectively. This is based
on the assumption that more recent
trends are most likely more reflective of
the future than older trends. These
distribution rates were assigned to
projections from 1995 through 2015 to
allocate a portion of the projected County
population to each community in Midland
County.
These percentages were
applied to the Woods and Poole
projections for the County population to
the year 2015. The 1990 and 2015
distributions of population are shown in
Table 9. This method allows the Woods
and Poole data, as well as the 1990
Census data to be used as a base
throughout the Plan. The Woods and
Poole projections are identified in Tables
1o through 13. Figure 3 depicts the
overall population projections for the
County.

D-5

�I
!

FIGURE 3

I

POPULATION PROJECTIONS: 1990-2015

I
I

110,000

100,000

'I

95,000

I.

90,000

I

105,000

I
I

85,000

80,000

I
1990

1995

2000

NOTE:

2005

2010

2015

A POPULATION BASE OF 75,000 IS USED TO
SHOW GREATER DETAIL.
SOURCE:
WOODS AND POOLE (1992)

0-6

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�•

TABLE 8
POPULATION PROJECTIONS - MIDLAND COUNTY
Juriscfictlons •·' . (
Townshigs:
Edenville

·•:-·

-\..

: ):/t

199():' .: •.. ,} 1995. \

,.;:(··

•.·.:::::::

:::::::-·

I ··

,• ·2000:- ,•, •.•. .:)•:•·2005:}

·•&gt; 2010 /\i : 2015'0:

2,367

2,430

2,555

2,685

2,820

2,960

Geneva

1,048

1,215

1,280

1,340

1,410

1,480

Greendale

1,495

1,560

1,645

1,725

1,815

1,905

Homer

4,235

5,115

5,385

5,660

5,945

6,240

Hope

1,220

1,390

1,460

1,535

1,610

1,690

Ingersoll

2,788

3,295

3,470

3,645

3,830

4,020

Jasper

1,096

1,300

1,370

1,440

1,510

1,585

Jerome*

4,470

4,945

5,205

5,465

5,740

6,025

Larkin

3,588

3,900

4,105

4,315

4,535

4,760

Lee

4,017

4,160

4,380

4,600

4,835

5,075

Lincoln

1,807

1,995

2,100

2,205

2,315

2,430

Midland

2,221

2,775

2,920

3,070

3,225

3,385

Mills

1,635

1,735

1,825

1,920

2,015

2,115

Mt. Haley

1,656

1,820

1,915

2,015

2,115

2,220

Porter

1,140

1,300

1,370

1,440

1,510

1,585

Warren

1 812

2.080

2190

2300

2 420

2 535

1,237

1,560

1,645

1,725

1,815

1,905

37,819

44,135

46,460

48,815

51,275

53,815

889

1 040

1 095

1 150

1 210

1 270

75 651

86 710

91 280

95900

100 740

105 730

Cities Nillages:
Coleman City
Midland City
Sanford Villaae
Countv

*Includes the Village of Sandford.
SOURCE:

1990 Census-of Population; Woods &amp; Poole {1992); Gove Associates Inc.

D-7

�TABLE 9
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY JURISDICTION (PERCENTAGE)
MIDLAND COUNTY

Townships:
Edenville

3.1

2.8

25.1

Geneva

1.4

1.4

41.2

Greendale

2.0

1.8

27.4

Homer

5.6

5.9

47.3

Hope

1.6

1.6

38.5

Ingersoll

3.7

3.8

44.2

Jasper

1.5

1.5

44.6

Jerome*

5.9

5.7

34.8

Larkin

4.7

4.5

32.7

Lee

5.3

4.8

26.3

Lincoln

2.4

2.3

34.5

Midland

2.9

3.2

52.4

Mills

2.2

2.0

29.4

Mt. Haley

2.2

2.1

34.1

Porter

1.5

1.5

39.0

Warren

2.4

2.4

39.9

48.4

47.3

36.7

1.6

1.8

54.0

50.0

50.9

42.3

1.2

42.9

100.0

39.8

TOTAL TOWNSHIPS
Cities/Villages:
Coleman City
Midland City
Sanford Village
TOTAL

1.17
100.0

*Village of Sanford included.

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992);
Gove Associates Inc.

0-8

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I
I
I

I
I
I
I
I
I

�•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Tables 10, 11 and 12 project or forecast
Midland County's population to the year
2015 by age and sex. These projections
are useful for determining the quality of
various age-specific services that will be
required to serve residents of Midland

County over the next 25 years. Such
services range from pre-natal care to
senior citizen centers. The projections
can be used to prepare for future
demands today, and to use as trendline
analysis data in Mure plan updates.

TABLE 10
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE
MIDLAND COUNTY

Age&lt;::\:
-:-:.:

\

1000\i) I

h99S:::k'• tt2.()0a'. :::
..

1
;::

2oos:r::. . ,./:C;::.,ft2010 ::· :;_,,.

•:-

.

&gt;2015 ,:::-:;

0-4

5,697

6,360

6,230

6,340

6,700

7,120

5-9

5,911

6,570

6,650

6,530

6,650

7,050

10-14

5,745

6,710

6,960

7,060

6,950

7,110

15-19

5,651

6,090

6,580

6,900

7,080

7,040

20-24

5,465

5,350

5,300

5,740

6,030

6,170

25-29

6,110

5,890

5,460

5,460

5,900

6,170

30-34

6,587

6,970

6,160

5,740

5,750

6,220

35-39

6,369

7,430

7,260

6,430

6,000

6,030

40-44

5,621

6,800

7,420

7,300

6,500

6,110

45-49

4,728

6,250

6,970

7,640

7,550

6,740

50-54

3,848

5,130

6,420

7,220

7,950

7,870

55-59

3,249

3,940

4,880

6,190

7,030

7,800

60-64

3,130

3,460

3,870

4,830

6,170

7,060

65-69

2,542

2,980

3,030

3,410

4,270

5,490

70-74

1,947

2,560

2,no

2,810

3,160

3,980

75-79

1,450

1,930

2,360

2,560

2,600

2,920

80-84

890

1,250

1,550

1,920

2,090

2,120

85+

711

1,040

1,410

1,840

2,350

2,740

75,651

86,710

91,280

95,900

100,740

105,730

TOTAL

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992)

D-9

�TABLE 11
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE (MALES)
MIDLAND COUNTY
Age '·

1990

1995

.•'.•:•:•

2000

2005

2010

2015

0-4

2,948

3,280

3,220

3,270

3,460

3,670

5-9

3,061

3,390

3,420

3,360

3,430

3,630

10-14

2,968

3,470

3,590

3,630

3,570

3,650

15-19

2,923

3,130

3,370

3,530

3,610

3,590

20-24

2,872

2,750

2,720

2,930

3,070

3,140

25-29

3,023

2,940

2,710

2,690

2,900

3,030

30-34

3,208

3,420

3,020

2,810

2,810

3,030

35-39

3,120

3,630

3,560

3,150

2,930

2,940

40-44

2,803

3,370

3,680

3,620

3,220

3,020

45-49

2,318

3,070

3,430

3,no

3,720

3,320

50-54

1,926

2,560

3,210

3,610

3,990

3,940

55-59

1,596

1,910

2,360

2,990

3,410

3,800

60-64

1,514

1,660

1,840

2,290

2,930

3,370

65-69

1,206

1,410

1,430

1,600

2,000

2,570

70-74

816

1,100

1,200

1,210

1,360

1,710

75-79

560

740

920

1,000

1,010

1,140

80-84

296

420

530

650

710

720

85+

201

290

380

500

640

740

TOTAL

37,359

42,550

44,570

46,620

48,780

51,010

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992)

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TABLE 12
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY AGE (FEMALES)
MIDLAND COUNTY
•.•·

Age .

;.;::'

1990.,.i ..

1995

::\{·

-:::::::-:-:

.2000 ;.;:;:..;;:•:,,. ·.;

::;::/

2005

2010 · ..
:

2015

0-4

2,749

3,070

3,010

3,070

3,240

3,450

5-9

2,850

3,180

3,220

3,170

3,230

3,420

10-14

2,777

3,240

3,370

3,430

3,380

3,460

15-19

2,728

2,960

3,210

3,370

3,460

3,450

20-24

2,593

2,600

2,590

2,810

2,950

3,030

25-29

3,087

2,950

2,750

2,760

3,000

3,140

30-34

3,379

3,540

3,130

2,920

2,940

3,190

35-39

3,249

3,790

3,710

3,290

3,070

3,090

40-44

2,818

3,440

3,740

3,680

3,290

3,090

45-49

2,410

3,180

3,540

3,870

3,820

3,420

50-54

1,922

2,560

3,210

3,610

3,960

3,930

55-59

1,653

2,030

2,520

3,200

3,620

4,000

60-64

1,616

1,800

2,030

2,540

3,240

3,690

65-69

1,336

1,570

1,600

1,810

2,270

2,920

70-74

1,131

1,460

1,570

1,600

1,800

2,270

75-79

890

1,180

1,440

1,560

1,590

1,780

80-84

594

830

1,020

1,270

1,370

1,390

85+

510

760

1,030

1,340

1,710

2,000

TOTAL

38,292

44,150

46,700

49,280

51,950

54,720

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992)

D-11

�Both the younger age groups (0-4
through 40-44) and the older age groups
(45-49 through 85 +) will increase as a
percentage of the County's total
population. This will happen in both the
male and female categories. However,

Table 13 combines the data in Tables 10,
11 and 12 illustrating how the distribution
of age groups will change over the
planning periods. Table 13 presents
forecasts that the future population will
be an older population than it is today.

TABLE 13

PROJECTED CHANGES IN AGE DISTRIBUTION: 1990-2015
•'

1990

'•

% of Population

Age

Total .

Male .

I

2015
..

Female

Total ::

% of Population
Male

Female

0- 4

7.5

3.9

3.6

6.7

3.5

3.3

5- 9

7.8

4.0

3.7

6.7

3.4

3.2

10-14

7.6

3.9

3.7

6.7

3.4

3.3

15-19

7.5

3.9

3.6

6.6

3.4

3.3

20-24

7.2

3.8

3.4

5.8

3.0

2.9

25-29

8.1

4.0

4.1

5.8

2.9

3.0

30-34

8.7

4.3

4.5

5.9

2.9

3.0

35-39

8.4

4.1

4.3

5.7

2.8

2.9

40-44

7.4

3.7

3.7

5.8

2.8

2.9

45-49

6.3

3.1

3.2

6.4

3.1

3.2

50-54

5.1

2.5

2.5

7.4

3.7

3.7

55-59

4.3

2.1

2.2

7.4

3.6

3.8

60-64

4.1

2.0

2.1

6.7

3.2

3.5

65-69

3.4

1.6

1.8

5.2

2.4

2.8

70-74

2.6

1.1

1.5

3.8

1.6

2.1

75-79

1.9

0.7

1.2

2.8

1.1

1.7

80-84

1.2

0.4

0.8

2.0

0.7

1.3

85+

0.9

0.3

0.7

2.6

0.7

1.9

TOTAL

100.0

49.4

50.6

100.0

48.2

51.8

Over 64

10.0

4.1

6.0

16.4

6.5

9.8

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992)

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�citizens. In 1990 only 1.0 percent of the
County's population was 85 years old or
older, but in 2015 this figure is projected
to be 2.4 percent. This is significant
since many people over 85 need a more
intensive level of care than younger
senior citizens.

the female category will increase slightly
more as a percentage of the total County
population in 2015 than it shared in 1990.
The redistribution of age groups is an
important issue that will affect the future
of the County in many ways. Schools
may need to add school rooms or share
available space, or change their
programs to accommodate an increase
in students. Additional senior services
will be required.
Such services will
include housing, health care,
transportation, and other
programs
designed to meet the needs of senior

Table 14 projects that the racial
distribution of Midland County will not
significantly change. Whites will make up
a slightly smaller percentage in 2015 than
in 1990, while other races will make up a
slightly larger percentage of the County's
population.

TABLE 14
POPULATION PROJECTIONS BY RACE
MIDLAND COUNTY
••.·•

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Race

,::rd99d &gt; .,

White

73,466

84,430

88,760

93,150

97,750

102,500

Black

719

910

1,060

1,220

1,400

1,590

Other

1,466

1,360

1,460

1,530

1,590

1,640

0
··

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Woods and Poole (1992)

D-13

2010

2015

�projections were divided by the average
household size to arrive at the number of
households in the various municipalities.
The 1990 Census lists the number of
persons in group quarters for each
municipality. If a particular municipality
had persons in group quarters in 1990
this number was subtracted from the
general population. This was done since
traditional housing units are not typically
required for group housing.

Table 15 lists the persons per household
in Midland County. The 1980 and 1990
figures are based on Census figures and
the 2015 projections are based on the
changes in household sizes between
1980 and 1990 for each individual
community.
Table 16 is based on the population
projections for the County's townships
and cities and on the projected sizes
of the households. The population

TABLE 15
PERSONS PER HOUSEHOLD: 1980, 1990 and 2015
} 980.Persons , =,· ,/:4990:Persons\;:'/. ')2015tf:&gt;.ersons= 'i
/ Junsitlcttori'' ' ·••• ::})Pef Household=&gt;•·:. . t PefHoi.Jsehold:...)' •·· : •Pet.:H ousehold ···•
Edenville Twp.

2.98

2.76

2.21

Geneva Twp.

3.08

2.86

2.31

Greendale Twp.

3.18

2.98

2.48

Homer Two.

3.11

2.80

2.03

Hooe Two.

3.21

2.83

1.88

lnaersoll Twp.

3.24

2.94

JasoerTwp.

3.16

3.01

2.19
2.64

Jerome Twp. 1

2.94

2.71

2.14

Larkin Twp.

3.37

3.11

2.46

Lee Two.

3.27

3.01

2.36

Lincoln Twp.

3.26

2.88

1.93

Midland Twp.

3.06

2.n

2.05

Mills Two.

3.36

3.08

2.38

Mt. Halev Twp.

3.30

3.00

2.25

Porter Twp.

3.25

2.97

Warren Twp.

3.21

Villaoe of Sanford

2.76

2.91
2.54

2.27
2.16

Cltv of Coleman

2.82

Cltv of Midland

2.74

2.50
2.49

1.70
1.87

Midland Countv

2.94

2.67

2.00

1

1.99

lncluding Village of Sanford
SOURCE: 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.

0-14

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TABLE 16
HOUSEHOLD PROJECTIONS BY JURISDICTIONS
MIDLAND COUNTY
Jurisdictions
Townships:
Edenville

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2000

2005

2010

2015

917

1,006

1,105

1,216

1,339

Geneva

367

442

485

530

583

641

Greendale

496

542

592

644

703

768

1,492

1,930

2,163

2,419

2,727

3,074

Hope

431

526

596

679

778

899

Ingersoll

931

1,181

1,314

1,464

1,637

1,836

Jasper

364

442

479

516

557

600

Jerome 1

1,647

1,902

2,099

2,306

2,551

2,815

Larkin

1,155

1,308

1,440

1,586

1,751

1,935

Lee

1,329

1,444

1,593

1,756

1,942

2,150

Lincoln

628

741

840

956

1,092

1,259

Midland

802

1,055

1,177

1,311

1,473

1,651

Mills

530

590

652

721

800

889

Mt. Haley

552

639

709

790

881

987

Porter

384

459

509

565

627

698

Warren

623

753

839

935

1,048

1,174

494

677

755

854

976

1,121

14,709

18,622

20,741

23,026

25,766

28,778

350

428

472

520

576

638

27,791

34,160

37,989

42,163

47,108

52,624

Cities LVillages:
Coleman City
Midland City
Sanford Village
County
1

1995

857

Homer

•

1990

lncluding Sanford Village

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.

D-15

�Figure 4 shows the percentages of
household types in Midland County.
Married-couple families make up the
largest percentage of households with
18,063 households, or 65.0 percent of
Midland County households. Nonfamily
households account for 6,91 O
households, or 24.9 percent of the
County's households.
Single parent
households with female householders
account for 7.9 percent of the County's
households and single parent
households with male householders
account for 2.3 percent of Midland
County households.

Housing Profile
Housing Goals

This Comprehensive Plan notes goals for
residential land uses which provide for a
wide range of housing opportunities and
the preservation and protection of
existing residential development.
As
described in the following section, the
bulk of activity being conducted in
housing is by the Midland County
Housing Commission and by the City of
Midland.
An August 1985 report forwarded to the
County Board of Commissioners from
the Midland County Housing Commission
stated two goals:

FIGURE 4
HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE: 1990

1. "Provide adequate and suitable
housing for every family and resident
of all ages, income and ethnic group,
in accordance with their desires and
needs."

OTHER FAMILY,
MALE HOUSEHOLDER

635-------OTHER FAMILY,
FEMALE HOUSEHOLDER
2183 - - - - ~ ---...-'Mr----

2. "Renew blighted and/or deteriorating
residential areas through upgrading
of structures and improved
environmental conditions and the
achievement of at least minimum
standards of housing quality."

MARRIEDCOUPLE
FAMILIES

18,063

J

The City of Midland, Task Force 2000
report stated its housing goal to:
"Maintain attractiveness in housing and
neighborhoods while attending to the
problems of escalating building costs and
the questions of energy and
transportation availability."

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population

Noted in the Task Force 2000 report are
several sub-goals:

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TABLE 17

1. "Consider city ordinances relating to
housing."
(Relating to building,
quality, diversity, standards and
flexibility).

LOANS ISSUED ON YEARLY BASIS
\i\/i

2. "Consider new approaches to
housing." (Mixed use neighborhoods
and innovative design).

income persons."

4. "Continue support of fair housing
practices."
5. "Encourage the use of neighborhood
schools and parks as community
centers."
better
relationships."

•,•

:;:::: :

1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991

3. "Address housing needs of tow-

6. "Promote

:veiifi

neighborhood

Total

Number of .Loans
2
0
10
17
20
10
11
27
8
9
9
13
15
14
155

Home Improvement Loans
Between 1978 and 1991 the Midland
County Housing Commission issued 155
loans throughout the County (except the
City of Midland) for home improvements.
Table 17 lists the number of loans that
were issued on a yearly basis. The
average number of loans issued per year
is 11.

· SOURCE:
Midland County Housing
Commission
While the number of loans per year has
seemed to level off in the past three
years, the distribution ot loans through
the County is not proportionally equal.
Table 18 shows the number of loans
issued on an individual municipal level as
well as loans issued per 1,000 residents
(1990 Census).

While Table 18 seems to indicate that
some areas are receiving more than their
"fair share," Table 19 indicates that none
of the communities are reaching their
goals for assisting
low-income
households.
With a goal of 2,008
housing assists for the County and an
actual figure of 155 assists, the goal
achievement is only 7. 7 percent of its
mark.
D-17

�--------.

1
TABLE 18
MUNICIPAL LOANS

: :11:: : : : :,aans-= per=f r ·.-:,-:· ·.

1

tttfj.,doo . . Residents=::::;;
Edenville Township

4

1.7

Geneva Township

5

4.8

Greendale Township

21

14.0

Homer Township

3

0.7

Hope Township

1

0.8

Ingersoll Township

3

1.1

Jasper Township

9

8.2

Jerome Township

5

1.1

Larkin Township

6

1.7

Lee Township

16

4.0

Lincoln Township

3

1.7

Midland Township

2

0.9

Mills Township

25

15.3

Mt. Haley Township

2

1.2

Porter Township

11

9.6

Warren Township

3

1.7

31

25.1

5

5.6

Coleman City
Sanford Village

SOURCE: Midland County Housing Commission

D-18

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TABLE 19
HOUSING QUALITY BY MUNICIPALITY

Ndm6·efr·otn?'
Households :"· ···

ow~

ous;esrrt:,J:1:r . . House§;:::r}

1979..

·bo~·

.A§sisted Since&lt;

·r;\;ssistance:tit ,.J'.ppeptlom:: : ::\:::;

_. · Goal ·.,

· ·U 978:1991J

Edenville Twp.

903

73

81

4

Geneva Twp.

382

89

54

5

1,443

143

240

3

Hope Twp.

529

126

49

1

Ingersoll Twp.

916

155

124

3

Greendale Twp.

435

142

101

21

Jasper

390

136

78

9

Jerome Twp. (a)

1,242

164

213

5

Larkin Twp.

1,222

141

158

6

Lee Twp.

940

230

207

16

Lincoln Twp.

514

171

72

3

Midland Twp.

816

69

158

2

Mills Twp.

459

124

88

25

Mt. Haley Twp.

504

73

101

2

Porter Twp.

366

80

65

11

Warren Twp.

653

179

91

3

City of Coleman

475

122

128

31

Village of Sanford

343

37

N/A

5

12,432

2,254

2,008

155

Homer Twp.

Total

a. Not including the Village of Sanford

SOURCE: Midland County Housing Commission

D-19

�its housing constructed between 1970
and 1980.

Housing Development Characteristics
Housing development in Midland County
has taken a distinct urban/rural pattern.
The urban area of the City of Midland,
and the urbanizing townships around the
City have developed quite differently than
those in areas outside the City. These
differences are reflected in the density,
availability, variety and cost of housing
throughout the County.

Figure 5 shows the distribution of
housing types in Midland County. Over
73 percent of the County's housing is
single-family housing.
Multi-family
housing accounts for nearly 15 percent
of the County's housing and mobile
homes account for 12 percent of housing
in the County.

The City of Midland is characterized by
its more dense development, higher
home value, fewer persons per
household and higher rents. These
characteristics are present because of
the increased urban amenities
(recreation, cultural activities, utilities and
wider variety of housing types and
styles).

FIGURE 5
TYPES OF HOUSING: 1990

LE
s
0

The remaining areas of the County vary
from moderately developed areas such
as Coleman, Sanford, the areas adjacent
to Sanford Lake and some areas
adjacent to the City of Midland, to the
rural farmstead and large lot residential
areas prevalent throughout the
townships. The developed areas were
spawned from traditional settlements
created by water, rail and road
transportation routes or crossroads.

SINGLEFAMILY
HOUSES

21,486

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of
Population

Over the past twenty years a significant
increase in housing growth has occurred
in the areas outside the City of Midland.
This fact is reflected in the age of
housing. Table 20, indicates that while
all townships except Midland Township
had over 40 percent of their housing
constructed between 1970 and 1990, the
City of Midland had just 36.8 percent
constructed in that time period. The
County as a whole had a 42.1 percent of

One form of housing which has shown a
significant increase in use is the mobile
home. The mobile or manufactured
home provides a relatively inexpensive
housing alternative, particularly for low-

D-20

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TABLE 20
HOUSING AGE BY PERCENT OF TOTAL HOUSING
MIDLAND COUNTY

Year.Constructed&gt;
Jurisdictions

1939 or Earlier

1940~1969 .

Townships:
Edenville

4.4%

36.6%

59.9%

Geneva

22.2%

32.1%

45.4%

Greendale

11.9%

39.0%

49.1%

Homer

14.2%

44.1%

41.7%

Hope

15.5%

39.2%

45.3%

Ingersoll

16.7%

41.5%

41.8%

Jasper

17.1%

26.0%

56.9%

Jerome

6.6%

45.3%

48.1%

Larkin

10.0%

35.9%

54.1%

Lee

7.8%

37.6%

54.6%

Lincoln

8.2%

38.9%

52.9%

Midland

13.3%

55.0%

31.7%

Mills

6.4%

40.0%

53.6%

Mt. Haley

12.5%

41.9%

45.6%

Porter

11.3%

39.8%

48.9%

Warren

16.6%

31.9%

51.5%

Cities:
Coleman

33.5%

36.1%

30.4%

10.2%

53.0%

36.8%

11.1%

46.8%

42.1%

Midland
Coun!Y

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Housing

D-21

::::

; ;1970-March 1990 ;

�1

income to moderate-income families.
This development has raised a number of
concerns, particularly in the townships,
regarding community appearance and
the integrity of agriculture areas. Also of
concern is the higher density singlefamily development which is occurring in
some areas without proper sanitary
sewer and water facilities. Long-term
environmental problems could result.
The lack of public utilities also restricts
the range of housing opportunities which
can be provided by limiting multiple-family
development. This, in turn, contributes
to the demand for lower cost
manufactured homes.

Township), the median rent is higher in
six communities. Figure 8 graphically
shows the variations paid in rent
throughout the County. Another factor
affecting housing is the tenure - or the
ratio of owner-occupied units. Figure 9
shows that the City of Midland has the
highest percentage of renter-occupied
units and that Hope Township has the
highest percentage of owner-occupied
units. Coleman is the only community
other than Midland that has a higher
percentage of renter-occupied units than
the County as a whole.

One additional factor which the lack of
utilities may cause is the concentration of
development where soils and
groundwater are able to support septic
systems and wells. This development
pattern generally tends to be random,
without regard to available streets and
related land uses, such as shopping and
work place.

A structural quality survey was completed
for the County in 1978 and 1979 as a
part of its 1980 County Housing Plan
Program. All communities, except the
City of Midland, were evaluated. Three
quality standards were used:

Housing Quality

1. Standard: Buildings placed in this
category required normal maintenance
and did not exhibit noticeable wear.

The median value of owner-occupied
housing varies throughout the County.
Figure 6 demonstrates these differences.
Larkin Township had the highest median
housing cost in 1990 followed by the City
of Midland - these were the only two
communities with an average higher than
the County's average. Figure 7 lists the
number of owner-occupied households in
various price ranges. Over 45 percent of
housing units in Midland County are
valued between $50,000 and $100,000.
Nearly 34 percent are valued below
$50,000. Nearly 21 percent are valued
over $100,000. While the median cost of
owner-occupied housing units was higher
than the County's average in only two
instances (Midland City and Larkin

2. Deteriorating: This description applied
to buildings with several minor defects
and, at times, one major defect which
could be remedied at a reasonably
cost.
3. Substandard: Substandard structures
exhibit multiple minor and major
defects which cannot be reasonably
repaired.
These buildings should
eventually be removed.

0-22

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FIGURE 6
MEDIAN VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS: 1990

\/ ALUE
,~$1000)

······•·································································
···· ··· ·····················
·········
·········································
·····················
··············································
··································
····················· ·················

: : : : : : : : /~j/)::::::~:/\\\:\:/:\\/:\:\/:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/~-:.
................ ... .. ..
~

·························
: :.·::::.·:::::::. ·. ·:. ·:.·:::.
···················· ····

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population
FIGURE 7
VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED UNITS: 1990

OVER $300,000: 87 - - $200,000-$300,000:
$150,000-$200,000:

$50,000$100,000:
7170

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population
D-23

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INGERSOLL TWP

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LEE TWP

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EDENVILLE TWP

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-

to Mure housing needs due to the loss
of existing housing stock and the need to
replace lost structures.

Table 21 summarizes housing quality in
the County (again, excluding the City of
Midland). The number of substandard
dwellings must be considered in relation

TABLE 21
HOUSING QUALITY BY JURISDICTION: 1978-1979 - MIDLAND COUNTY
1

w

Jurt§cfictfonsi:/ ·

•

:2

. . Standard

Oefurk&gt;~tlrig(/ .:· 1F • Substandard
: : :Nam~tI\l :{; e~f6fult:::.·· .::t:Numbeh •• Percent ..

•

+:.: :Number:: :::\Perce~ \

· ·,

Townships:

Edenville

830

91.9

38

4.2

35

3.9

Geneva

293

77.2

51

13.4

38

4.4

Greendale

293

67.4

97

22.3

45

10.3

1,300

90.1

83

5.8

60

4.2

Hope

403

76.2

66

12.5

60

11 .3

Ingersoll

761

83.1

75

8.2

80

8.7

Jasper

254

65.1

84

21 .5

52

13.4

1,078

86.8

89

7.2

75

6.0

Larkin

981

87.4

108

9.6

33

2.9

Lee

710

75.5

145

15.4

85

9.0

Lincoln

343

66.7

129

25.1

42

8.2

Midland

747

91 .5

48

5.9

21

2.6

Mills

335

73.0

76

16.6

48

10.5

Mt. Haley

431

85.5

49

9.7

24

4.8

Porter

286

78.1

47

12.8

33

9.0

Warren

474

72.6

82

12.6

97

14.9

353

74.3

90

18.9

32

6.8

306

89.2

26

7.6

11

3.2

10,178

81.9

1,383

11.1

871

7.0

Homer

Jerome

Cities Nill ages:
Coleman City
Midland City*
Sanford Village
County

*Data is not available for the City of Midland in the same categories as are available in the
County Housing Commission Report
SOURCE: Housing the County, 1980, Midland County Housing Commission

D-25

�some distance appear to have lower
percentages.
In addition, not
surprisingly, those jurisdictions with
higher median home values tend to have
the lower percentage of substandard
housing (fable 22).

No clear pattern of quality related
housing problems is discernible although
one trend appears to be present.
Communities nearer the City of Midland
appear to have a higher percentage of
standard housing while communities at

TABLE 22
FACTORS DETERMINING HOUSING QUALITY - MIDLAND COUNTY
:·.,;

··•

:::::

.Jurisdictions

. .;

. ::Median:Value &lt;•:
Owner Specified

1980: :,

.·,:

1990
·•

Townshigs:
Edenville

.:f

,.·.·.·
·_;;::,
...·.,.·,:-:-.,·-;-

·.·

&lt;)

· p~rceni·:·
·-•.•·.

Increase
1980-1990 '

-;-

t:·

Ill::\/......

'.i#.Jrcer1t L. '.'. •· :(
Constructed
.
··
Substandard., ._&gt;:::. 1939 or Eartier
(1990)'
·. Housing ,\ I.;.. ,...,,.;"'

. Perc~J~;:\'.i'.

$37,300

$55,500

48.8

3.9

4.4

Geneva

$30,500

$40,400

32.5

4.4

22.2

Greendale

$24,800

$35,900

44.8

10.3

11.9

Homer

$41 ,000

$54,600

33.2

4.2

14.2

Hope

$37,900

$47,900

26.4

11.3

15.5

Ingersoll

$40,800

$52,500

28.7

8.7

16.7

Jasper

$27,500

$38,300

39.3

13.4

17.1

Jerome

$38,300

$54,200

41 .5

6.0

6.6

Larkin

$48,700

$78,400

61.0

2.9

10.0

Lee

$35,000

$45,500

30.0

9.0

7.8

Lincoln

$38,100

$50,900

33.6

8.2

8.2

Midland

$41 ,100

$53,000

29.0

2.6

13.3

Mills

$29,800

$42,000

40.9

10.5

6.4

Mt. Haley

$37,200

$49,400

32.8

4.8

12.5

Porter

$32,800

$37,100

13.1

9.0

11.3

Warren

$32,800

$41,800

27.4

14.9

16.6

$23,900

$33,300

39.3

6.8

33.5

$52,600

$74,200

41.1

N.A.

10.2

N.A.

$53,700

3.2

10.4

$44,900

$63,300

7.0

11 .1

Cities Nillages:
Coleman City
Midland City
Sanford Village
Countv

41.0

N.A. Data is not available for the City of Midland and the Village of Sanford in the same
categories as It is available in the County Housing Commission report.
SOURCE: 1980 U.S. Census of Housing; 1990 U.S. Census of Population;
Housing the County, 1980, Midland County Housing Commission

D-26

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housing cost increase of 41.0 percent.
Table 23 shows the types of housing in
Midland County by the number of
households, -the number of single-family
homes, multiple-family homes, and
mobile homes or trailers.

More recent data is also included in
Table 22. The 1990 median value of
owner-occupied units is compared to
1980 information to show areas in the
County where housing costs have risen
at rates higher than the County's average

TABLE 23
TYPES OF HOUSING IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1990

Townships:
Edenville

995

720

72.4

19

1.9

256

25.7

Geneva

410

310

75.6

6

1.5

94

22.9

Greendale

528

308

58.3

0.2

219

41 .5

1,557

1,345

86.4

54

3.5

158

10.1

Hope

558

461

83.7

3

0.5

88

15.8

Ingersoll

984

861

87.5

48

4.9

75

7.6

Jasper

385

267

69.4

4

1.0

114

29.6

Jerome**

1,803

1,361

75.5

64

3.5

378

21 .0

Larkin

1,193

1,118

93.7

8

0.7

67

5.6

Lee

1,395

793

56.8

11

0.8

591

42.4

L:ncoln

658

483

73.4

42

6.4

133

20.2

Midland

836

730

87.3

16

1.9

90

10.8

Mills

550

364

66.2

0.2

185

33.6

Mt. Haley

570

438

76.8

5

0.9

127

22.3

Porter

399

296

74.2

4

1.0

99

24.8

Warren

658

510

n .5

2

0.3

146

22.2

526

372

70.7

59

11 .2

95

18.1

15,338

10,743

70.0

4,000

26.1

595

3.9

376

323

85.9

25

6.6

28

7.4

29,343

21 ,486

73.2

4,347

14.8

3,510

12.0

Homer

Cities/Villages:
Coleman City
Midland City
Sanford
Village
County

*Does not include modular housing (modular housing is included under single-family housing)
**Includes Village of Sanford
SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population

D-27

�Labor Force Characteristics

Economic Profile

Table 24, Labor Force Characteristics, is
taken from the 1990 Census and shows,
by municipality, the number of persons in
the labor force, as well as the differences
in unemployment between the municipalities.

The employment and income data are
taken from the 1990 Census and reflect
1989 figures.

TABLE 24
LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS - MIDLAND COUNTY

, :ttI}i. ' :· , . ' ·&lt; &gt; ·Persons 16 :~;:
i

Jurisdictions

Older In labor :
Force (1990)

Townships:
Edenville

18,976
437

1.2
51.2
1.2

13.1
5.0
8.6

37
50
49

37,086

100.0

6.9

49

2,119
534

Jasper

1,332
468

1

2,240

Larkin

1,898

Lee

1,830

Lincoln

893
1,192
747
763
520

Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley
Porter
Warren

838

CitlesNillages:
Coleman

463

Midland
Sanford
County

Percent
Unemployed

48

654

Ingersoll

'· ·,

Percent of
Total ..
·•·• Population
in Labor Force

8.9
12.5
19.2
5.1
8.6
3.7
9.4
9.3
6.0
15.5
7.8
4.6
13.0
9.6
9.2
9.7

Greendale
Hope

;,

3.1
1.3
1.8
5.7
1.4
3.6
1.3
6.0
5.1
4.9
2.4
3.2
2.0
2.1
1.4
2.3

483

Homer

1

,:Total·t•:c::,
labor Force

1,136

Geneva

Jerome

, . ~ii&amp;~:Ji : :•{

1ncludes Village of Sanford

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population

D-28

46

44

50
44

48
43

50
53
46
49
54
46
46
46
46

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Occupational Characteristics

Table 25 demonstrates how the types of
employment have changed since 1982.
Three categories
Manufacturing;
Transportation, Communication and
Utilities; and Wholesale, Retail - make up
a smaller percentage of employment in
1988 than in 1982.
Construction,
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and
Services all made up a larger percentage
of employment in 1988.

As may be expected Midland County has
a highly trained and heavily professionally
oriented work force.
Table 26,
Employment by Occupations, indicates
that a large 70 percent of the work force
consists of professional, technical,
managerial and administrative workers.
The dominance of Dow Chemical Company and Dow Corning Corporation is
very evident in these figures.

TABLE 25
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY-HISTORICAL PERCENT OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT - MIDLAND COUNTY

1982.

1985

% Change
1982-1985

1988

% Change
1985-1988

Construction

4.9%

5.8%

28.1%

8.7%

66.8%

Manufacturing

49.6%

46.1%

-2.1%

44.3%

8.1%

Transportation,Communication, Utilities

3.1%

1.8%

-37.6%

1.0%

-35.0%

Wholesale, Retail

18.1%

17.2%

1.6%

17.3%

13.8%

Finance, Insurance Real Estate

3.1%

3.4%

17.4%

3.3%

9.7%

Services

21.0%

24.6%

24.8%

25.0%

14.5%

Industry

SOURCE: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. County Business Patterns, 1982, 1985, 1988
TABLE 26
EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATIONS - 1990 - MIDLAND COUNTY
Occupational Group

% of All Occupations

Executive, Administrative and Managerial

11 .8

Professional Specialty

20.4

Technicians and Related Support

5.1

Sales

9.5

Administrative Support, Clerical

14.2

Private Household Occupations

0.6

Protective Services

1.2

Service Occupations - Except Household and Private
Farming, Forestry, Fishing

11 .5
1.2

Precision Production, Craft and Repair

12.3

Machine Operators, Assemblers, Inspectors

6.2

Transportation and Material Moving

3.0

Handlers, Equipment, Cleaners, Helpers and Laborers

3.0
100.0

Total
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

D-29

�Income by Jurisdiction

Since a majority of the future employment
in targeted industries also involve these
workers, this trend can be expected to
continue. However, the growth of these
categories may be moderated should the
auto industry capture a larger share of
overall employment.

Table 27 provides a breakdown of
income by jurisdiction. Higher incomes
tend to be found in the City of Midland
and adjacent "urbanizing" townships.
The City of Midland has the highest
median family income and Larkin
Township has the highest median
household income.

TABLE 27
1989 ESTIMATED INCOME BY JURISDICTION - MIDLAND COUNTY
Jurisdictions

Median Family Income &gt;

Townships:
Edenville

Median Household Income

$31,506

$29,167

Geneva

$34,107

$30,687

Greendale

$25,764

$23,911

Homer

$36,953

$34,280

Hope

$31,875

$28,478

Ingersoll

$36,118

$34,299

Jasper

$27,708

$24,050

Jerome

$32,393

$29,692

Larkin

$49,294

$47,500

Lee

$23,665

$22,547

Lincoln

$33,558

$31,574

Midland

$36,304

$35,042

Mills

$26,898

$25,559

Mt. Haley

$35,461

$29,844

Porter

$26,875

$25,795

Warren

$28,750

$26,006

TOTAL TOWNSHIPS

$33,393

$30,997

Cities Nill ages:
Coleman City

$29,529

$19,271

Midland City

$49,387

$39,087

Sanford Village

$33,409

$29,375

$40,028

$33,948

Coun~
SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

D-30

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nonresidential building permits was
issued in 1982 when 661 permits were
issued and construction cost totaled
$6,460,712.
The largest annual
percentage increase occurred between
1983 and 1984 when construction cost
increased by 167.6 percent - even
though the number of permits decreased
during the same period. The average
annual number of nonresidential building
permits issued between 1980 and 1990
was 786, and the average annual cost
was $19,147,636.3. A total of 8,648
nonresidential building permits were
issued during the period.

Building Construction

Between 1980 and 1990 the amount of
construction in Midland County increased
a substantial amount. Table 28 shows
the number of residential units built
during the period as well as the
construction cost. Table 28 also shows
the number of nonresidential building
permits issued for each year between
1980 and 1990 as well as the
construction cost. Demolitions and totals
are also shown.
In 1989 there were 401 residential
building permits issued - the largest
annual amount issued during the period.
The largest annual construction cost was
in the following year (1990), with a
residential
construction
cost of
$38,562,247. The year with the smallest
quantity of building permits issued was
1982, when 142 residential building
permits were issued.
The lowest
residential
construction
cost also
occurred in 1982 when $8, 176,562 was
spent on residential construction in
Midland County. The largest percentage
increase in residential construction
occurred betwe~n 1982 and 1983 when
the number of building permits increased
by 94.4 percent and the cost increased
by 126.4 percent. The average number
of residential building permits issued
between 1980 and 1990 was 280.8 and
the average cost of construction was
$23,671,725.50. The total number of
residential permits issued was 3,089.
The largest number of nonresidential
building permits issued between 1980
and 1990 occurred in 1989, when 865
permits were issued. The largest annual
construction cost occurred in 1990 with
a nonresidential construction cost of
$38,867,046. The smallest number of

Between 1980 and 1990 there were a
total of 359 demolition permits issued in
Midland County. The peak year was in
1989, when 51 permits were issued. In
1983 there were 12 permits issued - the
lowest figure for the period .
The total columns on Table 28 are based
on the number of residential permits,
nonresidential permits and demolition
permits. The total costs are based on
residential costs and nonresidential
costs. The two types of construction are
not directly tied to the other, but that
relationship does exist.
Due to the
recent economic slowdown it is difficult to
predict if the construction increases will
continue or if they have peaked at the
current levels.

D-31

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�TABLE 28
BUILDING PERMITS AND CONSTRUCTION IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1980-1990

I&gt;. i? .·
::: . . ·.Jtesidential
: }!i;•! l(~ar " . . : : ;m t.JotJ/
. T:..¢ost .
$14,590,866

182 I

·-

--------

I

---- I

909
918

24,911,073

825

14,637,274

1,078

27,331,343

1,129

45,435,389

1,115

37,147,672

1,232

41,322,260

1,056

54,972,931

1,247

56,032,524

51

----------------------------

1,317

70,225,417

38,867,046

38

----

1,270

77,429,293

-------

12,096

434,012,979

1,099.6

$39,455,725.4

12,323,763

715

12,587,310

21

142 I

8,176,562

661

6,460,712

22

276 I

18,512,349

790

8,818,994

12

11984

323 I

21,834,841

777

23,600,548

29

5

241 I

19,082,101

18,065, 571

28

-1986
1987
-1988
-

282 I

24,048,332

846
921

17,273,928

29

303 I

31,444,666

705

23,528,265

48

358 I

35,263,549

849

20,768,975

40

401 I

36,549,704

33,675,713

374 I

38,562,247

865
858

I

1982
1983
I\)

207 I

~ql}&gt; r }f C6$( &lt;

A:i: ·J:..¢;6st ).&lt; t

- - -

$6,976,937

1981

l,

· No?

Demolition/&gt;·•·

661 I

1980

0

I
I
I

.,. Nowesidential..

41

1989
-1990
-Total

3,089

$260,388,980

8,648

$210,623,999

359

Average

280.8 I $23,671,725.5

786

$19,147,636.3

32.6

--

I

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$21,567,803

SOURCE: Estimates with imputation; Construction Statistics Division, U.S. Bureau of Census

. . . . 1111 _, 1111 . . . . . . -

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employment projections were developed
by Woods and Poole Economics, Inc.
and are calibrated to the 1990 Census.
An analysis of Table 29 is included under
the section describing Future Labor
Force, page D-39.

Employment Projections
Projections of employment in Midland
County are presented in Table 29. The

TABLE 29
EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS - MIDLAND COUNTY
.,
'.•:

..

'l(,

1990 '"•:•

1995\: .

2005 ···'

2000

2010

2015

19902015

::

:

.•·

Change

40,620

45,110

47,440

49,440

51 ,140

52,540

29.3

550

520

500

480

460

440

-20.0

40,070

44,590

46,940

48,970

50,680

52,100

30.0

36,640

41,040

43,390

45,430

47,180

48,660

32.8

170

170

170

180

180

190

11 .8

30

30

40

40

40

40

33.3

3,780

4,030

4,200

4,340

4,460

4,540

20.1

12,950

13,480

14,190

14,760

15,200

15,540

20.0

Transportation,
Communications,
&amp; Public Utilities

580

580

570

550

530

510

-12.1

'Nholesale Trade

530

590

700

800

910

1,000

88.7

Retail Trade

4,740

7,000

7,340

7,630

7,890

8,100

70.9

Finance,
Insurance &amp;
Real Estate

1,690

1,760

1,820

1,880

1,920

1,950

15.4

12,180

13,380

14,360

15,260

16,070

16,780

37.8

3,440

3,550

3,550

3,530

3,500

3,440

0.0

Federal Civilian

160

160

170

180

180

190

18.8

Federal Military

170

160

150

140

130

130

·23.5

3,110

3.230

3.230

3,220

3,180

3,130

Total Employment
Farm
Non-Farm
Private Employment
Agricultural

Services
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing

Services
Government Employment

State &amp; Local

SOURCE: Woods &amp; Poole (1992)

D-33

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Future Economic Development
Development Strategy

-

The Midland County Economic
Development Corporation (MCEDC)
contracted with the Battelle Institute, a
private research company, for an
analysis and recommendations regarding
the economic development of the
Midland County area. As a result of the
Battelle analysis, a group of "targeted"
industries was identified.
A targeted
industry is one in which attraction (or
retention) efforts should be concentrated
and which best matches the County's
strengths to growth-oriented industries.
Since the analysis was performed the list
of target industries has changed very
little.
Targeted
manufacturing
identified were:

-

industries

Plastic and Rubber Products
Electronic Components
Electric Lighting, Wiring Equipment
Motor Vehicles, Parts
Soap, Detergents. Cleaning
Preparations
Drugs
_ Instruments
_ Paints, Varnishes &amp; Allied Products
_ Electrical Machinery
Metal Forgings
- Miscellaneous Fabricated Materials
_ Electrical-Industrial Apparatus
_ General Industrial Machinery
_ Fiber Optics

-

nonmanufacturing

Specialized Repair and Supply
Services
- Electronics
- Laboratory Equipment

To implement the activities designed to
attract the targeted industries and to
carry out a range of other development
activities, the Midland County Growth
Council (MCGC) was formed. Established under the State of Michigan's
Community Growth Alliance program, the
MCGC was organized into three service
delivery groups, which provide economic
development assistance to businesses
throughout the County.

_
_
_
_
_

Targeted
include:

Data Processing
Professional Organizations
Headquarters, Administrative
Functions
Regional Headquarters for
Insurance and Banking
Professional Support

Retention and attraction efforts and
related activities were concentrated in the
Area Development Office (ADO), through
the Midland County Economic
Development Corporation. The Small
Business Assistance Center (SBAC) was
run by the Midland Chamber of
Commerce while the Local Procurement
Office (LPO), which assisted companies
in securing government contracts, was
handled on the Tri-County level (Midland,
Bay, Saginaw) by the Saginaw Area
Community Growth Alliance. In June of
1991 the Midland County Growth Council
and the Midland County Economic
Development Corporation merged to
form the Midland County Economic
Growth and Development Corporation
(MCEGDC).

activities

Business Services
Software Development

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Another goal of the Convention and
Visitors Bureau is to form a cooperative
working relationship between local
governments, private sector leadership,
trade and civic associations, and
individual suppliers (hotels, motels,
restaurants, entertainment, etc.). This
supportive network helps build Midland
County's visitor and convention industry.

Industrial Parks

Midland County is home to a variety of
industrial and research parks. There are
currently eight existing parks and one
research park. There are 22 industrial
park lots currently available for
construction and five available research
park lots. Ownership of the parks varies,
as does certification between the parks.
For details concerning individual parks
refer to Table 30. Map 7 shows the
general locations of the industrial and
research parks.

Within the Bureau are three special
committees - Amateur Sports Capital,
Meetings and Tours, and Promotion and
Advertising. These committees develop
the strategies used to attract the four
target groups to the Midland area.

Tourism

The Bureau solicits the four target groups
to take advantage of Midland County's
many resources. Once a group has
chosen Midland County as a destination,
the Bureau assists the group in preplanning the event and helps to arrange
for accommodations in one of the
Midland area's 590 sleeping rooms. The
Convention and Visitors Bureau also
provides promotional materials and any
other assistance a group may require .

Midland County offers a large variety of
activities that are not only designed to
entertain area residents, but to attract
visitors from other parts of the state and
country as well. In 1984 Midland County
established a Convention and Visitors
Bureau to supplement the area's
Chamber of Commerce and to enhance
and promote the area as a destination
point for visitors. The Bureau currently
has a full-time staff of two and receives
additional assistance from the Chamber
of Commerce. . The Convention and
Visitors Bureau has targeted four primary
groups to attract to Midland County.
These include:
•
•
•
•

The Convention and Visitors Bureau is
primarily funded by a two percent
assessment levied on hotel and motel
room charges. In 1990, $117,000 was
derived through this assessment. The
importance of the Bureau can be seen
by the amount of money and jobs
created through tourism. In 1986 the
U.S. Travel Data Center reported that
tourism accounted for $52 million in
direct sales and 1, 100 direct jobs in
Midland County. The Center established
a multiplier of 0.78 that raises the total
sales to nearly $100 million and the total
number of tourism related jobs to nearly
2000. The Bureau estimates that since

Meeting and convention planners
Sports events planners
Motor coach operators
Individual visitors

The primary goal of attracting these
groups is to diversify the County's
economic base by increasing the number
of visitors to Midland County - especially
overnight visitors.

D-35

�11

TABLE 30
MIDLAND COUNTY INDUSTRIAL AND RESEARCH PARKS

'}{::;::::;;:::::

Yea? t

Opened •·•

0I

I MEDC/MCEDC

1971

39

16

16

0

Class A Industrial Park

The Lincoln Industrial Park I N. Kaweck

1973

40

6

5

1

No City Water

Venture Drive

I D. Johnson

1976

15

12

12

O

I No City Water

Larkin Commercial Park

I J. Johnson

1986

40

13

5

North Point - Phase I

I D. Johnson

1987

25

19

19

Fox Hill Park - Phase I

I J. Bartos

1988

40

4

2

Midland Development Park

8 I No City Water

o I Many Retail Developments
2 I No City Water
11 I Class A Certified Industrial Park

Eastwick Industrial Park

MCEGDC and
338 Corp.

1988

85

18

7

Water Tower Center

F. Gerace

1988

48 I As Needed

(2)

All I Old Martin-Marietta Plant
22

w
0)
TOTAL

8

332

88

66

44

10

5

5 I Class A Technology Park

44

10

5

5

Research Parks
Eagle Ridge - Phase I
TOTAL

MCEGDC

1989

SOURCE: Midland County Economic Growth and Development Corporation (MCEGDC)

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Portage Street

Kalamuoo, Michigan 49001

0-37

�•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

hockey. Additionally, over 20 outdoor ice
skating rinks exist, four toboggan runs,
cross-country skiing and a curling center
associated with the Midland Community
Center.

1986 tourism related income has
increased between five and 15 percent
annually. This estimate is based in part
on the increase in room assessment fees
the Bureau has received annually since
1986.

Midland has 16 soccer fields - a sport
that is increasing in popularity - to serve
the needs of residents and visitors alike.
Midland is also the home of the Dolphins
- a swimming team - and offers yearround swimming at the Midland
Community Center and local hotels as
well as outdoor swimming at two
municipal pools and beaches at local
parks.

While the Convention and Visitors Bureau
has four primary target groups, the
Bureau has also established a primary
target area - Southeastern Michigan and
Northern Ohio. This area has been
chosen because of the large population
base and the relatively short travel time .
The short distance to Midland is being
used to attract visitors interested in long
weekend visits - an option that more
people are choosing as a vacation
option.
In 1989, 55 percent of all
vacation trips taken in 1989 lasted three
nights or less and nearly half of all
vacation trips were taken over a
weekend. This, along with the area's
many attractions, is one of the details
used to attract visitors to the Midland
County area. .

Sport Fishing

Sport fishing in Midland County is a
growing industry due to the quality of
fishing and recent national recognition.
In the November 1986 issue of 1.n.:
Fisherman, Midland County was called
''The Best Fall Walleye Fishing in North
America," but fall is not the only season
for fishing in Midland County.
The
walleye run in the fall and spring and
May is the best time of the year for white
bass fishing. A large variety of fish can
be caught in the summer. Fishing in
Midland County is concentrated in the
Tittibawasee River and Sanford Lake.
Sanford Lake is a blocked portion of the
Tittibawasee River that is 11 miles long
and covers 1,250 acres. According to
the Midland County Convention and
Visitors Bureau more than $1 million was
invested in capital and local fish planting
between 1977 and 1987. Two-thirds of
the anglers come from the Bay-MidlandSaginaw area. Annual walleye fishing
tournaments are held to promote tourism
and recreation use. The Bureau's goals
for sport fishing include attracting 20,000

The details used to attract sporting event
planners to the area are numerous.
Midland has 17 softball diamonds and 1o
baseball diamonds for men's, women's
and youth fast and slow pitch ball.
Midland was the 1991 host of the
National and World Championship
Softball Tournament.
The Midland
Community Tennis Center has 32 tennis
courts - 16 of which are indoor. The
Center has a teaching staff, a pro shop
and sponsors many major tournaments.
In addition to the Community Tennis
Center there are over 40 additional tennis
courts throughout the area.
Midland has two indoor ice arenas for
figure skating, speed skating or ice
D-38

�I
some industries may have objectionable
aspects needing large acreage for
buffering, coupled with the availability of
land at lower costs, lower taxes and a
community willing to grant incentives,
may enhance development potential in
outlying areas.

fishing enthusiasts per year, to generate
34 new jobs, and to create a flow of
$1,350,000 per year in the local
economy. Additionally, a new walleye
rearing pond is being investigated and a
fishing map that lists access sites,
campgrounds, motels, restaurants, boat
servicing and tackle shops is being jointly
produced by Midland and Saginaw
counties.

Future Labor Force

Given the targeted industries and the
development potential of the County,
some implications for the labor force that
will be needed can be estimated. As
seen in Table 26, the Employment By
Occupations, the labor force of the
County is heavily oriented toward white
collar employment; Craft and Kindred
and Operatives make up less than 30
percent of the work force. Several of the
targeted industries, on the other hand,
require blue collar laborers in large
numbers. Others will require additional
skilled laborers. Therefore, it may be
expected that the need for workers in the
Craft and Kindred and Operatives
occupations will increase.

Finally, the Convention and Visitors
Bureau is promoting Midland County as
a destination for motor coach operators.
This type of vacation plan is increasing in
popularity in the Midwest. With Midland
County's many sites of interest, festivals
and central location in Michigan it is an
ideal destination for motor coach tours.
Development Issues

Since the Economic Growth and
Development Corporation operates on a
county-wide basis, a number of
development issues have been identified
as needing attention. Among these
issues is the need for cooperation
between the City of Midland and the rest
of the County, particularly with regard to
availability of land and utilities. In this
regard, more involvement by the
townships will be needed.
One
significant vehicle to increase cooperative
efforts will be the County Economic
Growth and Development Corporation.

I
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The future employment projections listed
in Table 29 describe the changes that will
likely occur in the composition of the
County's labor force.
The overall
number of employees working in Midland
County by 2015 is expected to increase
by 11,920 or 29.3 percent.
During the same period (between 1990
and 2015), the County's working age
population (16-64 years of age) is
projected to increase by 16, 151 persons.
Comparing existing and projected ratios
of working aged people to jobs, it is
apparent that there will be a lower ratio of
jobs to people in 2015. In 1990 there
were 40,620 full-time and part-time

The need for cooperation may become
apparent should surrounding or outlying
communities promote their areas for
growth to increase their tax base. As
noted in the Industrial Siting section,
development in nonutility service areas
has the potential for long term
environmental problems. The fact that
D-39

l

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•
•
•
•
•
•

•
•

employees in the County. This indicates
that 81.9 percent of the 49,576 residents
between the ages of 16 and 64 were
employed in 1990.
In 2015 total
employment (full-time and part-time} is
projected to be 52,540. This represents
79.9 percent of the County population of
16-64 year olds (65,727) in 2015. If the
ratio of jobs to working aged residents is
to remain at 1990 levels (i.e. 81.9%) there
will need to be 53,830 jobs in 2015, or
1,290 jobs more than the 52,540
projected. If those jobs are not available
in the County, then the unemployment
rate can be expected to be higher than
the current rate, or workers will leave the
area in search of other employment,
thereby reducing the labor force and
retaining a lower rate of unemployment.

70 jobs. All other private sector forms of
employment are expected to increase.

While the overall employment projections
indicate that employment will increase in
Midland County not all areas will
increase.
Private employment is
projected to increase by 12,020
employees (32.8%), but government
employment ls expected to remain the
same. While government employment is
projected to remain the same, there will
be fewer military employees, more federal
civilian employees and slightly more state
and local employees.
Employment
projections for the private sector vary
considerably between the categories on
Table 29.
The largest shifts in
employment (gains and losses) are
projected to occur in the private sector.
Farm employment is projected to
experience the largest decrease (110
fewer jobs) of all the employment
categories. The second largest numeric
loss is expected to occur in
transportation, communications and
public utilities employment with a loss of

Other areas where a high rate of private
sector growth is projected to occur
include manufacturing, which is projected
to increase by 2,590, or 20.0 percent.
Retail trade is expected to increase by
3,360 or 70.9 percent and construction
employment is projected to increase by
760, or 20.1 percent. Wholesale trade is
expected to increase by 470 employees
and finance, insurance and real estate
employment is projected to increase by
260 employees.

One of the main reasons that private
employment is projected to increase is
due to the dramatic employment
increases expected in the service
industries. Employment in service related
fields is expected to increase by 4,600 or
37 .8 percent. It is projected that by
2015, 37.8 percent of employment will be
in service related fields. Currently 29.6
percent of employment is in service
related fields. These figures indicate that
people currently employed in farming,
transportation, communications and
public utilities, will either leave Midland
County or find alternate employment in
service related fields .

Industrial Siting

Given the targeted list of industrial and
service products of the Battelle
Development Strategy, and taking into
account the development constraints
present, the following site criteria for
industrial growth are most relevant for
Midland County.
1. Utilities and Energy Supplies - With
the exception of the electronics and
D-40

�Constraints

data processing industries, large
volumes of water and sewer usage
may be required for each targeted
industry group. While water may be
available outside of the City of
Midland or the Midland Urban Growth
Area, the availability of sewage
disposal is limited. Energy supplies
~.e., gas and electricity) may be
limited outside of urbanized locations
and power transmission corridors.

While significant advantages exist for new
industrial development, particularly in the
areas of quality of life and labor force,
Mure development potential may be
significantly constrained in the County by
the following factors.

Utilities
This is the most significant hindrance to
growth in the County. Without public
sewer and water the range and intensity
of industrial and commercial uses will
continue to be limited.

2. Transportation - For each of the
targeted industries, possibly excluding data processing, availability of an
efficient transportation network,
especially highway and rail access, is
essential. The U.S. 10 Corridor, and
the CSX Railroad serving the chemical industry, fulfills this requirement.

While the Midland Urban Growth Area
(MUGA) has been effective in
concentrating development within the
City of Midland it is apparent that
annexations will continue to be contested
by some surrounding units of
government.
In addition, these
governments have some policies that
indicate the promotion of new
development. Should this development
materialize without public utilities a
significant potential for environmental
problems exists.

3. Hazardous/Industrial Wastes - A
major factor, particularly in the drug
and chemical industries, is the
availability of disposal sites for
hazardous wastes.
While Dow
Chemical has provided its own
facility, its availability for other
chemical processors or drug
manufacturers is uncertain.
4. Land Use Policies - In nearly all of
the townships where utilities are not
available the limitations on growth for
industrial facilities are recognized.
The availability of the other criteria,
as noted in this section, tends to
reinforce those policies. However, as
residential development increases in
some townships the need for
increased tax base to support this
development may create a more
aggressive posture toward attracting
new industrial and commercial
development.
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Transportation

1

New inventory and production
procedures, particularly those such as
the "Just In Time" supplier system where
inventories of production facilities are
deliberately kept at a minimum, make
transportation networks a critical item.
Midland County is disadvantaged in that
the regional north-south link to other
industrial markets, I-75, is some distance
from the County, although a suitable
connection does exist. In addition, no
major regional east-west link is available.

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1987 dollars increase at a much smaller
rate. Between 1990 and 2015 the percapita income is projected to increase by
274.1 percent {current dollars), and the
mean household income is projected to
increase by 205.4 percent {current
dollars). Using the 1987 dollars figure
the per-capita income is projected to
increase by 33.5 percent and the mean
household income is expected to
increase by 9.0 percent. This indicates
that each household will be able to
purchase 9 percent more with a pay
check in 2015 than was possible in 1990 .

Income Projections

The income projections for Midland
County (Table 31) were compiled by
Woods and Poole Economics, Inc. The
per-capita income and the mean
household income are projected to the
year 2015 and are shown in current
dollar figures and 1987 dollar figures.
The 1987 dollar figures
are listed to
show the actual spending power increase
of per-capita incomes and mean household incomes.
Figure 10 graphically
demonstrates that while current dollar
figures rise sharply the figures based on

TABLE 31
MIDLAND COUNTY PER-CAPITA AND
MEAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME PROJECTIONS
"'

1989 Current Dollars

·•·-:-· ·.•.

1987 Dollars

· Midland
Qounty

Per Capita
Income

Mean
Household
Income·

1990

$19,729

$52,746

$17,200

$45,986

1995

$23,872

$61,879

$17,138

$44,423

2000

$31,922

$79,413

$18,673

$46,455

2005

$42,544

$101,353

$20,163

$48,035

2010

$56,588

$129,070

$21,728

$49,559

2015

$73,811

$161,104

$22,961

$50,117

SOURCE: Woods and Poole {1992)

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Mean
Per Capn.a Household
·••·-••·1ncome
Income

�FIGURE 10
MIDLAND COUNTY PER CAPITA INCOME PROJECTIONS AND
MEAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME PROJECTIONS

INCOME
( $1000)

MEAN HOUSEHOLD
INCOME (CURRENT
DOLLARS)

175

150

125

100
PER CAPITA
INCOME (CURRENT
DOLLARS)

75

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e---.---..---'"'!::'7"o:::;;..,._.,____,. MEAN

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a:::::==~--..---......- -.....--◄ PER

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HOUSEHOLD
INCOME (1982
DOLLARS)
CAPITA
INCOME (1982

O - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DOLLARS)
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
YEAR

SOURCE: Woods &amp; Poole, 1992

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Planning_ and Development Relationships

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PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Michigan Recreation Action Program.
1987-88. Michigan Department of Natural
Resources: The Action Program was an
element of the Recreation Plan and
described events of the previous year as
well as expected events for the coming
year.
Due to reduced funding the
Federal government no longer requires
this portion of the recreation plan. Since
it is no longer required, the Action
Program was discontinued.

The purpose of this section is to describe
and analyze plans formulated by other
governmental bodies and agencies which
have some relevance to or affect on
Midland County. This is accomplished in
order to ensure that the greatest degree
of coordination between the various
planning initiatives is obtained. It is
important to recognize that the planning
authority of the County is a part of a
broad range of other governmental and
quasi-governmental authorities .

The Recreation Division of the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
updated the criteria for project selection
in 1990 in two separate publications
entitled The Michigan Natural Resource
Trust Fund Criteria and Guidelines" and
"Michigan's Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Selection Process. The
reports list the criteria used to select
proposals for these two programs. The
criteria are identical for both programs
and use a point system for weighing
the importance of the various criteria.
A summary of the criteria is shown in
Table 32 .

State of Michigan Plans

The State of Michigan conducts planning
initiatives in a number of functional areas
relating to state-wide needs. For the
purpose of this Plan these areas have
been divided into three categories;
Recreation, Transportation, Natural
Resources and Environment.
Recreation

Michigan Recreation Plan, Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, 1985:
This plan identifies overall state-wide
recreation goals.
Midland County is
included with Isabella, Gratiot, Saginaw
and Bay counties as a planning region.
Therefore, the data in the Plan includes
these other counties, known as Region
7A.
The Recreation Division of the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources (MDNR) is currently updating
the State's Recreation Plan. A draft of
the plan update was completed in 1991
as Appendix B of the 1991-1996
Michigan Recreation Plan.

The three main grant programs that
relate to recreation in Michigan are:
-

Protecting Michigan's Future Quality
of Life Bond

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Michigan Natural Resources Trust
Fund
Michigan's Land
Conservation Fund

and

Water

Since 1987 there have been several
recreational projects in the County that
have used these programs for recreational funding.
In 1987, the City of
Midland received a Federal Land and
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�Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for
acquiring land for the Sanford County
Park.

Water Conservation grant to construct a
boat launch and river walk. In 1988, the
City received a land acquisition grant
through the National Resources Trust
Fund for the Chippewa Lagoon property.
Also in 1988, the County obtained a

In 1989, the City of Midland participated
in the Recreation Bond Program to
renovate Plymouth Pool.

TABLE 32
SUMMARY OF CRITERIA FOR PROJECT SELECTION

Use of Significant Natural Resources
Use of Water Resources
Special Populations
Proximity to Urban Population

40
30
30
20

50

Response to Proposal to Identified Recreational
Needs
Applicant Need for Project
County and Regional Needs as Identified in
the State Recreation Plan

I
60

Response of Proposal to Statewide Recreation Issues

35

15

40

Capability of Applicant
Performance on Past Grants
Commitment to Recreation

30
10

Site and Project Quality

30

Special Initiatives of the Department

20

Financial Need of the Applicant

10

Local Match

1o
TOTAL POSSIBLE MAXIMUM POINTS

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SOURCE: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Recreation Division
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�Michigan Trails System Plan. 1980.
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources: The purpose of this plan is
to outline programs for the development
of recreational trail systems for bicycling,
hiking, snowmobiling, horseback riding,
off-road vehicles and cross-country
skiing. Four development alternatives
are presented, with no particular
preference stated. The alternatives are:

-

The following list of recreational activities
are currently adequate in Midland
County:

---

1. More trails on State lands and more
trails on non-State land with State
support.
2. More trails on State land, no State
support for non-State trails.
3. No new trails on State land,
increased State spending for nonState trails.
4.

Present development
continued.

Local park land
Ballfields
Outdoor basketball courts
Golf courses
Outdoor ice rinks
Picnic areas
Playgrounds
Sledding hills
Soccer fields
Outdoor swimming pools

Regionally, the area is deficient in many
recreational opportunities as listed below:

system

---

The only direct notation of Midland
County is a ma·p showing a portion of a
long distance off-road vehicle trail starting
in the Sanford area and continuing north
into Gladwin County and beyond.
Another plan that deals with trails in
Michigan was published in March 1992.
The Michigan Trails Initiative Plan will be
important to Midland County since the
County is undertaking a rails-to-trails
project. This report is Appendix C of the
1991-1996 Michigan Recreation Plan.

Boat launches
Campgrounds
Cross-country ski trails
Fishing access
Fishing piers
Hiking trails
Horseback riding trails
ORV areas and trails
Snowmobile trails
Swimming beaches

The only recreational activities adequately
served in the region are nature areas,
nature trails and land available for
snowmobiles.

The 1985-1990 Recreation Plan lists
county-wide recreational deficiencies and
regional deficiencies, which are the
following:
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Indoor ice rinks
Rifle ranges
Shotgun ranges
Tennis courts

Midland County has 41,953 acres (or
65.55 square miles) of State land - 83
acres in State boating/fishing sites and
41,867 acres in State forests.

Archery ranges
Bicycle trails

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�Transportation Plan in that duplication of
services is minimized and different
transportation systems are related to air
travel - both passenger and cargo.

Transportation

Michigan State Transportation Plan.
1982-1990, 1982, Michigan Department
of Transportation:
This important
document represents a description of the
goals and policies of the State
Transportation Commission for the 19821990 period. In doing so, the plan
identifies transportation needs, programs,
funding resources and priorities and
management of resources. One policy
direction of the plan of interest to Midland
County, as it is to all local governments,
is the emphasis on increasing the role of
local government in transportation
funding and service. The plan also links
the roles of transportation and economic
development.

The plan has three parts that directly
relate to the Airport System Plan. One
relates to general aviation facilities, such
as Jack Barstow Airport; the second is
an Air Service Study and relates to
commercial airports such as Tri-City
International Airport; the third portion of
the Plan deals with heliports.
Information relating directly to the area's
airports can be found in the Transportation section of this plan report.
Natural Resources and Environment

Michigan's Forest Resources, Direction
for the Future.
1983, Michigan
Department of Natural Resources: Early
in Michigan's history forestry
management was nonexistent. Wholesale clearing of timber resources
decimated the logging economy of the
area. In the years since, the national and
state perspective on forestry resources
has shifted from neglect to protection
and management. This plan recognizes
the economic value of forest resources
while supporting increased management
of forest lands. It should be noted that
within the context of the plan, recreation
is also recognized as a significant use of
forested lands.

The plan will not be updated until
sometime between 1993 and 1995.
Currently, the method in which the plan
will be updated is being studied and
discussed.
The Michigan State
Transportation Plan has several sections
that have been updated or refined since
1982 - The three modal (Highway, Air,
Public Transportation) investment plans
are used to allocate resources to correct
identified needs.
The needs were
identified in the 1984-1985 Michigan
Highway and Non-motorized Needs Plan.
In addition to these plans, an annual
program is designed that lists
improvements to be made on an annual
basis. The Federal lntermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of
1991 requires the Michigan Department
of Transportation to prepare a state-wide
transportation plan by January 1, 1995.

Michigan's Oil and Gas fields. 1980.
1982, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources: This inventory and statistical
summary indicates that through 1980
(from 1925) Midland County had
produced the second highest volume of
oil production and number of oil wells of

Michigan Aviation System Plan, Michigan
Department of Transportation. 1990 2.QlQ: This plan relates to the State
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�water and groundwater (including the
Great Lakes), and trace metals in the
environment. Issues ranked MediumHigh include contaminated sites,
contaminated surface water sediments,
generation and disposal of hazardous
wastes, generation and disposal of highlevel radioactive waste, generation and
disposal of low-level radioactive waste,
generation and disposal of municipal and
industrial solid waste, photochemical
smog, and point-source discharges to
surface water and groundwater (including
the Great Lakes). Issues ranked Medium
include accidental releases and
responses, acid deposition, criteria and
related air pollutants, and electromagnetic fields.

any county in Michigan. New oil wells
and production continues in Midland
County but not at the rate of prior years.
Michigan Solid Waste Policy, 1988.
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources: This policy describes the
goals designed to decrease the State's
dependence on landfills. A hierarchy of
solid waste disposal has been
established that is designed to promote
the most cost-effective disposal
alternatives first. The policy stresses
waste reduction, reuse, composting,
recycling and waste-to-energy projects.
Any waste remaining after all of these
options have been exhausted will be
placed in landfills. The goals established
in the policy extend to the year 2005.

Regional Plans

Michigan's Environment and Relative
Risk:
Based on the Relative Risk
Analysis Project (RAAP), this report
presents a ranking of relative risks of
several environmental issues. Many of
the issues have been and should be
addressed in comprehensive land use
planning and environmental and
management programs.
The RAAP
ranked environmental issues into four
levels. Issues r.anked High-High include
absence of land use planning that
considers resources and the integrity of
ecosystems, degradation of urban
environments, energy production and
consumption (practices and consequences), global climate change, lack of
environmental awareness, and stratospheric ozone depletion. Issues ranked
High include alteration of surface water
and groundwater hydrology (including
the Great Lakes), atmospheric transport
and deposition of air toxics, biodiversity/
habitat modification, indoor pollutants,
nonpoint source discharges to surface

Adjacent Counties

Most plans for adjacent counties are
outdated or in the process of being
updated. A review of the comprehensive
plans that are available did not reveal any
land use conflicts. Other plans deal
principally with economic development
issues. The plans reviewed include:
•

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Saginaw County Development Plan,
1970-1990 - Saginaw County's 1970
plan has not been updated. A new
state prison has been built in
Tittabawasee Township that will
house 605 prisoners and employ 300
people.
Since this township is
adjacent to Midland County the
prison will have a direct impact on
Midland County, especially Ingersoll
Township. The future expansion of
the Tri-City International Airport will
also effect Midland County, since the
airport services Midland County, Bay

�adjacent to Bay City are currently
trying to encourage development.
This can effect Midland County if the
townships attract development that
can occur in Midland County. A new
98-slip transient mooring site for
pleasure boats has also been
constructed in Bay County.

County and Saginaw County.
Tttabawasee and Richland townships
have recently implemented new
zoning ordinances - both townships
are adjacent to Midland County.
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Gladwin County Master Plan
Gladwin County's master plan was
updated in 1988.
Currently the
county is trying to adopt county-wide
zoning - close coordination between
counties will be necessary. Gladwin
County has recently appointed a
Parks Commission and is currently
working on a recreation plan for the
county.

•

Isabella County Comprehensive Plan
(1986) - In addition to the
comprehensive plan the county also
has a solid waste management plan
in place and a transportation study is
currently underway. Future plans for
Isabella County include studying the
feasibility of a waste-to-energy
program, cooperative planning in
regards to drainage, and the
construction of a county landfill
(currently all solid waste is shipped
out of the county).

Clare County - Clare County has no
master plan and an inactive planning
commission.
Currently the East
Central Planning and Development
Commission is working on a plan for
the county.
The county is also
planning on reactivating the planning
commIss1on. Clare County has a
solid waste management plan that
has been approved by the M.D.N.R.

East Central Michigan Planning and
Development Region (ECMPDR)

The ECMPDR (Region 7) has completed
a number of plans with some relevance
to Midland County.
Bicycle Plan (1982): Following a general
discussion of biking as a mode of
transportation, a map is included which
identifies roads the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources recognizes as
suitable for biking.

Bay County - Bay County has no
comprehensive plan at this time, but
several other plans exist. One of the
more major plans in the county is the
solid waste management plan which
was completed in 1990. Currently
there is one landfill in Bay County,
with another scheduled to begin
operations. Other facts relating to
both Bay County and Saginaw
County include the improvements to
U.S. 10 in 1990 - since many people
live in one county and work in the
other, especially commuters to Dow
Chemical. Many of the townships

Overall Economic Development Program
(OEDP) Reports (1990): In order to
qualify for grant funds which may be
available through the Economic
Development Administration (EDA), which
is a part of the U.S. Department of
Commerce, potential projects must be
consistent with the annual OEDP. The
OEDP also describes a general
development strategy which presents a
historical perspective as well as future
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directions. The only Midland County
project that was listed in the 1990 OEDP
was the M-20 economic development
project.

and utilization of the area's natural
resources.

Another regional plan that can affect
Midland County is the Remedial Action
Plan for Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay.
Although the Saginaw River does not run
through Midland County, any areas in the
Saginaw Bay Drainage Basin are
included if they are known or suspected
sources of contaminates to the Saginaw
River and/or Saginaw Bay.

The Midland County Planning
Commission has prepared and adopted
development plans for County facilities
and capital improvements which include:

Midland County Development Plans

County Facilities Master Plan - 1990
Update - This plan prescribes a planning
program for County buildings and
facilities.
It describes the status of
planning, developing and maintaining
each of the County facilities in
accordance with ten successive
development factors. The development
factors include: 1) goal setting, 3) needs
assessment, 3) data analysis, 4) project
evaluation, 5) building concept plans, 6)
architectural drawings, 7) final project
cost, 8) construction schedule, 9)
secured funding and 10) preventive
maintenance program.

Saginaw Bay Resource Conservation
and Development Area

An application is on file with the USDA
Soil Conservation Service to develop a
five- or ten-year regional plan (15
counties) and establish the Saginaw Bay
Resource and Conservation Development
Area. Problems relating to agriculture,
water quality, recreation, transportation
and recycling are to be addressed when
the plan is funded. One of the objectives
of the plan will be to promote economically viable and environmentally sound
agricultural, forestry and
related
industries in the Saginaw Bay Resource
Conservation and Development Area. A
second objective is that an adequate
supply of quality ground and surface
water is available for domestic, livestock
and recreational uses. Assuring that
sufficient natural resource-based
recreational oppor- tunities exist is the
third objective of the proposed plan. The
fourth objective is to provide economic
opportunities with improved and
expanded recreational and commercial
transportation facilities.
The final
objective is to increase recycling
opportunities to improve conservation

Preventive Maintenance Program: All
County facilities will require a preventive
maintenance program. Those County
facilities that have completed all of the
development factors above except
institution of a preventive maintenance
program include:
-

County Fairground Structures
County Services Building
Courthouse
Festival House
Horizons Building
Mosquito Control Facility
Pinecrest Home
Road Commission Office Building and
Garages
- Sanford Lake County Park
Maintenance Building

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�costs for each year for the scheduled
projects include:

- Sanford Lake County Park Picnic
Pavilion
- Sheriff's Department Emergency
Services Building
- Veterans Memorial County Park Picnic
Pavilion
- Veterans Memorial County Park
Restroom Building
- West Midland County Park Restroom
Building

1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998

$8,029, 157
$6,167,264
$2,876,261
$2,670,406
$2,532,849
$2,535,971

An additional $12,000,000 in nonscheduled new building construction
brings the total expected capital outlay to
$36,811,908.

Other Development Factors: County
buildings and facilities that are still in the
planning stage of development include:

New building construction and debt
service costs comprise the largest
percentage of the six-year capital
improvement costs.

- Animal Control Center Improvements
- Children's Center
- Chippewa River Access Site
Improvements
- County Fairground Structures (Future)
- County Jail Expansion
- Courthouse Exterior Restoration
- Courthouse Maintenance and Storage
Shed Relocation
- Emergency Operations Center
- Harbour House Improvements
- Linear County Park Improvements
- Manitou County Park Improvements
- Mental Health Out-Patient Facility
- Pine Haven Recreation Area
Improvements
- Road Commission Office Building and
Garages (Future)
- Sanford Lake County Park Pavilions
- Sanford Lake County Park Storage
Building
- Veterans Memorial County Park Picnic
Pavilions

Comprehensive Community Corrections Plan

The Midland County Comprehensive
Community Corrections Plan includes
data analyses, alternative to incarceration
programs, and architectural programs for
the construction and operation of a
County jail and a juvenile detention and
treatment facility (commonly referred to
as a "Children's Center"). Alternatives for
additional jail capacity are prescribed, as
well as the planning steps to determine
the treatment and counseling programs
and the number of beds for a juvenile
detention and treatment facility.
Solid Waste Management Plan

Capital Improvements Program

The Midland County Solid Waste
Management Plan Update was adopted
in October 1988. The Plan includes both
a five-year and 20-year program for
recycling, resource recovery, and
disposal of 400 tons of solid waste per

The 1993-1998 Capital Improvements
Program includes 100 capital
improvements. The projects scheduled
for 1993-1998 will cost $24,811,908. The
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�for lower income families, and promoting
greater coordination between local
government units when dealing with
housing issues.

day for the year 2007. Specific programs
are described in the Solid Waste
Management section of this report.
Affordable Housing Study for the Outcounty Area of Midland County

Midland County Strategic Plan

In September 1990 the County issued a
report on the Midland County Strategic
Plan. The document was prepared with
input from the County Board of
Commissioners, elected officials and
department heads. The report covers all
County functions, grouped into six
sections: Data Base, Financial Data,
Overall County Goals, Health and Human
Services Goals, Justice and Public Safety
Goals, Administrative and Management
Goals and Physical and Economic
Development Goals.

The Midland County Housing
Commission completed a housing study
in 1991. The plan focuses its attention
on "out-county" residents, or those
Midland County residents that live
outside the City of Midland. 1980 and
1990 Census data are used in the plan to
describe the population of the County as
well as housing statistics such as the
median value of housing in Midland
County. A 26-question survey was also
used to obtain information from area
residents. The Census information and
survey results were used to create
profiles for each of the townships in the
County as well as the City of Coleman.
The target population of the plan are
households earning less than $30,000
annually.
According to the survey
conducted, 47' percent of out-county
households meet this criteria. Similar to
the Midland City's Comprehensive
Housing Affordability Strategy, an
affordability matrix is used to determine
rent or monthly payments that are
affordable to area residents. The plan
anticipates that by 1996, an additional
2,464 to 2,954 housing units will be
required in Midland County. Within this
range approximately 41 percent should
be single-family homes, 1O percent
mobile homes, 11 percent duplexes and
38 percent should be multi-family
dwellings. The man objectives of the
plan are to create a new position aimed
at coordinating all housing assistance
programs in Midland County, create
more subsidized housing opportunities

The Midland County Comprehensive Plan
should be compatible with and reinforced
by the County Strategic Plan.
Cooperation should exist between the
two documents.
In this regard the
County Board of Commissioners should
coordinate the following Strategic Plan
actions with the County Planning
Commission:

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Senior Housing Needs {A-3) by the
Council on Aging.

•

Permanent Mental Health Facilities
(A-7) by the Midland-Gladwin
Community Mental Health Services.

•

Common Data Base/Assessment
Center (A-8, A-10, A-20) by the
Midland-Gladwin Community Health
Services, County Health Department
and Michigan Department of Social
Services.

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River Protection Plan

New Program Design and Delivery
{A-23) by the Cooperative Extension
Service.

•

Environmental Protection (A-25) by
the Cooperative Extension Service.

•

Infrastructure Improvements (D-1) by
the Economic Development and
Growth Corporation.

•

Research Capabilities (D-2) by the
Economic Development and Growth
Corporation.

•

Local Unit Cooperation (D-3) by the
Economic Deve.lopment and Growth
Corporation.

•

Information Systems Planning (D-9)
by the County Planning Department.

The Midland County River Protection Plan
applies a model master plan to Homer
Township to demonstrate how to use
and preserve the river and stream
corridors in the County. In addition to
the master plan model, the plan report
contains a set of model zoning standards
and regulations for the townships to use
in applying overlay zoning techniques to
preserve and protect water quality,
scenic resources, recreation access, and
sensitive natural environments.
The
report also contains a "self-help"
quidebook for developing a river
protection plan for other communities.
Local Government Plans

•

Each township, the Village of Sanford
and the cities of Midland and Coleman
have master plans, or comprehensive
plans. These plans vary widely as to
detail, information provided and degree
of adequacy for planning purposes.
Most, however, have either stated or
inferred goals upon which their plans are·
based. These goals have been synthesized and stated in general terms for the
purpose of establishing goals for the
County.

Update and Formulate Other
Planning Functions (D-10) by the
County Planning Department.

Recreation Plan 1988

Midland County's 1988 Recreation Plan is
an updated plan as required by the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources for recreation and park land
acquisition funding.
The plan is
scheduled to be updated in 1993,
however, it does serve as a guide for the
use and preservation of park land. The
plan report contains long-range and
short-range goals, recreation concepts
and standards, and an implementation
program of recreation development and
priorities.

One significant problem that exists
throughout the County is a general lack
of consistency in the format and content
of adopted master plans. Some of the
inconsistencies and deficiencies noted
include:
-

E-10

Lack of clearly stated goals.
Inconsistent methodologies to determine existing and future land use,
land use and population projections,
economic development projections,
or other related planning elements.

',_
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understanding of the many communities
in Midland County has been compiled.
These descriptions are in the Community
Facilities section of this plan report.

_ Mapping differences in scale and
information depicted.
_ Lack of coordination with surrounding governmental units.
_ Use of questionable data.
_ Out-dated plans.

Agricultural Goals: Although not all areas
in agricultural production may be
considered as prime farmland, those
areas under cultivation should be
maintained and protected against the
intrusion of low density residential uses
and public utilities.

From the information available some
common goals, policies or directions
were evident. These were used in the
formulation of the overall County land
use goals in the 1987 Land Use Plan.
The Midland County Planning Department completed an inventory of County,
municipal and township master plans in
November 1992. The inventory (fable
33) shows that many of the plans need
to be either updated or completely
overhauled. Many of the community's
plans consist of only land use plans these communities should prepare other
elements in order to develop a broader
information base and understanding of
the community.

Conflicts: A number of the master
plans recognized the value of
agriculture but noted that the soils
were not particularly suited for
extensive agricultural use. In those
instances emphasis was placed on
those areas which might be identified
as prime agricultural land.
Residential Goals: Where public water
and sewer service availability is limited or
nonexistent, residential use should be
limited to large lots, generally one acre or
greater.

Municipal Goals and Policies

An inventory of each community's master
plan was conducted to determine areas
of consistency and to identify any
conflicts. Many of the goals and policies
between communities that were either
specifically listed or could be inferred
were similar in nature; some were
duplicated in two or more townships.

Higher density residential development
should be limited to locations with existing adequate sewer and water systems.
Future areas should be planned where
utilities might be provided at a later time.
A range of housing styles and types
should be provided.
Mobile homes
accommodate the need for lower cost
housing, however, more detailed
regulations are needed to ensure
compatibility with other housing types.

For the most part, the stated or inferred
goals and policies of the municipalities
were relatively consistent. The conflicts
that do exist appear minor and are
summarized below.

Conflicts: No clear conflicts are
evident although a number of plans
identify mobile home development as
an issue to be addressed. Several

Through discussions with municipal
officials a more thorough description and
E-11

�TABLE 33
STATUS OF COUNTY, MUNICIPAL AND TOWNSHIP MASTER PLANS:
NOVEMBER 1992
11 \ YfilliWtasB:
· · .· · •,&lt;·•·•· · · "'J;;~G!JJ
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Coleman City

1972

1991

Goals, Strategies, Parks Plan, Downtown Plan,
Industrial Development Plan, Land Use Plan

Edenville Township

19n

1988

Goals, Objectives, Land Use Plan

Geneva Township

1975

Greendale Township

1980

1988

Land Use Plan

Homer Township

1980

1987

Land Use Plan

Hope Township

1974

Ingersoll Township

1982

1992

Land Use Plan

Jasper Township

1981

1986

Land Use Plan

Jerome Township

19n

1989

Land Use Plan

Larkin Township

1982

1992

Goals, Objectives, Land Use Plan

Lee Township

1974

1979

Land Use Plan

Lincoln Township

1974

Midland City

1972

1991

Goals, Policies, Land Use Plan, Streets
and Highways Plan

Midland County

1974

1993

Goals, Policies, Land Use Plan, Transportation Plan,
Housing Plan, Community Facilities Plan, Economic
Development, Environmental Management, Planning
Coordination

Midland Township

1980

1992

Goals, Policies, Land Use Plan

Mills Township

1983

1991

Goals, Objectives, Land Use Plan

Mt. Haley Township

1975

Land Use Plan

Porter Township

1983

Land Use Plan

Sanford Village

1972

Land Use Plan, Thoroughfare Plan, Recreation Plan

Warren Township

1984

Land Use Plan

Statement of Intent

I
I

Statement of Intent

Land Use Plan

SOURCE: Midland County Planning Department; Gove Associates Survey

E-12

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where utilities are unavailable. Where
possible industrial parks should be
developed or planned in areas where
utilities might be expected.

plans report rapid increases in the
use of mobile homes on individual
lots and mobile home parks. Some
townships state the need for more
restrictive residential zoning
classifications or mobile home
regulations.

Conflicts: Some degree of difference
in industrial development occurred
between community plans.
Two
relatively defined approaches are
evident. In the majority of cases, the
plans recognize that the potential for
industrial development is limited by
locational factors, such as highway
and rail access, and by the lack of
proper utilities.

Commercial Goats:
Commercial
development should be limited to areas
provided; generally located at major
intersections or along major streets.
Strip shopping areas should be
discouraged .
Commercial establishments should be
limited to those which accommodate the
immediate needs of local residents.
Expanded shopping opportunities are
available in Midland, Mt. Pleasant,
Shepherd, Coleman and Sanford.
Except for these communities there is a
limited market for other than local
residents' needs.

Other plans indicate the need for
industrial development to help the
local economy and strengthen the tax
base.
In the case of Midland
Township this policy is proper given
its relationship to the City of Midland.
Edenville and Greendale townships
appear willing to accept Mure
industrial development and have
outlined the conditions under which
that growth should occur.

Conflicts: No major conflicts are
evident in the recently updated city
and township plans. The City of
Midland and Larkin Township have
coordinated their land use planning,
thus eliminating the potential conflict
in their previous master plans
regarding the regional shopping
center and its fringe commercial
development north of U.S. 10.
However, problems of strip
commercial development still exist in
the City of Midland and many of the
townships.

No resolution of these differences is
necessary because the plans which
identify strong economic growth as a
goal have well reasoned approaches
towards achieving their goals.
Recreational Goals:
Adequate
recreational areas should be provided for
all residents and visitors. Many areas
have extensive recreational resources
that should be maintained and preserved
from appropriate development.

Industrial Goals: Industrial development
is limited because of a lack of utility
service.
Light industrial uses are
appropriate in some instances but heavy
industrial uses should be discouraged

Conflicts: No conflicts are apparent
in the recreational goals.

E-13

�Coleman Strategic Plan

Environmental Goals:
Natural areas,
including forest resources, floodplains,
river areas, lakes and shore lines, should
be preserved from development. The
use of these areas for private recreation
should be encouraged as a way to
preserve these resources.

In July 1991 the City of Coleman
completed its strategic plan under a
Department of Commerce Communities
in Transition grant. The plan presents
strategies dealing principally with the
Mure of the City, however some of these
strategies have potential implications
beyond Coleman in Midland County.

Groundwater quality should be protected
through proper utility planning and
control over septic and well systems.

The strategies which impact Midland
County involve the following issues:

Conflicts: No conflicts are apparent
in the environmental goals.

Regional recreational impacts from
proposed rail-to-trail project.

Comprehensive Housing Affordability
Strategy - City of Midland

Community Center to serve school
district residents.

The City of Midland completed a housing
study in November 1991. The plan,
which focuses on housing affordability in
the City of Midland, also contains
information that relates to the Midland
Urban Growth Area and the County as a
whole. The five-year plan projects the
housing needs of the population to 1996.
The needs are broken down to project
the needs for various households by
income levels,
senior citizens,
handicapped persons and homeless
families and individuals.
The
implementation portion of the plan, or the
strategies, includes methods to determine the amount of rent or mortgage that
people with different income levels should
be able to afford. The main objectives of
the plan include creating a new position
in the City that would be responsible for
finding affordable housing for residents;
expanding the availability of land for
residential development; establishing
1,000 affordable units during the five-year
period; and expanding the City's housing
rehabilitation program.

Cooperation between Coleman and
the school system and adjacent local
units of government in recreation.
Development of a 40-acre
industrial park in Coleman.

new

The County should monitor these issues
in Coleman to ensure that future
implementation programs by the City are
compatible with the County's
Comprehensive Plan.
Future Land Use Composition

A composite of generalized future land
uses as depicted in the local plans is
illustrated on the Composite Future Land
Use Map (Map 8). The map portrays the
general land use goals common to most
municipalities.
However, not all the
municipalities address the same future
land use categories as proposed in the
updated Comprehensive Plan for the
County.

E-14

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�Transportation

�TRANSPORTATION

The Midland County Road Commission
has performed an inventory of County
roads which details such information as:

This section describes how transportation
facilities both support the County and
help shape its development. Much of the
system has been built in response to
growth within the County. However, in
many instances the provision of a major
facility has indirectly induced
development.
By recognizing that
relationship and defining deficiencies in
the system, the County can protect a
major public investment and efficiently
allocate future expenditures.

-

This 1991 inventory will help coordinate
planning efforts, as well as detail areas of
the County that are in need of
improvements.

Traffic

•
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Traffic statistics require the coordination
of State, County and local transportation
planning in order to assure that a
complete traffic count is available and to
assure that duplication of counts is
minimized.
An improved system of
obtaining traffic counts would benefit not
only the County Road Commission in
determining traffic and road conditions
but local and county planning efforts as
well. A comprehensive look at traffic
patterns could assist in the determination
of the best locations for commercial and
industrial uses, planning for new roads
and numerous other applications.
Without current and accurate traffic
information sound planning decisions are
difficult to make and federal aid may be
affected, including the following federal
aid programs:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Federal
Federal
Federal
Safety
Federal

Year of last surfacing
Primary roads
Local roads
Surface types
Surface condition

Major Thoroughfares

The County recognizes three major
classifications of roads.
These
classifications and descriptions follow:
State Trunklines: These are major routes
falling under the jurisdiction of the
Michigan Department of Transportation .
Their primary purpose is to facilitate
through traffic movements in conjunction
with the state-wide highway system .
Some direct land access may also be
present, such as along M-20, M-18 and
M-30, however, most automobile service
needs are accommodated at highway
interchange points.
County Primary:
These are routes
serving longer distance trips between
major points of destination within the
County. Primary roads are planned to
facilitate through-traffic movements but
allow direct access for homes and
businesses. There are presently about
289 miles of County Primary roads .

Aid Urban System
Aid Secondary System
Aid Hazardous Elimination
Aid Critical Bridge

F-1

�are intended to provide
functional classification.

County Local: The local street system
provides the travel network within the
County necessary to serve populated
areas. This system allows free access to
homes and businesses and is designed
for short to medium length trips
connecting to the primary and state
trunkline roads. There are presently
about 580 miles of County Local roads.

is

called

The functional classification system for
roadways is used by the Federal
Highway Administration and the Michigan
Department of Transportation to help
make decisions on where to spend
limited funds. The County could use the
system in a similar manner, thereby
helping to protect the public investment
in roadways. The system is shown on
the accompanying Street and Highway
Functional Classification map (Map 9).
The proposed system for the City of
Midland uses the national-state "urban
functional classification system," which is
functionally interrelated with the "rural"
system.

Highway and Street Functional
Classification System

Streets have two basic roles in the
transportation system:
1) to allow
through-traffic movement, and 2) to
provide access to adjacent land uses.
Some streets serve one role more than
the other. For example, a highway is
typically designed for traffic movement,
while the main function of a local
residential street is to provide access to
homes.

The functional classification system for
Midland County uses criteria established
by State and Federal road authorities.
Since the roads lie outside an area
defined as urbanized (the City of
Midland), they have been designated by
the State as "rural." Planning which is
conscious of this hierarchy of roads
helps produce an efficient transportation
system and assist in decision-making.
The Midland County system is based on
the following criteria:

The inherent problem is that those two
roles often conflict, such as along certain
segments of M-20. Designed to enhance
long distance travel, M-20 serves
travelers between Midland and areas to
the west. However, as the frontage
properties developed, access became an
important function. Vehicles entering and
exiting those uses disrupt the long
distance travelers, creating periodic
congestion, accidents and driver
frustration.

Rural Major Arterials (Example: U.S. 10)

-

To help limit the conflicts between traffic
movement and access, the County
should coordinate transportation and
land use decisions.
This can be
facilitated by designating streets
according to their functional purpose.
The process of grouping roadways
according to the character of service they

-

-

F-2

Primary role is movement of traffic
through the State
Long length
High traffic volumes and vehicle
speeds
Limited number of access points,
minimum interference to through
movement
Limited number of traffic control
devices

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Rural Minor Collectors (Example: Stark
Road)

Generally less than five percent of
overall Rural System

Rural Minor Arterials (Example: M-20)

_

_

_

_
_

-

Primary role is movement of traffic
between cities
Long length
High traffic volumes and vehicle
speeds
Serve major traffic generators
(industrial areas, etc.)
Spaced at intervals to ensure that all
developed areas are within a
reasonable distance
Somewhat limited number of access
points which interfere with through
traffic
Traffic control devices (signals) favor
arterial traffic
Typically 10 percent of overall Rural
System

_
_
_

_

Local Streets (Example: the various
segments of Miller Road)

_

Rural Major Collectors (Example:
Coleman Road)

-

-

II

•
•

Dual role of traffic movement and
access to adjacent land uses
Shorter length (typically less than 10
miles long)
Low to moderate traffic volumes,
moderate speeds
Serve smaller communities and local
traffic generators
Spaced at intervals to collect traffic
from local roads and transport Major
Collectors and Arterials
Approximately 15 percent of overall
Rural System

-

Primary role is movement of traffic
within the County
Shorter than arterials
Moderate traffic volumes and speed
Serve traffic generators such as
major schools, county parks, small
towns and important agricultural
areas
Provide connections with arterial
roads
Numerous access points for
adjacent development
Traffic control is often through
signals and/or signs
Typically 10 percent of overall Rural
System

-

F-3

Include all roads not classified under
above categories
Primary role is to provide access to
adjacent land uses
Short length
Low traffic volumes and speed
Provide short distance connections
with higher classed roads
Includes 60 percent or more of the
roads in the County system

�- F

srRE ·,-ANo-~·-H1Gi-iWAY
FUNCTIONAL
CLAS IFICATION SYSTEM
MIDLAN COUNTY, MICHIGAN

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Kalamazoo, Micluaan -49001

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Waldo Road - This project would involve
improvements to the U.S. 10 interchange
area to improve traffic flow.

System Improvements

Proposed road improvements are based
on the State's traffic safety improvement
program, the 1992 road millage proposal
and Midland County Road Commission's
Long Range Transportation Plan. The
projects include:

Stark Road Extension - This project will
consist of extending Stark Road from
U.S. 10 to M-20 Highway.
Bay City Road/U.S. 10 Interchange- This
project would involve reconstructing the
interchange as a functional, fulldirectional interchange.

State Road Improvements

State Trunkline Construction - The
Michigan Department of Transportation's current 10-year program has no
major construction projects scheduled in
Midland County. M-20, however, will
undergo safety and capacity improvements between Meridian Road in Midland
County and Mt. Pleasant in Isabella
County in the near future. Several minor
improvements are scheduled during this
period, but are not expected to impact
traffic flow to any great extent.

Eastman Road - This project includes
reconstruction and widening from the
Meijer Store to Monroe Road.
Related Plans and Programs

Several transportation related plans and
programs are also recommended,
including:
A Traffic Count Program to determine
changing traffic patterns and help
determine priorities of road
improvements. Currently, complete
traffic counts are performed by the
County Road Commission annually
throughout the County with the
assistance of summer help. The
Road Commission is in the process
of putting this data into a computer
format.
At this time computer
generated maps are available at the
township level that include such data
as the year each road was last
surfaced, the classification of the
roads, the surface type and the
condition. The maps have been
produced to assist in establishing the
transportation needs of Midland
County .

County Road Improvements

Meridian Road Connector (M-30) - This
project would include a bridge over the
Tittabawassee River to connect Meridian
Road with M-30 Highway.
Gordonville Road - This project would
involve bridge construction and road
improvements from Meridian Road to
Poseyville Road, including improvements
to Homer, Dopp and Gordonville Roads.
Poseyville Road - This project includes
reconstruction and widening from Nold
Road to Gordonville Road.
North Saginaw Road - This project involves reconstruction and widening from
the Midland City limits to Stark Road .

F-5

�Tittabawassee River to Isabella Road

_ An updated and continuously
maintained Sign Inventory Program
to ensure the regulatory signs meet
safety standards and are regularly
maintained. Since 1987 a complete
inventory of the County's signs has
been performed by the Midland
County Road Commission and is
updated whenever a new sign is
installed or an older sign is replaced
or removed.

(M-20).

2. Meridian Road Connector - The 1992
plan recommends connecting
Meridian Road across the
Tittabawassee River.
3. Gordonville Road Improvements and
Pine River Crossing - The
transportation plan recommends
upgrading Gordonville Road to an all
season truck route and constructing
a bridge across the Pine River at
4 3/4 Mile Road.

_ A Nonmotorized Trail Plan to improve
the recreational opportunities for
bicyclists, joggers, is in progress.
_ Corridor studies of major commercial
strip areas to identify techniques to
improve traffic operations, safety,
aesthetics and business vitality. The
street segments which should be
considered for this type of linear
study include M-20 (Midland City
limits to Isabella County line),
Saginaw (Sanford to Dublin Road
and possibly extending to Bay City
Road upon agreement with the City
of Midland).

4. Widen North Saginaw Road - The
transportation plan recommends
widening the segment of North
Saginaw Road between Dublin Road
and Hope Road to four lanes.

Midland County Long-Range Transportation Plan

The City of Midland operates a Dial-ARide bus network which provides
transportation to anyone within the City
limits. Regular fees for the service are
$1.00 - senior citizen's, handicapped
person's and children's fees are $0.50.
The service does not support itself and is
subsidized by the City, State and Federal
governments. The annual budget to
operate the service within the City is
$760,000. Dial-A-Ride consists of 12
buses - seven of which are equipped
with lifts to provide access for
handicapped persons. The buses are
operated by six full-time drivers and 14
part-time drivers. In addition to drivers,

5. Poseyville Road - The transportation
plan recommends increasing the
number of lanes on Poseyville Road,
south of Ashby Road, to four lanes.
Public Transit

This plan was completed in March 1992
and includes such information as 1989
traffic counts, descriptions of
transportation levels of service and five
recommendations for major
improvements to the County's road
system.
A brief description of the
recommendations follows:
1. Stark Road Extension - The
transportation plan recommends
extending Stark Road South, from N.
Saginaw Road, across the

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Air

there are six additional employees
including dispatchers, administrative and
supervisory personnel. Annually over
137,000 passengers use the service.

Jack Barstow Airport

This facility is a general aviation airport
located west of the Midland County
Fairgrounds, north of U.S. 10 and west of
Eastman Road. There are two paved,
lighted runways. The north-south runway
is 3,000 feet in length and 75 feet wide.
The east-west runway, which was
extended from 3,000 feet to 3,800 feet in
1987, is also 75 feet wide.
This
extension was accomplished with a
$241,000 grant from the Federal
government. Further improvements were
scheduled in 1991. Taxiway rehabilitation
and extension is planned and will be
accomplished with the assistance of a
$400,000 grant.

Currently a county-wide transportation
system is not being planned. If the
public, the various municipalities and
townships decide that a county-wide
system would be beneficial and feasible,
the County Planning Commission should
evaluate the feasibility of such a system.

Rail freight service in Midland County is
provided by two carriers - CSX Railroad
and Central Michigan Railway. The CSX
rail system which crossed Midland
County has been abandoned and is
currently being developed as a "rails-totrails" project.

With the Tri-City International Airport
located so close to the Jack Barstow
Airport no major airlines operate out of
Jack Barstow. The Jack Barstow Airport
is primarily used for recreational aircraft
and small businesses' private aircraft.

The County's two largest users of the rail
system are the Dow Chemical Company
and the Dow Corning Corporation. The
Dow Chemic~I Company receives an
average of 10,000 rail cars annually and
ships out an average of 5,000 railroad
cars annually. Dow Chemical does not
foresee any great changes in these
numbers in the immediate future. Dow
Corning currently has 1,400-1,500 in-andout transactions per year and is
expecting a five to six percent growth in
rail service annually. When the Midland
Cogeneration Venture Electric and Steam
Plant was under construction deliveries
were being made to the facility, but since
construction is finished, and fuel to
power the plant is piped in (natural gas),
no rail service is required at this time.

Tri-City International Airport

The 3,000-acre Tri-City International
Airport is located nine miles northwest of
Saginaw near Freeland, Michigan. The
airport serves the Saginaw area, the
Midland area and Bay County. There are
currently two runways located at the
airport. The main runway is 8,000 feet
long and 150 wide and the crosswind
runway is 6,500 feet long and 150 feet
wide.
Two airlines, United and
Northwest, operate from the airport's
single gate.
In addition to the two
airlines, there are two commuter services,
Continental Express and Skyway. There
is an average of 18 commercial flights in
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�improvement to the airport's facilities is
the addition of a third runway to be
located parallel to the main runway. Any
Mure improvements may require the
acquisition of land adjacent to the Tri-City
International Airport.

and out of the airport per day. Annually
there are over 6,500 commercial flights
serving 468,000 passengers from TriCity's facilities. There are both shortterm and long-term parking facilities,
which are operated by a separate
concession, available at the airport.

Private Air Facilities

The annual budget for the airport is $3.2
million. This figure does not include the
$1 to 2 million that is received from the
Federal government.
The City of
Saginaw, the City of Midland and Bay
County each contribute $50,000 towards
the airport's annual operating budget.

Dow Division - The Dow Division has
private flight operations from the main
Dow facilities. Annually, approximately
75 helicopter flights arrive and depart
from the facility. Emergency equipment
consists of portable fire fighting
equipment. No navigational equipment is
operated from the Dow facilities and
there are no plans for expanding the
facilities.

The Tri-City International Airport has its
own fire department that includes four
crash and rescue vehicles, one
emergency response vehicle and one
automobile.

Midland Hospital Center - A helipad is
also located at the Midland Hospital
Center for emergency medical services,
but is currently not in use. The program
was established in 1986 and conducted
approximately 25 flights per year.
Portable fire fighting equipment would be
used for any emergencies, and the fire
department is one block away. There
are no current plans for expansion or
continuation of use.

A noise impact study was recently
performed for the Tri-City International
Airport. The study outlines existing noise
impact on the area, and also projects
impacts over the next 1O years. It is
based on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FM) acceptable noise level
standards.
The airport's master plan is currently
being approved by the FM. In 1987,
$1,130,000 in grants were received for
improvements made to taxiways, utilities
and service roads. During the next year,
1988, $2,775,000 was received for land
acquisition, the extension of runway #32,
approach clearing, new lighting and new
firefighting and rescue vehicles. Runway
#523 was improved in 1989 with a grant
for $2, 146,000. No major improvements
were performed in 1990. The airport is
anticipating a grant for $2,500,000 for
apron improvements. The largest slated

Nonmotorized Transportation

Nonmotorized transportation typically
includes bicycling, hiking, walking,
running, cross-country skiing and
horseback riding. These activities are
usually accommodated on multipurpose
trails where possible. Outside the City of
Midland nonmotorized transportation
routes are not designated. Although
there are a few trails provided in the
County parks, state forests and
. recreation areas, there is no county-wide
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system of nonmotorized transportation
integrated with the recreational resources
and tourist attractions of the County.
Currently there is no County plan for the
designation, funding and development of
nonmotorized transportation corridors.
Existing state programs, however, do
provide for the planning and
development of nonmotorized transportation services and facilities. A multicounty regional bicycle plan, which
includes Midland County, does exist but
it is nonspecific as to route location and
development in respect to Midland
County's attractions and natural
resources and rights-of-way that are
potentially available for the nonmotorist.
Resources exist for the development of
an integrated county-wide system of
bicycle routes and hiking trails. The
abandoned CSX Railroad right-of-way is
one major resource. In addition there
are state forest trails and County and
local road rights-of-way that could be
interconnected with the CSX Railroad
right-of-way, County parks, recreational
areas, state forests and tourist attractions
to form an integrated county-wide nonmotorized transportation system. To
provide a basis for the planning and
development ·of a county-wide nonmotorized transportation system, County
agencies and municipalities should avail
themselves of public and private funding,
including the State Natural Resources
Department's
Michigan
Natural
Resources Trust Fund and Federal Land
and Water Conservation Fund and the
State Transportation Department's Nonmotorized Transportation Fund .

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Community Facilities

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COMMUNITY FACILITIES

sewer service available and capacities
exist for serving a greater area. The City
of Midland has adopted a sewer and
water extension policy known as the
MUGA or Midland Urban Growth Area
Policy. Simply stated, the MUGA policy
is that utility service will only be provided
if one of two conditions occur. If a
property is inside the MUGA boundary
but outside the city limits, utilities will be
provided if the property is annexed. If
outside the MUGA boundary, utilities will
only be provided to a governmental
agency. The only instance in which this
has happened is in the Midland County
Water District No. 1. The system has a
current capacity of 6.5 mgd, and is
operating at 100 percent of capacity. A
new facility is located adjacent to the
existing wastewater treatment plant and
will increase the wastewater treatment
plant's optimum capacity to 1O million
gallons per day with peak flow capacities
of twice that amount. Based on the
City's 1990 population of a per-capita
capacity of 264 gallons per day, or
96,360 gallons per year, will be available
once improvements to the wastewater
treatment plant are complete.
Peak
capacities on a per-capita basis will be
twice these figures.

Community facilities, such as schools,
parks and libraries are elements that can
set one community apart from another.
Other less visible elements such as
utilities, waste management and
governmental services also shape the
character of Midland County.
This
section describes the wealth of
community facilities in the County and
how they should be maintained and
planned for the future.
Utilities and Services
Sanitary Sewer

Two municipal sanitary sewer systems
are in operation in the County. The City
of Coleman operates a lagoon treatment
system which serves the entire city. The
lagoons are located on a 40-acre site
northeast of the City, south of U.S. 10.
There are three lagoon cells; one nineacre primary cell and two additional cells
of four acres · each which receive
approximately 146,000 gallons per day.
With Coleman's 1990 population of
1,237, a per-captia flow of 118 gallons
per day, or 43,080 gallons per year, is
the operating capacity of the lagoons.
There are no industrial wastes flowing
into the system. No problems have been
reported in meeting treatment standards
and no expansions are planned. While
no expansions are currently planned the
system has the capability of being
expanded. Currently the sanitary sewer
system is operating at 60 percent of its
capacity.

Water

The need for potable water supplies in
the County is acute because of the
generally poor groundwater quality
caused by brine deposits. Most areas of
the County depend on groundwater for
water supplies. The areas covered by
public water services include the City of
Midland, the City of Coleman and
Midland County Water District No. 1.

The second municipal sewer system is
operated by and within the City of
Midland. Most areas within the City have
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�Midland County Water District No. 1 is
currently administered by the Midland
County Department of Public Works.
Areas served in Water District No. 1
include the Village of Sanford and
portions of Lincoln and Jerome
townships immediately adjacent to the
Village.
The Water District has a
200,000-gallon storage tank in the Village
of Sanford. Annually, 100-105 million
gallons of water are purchased from the
Saginaw-Midland water system by the
Water District and distributed throughout
the District. With an estimated population
of 4,027 for Water District No. 1, the percapita capacity is 70 gallons per day, or
25,453 gallons per year. Although the
District is administered by Midland
County, the system is owned by the
three municipalities. This was arranged
when the system was financed in 1969.
When the bonds are paid off by the three
municipalities new operational
arrangements will likely occur.
One
possible arrangement could consist of
the forming of a water authority between
the three communities. While the three
communities all have a part in the water
system each municipality is responsible
for the expansion of the system. During
the 1980s, 15 miles of watermains were
installed.

The City of Midland's water system falls
under the same extension (MUGA)
policy, as the sewer. When averaged for
the year, 21-25 million gallons per day
are pumped through the City's water
system. With the City's 1990 population
of 37,819 this translates to a per-capita
capacity of between 555 gallons per day
and 661 gallons per day. Annually, on a
per-capita basis, between 202,575 and
241,265 gallons of water is the current
capacity of the system. Of the 21-25
million gallons pumped per day in
Midland, between eight and nine million
gallons are for domestic use.

The City of Coleman's water system is
supplied by two 12-inch diameter deep
wells which pump an average of 180,000
gallons per day. Additionally, the City
has a six-inch backup well. Watermains,
which are connected to a 200,000 gallon
elevated storage tank and were constructed in 1986, cover most of the City.
The per-capita capacity (based on 1990
population figures) of Coleman's water
system is 145 gallons per day, or 52,380
gallons per year.

The volumes of waste generated within
the County, from residential, commercial,
industrial and special (consisting of
wood, demolition and construction
material, street sweepings and
agricultural material) are estimated to
total 597 tons per day in 1987, 622 tons
per day in 1992 and 665 tons per day in
the year 2007 - an 11.4 percent increase
over the next 20 years. Approximately
50.9 percent of that amount is agricultural
waste that will not enter the municipal

Solid Waste Management

Midland County has taken an active
planning role in the area of solid waste
management.
In 1988, the Midland
County Solid Waste Management Plan
Update was completed. That document
was developed under the requirements of
Public Act 641, the Solid Waste
Management Act and approved by the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources (MDNR) in 1990.
Waste Generation: The following is taken
from the 1988 Solid Waste Management
Plan:

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basis, in addition to a door-to-door
pickup. There are currently seven private
haulers operating within the County.

waste stream.
That is, agricultural
wastes are not expected to be deposited
at area landfills and therefore will not be
a consideration in preparing for facilities
to handle the County's solid wastes. The
remaining wastes, including residential,
commercial, industrial, wood products,
construction and demolition materials
and street sweepings are estimated to
total 343 tons per day in 1987, 361 tons
per day in 1992 and 400 tons per day in
2007. These are the wastes that will be
going to solid waste disposal facilities
and are the volumes that the updated
plan will be concerned with. Approximately 84 percent of the wastes entering
the County's waste stream are estimated
to be generated in the City of Midland in
1987.
By the year 2007, about 86
percent of the County's \'✓aste should
come from within the City.

Waste Disposal: Solid waste is disposed
of in facilities within the County.
Landfills: The City of Midland operates a
Type II sanitary landfill, the only
municipally owned and operated landfill
in Midland County. Type II landfills are
designed to handle nonhazardous
wastes such as typical municipal
household and commercial wastes. The
City landfill is a 100-acre site which
handles primarily residential and
commercial waste.
The City has
acquired in excess of 160 acres for future
expansion, extending the projected life of
the landfill beyond the year 2020.
Approximately 555,000 cubic yards of
waste were handled at the City of
Midland landfill in 1985/86. About twothirds of this waste is collected by the
City.
The City recently stopped
accepting refuse from outside Midland
County in order to extend the life of the
landfill. Waste is accepted from all of
Midland County.
The landfill was
licensed and approved by MDNR in the
fall of 1990.

Waste Collection:
The only public
collection service is provided by the City
of Midland Department of Public Works,
which collects waste from city residents,
commercial businesses and small
industries.
Large commercial and
industrial establishments in Midland
County contract with private haulers for
collection servic.e on an individual basis.
Even Dow Chemical and Dow Corning,
which operate their own hazardous waste
disposal facilities, contract with private
haulers for collection of office waste.

Dow Chemical and Dow Corning both
handle a portion of the waste generated
at their plants at their respective
hazardous waste landfills. Dow Chemical
received an operating license for a 152acre hazardous waste landfill. In addition
to hazardous waste, this facility handles
approximately 3,000 cubic yards per
month of solid waste, comprised primarily
of noncombustible packaging and
processing waste. The anticipated life of
the landfill is 30 years.

Most townships provide for some form of
optional or contracted door-to-door pickup by private haulers. Lee and Lincoln
townships provide transfer stations where
residents may choose to deposit their
own trash.
Porter Township has
arranged to have a truck parked at the
Township Hall and residents may deposit
their trash in the truck on a periodic

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FULL UTILITY SEREVICE
(WATER SUPPLY AND SANITARY SEWER)

- - - - - - - MIDLAND COUNTY WATER DISTRICT N0.1
(WATER DISTRIBUTION LINES)

' " ' " " " ' " ' MIDLAND COUNTY WATER DISTRICT NO. 1
BOUNDARY AREA

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1601 Portage Street
Kalamuoo, Michigan -49001

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Feasibility studies of a four-county
regional facility to serve Bay, Gladwin,
Isabella and Midland counties were
undertaken in the past. These studies
involved technical and economical
evaluations of cogeneration, electricity
and/or steam for Bay Medical Center,
Consumers Power Company, Dow
Chemical Company, Mt. Pleasant
Regional Center, and General Motors
using different technologies of direct
combustion and refuse derived fuel
processing. To date no definitive action
has resulted from these studies.

Dow Corning upgraded an existing
hazardous waste landfill, obtaining an
operating license from the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources. The
completed facility handles about 20,000
cubic yards of waste annually. Fifteen to
20 percent of this amount is comprised
of hazardous waste, and the remainder is
solid waste which has been exposed to
hazardous material. The facility has the
capacity to handle a total of 300,000
cubic yards of waste over its anticipated
25-year life.
A new landfill was opened in Bay County
in 1991, but currently has no out-ofcounty agreement. The new landfill is
located near Pinconning and is operated
by Traxler Rubbish and Garbage
Removal.

The only facility in Midland County
employing a limited amount of nonsolid
waste resource recovery is Dow
Corning's Steam
and Electric
Cogeneration (SECO) project.
The
SECO system produces steam and
electricity for use in manufacturing and
heating using the most economical fuel
available including wood, oil, gas or coal.
As recommended in the County Solid
Waste Management Plan, Dow Corning
may be encouraged to expand the SECO
operation to accept waste paper and
municipal wood waste.

Transfer Facilities:
There are two
licensed, publicly owned, Type B transfer
stations in operation in Midland County:
the Lee and Lincoln township transfer
facilities. Type B facilities are designed
to handle primarily residential and
commercial · waste from vehicles
unloaded by hand. Both facilities accept
primarily residential waste and are
experiencing no significant operational
problems. Private haulers in Midland
County also use the Tri-County Transfer
Station located in Gratiot County.

Recycling: Recycling in the County has
been expanded since 1988. The City of
Midland contracts with a private hauler to
operate a curbside collection system for
collecting newsprint, glass, plastic, metal
cans and corrugated cardboard. The
City also operates a yard waste collection
and compost system. A few townships
have
also established recycling
programs. The Midland Volunteers for
Recycling, Inc., a nonprofit corporation,
operates a recycling center at the City of
Midland landfill.
Brady News &amp;
Recycling, a private business, operates a

Incinerators: Dow Chemical operates
two incinerators in conjunction with Dow
Corning.
The incinerators burn
combustible packaging and processing
waste and currently do not have an
energy recovery capability.
Resource Recovery Facilities: At present
there are no solid waste resource
recovery facilities in the County .
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�recycling center for
marketable wastes.

a

variety

should be followed. Moreover, as it is
implemented, it should be carefully
monitored and adjusted to take advantage of new information and technology.
Table 35 provides a summary of Midland
County's proposed waste management
effort as delineated in the plan report.

of

Problems with Existing Solid Waste
Facilities: Although no problems with the
operation of the existing landfill or
transfer facilities within Midland County
have been reported, the recent closure of
a number of landfills in this area is likely
to increase demand for an affordable
disposal facility in the proximity of
Midland County. This problem has been
eased with the City-Township
agreements to use the City of Midland
landfill for disposal of solid waste.

Drains
Establishment and maintenance of
drainage systems is the responsibility of
the Midland County Drain Commissioner.
More than 1,100 drains service three
main drainage basins; the Kawkawlin,
Tittabawassee and Shiawassee drainage
basins. The majority of work accomplished on these drain systems is related
to cleaning and brush clearance.

Potential problems may also exist with
dumps previously located in many of the
townships. Unlike current 641 landfills,
most dumps were not designed to
provide for groundwater and other
environmental protection. The closed
dumps in Midland County are listed in
Table 34 and are shown on the Solid
Waste Disposal Sites map (Map 11).

New drains are established in
accordance with the Michigan Drain
Code. Actual administration is also
governed by the Drain Code. Each drain
is a corporation comprised of benefitting
property owners.

Problems with Existing Solid Waste
Management Practices: In the past, a
primary problem in solid waste policy and
decision-making has been a lack of
cooperation among the municipalities of
Midland County. This situation has led to
inefficiencies and a duplication of efforts
in the provision of solid waste services
and facilities. This problem has been
eased with the City-Township agreements to use the City of Midland landfill
for disposal of solid waste.

Funding for the Office of the Drain
Commissioner's administrative expenses
comes entirely from County funds.
Construction expenses come primarily
from funds assessed through the
individual drain corporations on a costper-acre benefit assessment.
The Drain Commissioner is also
represented on the Inter-County Drain
Board which deals with issues and
problems arising from drains affecting
adjacent counties. Other Board members include representatives of the
Michigan Water Resources Commission,
Michigan Department of Agriculture and
adjacent counties.

Future Direction: The recommended
future direction for the disposal and
management of solid waste has been
delineated in the County's approved
Solid Waste Management Plan. That
Plan sets forth a program of action which
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TABLE 34
CLOSED DUMPS IN MIDLAND COUNTY

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Dump

Site Size
(Acres)

Comment

1

City of Coleman

N.A.

Disposal area is 3-5 acres

2

Warren Township

N.A.

Disposal area is 5-8 acres

3

Edenville Township

40

4

Hope Township

40

5

Mills Township

5

6

Lincoln Township

40

7

Jerome Township

10

8

Geneva Township

N.A.

9

Greendale Township

80

10

Lee Township

40

11

Jasper Township

40

12

Porter Township

N.A.

13

Mt. Haley Township

40

14

Ingersoll Township

40

15

Dow Chemical Company Poseyville Road Site

N.A.

Disposal area is 108 acres

16

City of Midland - Currie Site

N.A.

Disposal area is approx. 13 acres

17

City of Midland - Tridge Site

N.A.

Disposal area is approx. 6 acres

18

Dow Chemical Company Rockwell Dr., Bay Co. Site

N.A.

Disposal area is approx. 1O acres

Also discontinued transfer station

Now used as a transfer station

Disposal area is 3-5 acres

Now used as a transfer station

Disposal area is 3-5 acres

N.A. denotes size not available
SOURCE: Midland County Solid Waste Management Plan, October 1988

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MIDLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN

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ACTIVE

SITES

CITY OF MIDLAND LANDFILL
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1 LOCATION: 4311 EAST ASHMAN

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DOW CHEMICAL LANDFILL
LOCATION: NE½SECTION 25

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DOW CORNING LANDFILL
LOCATION: 3901 SOUTH SAGINAW

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LEE TOWNSHIP TRANSFER STATION
LOCATION: E 1/2, NE 1/4SECTION 21
LINCOLN TOWNSHIP TRANSFER STATIO
LOCATION: SE 1/4, NE 1/-iSECTION 22

CLOSED DUMP SITES
18. (FORMER ACT 87 SITES&gt;
SEE TABLE 34, PG G-7 FOR

SOURCE: MIDLAND COUNTY SOLID
MANAGEMENT PLAN

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TABLE 35

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SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT LONG-RANGE OBJECTIVES

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I

I.

Develop a second county landfill site if the City of Midland landfill or a
private landfill is not available for long-term use

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II.

Identify alternate landfill sites in Midland County

Ill.

Investigate the feasibility of financial incentives for source separation of
recyclable materials at the home and landfill site o.e., variable fee structure
for separation of paper, glass, metals, etc.)

IV.

Support an economically sound rural collection program in conformance
with an adopted county-wide regional disposal plan

V.

Expand and support voluntary efforts which will encourage the formal and
institutionalized use of other feasible non-landfilling alternate solid waste
systems

VII.

Encourage appropriate and cost-effective local, state and federal legislation
to provide incentives for source separation, recycling and packaging
practices
·

VIII.

Endorse feasibility long-range regional resource recovery /recycling/disposal
plans

IX.

Assign within the county the responsibility of overseeing the implementation
of the adopted Solid Waste Management Plan (in conjunction with shortrange Objective X)

X.

Completely update the Solid Waste Management Plan every five years

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SOURCE: Midland County Solid Waste Management Plan, October 1988

G-9

�Existing County Park Facilities and
Activities

Recreation

Recreation is an essential element in the
make-up of any community. As more
leisure time becomes available to Midland
County residents the demand for
additional recreational opportunities will
increase. The County Comprehensive
Plan may be used as a guide for
providing these opportunities. Further
information may be found in the County
Recreation Plan, 1988.

The following table presents information
pertaining to County owned and/or
administered parks.
Existing County and municipal major
parks and recreation areas are listed in
Table 36 and Map 12.

TABLE 36
COUNTY OWNED AND/OR ADMINISTERED PARKS
Name

Acreage

Sanford Lake Park

90

Boat launch, concessions, picnic areas, picnic shelter,
playground, swimming, fishing, ice skating, crosscounty skiing, restrooms

Black Creek Campground

38

Rustic campsites, fishing access

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I

130

Canoe launch, nature trails, picnic areas, picnic
shelters, playground, fishing, restrooms, hiking

I

28

Ballfields, playground, restrooms, multi-purpose
basketball court

Pine Haven Recreation Area

320

Hiking, cross-country skiing, portable restroom
facilities

Chippewa River Access Site

20

Veterans Memorial Park

West Midland County Park

Activities /Facilities

Canoe Launch

Manitou Park
{220 Acres Planned)

154

Picnic area, canoe launch, fishing, hiking, {future
proposed activities: swimming, cross-country skiing,
sledding, camping)

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail of
Midland

402

Hiking, bicycling, pedestrian activities

TOTAL

1,182

SOURCE: Midland County Parks and Recreation Department

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COUNTY

LINEAR

PARK

PARKS

SANFORD LAKE PARK
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK
PINE HAVEN RECREATION AREA
4
WEST MIDLAND COUNTY PARK
5
BLACK CREEK CAMPGROUND
6
MILLS TOWNSHIP BALL DIAMONDS
7
COLEMAN SCHOOLS BALL DIAMONDS
8
PORTER TOWNSHIP BALL DIAMONDS
9
HOMER TOWNSHIP PARK
iO LEE TOWNSHIP PARK
11 LARKIN TOWNSHIP PARK
12 COLEMAN CITY PARK
13 SANFORD VILLAGE PARK
14 CITY OF MIDLAND - PINE RIVER SITE
15 WHITING OVERLOOK PARK
16 RIVER B!::ND PARK
'.7 MIDLAND CITY FOREST
~8 BARSTOW WOODS
19 CENTRAL PARK
~O CHIP PEW AS SEE PARK
::1 Dt.ERSCtl PARK
2 2 PLYMOUTH PARK
'23 ASHMAN DIAMONDS
24 MANITOU PARK
:_5 CHIPPEWA NATURE CENTER
26 FLATS CAMPGROUND
'27 GREE/'l'S LANDING AND BAITS
::.s T-K'S BOAT LAUNCH
'29 MIDLAND COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
::o M-K RIDING ST ABLE
31 WEST MIDLAND FAMILY CENTER
32 CHIPPEWA VALLEY CANOE LIVERY Sc CAMPGROUND
33 STRATFORD WOODS PARK
.34 WEST COLEMAN ROAD PARK
35 MARY STREET PARK
SOURCE : MIDLAND COUNTY

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MIDLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN

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system, gain the support of the riverfront
property owners for increased
recreational use and protective measures
of the river, and develop a prioritized
action program. This program would
help protect 95 miles of major rivers in
the County.
Midland County-owned
parks front on three miles of these rivers.
The City of Midland has about seven
miles of rivers and major streams. City
parks and the Chippewa Nature Center
preserve also front on these rivers. River
protection zoning by the townships would
help augment current river corridor
preservation efforts.

Municipal/Township Parks

Many of the communities in Midland
County maintain separate parks in order
to provide adequate recreational facilities
to area residents. Of the 16 townships in
Midland County eight maintain parks.
Three townships - Hope, Homer and
Midland - each maintain two parks. The
City of Midland has an extensive park
system and has over 1,000 acres (many
undeveloped) set aside for recreational
purposes.
The City of Coleman
maintains five parks and the Village of
Sanford maintains one park. Table 37
lists most of the parks, their acreages,
and the facilities currently available at
each of the facilities.
River and Stream Corridor
Preservation

In conjunction with the Midland County
Planning Commission, municipalities and
townships, the County Parks and
Recreation Commission is promoting the
preservation of river and stream corridors
in the County. This is being done by
promoting a model master plan element
and a set of zoning standards and
regulations for use by the municipalities
and townships. In addition to preserving
resources for recreation, the preservation
project is intended to improve water
quality, provide for increased recreational
utilization of the water, create a linked
system of the river corridors with other
recreational facilities, stimulate public
interest in protecting the natural
environment and scenic beauty of the
rivers, protect sensitive environmental
areas and wildlife habitat, minimize
flooding, improve safety of recreational
river users, develop a multijurisdictional
watershed management administration
G-12

�TABLE 37
TOWNSHIP /VILLAGE/CITY OWNED AND/ OR ADMINISTERED PARKS
·;:•,:·•.;::

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. Actlvities/FacHities ..

Mills Township Park

160
(5 acres developed)

Ball Diamonds

Hope Township Park

1

Ball Diamond

66
(25 acres developed)

Ball Diamonds, Pavilion, Picnic Area,
Playground, Nature Trail

Edenville Township Park

3

Ball Diamond, Pavilion, Picnic Area,
Playground

Lincoln Township Park

1

Ball Diamond, Soccer Field

Larkin Township Park

40

Ball Diamonds, Picnic Area

Whiting Overlook Park (Midland Twp.)

15

Playground, Bird Watching

Bob Moe Park (Midland Twp.)

5

Ball Diamonds

Homer Township Park

12

Ball Diamonds, Pavilion, Picnic Area,
Playground, Restrooms

Windover Park (Homer Twp.)

7

Ball Diamond

Woodside Park (Hope Twp.)

Lee Township Park

80
(5 acres developed)

/.

Ball Diamonds, Pavilion, Picnic Area,
Soccer Field

Adams Street Park (Coleman)

5

Little League, 2 Tennis Courts, Pavilion,
Picnic Area, Playground, Restrooms,
Camper Hook-Ups, Parking

Jackson Street Park (Coleman)

2

Lighted Ball Diamond, Concession Stand

Lions (Coleman)

1

Basketball Court, Forest

Mary Street Park (Coleman)

1

Undeveloped

Future Park (Coleman)

11

Undeveloped - recently acquired land

Sanford Park (Sanford Village)

10

Ball Diamonds, Boat Launch, Pavilion,
Picnic Area, Basketball Court, Playground

Riverbend Park (Midland)

1

Pine River Site (Midland)

560

Undeveloped

Midland City Forest (Midland)

520

Skating, Camping, Concession Stand,
Hiking, Snowmobile, Cross-Country
Skiing, Archery, Tobaggoning

Stratford Woods (Midland)
City of Midland Parks

50
1,050

Total

Boat Launch, Picnic Area, Fishing

Concession Stand, Hiking, Nature Trail,
Picnic Area, Swimming, Playground
Various neighborhood and City-wide
parks

2,601

SOURCE: Midland County Recreation Plan, 1988; Gove Associates Inc.

G-13

:

�•·
•
•
•
•
•

residents. A survey conducted in 1980
revealed that County residents wanted to
see parks developed that meet these
desires.

Future County Park and Recreation

Needs
The adopted Midland County River
Corridor Study proposed a standard of
1O acres per 1,000 persons as a spaceneed for County parks. Accordingly,
using the population projections
developed for the County Comprehensive
Plan, the following needs and deficiencies
may be expected (Table 38) .

Accordingly, it appears that with one
exception the general desires of County
residents are being met. This assumes
that Manitou Park and Pere Marquette
Rail-Trail will continue to be developed
with their proposed activities.

TABLE 38
COUNTY RECREATIONAL ACREAGE NEEDS*
Year

1990

Existing Acreage

1,182

Acres Required

Deficiency

756

0

1995

867

0

2000

912

0

2005

959

0

2010

1,007

0

2015

1,057

0

*Note: Reflects County-based acreage needs and deficiencies. The
information does not include local municipal need.
SOURCE:

Midland County Parks &amp; Recreation Plan; National Recreation and
Parks Association

The acquisition of the linear park acres
for the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail has
eliminated the expected deficiency of
future County park land.

One activity not addressed in the
County's recreation needs is fishing.
Recently the Tittabawassee River has
been recognized as an excellent walleye,
pike, steelhead and salmon fishing area.
This activity may also result in increased
tourism.

As the table indicates, the County has
provided adequate recreational space for
its expected population. Another
important aspect of recreational needs is
whether or not the range of recreational
activities
provided is meeting the
desires and expectations of County

As identified in the County River Corridor
Study and the 1988 County Recreation
Plan, abandoned railroad rights-of-way
should be evaluated for possible reuse
as linear parks. The Midland County
G-14

�Isabella County/Clare County line. Toe
cities of Coleman and Midland and the
Village of Sanford would be responsible
for development of the right-of-way within
the City and Village limits and the County
would have responsibility for
development outside the City and Village
limits. Planning and development of the
right-of-way should be coordinated.

Parks and Recreation Commission has
acquired and is now developing the
abandoned CSX Railroad right-of-way.
The Midland Foundation has purchased
the right-of-way within the City limits for
recreational use.
The right-of-way
extends from the 47 Building of the
Michigan
Division of
the
Dow
Chemical Company northwesterly to the

TABLE 39
COUNTY RESIDENTS' RECREATIONAL NEEDS

Parks that Preserve Nature

87

Veterans, Pine Haven,
Manitou

Parks with Picnicking and/or Backup

79

Sanford Lake, Veterans,
Manitou, Pine Haven

Parks with Swimming

70

Sanford Lake, Manitou
(Mure)

Parks with Many Activities

74

Sanford Lake, Veterans,
Manitou (future)

Parks with Ballfields, Tennis Courts,
Playgrounds

70

Sanford Lake, Veterans,
West Midland

Historical Areas with Programs

69

Parks with Swimming and/or Boating

54

SOURCE: 1980 Summary Report Recreation Survey

G-15

Sanford Lake, Veterans,
(Canoeing only)
Manitou (canoeing
currently, swimming
proposed)

�•
•
•
•
•
•

■

Public and Quasi-Public Facilities

■

county Government Services

■

■

Board of Commissioners
County Clerk
Computer Information Systems
Controller/Administrator
Cooperative Extension Service
County Parks &amp; Recreation
Department of Public Works
Drain Commissioner
Emergency Services
Equalization
Finance
Gypsy Moth Suppression
Health Department
Housing Commission
Personnel Office
Planning
Register of Deeds
Treasurer
Veterans Service Office

Midland County Courthouse:
The
County Courthouse, located at 301 West
Main Street in Midland, was constructed
in 1925 with building additions in 1958
and 1979. The interior of the Courthouse
has recently undergone a complete renovation. All three floors of the building
have been restored. This includes office
and lobby space, as well as mechanical
spaces and equipment. Since the building is on the State and National Registers
of Historic Places extra care was taken to
assure that the historic significance of the
building was not diminished by the
restoration. Housed in the Courthouse
are the following departments:

■

■

Other County Departments are located
as follows:

■

■
■

■
■
■
■

■
■
■
■
■
■

■

Adult Probation
■ 42nd Circuit Court
■ County Jail
■ 75th District Court
■ Friend of the Court
■ Clerk of the Court
■ Probate Court
■ Probate Juvenile
■ Prosecuting Attorney
■ Sheritrs Department/City of Midland
Police Department

- Animal Control Center
4271 E. Ashman Street
Midland, Michigan
- Road Commission
4509 N. Saginaw Road
Midland, Michigan
- Mosquito Control
2180 N. Meridian
Sanford, Michigan

Midland County Services Building: The
County Services Building is located at
220 West Ellsworth in Midland. The new
four-story building was ready for occupancy in December of 1989, and was
built to relieve crowding in the County
Courthouse and consolidate County services. The fourth floor of the building is
currently unoccupied but scheduled to be
in use by 1993. The following departments are located in this building:

_ Mental Health
2620 W. Sugnet
Midland, Michigan
_ Fair Board
1719 Eastman
Midland, Michigan
Some of these departments require
special site considerations, such as the
Animal Control Center, Road Commission, Mosquito Control, Mental Health
G-16

�FIGURE 11

and Fairgrounds, but most others benefit
from a central location for administrative
functions.

MUNICIPALITIES

CltyNillageLJownship Halls

Locations of the various city, village and
township halls are identified on the
Community Facilities map. It should be
noted that in a number of township
locations the seat of government is
housed jointly with the fire department.
The City of Midland completed a new
City Hall in 1989 in the downtown area
near the old Courthouse, adjacent to the
new County office facility.
In 1990
Midland Township built a new administration building.

HOPE

GENEVA

MIU.S

.EROME

GREENDALE

PORlER

=

INGERSCU.

Township and Municipal Descriptions

The supervisors and planning
commissioners of the 16 townships in
Midland County were contacted, as well
as City and Village officials, to discover
facts that relate to the individual
townships and municipalities. Information
relating to the area's buildings, roads,
park systems, water and sewer systems,
current problems and future plans were
gathered as well as any other points that
would relate to the County's Comprehenhensive Plan.
While many of the
communities share similar problems and
goals, each is a unique area that has
conditions specific to the individual
municipalities.
Figure 11 shows the
general locations of the municipalities in
Midland County.

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

County. The Township has a Township
Hall and a fire hall located on one acre of
land on East Schaerer Road. Both were
built in the 1970s and adequately serve
the Township's current needs.
The
Township owns the Mills Township
Community Center which is currently
leased to two separate groups.
In
addition to buildings, the Township also
maintains a Township park. The park,
located on 160 acres of land, is owned
by the Township and has five acres of
land developed for recreational activities.
The remaining acreage is public open
space. The Township's maintenance
building is located in the park.

Mills Township located in the northeast
corner of Midland County, owns and
operates more community facilities than
many of the rural townships in the

The businesses and residents of Mills
Township all have individual sources of
water and sewage disposal since the
Township has no consolidated water
supply system or sanitary sewer system.
G-17

�•
•
•
•
•
•

Between 1987 and 1991, four to five
miles of roads were improved. Improvements include improved ditching for
drainage, filling of potholes and a limited
amount of blacktopping. The Township
maintains 25 miles of road.

Since 1987 over four miles of the
Township's roads have been resurfaced .
Annually, the Township resurfaces
between one and two miles of road
within the Township .
The Township's Planning Commission
has adopted an updated community
master plan. One of the issues currently
facing the Planning Commission involves
lots that contain more than one housing
unit. By having multiple units on single
lots, overloading of the sites· water
supplies and septic systems can occur.
Methods to monitor and control such
situations need to be developed.

Like most townships in Midland County,
sewage disposal and potable water are
dealt with on an individual basis since the
Township has no consolidated water
supply system or sanitary sewer system.
The Planning Commission is currently
updating the Township's master plan.
Future development goals have not yet
been established but the prospect is that
Hope Township will remain a rural area
with mostly residential and agricultural
land uses.

Development goals for the community
include encouraging the development of
quality low- and moderate-income
housing - especially for the senior
citizens that reside in the Township.
Once the master plan is completed a
more established set of development
goals for the Township will be available.

Edenville Township is located in the
northern portion of Midland County with
Hope Township to the east and Warren
Township to the west.
Edenville's
Township Hall was renovated in the
1980s and the fire hall was built in 1977.
The Township also owns and maintains
a park, which is two to three acres in size
and has a pavilion, picnic tables, ballfield
and playground.

Hope Township is located west of Mills
Township on the northern border of the
County. The Township operates two
buildings - the Township Hall and the fire
hall built ir:, 1970. The Township has
one small park - Hope Park - located on
an old school lot with one ball diamond,
and is currently developing a new park Woodside Park - which should be
operational prior to the completion of this
Plan. The new park will have four softball
diamonds, a pavilion, picnic tables, a
playground and a nature trail. The park,
nature trails and land for future
expansion of the cemetery are located on
66 acres. The developed area of the
park will occupy 25 acres.

The businesses and residents of
Edenville Township depend on individual
septic tanks for sewage disposal and
wells for potable water.
At the time of this Plan's updating, the
Township was waiting on cost estimates
for the 1991 road improvements. Most
of the roads is the Township (80-85%)
are hard surfaced.
Problems currently facing Edenville
Township include road conditions, junk in
G-18

�The master plan is currently being
updated and the zoning ordinance was
recently updated. The Township is also
working on an ordinance that will be
designed to control blight in the area. A
recycling program is planned for the
Mure. The area's industrial site has
recently been expanded, but future plans
do not include any major development in
the Township.

residential areas, weed control in Sanford
Lake, assessment disputes and how to
effectively and efficiently deal with solid
waste. In many areas of the Township
water quality is also an issue.
The Township's master plan, updated in
1988, is in need of further updating to
address the problems currently facing the
Township and to address future plans,
such as rezoning some areas of the
Township to better address mobile
homes. Future plans will probably also
address water quality.
Several past
attempts have been made to improve
water quality but financing has always
been the deciding factor.

City of Coleman is located entirely within
Warren Township. The City has seven
full-time employees; a two-person police
force; three work in the City's
Department of Public Works, in addition
to the City's Treasurer and Clerk.
Coleman's City Hall, which is located on
the corner of Railway Street and Fifth
Street, is a renovated auto dealership.
The City Hall houses the Council
chambers, the Mayor's office, the Police
Department, office space and storage.
The City also owns and operates a
building for the Department of Public
Works. The Coleman Community Fire
Department is housed in a new building
located at 413 E. Railway Street. The
building, and the department, are jointly
operated by Coleman, Warren, Geneva,
Wise and Denver townships.

Warren Township is located in the
northwest corner of Midland County.
The Township Hall was built in the 1940s.
The only other building owned, operated
and maintained by the Township is the
cemetery chapel which was recently
upgraded. No parks are operated by the
Township.
In 1990 nearly five miles of roads were
improved, and the Township is planning
on improving many of the County line
roads in 1991.
Like most of the townships in Midland
County, Warren Township depends on
septic tanks for sewage disposal and
individual wells for sources of water.

The City provides its residents with both
water and sewage disposal.
Coleman owns and operates several
parks. The largest existing park in the
City is Adams Street Park. This five-acre
park consists of a Little League Field, two
tennis courts, a picnic shelter, a picnic
area, playground equipment, restrooms,
parking and electrical hookup capabilities
for up to six campers. The two-acre
Jackson Street Park consists of one
lighted softball field and a concession

Some of the problems currently facing
the Township include discarded material
in and around residential areas, road
conditions and housing. The housing
problems relate to the lack of quality,
affordable housing and the lack of
housing for senior citizens.

G-19

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include deteriorated road and bridge
conditions, and discarded materials in
residential areas.

stand. The one-acre Lion's Park contains a basketball court and a small
forested area. Mary Street Park is also
one acre in size and has not yet been
developed. Land to develop a new park
(11 acres) has recently been acquired by
the City.

The Planning Commission has recently
attended several planning seminars and
would like to develop a master plan.
They have recently developed a rental
code.

The City Planning Commission has
adopted a comprehensive master plan.
Some of the City's future plans include
improving the exterior of the City Hall and
improving the City's parks, in addition to
improving the downtown for businesses
and services. Industrial and residential
developments are also addressed in the
master plan.

Jerome Township is directly east of
Geneva Township with the Village of
Sanford located within the Township.
The Township has a Township Hall and
two fire stations - one built in 1972 and
one built in 1978.
In 1990, two miles of roads were
improved with several sections slated for
improvement in 1991. In addition to road
improvements, 1. 5 miles of watermains
were installed in 1990 with 3.5 miles
scheduled for 1991. While most of the
Township is serviced with water, septic
tanks are used for sewage disposal. The
Township maintains no parks, but five
County parks are located within the
Township.

Road improvements within the City are
performed by the Department of Public
Works and financed through a 5-mill tax
levy.
Geneva Township is south of Warren
Township on the western edge of the
County. The Township Hall, which is the
only buildlng or facility operated by the
Township, is a converted school building
built in the 1920s.

Current issues in Jerome Township
include the need for a sewage system
and the proposed County rails-to-trails
park system.
Many residents are
concerned that a linear park such as the
rails-to-trails system crossing through the
Township would be difficult to maintain
and police. Other concerns about the
trail system include excessive noise
created by snowmobilers and trail users
trespassing on properties adjacent to the
trail system.

An average of two miles of road
improvements are performed annually only 25 percent of the roads in the
Township are paved.
Similar to other rural townships in
Midland County, Geneva Township
depends on septic tanks for sewage
disposal and individual wells for a source
of water.
The Township's land is mostly devoted to
residential and agricultural uses. No
growth has occurred in the past five
years and the Township has no industry.
Problems currently facing the Township

The Township has a number of future
plans. In the immediate future is the
reorganization of the water system that
will be jointly owned and operated by
G-20

�and improve the roadways and drainage.
One of the Village's problems include
lack of sewers.

Jerome Township, Lincoln Township and
Sanford. Also, the Township is planning
on having the entire Township covered
with water service.

Lincoln Township is located east of
Jerome Township with a Township Hall
that is located in a renovated school
building and a fire hall that is in a
converted school building.
The
Township maintains a one-acre park that
has a ball diamond and a soccer field.
Nearly all of the Township's roads (95%)
are hard surfaced. In 1990 and 1991, 1.5
miles of roads were improved each year.
Water is provided to 50 percent of the
population and encompasses 20 percent
of the Township area. Similar to Jerome
Township, sewage in Lincoln Township is
disposed of in septic tanks.

In 1992 and 1993 the Township is
planning on improving Saginaw Road,
and within five years the Township wants
all of its roads to be paved.
The Township has no comprehensive
master plan but has adopted an updated
land use plan map and is currently
updating its zoning ordinance.
Village of Sanford is located within
Jerome Township with Lincoln Township
bordering the Village's eastern boundary.
No full-time employees work for the
Village and no buildings are owned or
operated by the Village. Space is rented
from the Chamber of Commerce for
public meetings and other Village
functions.

The Township is currently using a bond
to expand its water system to other areas
within the Township. Another goal is
to maintain and improve the existing
roads.

The Village is within Midland County
Water District No. 1 with 100 percent
coverage. While the Village is serviced
with water, sewage disposal is still
provided by individual septic tanks.

Larkin Township is on the east side of
Midland County, directly north of the City
of Midland. The Township owns and
operates three buildings - the Township
Hall, the fire hall and a concession stand
in the park. Larkin Township Park is
located on 40 acres of land with six
ball diamonds and a picnic area and is
planning the addition of a pavilion.

Over 95 percent of the Village's streets
are hard surface. In 1991, 9.5 miles of
roads were slated for improvement.
The Village maintains a 10-acre park.
The park consists of three ball diamonds,
a boat launch, a pavilion, picnic tables, a
basketball court and play equipment. A
County operated park is also located
within the Village.

The Township has a broad range of
housing with prices ranging between
$20,000 and $330,000. The Township
has a good road system in good repair.
Annually, three miles of roads are
resurfaced in the Township. In 1989 all
of the residential subdivisions were
resurfaced.
While Larkin Township
differs from many of the County's rural

The Village was planning on starting a
master plan in 1991. Some of the
Village's current goals are to maintain
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�townships it shares similarities - there is
no water system and no sanitary sewer
system. The northern two-thirds of the
Township is generally rural in nature
while the southern one-third is included in
the Midland Urban Area Growth Plan.
Larkin Township is working closely with
the City of Midland to develop the area
into a more urban area that will contain a
variety of land uses such as residential,
commercial and light industry.
The
commercial area will be concentrated
along Eastman Road.

land overlooking Dow Pond with a
playground and is an excellent area for
bird watching;
Bob Moe Park has
facilities that include two ballfields.

Larkin Township updated its master plan
in 1992. The Township land use plan is
functionally coordinated with the City of
Midland land use plan. Issues currently
facing the Township include providing
quality low-cost housing, controlling
commercial growth, and preparing the
roads for any additional traffic from
commercial growth and annexation. .The
City of Midland will only annex land if
property owners are willing to be
annexed - Midland will not force
annexation in Larkin Township.

City of Midland is located on the east

The main problems currently facing the
Township are the lack of sanitary sewer
and water systems. Future plans include
developing water and sewer systems and
the development of a 39-acre park
adjacent to the new Administration
Building. Midland Township's master
plan was last updated in 1992.

side of Midland County and is bordered
by Midland, Larkin, Homer, Ingersoll and
Williams townships in Bay County.
Midland is the center for all of the
County's manufacturing, commercial,
educational, business and government
activities and is further developed than
any other area in the County.
The population of Midland County is also
centered around Midland with 50.0
percent of the County's residents living in
Midland. With the large population base
centered in or around Midland, the City
offers a higher level of services to its
residents than is possible for other areas
in the County. In addition to providing
recreation services and a dial-a-ride
transit system for its residents, the City
maintains an infrastructure which includes
a street system, a community water
system and a sanitary sewer system.
Midland has several parks that offer the
residents a variety of recreational
opportunities. Total acreage for the
City's parks is over 1,000 acres - many
of which are currently undeveloped.

Midland Township is actually three
separate areas, divided by the City of
Midland. . Unlike any of the other
townships in the County, Midland
Township has a police force that consists
of three officers while most of the
County's townships do not employ any
full-time employees. In 1990, Midland
Township opened a new Township
Administration Building. There are two
fire stations - one built in 1952 with the
auxiliary station built in 1968. Nearly all
of the Township's roads are hardsurfaced and an average of two miles of
roads are annually improved. Midland
Township maintains two parks: Whiting
Overlook Park is located on 15 acres of

In order to maintain the existing services
and facilities the City has a work force of
G-22

�improvements
drainage.

453 employees - 354 full-time and 98
part-time. Included in the total figure is a
police force consisting of 47 officers,
detectives and supervisors. The City's
fire department also consists of 47
employees which includes firefighters,
inspectors, vehicle operators and
supervisors.

are

targeted

towards

Problems facing the Township include
the lack of protection from annexation by
Midland and poor water quality. Homer
Township is also in need of a new zoning
ordinance. The last one was voted
down.
At this time, the Planning
Commission is working on a new zoning
ordinance and feels the 1987 master plan
needs to be updated.

The City Planning Commission adopted
an updated land use plan and a streets
and highway plan in 1991. The basic
changes to the City's master plan include
accommodation of new growth on the
periphery of the City, primarily in the
northern and northwestern areas.

Future plans for Homer Township include
installing a water system throughout the
Township, if approved by the Township
residents, and developing a sanitary
sewer system in a large portion of the
Township. Recently a 20-acre site was
purchased to use as a test well. Future
plans include the construction of a new
Township Hall and the development of
additional park space.

Homer Township is located west of the
City of Midland and Midland Township.
The Township employs two full-time and
two part-time Department of Public
Works personnel. The Township Hall is
located in a converted school building.
The Township has two fire stations both
built in the 1960s with an auxiliary station
built in 1986. In addition to the Township
Hall and the fire stations, Homer
Township also operates a maintenance
building built in 1962.

Lee Township is located west of Homer
Township with one full-time employee - a
caretaker. The Township Hall was built
in 1930 with the fire hall built in 1981. An
average of two miles of roads are
improved annually and 75 percent of the
roads in the Township are hard-surfaced.
The five-acre Township park is located
on an 80-acre site with a pavilion, two
softball fields, one soccer field and a
picnic area.

The Township has two parks: Homer
Township Park occupying 12 acres of
land with four softball diamonds, one
baseball diamond, playground
equipment, a picnic area and a pavilion.
New restrooms were scheduled for
completion by the summer of 1991 ;
Windover Park is located on seven acres
with one ball diamond.

Like most of the townships in Midland
County, Lee Township depends on septic
tanks for sewage disposal and individual
wells for water.

All of the roads in the Township are hardsurfaced. In 1985, four miles of road
improvements were completed and in
1990, two miles were improved. In 1991,

Some of the problems currently facing
the Township include the cost of solid
waste disposal, the condition of the
roads, the availability of quality water,
G-23

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Jasper Township is located in the
southeast corner of Midland County.
The Township Hall built in 1911 was just
remodeled and is the only facility
operated by the Township. Between
1987 and 1991 nearly 1O miles of roads
were improved consisting of adding
gravel or reblacktopping surfaces. Less
than 25 percent of the roads are hardsurfaced.

and the lack of regulations relating to
scrap yards.
The Planning Commission is currently
updating the master plan. The last
update of the plan was in 1979.
The zoning ordinance was recently
updated.
Lee Township's Mure plans include
developing additional recreation space,
and locating a site for a commercial/
industrial park. A water system is also
planned for the future.

Like most of the rural townships in the
County, Jasper has no water system or
sanitary sewer system. Individual wells
provide potable water and septic tanks
are used for sewage disposal. Fire
protection is provided through the
Mid Michigan Community Fire Department
located in St. Louis in Gratiot County.
This department also covers portions of
Bethany and Pine River townships, as
well as the City of St. Louis.

Greendale Township is located on the
western edge of the County and is west
of Lee Township. The Township Hall
was renovated in the 1970s and is the
only major building maintained. The only
other buildings or facilities operated by
the Township are two storage buildings.
The County primary roads are the only
hard surfaced roads - most of the roads
are gravel. Annually, one and one-half
miles of roads are improved which
generally consist of adding gravel and
improving ditching.

Issues that are currently facing the
Township include the inability to enforce
the building code and the consideration
of Jasper Township as a site for the
disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

Problems facing the Township include
road conditions, funding road
improvements, and old oil wells. The
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources is currently working with Sun
Oil Company to cleanup 60 to 70 oil wells
in the Township. After the sites are
cleaned and sealed, the oil company will
be allowed to sell the property.

The 1987 master plan is currently being
updated by the Planning Commission.
No major development is currently
planned for the Township, but a joint
recycling program is being planned with
Lee Township and Porter Township.
Porter Township is on the southern
border of Midland County, east of Jasper
Township. The Township Hall which was
built in 1933 and a maintenance building
are maintained by the Township. The
majority of roads in the Township are
gravel and annually one mile of roads are
improved.
Like the surrounding
townships, Porter Township has no

The Township worked with a consultant
in 1988 to update its master plan.
Additionally, a new zoning ordinance is in
the process of being adopted. No major
development is currently planned for
Greendale Township.

G-24

�homes. It is also felt that a noise
ordinance should be put in place and
that wind generator towers and manmade lakes should be regulated.

consolidated sewer or water system.
Individual wells provide water, and septic
tanks are used for disposal of sewage.
One of the problems currently facing the
Township includes the condition of the
roads. The problem is the lack of
knowledge concerning which roads will
be improved and when they will be
improved. Another problem facing the
Township relates to discarded materials
in residential areas. A lack of awareness
also exists concerning building codes
and other ordinances - many residents
are either unaware of the codes or
choose to ignore them. An ordinance to
control mobile homes is also felt to be
needed in the Township.

There are no major developments
planned in the immediate Mure.
Ingersoll Township is located in the
southeast corner of Midland County.
The Township operates one building the Township Hall - which was built in
1978. No parks are maintained by the
Township. Annually, two miles of roads
are improved with 80 percent of the
roads in the Township being hardsurfaced. Ingersoll Township has no
sewer system or water system. Sewage
is handled by septic systems with water
provided by individual wells.

The Planning Commission is currently
updating the master plan and hopes to
be able to use much of the information
generated by the County's Comprehensive Plan. No major development is
currently planned for the Township, but
since agriculture is important to the area,
Porter Township wants to preserve much
of its agricultural land.

Issues that currently face the Township
include the possibility of annexation by
the City of Midland, and additional
development in Ingersoll Township
relating to the nearby Midland
Cogeneration Venture, and the rezoning
of agricultural land to residential.

Mount Haley Township is located on the
southern border of Midland County,
directly east of Porter Township. The
Township Hall was built in the 1980s and
is operated by the Township. No parks
are maintained by the Township. All
roads are hard-surfaced and between
one and two miles of roads are improved
annually. Like the majority of townships
in Midland County, no consolidated
sewer or water systems exist.

The Township updated its land use plan
map in 1992.

Libraries
Two principal libraries serve the general
public.
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library provides
service to the City of Midland, which
operates the system, and to 12
townships through contractual
arrangements. The library is part of the
White Pine Library Cooperative, a
network of 34 public libraries in a 10county area.

Issues the Township is currently facing
include discarded material in residential
areas, the quality of housing in parts of
the Township and the control of mobile
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The library's collection contains over
225,000 items. In addition to printed
materials such as books, magazines,
newspapers and periodicals, the library
also circulates films, video cassettes,
compact discs, records and tapes. The
library provides children's programming
and informational services and is affiliated
with the Midland County Literacy Council.
As a service to many of the area's senior
citizens, the library operates a revolving
book program at four area nursing
homes. Midland Community Television,
a cable TV station, is also a part of the
library.

the Coleman Library is a part of the
White Pine Library Cooperative.
In addition to printed materials such as
books, magazines, newspapers and
periodicals, the library circulates video
tapes, cassette tapes and records.
VCRs, cameras and other equipment can
be rented from the library. There are two
full-time staff members and the library
provides summer reading material.
Two of the library's main problems are
the lack of space and inadequate funding. No plans for the expansion of the
library's facilities or services currently
exist. The main goal is to maintain existing facilities - both interior and exterior.

Operational support is provided from the
City of Midland, contractual township
arrangements, funding through a 0.3 mil
levy, gifts, memorials, and fund raising
through the Friends of the Library. The
library has 55 employees, of which 36
are full-time.
Additionally, volunteer
services contribute to library operation.

Medical and Emergency Facilities

Emergency Medical Services: The MidMichigan Regional Medical Center,
through a fixed fee annual contract with
Midland County, provides emergency
medical services coverage for the entire
County. Four vehicles are staffed and
operated from three locations:

Currently under construction is an
18,000-square-foot addition, which will
alleviate the current space shortage the
library is experiencing. The library is also
exploring the possibility of establishing
several satellite libraries throughout the
service area. These satellites will not
offer full library services - as branch
libraries often do - but would make many
of the library's resources more convenient to a larger number of residents.

-

Two primary and two back-up
vehicles operate from the Midland
Hospital Center, 4005 Orchard Drive,
Midland.

-

One vehicle operates from 3077
North Meridian Road in Jerome
Township.

Coleman Area Library located at 231 E.
Railway in a former bank, was opened in
1968. The bank building was built in
1905.

_ One vehicle operates from 855 East
Railway Street, Coleman.

The library has over 10,000 volumes and
is funded through a voted millage. As
with the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library,

These vehicles respond to approximately
3,300 calls annually. Response time
within the City of Midland averages 3.8
minutes with an out-county average of
7.8 minutes.
G-26

�MidMichigan Regional Medical Center

No additional vehicles, staff or locations
are planned.

The principal medical facility serving the
County is the MidMichigan Regional
Medical Center, located at 4005 Orchard
Drive in the City of Midland. The hospital
has 307 beds. A $10.5 million expansion
was completed in 1986 that houses
some ancillary operations including the
radiology section, additional laboratories
and emergency services.
Additional
expansion occurred between 1986 and
1988. The Medical Center is in the
process of acquiring additional adjacent
land for expansion and anticipates its
current facility will double in size within
the next 15 years.

A portion of Midland County is served by
the
Breckenridge-Wheeler
Rescue
Service.
Porter Township is in the
service area of the rescue service which
covers 100 square miles in both Midland
County and Gratiot County. The centrally
dispatched service has one rescue unit,
12 volunteers, and operates out of the
Breckenridge-Wheeler Fire Department.
Department of Emergency Services: This
County department is responsible for
disaster or emergency planning for
events such as tornados, floods, plane
crashes
or national emergencies.
Through analysis of County development
patterns, population projections, industrial
hazard identification and various drills
and exercises, contingencies for reaction
to disasters are developed.

A limited number of emergency care
facilities are also available in the City of
Midland. These facilities are designed to
handle short-term medical problems or
emergencies, or if unable to provide
necessary care, refer cases to the
MidMichigan Regional Medical Center.

The Department has one full-time
employee that is assisted by one parttime employee. Some of the problems
that face the Department include limited
staffing, an inadequate public warning
system and an increasing amount of
requirements that are being placed on
the Department by the State and Federal
governments.

Midland County Fairground

The fairground is located northwest of
Eastman Road and U.S. 10 on a 130acre site. Existing facilities include:
- Thirty-eight buildings:
13 exhibit buildings
13 service buildings
7 administrative buildings
5 horse-related buildings
- A harness racing track with covered
grandstand seating 1,700 to 1,800
spectators
- Horse show arena
- Four camping areas, covering two
and one-half acres
- Restroom facilities

Future needs revolve around a requirement for a suitable emergency operations
center with adequate radio and telephone
communication links with any public or
private agency which may be involved in
an emergency response situation. The
County Sheriff operates a communication
station in Sanford which could be
upgraded to serve as the center.

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teachers in the four major Midland
County school districts during the 19901991 school year. These counts do not
include the other five public school
systems or any of the private/ parochial
schools in Midland County .

General public use of the fairground is
from May through September, with the
County fair held in August. Aside from
the fair, the other activities for which the
grounds are used include picnics,
camping, horse shows, antique shows
and soccer games held on fields
established by the Midland City Parks
Department.
The Fourth of July
celebration is the largest single event of
the year. In the winter months the
buildings are rented out for storage of
individuals' boats, RVs and other items.

FIGURE 12
1990-1991 STUDENT COUNTS

7,000

There are three year-around employees
and an additional 10-20 employees are
hired in the summer months - depending
on the events.

6 ,000
5,000
4,000
3,000

Existing development around the fairground limits any expansion of the facility. This is seen as a problem as parking
requirements continue to increase .
Improvements to the fairground have
been laid out in the fairground's master
plan. In . 1991 , the construction of a
gazebo and the improvement of
watermains and roads are planned. The
main improvements scheduled to occur
between 1991 and 2000 include:

FIGURE 13
1990-1991 TEACHER COUNTS

- The construction of a covered arena
- Improvements to the swine and sheep
facilities
- Paving of streets
Maintenance
- New merchant building
- Replacement of one restaurant

3}0. . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
500
400

JOO
200
100

o..._=~--'---· ··=····--!
· . ..........,.;;,--=.1--1..;,,.........___.
o~
G
~
~~
~~
zoo
~ ::,c::~Q
;s~Q
::S?Q

Public Educational Facilities

&lt;Jo

§56
~CL.V&gt;

Midland County is served by nine school
districts and a number of parochial and
private schools. Figures 12 and 13 show
the student counts and number of

-~~-

s~30

::%:UQ..V&gt;

E5~
~ ~V&gt;

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

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35 5

UC..V&gt;

�Table 41 identifies the student counts for
the four major school districts in the
County from the 1979-80 school year
through the 1991-92 school year.
Projections to the 1993-94 school year
have been provided by three school
districts. The student counts show that
between the 1979-80 school year and the
1991-92 school year enrollment for the
four school districts decreased by 18.1
percent, or from 16,026 to 13,121. The
school year with the lowest student count
was 1990-91, with 12,976 students. Over
the 12-year period all of the four school
districts decreased.
Meridian Public
Schools had the greatest percentage
decrease (19.0%) and Coleman Public
Schools had the smallest percentage
decrease (16.4%). When long-range
trends are studied it is apparent that
student counts have decreased.

The number of school age children in
Midland County decreased dramatically
between 1980 and 1990. Table 40
shows that in 1990 there were 2.0
percent fewer pre-school age children in
the County than in 1980.
A more dramatic decrease occurred in
the age group that incudes elementary
students, junior high school students and
high school students. Between 1980 and
1990, the number of youth between the
ages of five and 17 decreased by 16. 1
percent. This decrease leaves many
school districts with surplus building
space. The number of young adults in
the transitional age group (moving from
high school to college, jobs, or other
situations) decreased by 20.8 percent
between 1980 and 1990. Additionally the
number of college age residents
decreased by 13.6 percent during the
same period.

TABLE 40
NUMBER OF SCHOOL AGE RESIDENTS IN MIDLAND COUNTY: 1980-1990
%Change
1980-1990

Age Group

1980

1990

Under 5
(Pre-School)

5,812

5,697

-2.0

5-17
(Elementary, Middle
and High School)

17,881

15,011

-16.1

18-20
(Transitional)

4,395

3,479

-20.8

21-24

4,957

4,282

-13.6

(College)

,

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population 1980, 1990

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The Midland Public School District
increased from 8,368 in 1988-89 to 8,608

TABLE 41
STUDENT COUNTS IN MIDLAND COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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in 1991-92, a 2.9 percent increase.
Bullock Creek Public School system
increased during the same time period
from 1,742 students to 1,822 students.
Coleman Public Schools enrollment
decreased by 3.9 percent and Meridian
Public Schools enrollment decreased by
7. 7 percent between the 1988-89 and
1991-92 school years.

More recent student counts have shown
increases in two of the four districts .
Between the 1988-89 and 1991-92 school
years the total number of students in the
four school districts increased by 1.1
percent, or from 12,977 students to
13,121 students.

Midland
Public Schools

Coleman
Public Schools

Bullock Creek
Public Schools

Meridian
Public Schools

Total

1979-1980

10,534

1,364

2,215

1,913

16,026

1980-1981

10,058

1,324

2,091

1,898

15,371

1981-1982

9,799

1,273

1,994

1,846

14,912

1982-1983

9,540

1,275

1,937

1,816

14,568

1983-1984

9,403

1,316

1,889

1,805

14,413

-10.7

-3.5

-14.7

-5.6

-10.1

1984-1985

8,858

1,296

1,811

1,760

13,725

1985-1986

8,601

1,222

1,784

1,817

13,424

1986-1987

8,594

1,221

1,746

1,840

13,401

1987-1988

8,612

1,163

1,718

1,667

13,160

-2.8

-10.2

-5.1

-5.3

-4.1

1988-1989

8,368

1,187

1,742

1,680

12,977

1989-1990

8,474

1,166

1,724

1,686

13,050

1990-1991

8,415

1,192

1,766

1,603

12,976

1991-1992

8,608

1,141

1,822

1,550

13,121

%Change
1989-1992

+2.9

-3.9

+4.6

-7.7

1.1

%Change
1980-1992

-18.3

-16.4

-17.7

-19.0

-18.1

%Change
1980-1984

%Change
1985-1988

Projections
1992-1993

8,748

1,138

1,862

No Projections

1993-1994

8,832

1,173

1,897

No Projections

SOURCE: Midland County School Districts, 1991

G-30

�l
costly and difficult. The school districts
should work together to examine alternatives and decide what is best for all the
districts.

Overall, since the 1979-80 school year
there have been two years where student
counts were higher than the previous
year for the combined student counts of
the four districts. The 1989-90 count of
13,050 was 0.6 percent higher than the
1988-89 count. The only other year that
showed an overall increase in enrollment
from the previous year was the 1991-92
school year with a student count of
13, 121, or 1.1 percent over the previous
year's count of 12,976. With overall
student counts showing increases in two
recent school years (1989-90 and 199192) it is apparent that a leveling off in
student enrollment is occurring in the
area. Given Woods and Poole's forecast
of school-age population (fable 10),
close monitoring, and inter-school district
communications will be necessary to fully
understand if a shift in the enrollment
trend is occurring.

Meridian Public School System had a
total of 1,742 K through 12 students
according to the 1990-91 Fourth Friday
Student Count.
An additional 55
students were enrolled in adult education
or high school completion programs for
a total of 1,797 students. The students
attend one of the district's six schools.
Elementary students (K-6) attend one of
the three elementary schools - Meridian,
Sanford or Hillside Elementary School.
Middle school students (7-8) attend the
one junior high school in the district and
the senior high students (9-12) attend
Meridian High School. The Meridian
Pubic school system also has an adult
and community education building.

Implications for declining school districts
include reduced levels of state aid,
school closings and staff changes.
However, changing job technologies and
equipment may provide additional
opportunities for adult education and
retraining programs. Funding for such
programs may be available through the
State of Michigan.

The school district has 185 employees of
which 100 are teachers. The district's 19
bus drivers transported an average of
1,550 students daily during the 1990-91
school season - or nearly 90 percent of
the district's students. Additionally, two
bus attendants are required for special
education runs.
The Meridian Public School system
encompasses 100 square miles and
includes the following townships:
Edenville, Hope, Lee, Lincoln, Homer and
Larkin.
Additionally, the Village of
Sanford is within the school district's
boundaries.

In terms of land uses for schools, many
school grounds are also used for
recreational purposes in the
neighborhoods in which they are located.
Sale or reuse of these areas may impact
on the availability of recreation space.
However, should additional classroom
space be needed in the Mure, new
construction may have to be undertaken.
On the other hand some facilities may
have vacant, unused space. Maintenance for a closed building could be

Many of the challenges facing the school
district in 1991 are related to funding.
The district is currently at the peak
millage limit (50 mils), so additional
funding is difficult to obtain.
The
G-31

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runs as well as one special education
run .

demographics of the County are directly
related to the school district's funding
difficulties - very little of the County's
wealth is located in the rural portions of
Midland County. Maintaining the existing
facilities with the current funding has
become difficult.
Additionally, hiring
specialists in a variety of curricula is often
difficult.

The Coleman Public School system
encompasses 113 square miles of land
and includes the following townships:
Denver and Wise townships in Isabella
County; Geneva, Warren, Greendale,
Jerome and Edenville townships in
Midland County. Additionally, the City of
Coleman is within the school district's
boundaries.

Due to funding problems and the fact
that student enrollment decreased by five
percent between the 1986-87 school year
and the 1990-91 school year, Mure plans
for the district do not include any
physical expansion. Future efforts will be
concentrated on maintaining the existing
facilities and improving curricular
programs. Also in the school district's
plans is the necessary updating of the
district's bus fleet.

Most of the challenges facing this school
district are funding related. The district
lost a millage election in April of 1991 this restricts the restructuring of the
school district that was scheduled to
occur which included a combined preparation period for teachers that would
create a more efficient use of time for
both teachers and students. Another
problem facing the district is the age of
the bus fleet. In 1991 the average bus in
the school district was between nine and
ten years old.

Coleman Public School System had a
total of 1, 192 students on the 1990-91
Fourth Friday Student Count (Figure 12).
This number includes grades K through
12. No adult education students are
included in the count due to the fact that
the Coleman School District has formed
a consortium with the Midland Public
Schools and the Bullock Creek School
District to provide adult education for
residents in these districts.

Due to insufficient funds and a 2.3
percent decrease in enrollment since the
1986-87 school year, no physical
expansion of the school district is
planned within the next five years. A new
fleet of school busses will be required due to the age of the existing fleet.
Additionally, the school district plans to
change to a "bottom-up" method of
management.

Students in the Coleman Public School
system attend one of the district's three
schools - the Elementary School (K-5),
the Middle School (6-8), or the High
School (9-12). Additionally, the district
has an auto shop building for students in
grades 11 and 12.

Bullock Creek School System had a total
of 1,766, K-12 students on the Fourth
Friday Student count of the 1990-1991
school year (Figure 12). Additionally,
380.25 (fraction due to part-time
students) adult education students attend
the Bullock Creek School System. With

The school district has 125 employees of
which 62 are teachers (Figure 13). The
district has 16 bus drivers for regular
G-32

�1
adult education included in the student
total, Bullock Creek had 2, 146.25
students. Bullock Creek receives adult
education students from two other school
districts as well as their own. The
Midland Public School District and the
Coleman Public Schools have formed a
consortium with the Bullock Creek
School District that provides adult
education to residents of the three
districts.

The school district plans improvements
for the Mure. Physical plans include
expanding Floyd Elementary School.
Other plans include determining where
the Mure needs will be as the large
group of elementary students advance
through the school system. The school
district is also implementing a strategic
plan called "Bullock Creek 2000," which
addresses restructuring the district's
curriculum and facilities.

This school district has five school
buildings. Three of the schools are for
elementary students (K-5). These include
Floyd Elementary, Bullock Creek
Elementary and Pine River Elementary.
The Middle School is for students in the
sixth through eight grades and the High
School serves students in grades 9
through 12.

Midland Public School System, with a
1990-91 Fourth Friday Student Count of
8,419 K-12 students (Figure 12), is the
largest school district in Midland County
and ranks 28th in size of the 524 school
districts in Michigan. The adult education
students are not included in the school
district student count. Adults in the
school district attend classes in the
Bullock Creek School District which has
formed a consortium with the Midland
School District and the Coleman School
District to provide adult education for
residents of the three districts.

The school district has 350 employees, of
which 101 are K-12 teachers (Figure 13).
Due to the rural nature of the school
district, the 23 bus drivers are
responsible for transporting 98 percent of
the students to and from school. The
district also has four special education
runs. The district encompasses 125
square miles of land and includes the
following townships: Ingersoll, Mount
Haley, Lee, Porter, Greendale, Midland
and Homer.

The K-12 students attend one of the 17
schools in the district.
Elementary
students (K-6) attend either Adams,
Carpenter, Chestnut Hill, Chippewassee,
Cook, Eastlawn, Longview, Mills,
Parkdale, Plymouth, Siebert or
Woodcrest Elementary School.
Intermediate students in grades 7
through 9 attend either Central, Jefferson
or Northeast Intermediate School. The
Midland School District's High School
students (grades 10-12) attend H.H. Dow
High School or Midland High School.
Additionally, the school district has the
Ashman Special Education Center and
the Leiphart Alternative Education Center.

Some of the problems facing the school
district are related to funding - the District
has a relatively low State Equalized
Valuation (SEV) and a relatively high
school millage rate. Additional problems
are related to growth in the area - the
western portion of the district (Greendale
Township) has grown by 20 percent in
population between 1980 and 1990.

G-33

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~

�expanded vocational and career
offerings, expand gifted and talented
programs, new models for staff
development, enhanced summer study
programs, expanded programs in foreign
language and physical education, a new
emphasis on programs for "at risk" youth,
compliance with Public Act 25 and a
closer working relationship with area
businesses.

The school district has 535 teachers
(Figure 13) and 70 administrators as well
as 615 other employees. The school
district has 60 busses and transports
approximately 4,000 students daily - a
much lower percentage of total students
than any of the other school districts in
Midland County.
The school district encompasses 137
square miles and includes the eastern
third of Midland County, including the
City of Midland.

•
I

Colleges and Universities

Delta College, with 11,000 academic
students, has more students than any of
the area's other colleges. The college is
a two-year institution that offers 17 types
of occupational certificates and 53
occupational associate degrees.
Additionally, 36 types of transfer degrees
are offered, with the option to tailor a
program to suit a student's particular
needs. Other programs include training
for correction officers and emergency
medical technicians.
In addition to
working closely with students to design
a personalized program, Delta College
works closely with General Motors and
other companies to design programs
which enhance the employees' work
skills and improve the companies' final
products.

Problems that have faced this school
district in the past have not typically been
funding related. This can be attributed to
much of the County's wealth being in the
City of Midland. While funding has not
been a major problem in the past, it now
plays a part in the way the school district
operates. Another challenge facing the
school district is keeping up-to-date with
the latest in education and equipment.
Finally, the most difficult problem is
determining where growth will occur.
This is especially important since many of
the school district's elementary schools
are running out of space.
Some of the physical changes that have
recently occurred in the school district
include the addition of several "modulars"
to some of the elementary schools and
the renovation of an elementary school
into a math and science center. One of
the Mure physical changes includes
improved bus facilities.

Delta College serves the residents and
businesses of Midland County, Bay
County and Saginaw County.
The
college is located on one square mile of
land in Bay County, two miles southwest
of Bay City, which consists of one large
building with several wings for the
different programs. There are 500 fulltime employees, of which 221 are
instructors and 500 part-time employees,
many of which are instructors.

The school district has plans for
changing the structure of the district over
the next five years. Some of these
changes include restructuring the
elementary and intermediate schools, a
new emphasis on reading instruction,
G-34

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G-35

�•••••••
TABLE 42
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS
•:,:

# of Students
School
District

G)

K-12 (4th
Friday 1990-91
School Year

# of
# of
# of
Teachers

Total
Staff

Elementary
Schools

'•'•

Intermediate
Schools

# of
High
Schools

Other
Major
Buildings

Adult
Education

,•,:•. ,•:

:,:

.-·

(# of
Students

Service Area

Midland
Public
Schools

8,419

535

1,220

12 (K-6)

3 (7-9)

2 (10-12)

Special
Education
Center;
Alternative
Education
Center

*

Eastern third of Midland
County (143 Sq. Miles)

Coleman
Public
Schools

1,192

62

126

1 (K-5)

· 1 (6-8)

1 (9-12)

Auto Shop

*

Isabella County:
Denver &amp; Wise
townships
Midland County:
Geneva, Warren, Jerome
Greendale &amp; Edenville
townships
City of Coleman**
(113 Sq. Miles)

Bullock
Creek
Public
Schools

1,766

101

350

3

1

1

Meridian
Public
Schools

1,742

100

368

3 (K-6)

1 (7-8)

1 (9-12)

~

*Consortium with Bullock Creek School District
**May not Include entire township
SOURCE: School Districts: Midland, Coleman, Bullock, Meridian

-

Adult and
Community
Education
Building

380.25

55

Ingersoll, Mount Haley,
Lee, Porter, Greendale,
Midland and Homer**
townships
Edlnvllle, Hope, Lee,
Lincoln, Jerome, Homer,
Larkin townships;
City of Sanford**

�leased classroom space at the
Consumers Power Company Training
Center. In 1988, the existing Midland
Campus facilities were built on 1O acres
of land at 3555 East Patrick Road.

One problem the college is currently
facing is the lack of adequate space for
the growing number of students.
Keeping up with technology is another
problem the college faces. To provide
an education that is as up-to-date as
possible requires that equipment be
replaced as advances in technology are
made - a costly but necessary process.

Great Lakes Junior College offers
associates degrees in accounting,
business administration, executive
secretarial, administration secretarial,
word processing specialist, electronics/
computer repair technician, data
accounting, data management, legal
secretarial, medical assistant, court
reporting, finance administration and
paralegal/legal assistant. The Midland
Campus offers all of the above programs
except court reporting.

The college has made plans for the
Mure, one of which is to purchase
several off-campus buildings to relieve
the current and projected lack of space.
Another goal is the expansion of long
distance learning programs, by offering
more televised programs as well as
taped programs. The college is also
planning on expanding its relationship
with area companies through more
interactive job training and other
programs tailored for specific companies.

The Midland Campus has 40 instructors
and 20 support staff, with students from
Bay, Midland, Saginaw, Clare and
Isabella counties.

With the rapidly changing technology that
exists in today's work world, Delta
College has recognized the need to
update peoples job skills - even those
that already have a specialized degree.
This will be done by offering what the
college calls "Continued Education Units"
- these units will help to keep degrees
current by treating a degree as an
ongoing process instead of a final
product.

One of the challenges that the college
currently faces is finding enough staff to
instruct the increasing number of
students. Funding is one of the other
problems.
At the time of this Plan update there are
no major plans for expansion of the
campus. A new nursing wing was added
in 1991 to the original building that was
built in 1988.

Great Lakes Junior College consists of
five campuses throughout the Saginaw
Bay area - Midland, Bay City, Saginaw,
Caro and Bad Axe all have campuses.
The Midland Campus has the largest
number of students of the five campuses.
Of the 1,960 students enrolled in the
Spring of 1991, 643 (33%) attended the
Midland Campus. The Campus was
established in 1983 and until 1988 had

Saginaw Valley State University is located
midway between Midland, Bay City and
Saginaw on Pierce Road in Saginaw
County. The university occupies 728
acres of land and had 6,212 students in
the Fall of 1990. The university offers
over 40 undergraduate majors as well as
interdisciplinary majors. Pre-medicine,
pre-law, pre-dentistry and pre-theology
G-37

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�classes are
instructors.

advisor assistance programs are also
offered as well as programs designed to
prepare elementary and secondary
teachers for certification. Five graduate
programs are offered which include
criminal justice/political science,
teaching, education, business
administration and master of science in
nursing. The University's Business and
Industrial Development Institute and
Applied Technology Research Center
provides services to existing and
emerging local companies to encourage
expansion, diversification and profitability.

taught

by

part-time

The university is currently in the
preliminary design phase of a
cogeneration plant and a business
development center.
Some of the
university's ongoing goals include
attracting more students from Midland
County as well as improving the quality
and variety of education. The university
plans on adding one or two more
master's programs as well.
Michigan Molecular Institute is a less
traditional - and more specialized - form
of higher education located on 40 acres
of land in Midland's Discovery Square.
The Institute, Central Michigan University
and Michigan Technological University
established the Michigan Polymer
Consortium in 1987. The consortium
was formed to allow for advanced studies
(Master and Ph.D levels) in polymer
science.
In 1990 three additional
universities - Michigan State, Eastern
Michigan and Wayne State were added
to the consortium.

Of the 6,212 students enrolled in the Fall
of 1990, 460 (5%) were from Midland
County and over 98 percent from
Michigan. Only 10 percent (603) of the
university students were campus
residents in the Fall of 1990. Nearly 57
percent of the students commuted to
school in the daytime and nearly 34
percent in the evening (40 percent of the
University courses are offered during
evening hours).
The university has 160 full-time faculty
members, with a total staff of 450. Of the
160 faculty members, 75 percent have
doctorate or terminal degrees. In 1991,
55 Saginaw Valley State University
employees resided in Midland County.

The Michigan Molecular Institute
occupies three buildings in Discovery
Square. The main building contains
35,000 square feet of physical and
chemical research laboratories, a library
with an extensive polymer collection as
well as space for administration and
support facilities.
The Composites
Laboratory is the second largest building
(14,500 square feet) and contains
facilities for the fabrication, processing
and testing of polymer composites. A
conference center with over 7,500 square
feet of conference and support space is
located next to the composite laboratory.

Since 1985 over $60 million in campus
construction has been completed and
approximately $70 million remains in the
planning stages.
The major problems facing the university
at the time of this Plan update relate to
funding and the inability to hire an
adequate number of professors.
Currently, 35 percent of the university

G-38

�which 67 are professors or instructors.
The campus also has nearly 50 part-time
employees as well as 200 student
employees.

The Institute offers the largest amount of
courses in polymer science in Michigan,
possibly the nation. An average of 180
students attend the Michigan Molecular
Institute annually.
Additionally, 15
consortium students (seven master, eight
doctorate) were enrolled at the time of
this Plan update.

Northwood University is located on 286
acres of land adjacent to the
Trttabawasee River in the City of Midland.
The campus has 35 buildings for classes,
meetings, administration, housing and
other uses. Additionally, the campus has
an outdoor stadium for sporting events
and other large gatherings.

The Institute has a staff of 48 - 14 are
professional Ph.D research scientists and
14 are research assistants with either
master degrees or bachelor degrees.
The independent research center began
operations in 1972 and is currently
involved in work for both the federal
government and private industry. The
Institute is currently in a growth phase
and plans to double its research
capabilities as well as increase the
number of graduate students.

One of the challenges currently facing
the University is maintenance of the
facilities. Many buildings are 30 years
old and are starting to need more
frequent repairs. Another problem is the
decreasing number of students attending
the campus.

Northwood University (formerly
Northwood Institute) has over 1,700
students and offers a variety of business
related courses.
After two years,
students can earn an associate degree in
any of 1O business disciplines.
Northwood Institute also offers seven
different four-year business administration degrees. It was founded in 1959
and was originally located in Alma,
Michigan. Since 1959, Northwood has
established three campuses - the
Midland Campus, the West Palm Beach,
Florida Campus and the Cedar Hill,
Texas Campus. Of the three campuses,
the Midland Campus is the oldest.

The campus has various goals and plans
for the Mure. One of the main goals is
to continue to educate students and to
remain a closed campus. Another goal
is to increase the student body to 2,500.
The University will be expanding the
NADA (National Automobile Dealers
Association) Center by adding more
classrooms, lodging and conference
facilities. Additionally, the campus will
require another academic building in the
Mure.
Community Centers

Midland Community Center offers a large
variety of activities to Midland County.
The Community Center, established by
H. H. Dow in 1917, was moved to its
current location at 2001 George Street in
1955. Since then, the center has been
expanded and improved several times

Of the 1,700 students attending the

Midland Campus in 1991, over 700 were
housed in campus housing - the
remaining 1,000 students lived
throughout the Midland area.
The
University has 250 full-time employees of
G-39

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�- Dance lessons
- Children programs
- Self defense classes
- Marksmanship
- Arts and crafts
- Camping
- Summer day camp
- Travel
- Curling (located at 700 Grant Court)

and has over 155,000 square feet of
interior space.
Funding for the center comes from a
variety of sources - three major sources
are fees and charges (60%), United Way
(28%) and industries and foundations
(12%). Often fees are waived or reduced
if potential participants, young or old,
cannot afford a particular program.

While the Midland Community Center
seems to offer a limitless variety of
activities, more programs and facilities
are scheduled for the future. The Center
is currently constructing a shallow warm
water pool with a graded slope for easy
access. The indoor pool will have warm
water jets, game nets and slides, plus a
whirlpool and sun deck.

The Community Center works cooperatively with several groups. Extensive
cooperation exists between the
community center and the Midland
School District - especially with the
sharing of facilities in the summer. The
Community Center also works extensively
with the City of Midland in programming
recreational activities - especially indoor
activities. While most of the organizations that work with the Center are
large public organizations, the Center
also helps smaller organizations to
develop fitness programming.

West Midland Family Center is located on
the corner of M-20 (Isabella Road) and
Alamando Road in the western part of
Midland County. The Center was established in 1974 to serve the social,
educational and recreational needs of the
area. In 1989 a new 21,500-square foot
facility was built to replace the old school
house which had served as the center
since 1974. Supporters for construction
of the new center included:

The following list, taken from the Midland
Community Center's 1991
Spring
Schedule, shows the variety of programs
that are available:
- Indoor jogging
- Indoor swimming
- Weight and nautilus equipment
- Steam and sauna facilities
- Supervised gymnastics
- Fencing
- Bridge/ chess teams
- Various exercise and aerobic programs
- Weight loss programs
- Bicycle trips
- Basketball and volleyball
- Table tennis and football
- Billiards
- Racquetball and squash

-

Dorothy Dow Arbury
Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow
Foundation
- Roland M. Gerstacker Foundation
_ Dow Chemical Company
_ Dow Corning Foundation
_ The Strosacker Foundation

The furnishings and equipment for the
Center were supplied by various local
foundations, clubs and individuals.

G-40

�as auxiliary spaces. The Center can be
rented for private use or other
gatherings.

The Center provides a broad range of
recreational activities and programs for
people of all ages. The facilities include
classroom space, library, conference
room, nursery, offices, activity room,
gymnasium, dining room, fitness room,
emergency clothing and food.

Midland Center for the Arts, dedicated in
1971, was funded entirely through private
donations.
The 200,000-square-foot
facility houses a 1,538-seat auditoriumconcert hall, a 420-seat theater, a 94-seat
lecture/recital room, science/history
exhibition areas, art galleries, banquet
and meeting rooms, music and dance
rehearsal rooms, art studios, a computer
education center and administrative
offices.

The West Midland Family Center is a
United Way Agency, with 38 percent of
operating funds coming from the United
Way of Midland County, 31 percent from
grants and gifts and 31 percent from
government and local support.
Future plans for the Center include the
construction of two additional
classrooms. Additionally, the Center
plans on expanding the programs that
are currently offered.

The Midland Center for the Arts consists
of six individual art and cultural
organizations which include:
-

Mills Township Community Center is
open year-round and has two permanent
programs that operate from the Center.
From 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM, the Midland
County Council on Aging operates a
senior program that includes serving
approximately 20 lunch meals at the
Center and 60 meals to area residents.

Midland Symphony Orchestra
Midland Music Society
Theater Guild
Midland County Historical Society
Community Concert Society
Midland Art Council

Over 200 events and exhibits are
presented annually at the center by these
organizations.

The other ongoing program is an after
school program that began operating in
February 1991. Currently, 82 students
(K-6) are registered for the program with
an average daily attendance of 30
students. The program offers tutoring,
homework incentives, enrichment, arts
and crafts and other activities. A future
goal of the after school program is to
include older students in the program as
well as adults.

One of the Center's permanent displays
is the Hall of Ideas.
The Hall
demonstrates how our world has been
improved through people's ideas over
time.
This section of the Center
emphasizes participation in nature.
The Midland Center for the Arts also
sponsors the Matrix Midland Festival,
which is an annual event that runs from
the end of May to the middle of June.
The festival consists of concerts,
lectures, demonstrations and many other
events.

The Community Center, located at 2635
Shearer Road, is owned and operated by
Mills Township. The facility has a kitchen
and large dining or meeting area as well
G-41

~

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�Salvation Army Building
330 Waldo Road
Midland, Michigan

Future plans for the Center include
expanding the visual arts exhibits as well
as the history and science areas.
Additionally, many of the permanent
exhibits will be replaced, refurbished or
remade. One of the six groups - the
Midland County Historical Society - will
be moved off-site. The society will still be
a part of the Center for the Arts, but will
move to another location.
This will
create more room in the Center and
provide the Historical Society with
additional space.

The Midland County Council on Aging is
funded through a variety of sources both public and private. Most of the
services are provided at no charge to the
users, but contributions are appreciated.
In addition to providing meals to senior
citizens at the established meal sites, a
variety of other services are provided
including door-to-door transportation
throughout Midland County, Case/Care
Management, home delivered meals,
emergency food, financial assistance for
heating, counseling and a variety of other
services.
Additionally, a monthly
newspaper is published to inform
residents of area news concerning senior
citizens.

Senior Citizens Centers
The Midland County Council on Aging
offers many programs designed to enrich
the lives of residents of Midland County
who are 60 years of age or older. The
Council is located in Midland at the
Strosacker Center and operates six
senior centers
and
dining sites
throughout Midland County at the
following locations:

There are currently several issues facing
the Midland County Council on Aging.
One issue involves funding cutbacks
from the State for maintenance, equipment and administration - no services
have been reduced or eliminated.
Another issue involves the need to
integrate developmentally disabled senior
citizens into the programs. The third
major issue facing the Midland County
Council on Aging involves the increase in
the number of senior citizens that are
over 85 years of age. These residents
often require more attention than the
younger senior citizens in the County.

-

Coleman Senior Services Center
110 N. Fifth Street
Coleman, Michigan
West Midland Family Center
4011-1 /2 West Isabella Road
Shepard, Michigan
Midland Happy Diners
Memorial Presbyterian Church
1310 Ashman
Midland, Michigan

Museums
Mills Township Community Center
2635 E. Shearer Road
Midland, Michigan

Chippewa Nature Center is located north
of Pine River road, south of the
Chippewa River between Atwell Drive and
Section 23 of Homer Township. Three
main buildings are currently located on
the Center's 866-acre site. The largest of

Sanford Senior Center
113 W. Lincoln Street
Sanford, Michigan
G-42

�Sanford Museum was established in an
early 20th Century brick four-room
school building, in conjunction with the
Sanford Village Centennial in 1970.
Since 1970 the Museum has expanded
and now includes seven buildings located
on four acres of land. The Museum
buildings include the Riverside School, a
train depot, the Clare Bailey Chapel, the
Smith Log Home and many displays and
exhibits.

the buildings is the 20,000-square-foot
Visitor's Center and Museum. Additional
features of the Center include 14 miles of
trails, an auditorium, an 1870s style farm
complex, a maple syrup house, a paved
trail for the handicapped and three miles
of frontage on the Chippewa River.
Employees at the Nature Center include
13 full-time naturalists and interpreters as
well as 19 part-time interpretive guides.
The personnel are responsible for the
operation of the Center as well as
informing people of the natural
environment through field trips, lectures,
classes, demonstrations and tours of the
Museum and trails. In addition to the 29
full-time and part-time employees, the
Center had 680 volunteers in 1990.

The Museum is deeded to Jerome
Township and operated by the Sanford
Historic Society which has a total of 137
members.
The Society's volunteers
perform most of the maintenance and
assist in giving tours. A paid hostess
gives tours on Saturdays and Sundays
between 1 PM and 5 PM, May through
September.
Prearranged tours are
available to schools and other groups
year-round.

The Chippewa Nature Center has many
projects that are near completion, or that
have recently been completed. A strategic plan for the Center was started in the
Fall of 1990 and is scheduled for completion in the Spring or Summer of 1991.
Additionally, a five-year capital
improvements plan was completed in the
beginning of 1991. A new building is
scheduled to be completed prior to the
Summer of 1991 which will fill some of
the need for additional storage space
required for the Center's many
collections.

Many of the problems facing the
Museum are related to maintaining the
buildings and grounds. Currently one
roof is in need of renovation. No plans
for expanding the Museum's facilities
exist for the next five years. The main
goal at this time is to maintain the
Sanford Museum's existing facilities.
Midland County Historical Museum is one
of six member groups based in the
Midland Center for the Arts.
The
museum has office space, and maintains
two permanent exhibit areas at the
Center. One 4,000-square-foot room
contains a collection which may be
viewed by appointment. They also have
an open exhibit area on the fourth level
of the Center. Other ongoing projects
include the maintenance of Bradley
House which opened to the public as a
museum in 1972. The Museum also

Future projects will concentrate on
maintaining and refurbishing the Nature
Center's existing facilities. Another future
project the Center is planning on
undertaking involves performing a user
survey. This survey will be used by the
Center to determine if the existing
programs satisfy the desires of the area's
residents - or if alternate programs
should be developed.

-~
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G-43

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�programs, such as educating the public
about the facility's purpose and providing
a wider variety of programs for the
residents, including more indoor
recreation and programs designed for
alzheimers and dementia patients.

operates a replica of H. H. Dow's original
place of experimentation - the Evens
Flour Mill. This addition to the Museum
was opened in August 1990.

County Facilities
Pinecrest Home

Harbour House

Pinecrest Home is a congregate housing
facility providing long-term care for
persons with a variety of diagnosed
mental and physical disabilities. The
facilities are located west of the City of
Midland in Homer Township on a 160acre site on Homer Road. One hundred
acres are leased for farming with the
remaining 60 acres used for housing and
associated buildings.

Harbour House was opened in 1971 by
the Volunteers for Youth of Midland as a
shelter for abused, neglected or
otherwise troubled youths. In December
of 1980 control and operation was turned
over to the Juvenile Division of Midland
County Probate Court.
Currently the Harbour House is a ninebed coeducational facility serving
adolescents who fall within one of the
following situations:

The capacity of Pinecrest is 55 persons
and it operates with a staff of 17. One
vehicle is available for client
transportation, with some transportation
services supplied by the Council on
Aging.

_
_
_

Funding is provided by the County,
which accounts for about two-thirds of
needed revenues,
with General
Assistance and user revenue making up
the balance.
The infirmary serves
Midland County but can accept residents
from other counties if space is available.
Cases are generally referred by the
Social Services Department and
hospitals. The majority of the residents
are provided mental health care.

Chronic runaways
Severe school difficulties
Breakdown of family relationships
Physical and/or sexual abuse
Neglect
Criminal behavior

One to two months is a typical residency
period.
Funding is provided entirely
through the County Child Care Fund,
which is a combination of State and
County funds that are to be expended on
out-of-home care of Probate Court
wards. Other resources include private
contributions.
Currently, one of the main problems
facing Harbour House is maintenance.
There is no organized or preventive
maintenance. This situation often leads
to more frequent breakdowns and
difficulty in obtaining maintenance once
an item is out of commission.

Future projects for the facility include
structural improvements to the building to
correct many of the existing deficiencies.
Another proposed physical improvement
is renovation of the greenhouse, which is
used for therapy. The Pinecrest Home
also plans to expand many of its
G-44

�training for 16 persons daily.
The
building was remodeled in the Summer of
1991 at a cost of $35,000. The remodeling consisted of converting many
of the larger rooms into smaller rooms
and offices. The existing building has
office space for the staff that work with
patients and the Health Department's
finance personnel.

Future plans include new facilities and
new programming.
The County is
actively discussing the construction of
new juvenile facilities. Additional plans
include implementing a greater variety of
programs designed to meet the needs of
the different types of youth that are
typically housed in the facility.
Children's Center

Department of Animal Control

The Midland County Comprehensive
Community Corrections Plan calls for the
construction of a juvenile detention and
treatment facility. The juvenile facility, or
Children's Center as it is called, would
provide for the treatment and counseling
of maladjusted young persons. Planning
for in-house and community-based
treatment and counseling programs
would be required in advance of
constructing the Children's Center in
order to determine the function, size and
design of the facility.
As currently
estimated, the Community Corrections
Plan outlines a range of estimated beds
for detention and treatment as follows:

The Department of Animal Control is
operated by Midland County for the
purpose of housing stray or unwanted
animals. The facility has, in addition to
the area used for animal housing, office
space for the Director and a lobby /office
for general administration and reception.
The Department has four full-time
employees and one part-time employee.
There are two vehicles for transporting
animals to the facilities and for patrolling
the County.
There are plans for improvements to the
facilities and expansion of programs
currently offered, but implementing those
changes will require additional funding
and staffing.
These plans include
enlarging the animal sales program;
offering a low-cost neutering program;
formal public education; more road
patrols; more separation of the animals
to prevent the spread of diseases;
expansion of the horse barn; and improving stormwater drainage at the facility.

-Detention:
2 to 18 beds
-Treatment: 10 to 32 beds
-Total
12 to 50 beds
Horizons Building

The Horizons Building is a mental health
day treatment center operated by the
Midland-Gladwin Community Mental
Health Services. The program receives
clientele that are referred from the
MidMichigan Regional Medical Center
and other local agencies.

Midland County Mosquito Control
Facility

The Horizons Building offers day
programs for developmentally disabled
individuals who are 18 years of age or
older. The Center offers basic skills

The Midland County Mosquito Control
Facility is housed in a specially designed
facility that was completed in February
1991. The building is situated on 17

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G-45

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�paid, 125 are partially paid and 105 are
nonpaid members. The only department
with all paid members is the City of
Midland's Fire Department. Table 43 lists
the 11 departments along with information specific to each. The information
was obtained by contacting the fire chiefs
of each of the departments.

acres of land and includes office space,
a conference room, a laboratory, a
lunchroom and training room, storage
space, maintenance space, indoor
parking for two vehicles, covered parking
for eight vehicles, a truck wash, and a
30'x50' storage building. The complete
operation is funded through a County
millage and has four year-round
employees and 25 additional employees
from March through September.

Midland County Road Commission

County roads are maintained by the
Road Commission through facilities
located at 4509 North Saginaw (Midland),
the City of Coleman, Jasper Township at
LaPorte and Magrudder Roads and in
Ingersoll Township on Brooks Road
(Section 18). Principle garaging and
office functions occur at the Saginaw
Road location. The other facilities store
one road grader and one or two trucks.
A new facility is planned at U.S. 10 and
Price Road in Lincoln Township.

The new facilities have been designed
especially for the intended use, so no
plans for expansion or improvement
exist.
Future plans do include the
expansion of the aerial application portion
of the mosquito control program.
Sheriff Department Emergency
Services Building

The Sheriff's Department maintains an
emergency services building (Station 11)
at 1884 N. Seven Mile Road in Jerome
Township. The purpose of this building
is to store emergency equipment, four
boats, a rescue van with diving
equipment, an all-terrain vehicle and a
mobile command unit.
There are
currently plans to add 1,500 square feet
to the building to be used as an
emergency radio room.
Fire Departments

Midland County is provided with fire
protection by 11 separate fire
departments. While the fire departments
are separate departments, a cooperative
agreement between the departments
exists to ensure adequate fire protection
is provided to residents throughout
Midland County.
Michigan's Fire
Marshall Division lists 277 fire fighters in
Midland County. Of this figure, 47 are
G-46

�TABLE 43
FIRE DEPARTMENT STATUS

:+ota1 #

Flf'8--·=-'

Fire -,,. ·
·' } ·
Department
Township
Edenville

..

#of.t

,:::

· fighters ·: ·

Vehicles :•

. of Fires*

· Future Plans

1-Pumper
2-Tankers
1-Rescue Van
1-Brush Truck

22

25

1-Pumper
1-Tanker
1-Rescue Vehicle
1-Grass Rig

4

Tumout Gear •
updated protective
clothing; updated
radio equipment

#1 • 825 Irish St.
(1972)
#2 • M-30 (1978)

30

2-Pumper /Tanker
1-BrushTruck
1-Reacue Van
1-Reserve Tanker

12

New tanker in
1994

3022 Jefferson

29

3-Pumper/Tanker
1-Rescue Truck
1-Brush Truck

16

Update rescue van
to meet 1st
response require.
by 1994; more
training &amp; instrucors; personnel
equip.; training

2-Pumpers
1-Tanker
1-Brush Truck
1-Rescue Truck

36

Edinville Twp. &amp; 6 Sq. Miles
of Tobacco Twp., Gladwin
Co. (42 Sq. Miles)

420 Moore Street
(19n)

Hope

Hope Township
(46 Sq. Miles)

575 Hull Road
(1970)

Jerome

Jerome Township
(36 Sq. Miles)

Larkin

Larkin Township
(36 Sq . Miles)

New pumper putting spec.

together

Lee, Greendale, Porter
(partial) townships
(80 Sq. Miles)

Corner of 9 Mile
and Prairie

Lincoln

Lincoln Township
(24 Sq. Miles)

1882 Hope Road converted school

15

2-Pumpers

13

Medical response
unit; hoses for
hydrants; more
firefighters

Midland

Midland , Mt. Haley, Ingersoll
Twp. (80 Sq. Miles)

973 Poseyville Rd.
(Mid SOs)

24

2-Pumpers
1-Tanker
1-Brush Truck
1- Equip. Van

23

No equipment
needs; hydrantsrequires water
system

Mills

Mills Township
(36 Sq . Miles)

2860 East Schearer

14

1-Pumper
1-Tanker
1-Brush Rig

14

More volunteers;
full turnout gear;
additional pumper

Homer

Homer Township
(20 Sq. Miles)

Main-1510 E. Chippewa
River Rd . (Early 60s)
#2-TT3 Dublin(" 60s)
Aux.- Twp. Park (1986)

24

3-Pumpers
2-Tankers
1-Brush Truck

23

Replace Pumper
(1958); keep
current with equip
and training

Coleman
Community
Fire Dept.

City of Coleman; Warren,
Geneva, Wise (partial),
Denver (partial)
(100 Sq. Miles)

201 East Railway

0

Upgrade tankers;
new rescue vehicle
convert current
rescue vehicle to
grass rig

City of
Midland
Fire Dept.

City of Midland

#1 • 816 E. Haley(H.Q.)
#2 - 301 McDonald St.
#3 • 1717 North Sag.
Road

153

Expand prevention
programs; more
education;
voluntary home
inspections; res.
sprinkler ordinanc

Lee

26

2-Pumpers
2-Tankers
1-Rescue Vehicle
1-Grass Rig

*Michigan Fire Service Directory

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc. (May 1991)

G-47

42

5-Engine-Pumpers
1-1.adder Truck
1-Rescue Unit
1-Brush Truck
3-Cars
3-Utility Vehicles

More personnel
equipment; more
training

•
~

~

.-..

�road bridges have been classified by the
County and this is used to determine
which bridges are in need of
reconstruction.
Actual priority or
application requests are made by the
individual unit of government.

Maintenance programs include snow
removal and minor reconstruction/
repaving. Snow removal operations use
17 snow removal vehicles (trucks and
graders) and one 5,000-gallon tanker for
ice control (brine spreading).
First
priority for snow removal is given to State
highways under contract with the
Michigan Department of Transportation.

Midland County Jail

The Midland County Jail facility is located
in the City of Midland at Main and
Gordon streets. Total inmate capacity for
this facility is 90 inmates. A total of 17
full-time employees operate the County
Jail. A study to determine the number of
cells that will be required to house
County inmates in the year 201 O was
completed inn 1991. Plans have been
made to relocate the Sheriff's Department
with the Midland City Police Department.
This relates to the County Jail facility
since the two activities are currently
located in the same building.

These highways include US-10, US-20,
US-18 and US-30. Primary then local
roads follow in priority.
All paving and construction projects are
contracted. Determination of need is
determined by the various municipalities
in Midland County. A road rating system
is being established by the Road
Commission. The system will be based
on traffic volumes and existing road
conditions.
Policy for the Road
Commission is determined by a threemember Commission serving six-year
terms in staggered order.

The 1991 Midland County Community
Corrections Plan outlines the future
needs of the County in regards to adult
detention facilities. Three alternate plans
are given in the plan.

Commissioners are appointed by the
County Board of Commissioners and
may serve a maximum of two terms.
The Road Commission receives Federal
and State funds. Additional funding is
granted through a four-year, 0.45 mill
levy, which was voted on in 1989 and will
fund programs through 1993. Of the
available taxes collected, approximately
80 percent comes from the City of
Midland and 20 percent from the
remainder of the County. Between 1985
and 1989 the levy was 1.0 mill. A new
millage of 1.0 mills was passed in 1992.

These are: 1) to build an addition to the
existing jail on the existing site, 2) to build
a new jail on a new site and 3) to build a
new addition to the existing jail on land
adjacent to and west of the existing site.
The alternate facilities are summarized
below.
1.

Critical bridge program applications are
also administered by the Road
Commission. Both primary and local
G-48

The ability to add on to the existing
jail is limited by the size of the site.
A total capacity of 141 beds can be
provided, 31 less than the 172 beds
projected to be needed by 2010.
Total project construction cost is
expected to be $3,744,591.00. The

�is expected to be $45, 1355,060.
Providing a parking structure in
conjunction with the new jail addition
would cost an additional $633,600,
or $1,132,560 with amortization to
the year 2010.
It is highly
improbable that this alternative
facility would be constructed,
however, as the land upon which it
would be sited is now committed to
a parking lot for a new downtown
hotel and conference center.

total cost for the additional beds
through the year 2010 including
construction,
additional staff,
amortization, and maintenance is
expected to be $21,833,633 to
$32,719,742 depending upon the
level of staffing. This alternative also
has a modified version providing for
214 beds by the year 2015. The
1992 Midland County Jail Study,
Phase I report describes a 214-bed,
three-level facility including space for
the Sheriff's Department at a
construction cost of $11,730,217.
Either version of this alternative may
also be modified by relocating the
Sheriff's Department with the
Midland City Police Department.
2.

3.

Mental Health Department

The Mental Health Board currently
operates a mental health outpatient
facility in conjunction with the
MidMichigan Regional Medical Center.
The facility occupies 10,000 square feet
under a lease expiring in 1996. The
Mental Health Board is currently planning
to relocate the facility near to the hospital
complex. It is the goal to design and
construct a permanent outpatient facility
for use by mental health programs.
Space will include rooms for individual,
family, and group therapy; conference
rooms; records storage; and
administrative offices. The new facility
might accommodate substance abuse
and assertive community treatment
programs in addition. The new facility is
expected to cost $2.5 million.

A new jail can be built on a new site
with a capacity of 172 beds at an
anticipated construction cost of
$11,591,000.00, including administrative and road patrol space for the
Sheriff's Department. The total cost
for the new facility through the year
2010 including construction, additional staff, amortization, and
maintenance is expected to be
$42,333,765.00.
This alternative
could also be modified by
expanding a new jail facility to
include 214 beds.

The third alternate facility can be
built for $13,119,360 without a
parking structure. A total capacity
of 172 beds can be provided,
including 24 beds in the existing jail
for work release inmates and office
space for the Sheriff's Department.
The total cost for this alternate
facility through the year 2010
including construction, additional
staff, amortization, and maintenance
G-49

-II
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�TABLE 44
COMMUNITY FACILITIES, MIDLAND COUNTY
. . . Legend ·•·•

?

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.

Jasper Township Hall
Coleman Fire Hall
Coleman City Hall
Greendale Township Hall
Geneva Township Hall
Warren Township Hall
West Midland Family Center
West Midland County Park
Pine Haven Recreation Area
Lee Township Hall
Porter Township Hall
Veterans Memorial Park
Jerome Fire Station # 1
Jerome Township Hall
Edenville Township Hall and Fire
Station
Sanford Lake Park
Sanford Village Hall
Jerome Fire Station #2
Lincoln Township Hall
Hope Twp. Hall/Fire Station
Lincoln Twp. Fire Station
Homer Townshp Hall
Pinecrest Home
Mt. Haley Township Hall
Homer Twp. Fire Station #1
Homer Twp. Fire Station #2
Midland Co. Road Commission
Chippewa Nature Center
Jack Barsow Airport
Midland County Fairgrounds
MidMichigan Regional Medical
Center
Midland Fire Station #3
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library

Legend
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.

55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.

Midland Center for the Arts
Dow Memorial Gardens
Midland County Courthouse
Midland Township Fire Station
Midland Township Hall
Ingersoll Township Hall
Midland Fire Station #2
Midland City Hall
Midland Community Center
Midland Fire Station #1
Midland County Animal Control Center
Larkin Twp. Fire Station/Township Hall
Mills Twp. Fire Station/Township Hall
Midland Co. Road Commission Garage
Manitou Park
Harbour House
Mosquito Control Facility
Coleman Senior Services Center
Sanford Senior Citizens Center
Mills Community Center
Larkin Senior Citizens Center
Northwood University
Lee Township Fire Hall
Michigan Molecular Institute
Sanford Museum
Midland County Historical Museum
Horizons Building
Coleman Area Library
Midland County Services Building
Great Lakes Junior College
Sheriff's Department Emergency
Services Building
The Strosacker Center
Midland County Road Commission
(Proposed)

SOURCE: Midland County Planning Department

G-50

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MIDLAND COUN1Y, MICHIGAN

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NOTE: SEE TABLE 44 • PG. G-SO FOR FACILITIES .
DES RIPTIONS OF COMMUNITY

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Trends, Patterns and Problems

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TRENDS, PATTERNS AND PROBLEMS

areas where substantial erosion of
farmlands is occurring.

INTRODUCTION

The updated information on population,
economy, transportation, land use,
housing, recreation and physical
landscape has been included in the Plan.
The information presented here is the
result of an issues analysis of the data
base contained in this report. This
section addresses those issues which
have been identified as having the
greatest significance and impacts on
Midland County's future.
Analysis

of

Physical and

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The trend of consolidating smaller
farms into larger acreage farms
demands analysis for impact on soil
erosion rates.

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There is limited knowledge of the
area's groundwater, and how Mure
development of the County
landscape will impact groundwater
quality.

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Limited monitoring exists to assure
groundwater protection from potential
contamination sources such as
landfills, septic tanks, underground
storage tanks, agricultural chemical
systems, among others.

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It is likely that the number of
environmental contamination sites will
increase in the future.

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Alth~ugh the air quality of the County
has improved, the air quality should
be monitored for its effect on the
health of the residents.

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Little interaction between health
related agencies and the public
concerning air quality occurs except
at times of major emergencies.

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An equitable balance which
safeguards both the environment and
the area's economy must be reached
in the future.

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Demands for floodplain management
and flood
insurance for the
unincorporated areas of the County
exist, as exhibited by the 1986 flood.

Natural Environment
Some of the dominant trends in Midland
County that relate to the physical and
natural environment include the following:
-

!he effects of decreasing farm
incomes on the County's economy
means greater pressure will be
placed on other sectors of the
economy in the future to produce
jobs and income.
The relationship between farm size
and decreasing net average farm
income will result in larger and fewer
farm operations .

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A decreasing per-farm value of
products could impact future
agricultural productivity.
Futu_re ri~er use and improved water
quality will require river and stream
protection planning and zoning.
Soil erosion of farmlands is a
county-wide issue for the future of
agriculture, particularly in those
H-1

�Analysis of People

_ The County's Emergency
Services Department could take a
lead role in floodplain management
as part of its emergency
management program.
-

Further trends relating to demographics
in Midland County follow:
_ The County's population growth and
geographic distribution are not
uniform. This trend can be expected
to continue in the future.

Preservation of archeological and
historical sites should be continued
and monitored.

_ Low acreage devoted to commercial
forestry demands further analysis for
commercial forest development in the
agricultural economy of the County.

_

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_ The median age of the population will
continue to increase due to an
increasing percentage of older
residents and a decreasing
percentage of younger residents.
This indicates an increased need for
social services planning.

Soil qualities indicate a need for
greater prime farmland preservation.

_ Wetlands and wet soil patterns
indicate the need for further analysis
for determining suitable/unsuitable
lands for site development planning.

Units of government that experienced
population increases greater than 10
percent from 1980-1990 will continue
to experience growth.

The Comprehensive Plan is a tool that
can be used to bring together and study
related elements. Often these related
elements are not analyzed with regards
to the effect that they have on each other
- due to the unintended boundaries
created by having several levels of
government involved.

_ During the next 20 years population
growth in Midland County will be high
(Woods and Poole 1°992).

The physical and natural environment of
Midland County is influenced by
countless factors, including influences
from outside the County. A network that
can relate information affecting the
environment must exist if the
environmental problems are to be
addressed on a unified basis. Since the
environment is a series of linked events
it is essential that agencies and
departments that deal with the various
aspects of the environment are more
closely linked.

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Single parents and the higher
incidence of husband and wife
working will lead to increased
childcare needs.

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The racial mix of Midland County will
remain nearly the same in the future.

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The average household size will tend
to decline to below 2.3 persons per
household during the next 20 years,
therefore future housing units will be
required to accommodate smaller
households.

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Due to the projected increases in
population there will be a net
increase of school-age children in the
future.

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Single parent households will
continue to account for a substantial
proportion of Midland County's
households.

Strategies designed to contend with
population growth in Midland County
must be developed if the quality of life is
to remain high. Additional strategies
must be developed to address an aging
population. Since the average household
size will continue to decrease, programs
must be developed to assure an
adequate mixture of housing will exist to
accommodate the diverse needs of
Midland County's residents .

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Rental housing costs will continue to
be higher in the City of Midland than
in other areas of the County.

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The median value of housing units
will increase at different rates
throughout the County.

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Goals for housing in the County
should be reevaluated and/or new
programs implemented for home
improvement.

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Providing housing for senior citizens
will become a major issue in the
future in Midland County.
An adequate amount of affordable
housing in the County is not available
for low- and moderate-income
household residents.

Analysis of Housing

Trends relating to housing in Midland
County follow:
-

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Major differences in housing will
continue to exist between rural and
urban areas.
Manufactured homes will continue to
be a popular form of housing in parts
of the County because of their
affordability.

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~any areas of the County have a
high percentage of housing units built
before 1939.

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n:,e me~ian value of housing units
will continue to be higher in and
around the City of Midland than in
other areas of the County.

Uncoordinated housing assistance
programs demand a unified strategy
for addressing all aspects of housing
the County's residents .

Housing plays a major role in the overall
quality of the life in a community. A wide
range of available and affordable quality
housing benefits the community. An
issue that has been addressed in the
past - the quality of housing outside of
the City of Midland - should again be
addressed. To ensure that housing in
the rural areas of Midland County are not
only affordable, but safe and secure,
strategies should be developed to ensure
opportunities are available for improving
homes within the County .

Rental units and multi-family housing
will continue to be centered around
the City of Midland .

Analysis of Economy

Issues relating to the economy of
Midland County follow:

H-3

�_ The expected increase in
professionally-related jobs in the
Midland community may require
additional cultural activities.

_ Most types of jobs will increase in
numbers in the future with the
exception of farm employment;
transportation, communications and
public utilities; and federal military.

While many lesser issues exist that relate
to the County's economy, the major
economic influences are jobs and income
disparity - which are very closely related.
A principle change in the County's
economy is the redistribution of jobs.
Strategies need to be developed in order
to prepare for the employment changes
that occur.
The various planning
agencies, employment agencies, major
employers,
educational
institutions,
economic development agencies, social
service organizations and other related
individuals and institutions should
establish an information network. This
network should be structured to identify
changes in the job market and create
strategies to effectively meet these
changes in the County in future years.

_ Government jobs - While government employment is projected to
remain the same, there will be fewer
military employees, more federal
civilian employees and slightly more
state and local employees.
_ Median household incomes vary
between areas in the County from
$24,000 to $41,000.
_ Some areas in Midland County have
median incomes that are less than 75
percent of the County's median
income.
_ The Midland Mall and other new retail
outlets will contribute to the rate of
the projected increase of retail jobs in
the County.

Analysis of Public Facilities

_ The disparity between urban and
rural household incomes presents a
demand for job training, job
placement and economic development planning.

Issues relating to public facilities and
activities follow:
_ Sanitary sewers will be necessary in
many areas that are not currently
serviced by sewers.

_ The percentage of low-income
persons in the County requires
analysis for social and economic
equity planning.

_ Public water systems will be important in many areas that are not
currently adequately serviced by
water.

_ Use of existing industrial park
capacities indicates a need for further
planning of industrial parks in the
out-county, as opposed to the City of
Midland, as a way of improving the
tax base of the rural school districts.

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A more equitable distribution of
neighborhood parks will be required
to provide rural residents with
balanced recreational opportunities.

_ Roads throughout Midland County
will continue to deteriorate as
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transportation
decrease.

funding

The Comprehensive Plan examines a
variety of public facilities and services.
Most of the facilities that are provided
affect residents daily, so constant feedback is received that relates to the quality
of the provided services. The Comprehensive Plan focuses on improving
facilities that are currently inadequate.

sources

_ Local government will continue to
have problems enforcing various
local ordinances.
_ The need for effective and efficient
disposal of solid waste increases
daily, and is a major issue requiring
immediate action on long-term
planning.

Since sewer and water services are
necessary in many areas of Midland
County priorities and strategies should
be established for installing these
services. Growth control and opposition
to annexation relate to these services
since many areas that are in need of
water and sewer are opposed to further
growth or annexation. A system that will
provide some form of autonomy, as well
as services, is going to be a major issue
within this planning period.

_ Regional solutions to solid waste
problems will require resource
recovery and recycling.
_ Entertainment facilities and cultural
programs are necessary for schoolage children.
_ Growth control in the area
surrounding the City of Midland will
be an issue which shapes the County
land use policy in the area.

Solid waste will continue to be an issue in
Midland County, that will be addressed in
the five-year update of the County Solid
Waste Management Plan .

_ Annexation surrounding the City of
Midland will continue to be an issue
which shapes the future.

The distribution of parks and recreation
facilities in the County should be
balanced to serve all segments of the
County's residents.

Piecemeal highway and traffic flow
improvement proposals indicate a
need for area-wide comprehensive
transportation planning analysis.
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Limited bridging of the Tittabawassee
River further supports the need for
areawide transportation planning.

-

Public transportation throughout the
County will continue to be nonexistent unless the public,
municipalities and townships express
support for the service.

Rural communities need better roads but
have limited funding sources. In order to
use all available funds in an equitable
manner, an area-wide prioritization of
need should exist.
An area-wide
transportation planning process involving
Midland County, including the Midland
urban area and parts of Bay, Saginaw
and other adjoining counties should be
established.
A five-year capital
improvements program for all State,
County and local roads should be
prepared .
H-5

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Analysis of Public Schools

Analysis of Higher Education

Some of the issues relating to public
schools in Midland County follow:

Further educational issues relating to
colleges and universities follow:

-

Decreasing funding sources will
require the elimination and/or
consolidation of many programs.

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Maintaining up-to-date equipment will
continue to be a costly effort for local
colleges and universities.

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The Midland Public School District will
continue to have more dependable
sources of funding than the County's
rural districts.

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Attracting students to local colleges
and universities will become more
difficult.

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The disparity in the tax bases of the
school districts in the County
demands analysis for tax base
adjustments through economic
development planning and industrial
plant siting.

Schools are a vital element to a
community's success.
If a good
education system exists in a community
it encourages both families and
businesses to locate, grow and expand.
Most of the issues relating to public
schools in this Plan refer to the rural
school districts, but some issues relate to
the Midland Public School District as well.

-

Attracting qualified teaching staff will
remain an issue in area colleges and
universities.

-

Delta College may require additional
sites for expansion of facilities.

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Decreased funding sources will
cause colleges to reevaluate existing
programs.

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Special consideration needs to be
given to students residing in remote
locations of the County.

Community colleges and universities are
becoming a necessity for all
communities. They provide not only
higher levels of education to residents
and nonresidents, they provide jobs,
cultural amenities and training programs.
Since colleges and universities are
autonomous many of the issues will not
be addressed in the Comprehensive
Plan, but an awareness of their situation
is important in establishing a working
relationship.
This will help create
beneficial interactions between local
governmental units and area colleges
and universities.

To effectively plan for reduced financing
each school district needs to form its
own strategies.
Additionally, school
districts should be open to joint ventures
with other school districts, the sharing of
facilities and the sharing of ideas. One
criterion for Mure industrial sitings in the
County should be those school districts
that are in greater need of expanding
their tax base.

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identification process which has
produced these trends, problems and
patterns, which will impact the future of
Midland County.

Analysis of county Facilities
Some of the major issues facing Midland
County government facilities follow:
_ Adequate jail facilities need to be
provided to serve Midland County
residents in the Mure.

The Goals, Policies and Strategies
section in this report will further refine the
planning process in implementing goals,
policies and actions as defined below:

_ Enlarged animal shelter facilities and
public education will be required in
the Mure.

Issues identify areas of concern of
county-wide significance.

_ Adequate juvenile detention and
treatment facilities and programs
need to be provided to serve Midland
County's youth and families.
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Goals indicate what is to be accomplished on each issue .
Policies indicate what is to be done to
achieve each goal and agency
responsibility.

An emergency operations center
should continue to be evaluated to
serve the County residents .

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Future County facilities will require
site location analyses and a County
land assembly program.

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Since County park land acquisition
deficiencies have been met, future
planning should concentrate on a
park land development program .

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Continued County capital improvements programming demands
County long-range financial management planning of government
revenues and expenses.

Strategies (or actions) refer to specific
implementation measures and strategies.

Conclusion
The foregoing trends reflect those issues
which have surfaced in the comprehensive planning process, which have
long-range planning implications on
Midland County. The planning process
has narrowed the issues to the most
relevant concerns presented herein. The
data base analysis resulted in the issue
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Goals, Policies and Strategies

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GOALS, POLICIES AND STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE

Land Use

This section presents the goals, policies
and action statements reflected in the
information presented in the prior
sections of this Plan report. The goals
and policies have been developed based
on an analysis of comprehensive
planning data and interviews with local,
County and State officials. The issues
presented in the prior sections generally
correspond with the housing, transportation, community facilities, economic,
land use and environmental planning
elements of the Comprehensive Plan.
The policy and action statements present
specific methods for implementing
comprehensive planning in the County.
The recommended policies are stated in
an obligatory sense, not in a mandatory
manner.
■

Issues are areas of concern which
have been identified within the
County, which the County Planning
Commission believes requires some
manner of attention.

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Goals are broad statements
identifying what is to be accomplished under each topic.

■

Policies are statements which
identify what is to be done to
achieve each goal, as well as the
responsible agency.

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Strategies are statement(s)
specifying measures identified to
implement a policy.

1.

Random Development
~:
On-site wastewater can
cause random development
patterns, because buildings must
locate in areas where soils are
suitable for on-site disposal.
~:
Identify areas potentially
unsuitable for on-site wastewater
disposal, and discourage high
density development in these areas,
while encouraging more appropriate
land use alternatives.
Policy: The Midland County Health
Department, in cooperation with
local units of government, should
implement the policy of restricting
development in areas unsuitable for
on-site wastewater disposal in order
to discourage high density or related
inappropriate development.
Strategies:
• Use the data contained in this
Plan report to identify areas
potentially unsuitable for on-site
wastewater disposal for the
general public, municipalities and
County Planning Commission.

2.

Floodplain Development
Issue: Limited development has
occurred within the 100-year floodprone areas of the major rivers, thus
subjecting said development to the
potential of flooding, as well as
potentially impacting the capacity of

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on the Midland County Economic
Development Strategy (No. 38) and
Economic Diversification (No. 39).

The issue of Planning of County
Government Facilities (No. 21) was
addressed by the Midland County
Planning Commission in 1987 by
preparing the County's first report on
County facilities entitled County Facilities
Master Plan, May 1987. This report was
followed by the updated report entitled
County Facilities Master Plan - 1990
Update, October 1990. The County
Facilities Master Plan provided impetus
for preparing a County Capital Improvements Program, a policy on maintaining
and replacing County motorized vehicles,
and a County facilities preventive
maintenance program.

To promote interest in implementing the
Prime Farmland Preservation policy (No.
29), the Midland County Planning
Commission sponsored a county-wide
workshop in October 1986 on "Preservation of Agricultural and Forested
Lands."
Implementation of the land use policies
was limited; however, the Midland County
Planning Commission sponsored countywide workshops on "Futuring" (1989) and
"Planning and Zoning in Your Community" (1990) to promote interest among the
municipalities and townships to prepare
and update their community master
plans.

Land Use Issues - Key land use issues
included:

23. Random Development Resulting
From Poor Soils
24. Location of Industrial and
Commercial Development
25. Floodplain Development
26. Land Use Compatibility Between
Governmental Units
27. Regional Commercial Center
Location
28. Economic Development Sites
29. Prime Farmland Preservation
30. Conflicts Between Residential/NonResidential Development
31. Residential Development in NonUtility Areas
32. Soil Erosion

General Planning Issues - Key general
planning issues included:

33. Urban Amenities in Rural Locations
34. Private Sewage Systems
35. Midland Urban Growth Area (MUGA)
Policy
36. Air Pollution Control
37. Stream System Use
38. Midland County Economic Development Strategy
39. Economic Diversification
40. Coordinated Management of County
Offices
41. Planning Effort by Local Governmental Units
42. Groundwater Protection

The Midland County Economic Growth
and Development Corporation (formerly
the Midland County Growth Council)
continued its efforts in implementing the
policy on Location of Industrial and
Commercial Development (No. 24) and
the Economic Development Sites policy
(No. 28) in conjunction with the policies

Implementation of the Stream System
Use policy (No. 37) was carried out by
the Midland County Parks and
Recreation Commission in cooperation
with the Midland County Planning
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~ : To achieve a coordinated and
efficient set of regulatory and
administrative processes throughout
the County related to the splitting of
lots, access to land parcels, and
control of subdivision design and
development.

Strategies:
• Prepare and distribute to land
owners information concerning
erosion problems and erosion
control methods in cooperation
with local units of government.
• Preparesample/modelstandards
for codes and ordinances.

Policy: The Midland County Plat
Board, in cooperation with local
units of government and the Midland
County Planning Commission,
should promote and ensure a legal,
coordinated,
effective and
implementable set of regulations for
guaranteeing land access, and
implementing subdivision and lot
split controls at the local level.

• Increase the level of on-site field
assistance to land owners.
• Develop and/or expand
programs whereby landowners
employing erosion control
practices are given public/media
recognition .

Strategies:

• Develop economic incentives to
promote soil erosion control.

• Collect and compare regulations and procedures adopted by
each local governmental unit
pertaining to lot splits, land
access and subdivision controls.

• Whe_
re feasible, incorporate
erosion control standards in
development regulations such as
zoning ordinances.

• Develop a "model" set of
regulations for land access,
subdivision development and lot
splits for local units of
government.

• Ens~re that the provisions of
Public Act 34 7, the Soil Erosion
and Sedimentation Control Act
are being properly enforced.
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5.

Land Access, Subdivision and Lot
Split Controls

• Encourage local units to adopt
the model regulations and
provide technical assistance as
needed for appropriate response
to requests; provide a periodic
review to determine consistency
problems.

Issue: There is a general lack of
effective regulatory and administrative controls to ensure adequate and
reasonable access to land parcels,
as well as efficient controls for the
splitting of lots and design and
development of subdivisions.

6·

Small Watershed Planning
Issue: The quality of the surface
and ground water within the County
is partially dependent upon the

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quality of the smaller watersheds
and subdrainage basins. The lack
of monitoring and regulating of the
watersheds and basins can result in
unwanted surface and ground water
contamination and/or soil erosion
and sedimentation.

Growth Management
~:
The municipalities and
townships in Midland County lack
sufficient growth management
techniques to implement comprehensive development plans.

Goal: Ensure an environmentally
safe, small watershed and drainage
basin system within the County.

~ : Encourage the formulation
and adoption of minimum uniform
standards and regulations
throughout the County governing
land use and community
development.

Policy: The Midland County Soil
and Water Conservation District, in
cooperation with the Midland County
Planning Commission, should
establish a coordinated program to
encourage local units of government
to protect and improve the small
watersheds and drainage basins
within their jurisdictions.

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission, in
conjunction with the County, local
municipalities and townships and
planning, building and zoning
officials, should develop model
growth management techniques
governing the use and development
of land, natural resources, water, air,
infrastructure, community facilities,
economic development, and public
services.

Strategies:
• Define the boundaries of small
watersheds.
• Encourage local units of
government to form a consortium
to inventory and study small
watersheds within the County
and recommend remedial or
protective actions.

Strategies:
• Prepare report on necessary and
desired growth management
techniques for implementing
County, municipal and township
comprehensive development
plans.

• Notify local units of government
of available public/private funds
for protective remediation and
enhancement of small watersheds and subdrainage basins.

• Formulate model housing codes,
river protection overlay zoning
standards, land access regulations, subdivision ordinances, lot
split ordinances,
floodplain
management regulations, special
use regulations, planned unit
development standards, site plan

• Establish a county-wide contamination and soil erosion
monitoring program for small
watersheds, drainage basins.

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model County River Protection
Plan .

review procedures, and other
growth management techniques
deemed necessary for implementation of comprehensive
development plans, for adoption by
the County, municipalities and
townships.
8.

Stream System

• Prepare/update municipal zoning
ordinances and maps in
accordance with the municipal
river protection master plans and
model County river protection
overlay zone regulations.

Use

Community Facilities

Issue:
The Tittabawassee,
Chippewa, Pine and Salt rivers and
Sanford and Wixom lakes have been
identified as significant for scenic
and recreational use, yet many local
comprehensive plans/zoning
ordinances do not recognize these
systems for such use, nor protect
them.

9.

Consolidation/Coordination of Public
Services
~ : Better utilization of existing
County and local resources would
maximize the costs of providing
services, such as fire, police, parks,
utilities, housing, transportation, and
minimize operational inefficiencies.

~ : Encourage local communities
to consider as part of their planning
process, the scenic and recreational
value of the County's major water
features. The implementation of
guidelines/controls governing
river /lake development should be
encouraged.

Goal:
Develop a management
system capable of coordinating both
County and local service delivery, to
achieve optimum efficiency in
providing quality services.
Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners, through the
Controller-Administrator. and in
cooperation with local units of
government, should take the lead in
investigating potential revenue
savings from improved coordination
and consolidation of public services.

Policy: The Midland County Parks
and Recreation Commission. in
conjunction with the Midland County
Planning Commission, should
encourage those townships that
contain, or border upon rivers within
the County, to consider the spirit,
intent and regulations of the recently
completed Midland County River
Protection Plan recommendations.

Strategies:
• Promote the possibilities of
coordination/consolidation at the
County and local level.

Strategies:
• Prepar~/ update municipal master
plans 1n accordance with the

• Investigate the privatization of
some public services.

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• Work to implement the program
and schedule contained in the
Solid Waste Management Plan.

1O. Solid Waste Resource Recovery and
Disposal

~ : The disposal of solid waste
is a continuing and increasing
County concern. A special problem
is the siting of a long-term disposal
facility.

• Establish a public education
program and promote public
awareness of the immediate need
to select a solid waste recovery
and disposal facility process and
proceed with implementation of a
designed facility.

Goal: Implement an efficient, costeffective, integrated waste
management system capable of
meeting the diverse needs of
Midland County, under the MONA
(Michigan Department of Natural
Resources), Public Act 641 requirements.

• Provide method of funding.
11. Intergovernmental Planning of
Utilities

Issue: There is a need to prepare
long-range plans for water and
sewer service in areas outside the
cities.

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners should maintain
an integrated waste management
plan capable of meeting the diverse
needs of Midland County. The
Midland County Solid Waste
Management Advisory Board should
develop and manage an
implementation program and
schedule.

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Provide a coordinated
program of water distribution and
sanitary sewerage planning.
Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners, in cooperation
with local units of government,
should evaluate the long-range
needs addressing county-wide water
distribution and sanitary sewerage.

Strategies:
• Encourage the creation/
expansion of the recycling
market.

Strategies:
• A~s~ss . the county-wide water
d1stnbut1on and sanitary sewerage needs in an area-wide plan
with recommendations.

• Budget for ongoing coordination of solid waste management
planning.
• Budget for professional management consulting services and
advice on managing the implementation of the plan.

• Prepare an area-wide water and
sewer plan dealing with needs for
improvements, financing and
responsibilities.

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• Evaluate foundation funding for
the plan, as well as implementation.

• Coordinate the area-wide plan
with the land use plans of the
townships, cities, village and
County to guide development to
appropriate areas .

13. County Financial
Planning

Management

12. School District Cooperation
~ : There is a lack of long-range
financial management planning for
major capital improvements and for
projected revenues and expenses
for County services, capital
improvements, and facility operation.

~:
Due to changes in
secondary school enrollments and
decline in funding, the public, and
possibly the private, school systems
should evaluate coordination of
cooperative efforts to provide for
maximum education opportunities in
an efficient manner.

.GQ.ru: Provide for a mechanism for
a coordinated, efficient program for
spending public resources.

Goal:
Encourage cooperative/
coordinated efforts between various
school systems in Midland County.

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners, in conjunction
with the Controller-Administrator,
should develop and adopt shortrange (1 year) budgets and longrange (6 years) improvement programs to define capital and an
operating expenditures and
revenues.

Policy: A task force of the Bullock
Creek, Coleman, Meridian, and
Midland public school districts
should develop a cooperative/
coordinated analysis of current and
future school programs and
facilities.

Strategies:
Strategies:
• Solicit short- and long-range
budgetary needs from various
County departments and
agencies.

• Explore the possibility of creating
an umbrella oversight committee
to undertake a study of
possibilities and guide the
process.

• Provide for the review and input
of the proposed departmental
capital budgets by the County
Planning Commission in relation
to planning analyses, project
evaluations, and County development plans.

• Prepare a strategic plan outlining how facilities, resources
and programs could be shared in
a most efficient manner among
Midland County schools.

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• Develop and adopt a social
services delivery plan to reflect
projected demands and available
resources.

• Develop and adopt a county-wide
short-range and long-range
financial management plan of
revenues and expenses, and
incorporate the plan into the
County annual budgeting
process.

Housing

15. County Housing Planning
• Annually review and amend the
County financial management
plan.

~ : Housing opportunities need
to be provided for Midland County
residents of low to moderate
income.

14. Social Services Planning
Issue: Changing population and
household characteristics will require
continuous changes in the provision
of social services within the County.

Goal: Encourage a county-wide
housing mix which provides housing
opportunities to accommodate all
economic levels of income and
lifestyles.

Goal: Ensure an equitable provision
of social services within the County
that will functionally address the
needs of qualifying individuals and
households while discouraging
access to public service programs
by those who have viable economic
and social options.

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission, in
cooperation with the Midland County
and City housing commissions,
should develop a county-wide
housing plan which addresses the
county-wide housing needs.

Policy: A consortium of key social
service agencies should establish a
human services delivery system that
wiil maximize the combined
resources of public and private
institutions and organizations.

Strategies:
• Reassess housina needs data on
a five-year basis- via a countywide housing needs analysis.
• Evaluate methodologies and
programs to increase owneroccupied units in the County.

Strategies:
• Inventory and evaluate the
efficiency of existing social
service providers and programs.

• Formulate model codes for local
units to use to maintain and
improve the County's housing
stock.

• Establish a consortium of service
providers to forecast and
evaluate future social service
needs within the County.

• Prepare a county-wide housing
plan which identifies measures
for implementation.
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17. Access Management/Corridor
Development

• Explore th~ establishr,:ient of a
vehicle for 1mplementat1on of the
housing plan, such as a nonprofit housing corporation.

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Proper investigation and
planning is necessary to assure that
future development is consistent
with the land use access and
transportation needs of Midland
County, along its major
transportation corridors.

• Consider forming a City-County
housing trust fund to finance
housing .
Transportation

1s. North-South Circulation

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Preserve and protect
personal safety, while maximizing
access to property, and providing
for the needs of through traffic.

~ : West of Midland to Oil City,
north-south highway circulation
patterns are inhibited by lack of
through traffic routes.

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission, in
conjunction with the Michigan
Department of Transportation,
Midland County Road Commission
and the City of Midland, should
prepare corridor studies of use,
future development and traffic/
access controls for M-20, Saginaw
Road and other major
thoroughfares.

..G.Q.al:
Develop improved northsouth vehicular routes thereby
facilitating greater efficiency of traffic
movement within and through
Midland County.
Policy: The Midland County Road
Commission should investigate, and
implement as appropriate, improvements to the County's north-south
vehicular circulation system, based
on an area-wide comprehensive
transportation analysis and plan.

Strategies:
• Organize a joint steering
committee for the process.

Strategies:
• Seek funding for committee.
• Prepare report on analysis of
problems with recommended
solutions.

• Prepare report on M-20 corridor
land use and traffic service for
the State, County Road
Commission and municipalities.

• Include County transportation
needs in the County Road
Commission's capital improvement program (CIP).

• Prepare report on Saginaw Road
corridor land use and traffic
service for the State, County
Road Commission and
municipalities.

• Budget annual capital
expenditures within CIP.

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�1a. Area-wide Comprehensive Transportation Planning

• Prepare report on analysis of
street and highway needs data.

Issue: Midland County lacks a longrange (20-year) area-wide transportation plan for community and
economic development.

• Prepare an area~wide tra~c
analysis including traffic
generation data, origin and
destination study, and traffic flow
assignments.

Goal:
Prepare an area-wide
comprehensive transportation plan
and capital improvements program
of State, County and local roads,
streets and bridges in Midland
County including the Midland urban
area.

• Prepare report on critical_ bridges
and historical data on bridges.
• Prepare report on a long-range
(20-year) transportation plan for
all modes of travel including
streets and highways, public
transit, rail, air, and nonmotorized transportation.

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission, in
conjunction with the
Michigan
Department of Transportation
(MOOT), Midland County Road
Commission and City of Midland,
should prepare an area-wide
comprehensive transportation plan
and capital improvements program
dealing with the County's
transportation needs, problems and
solutions.

• Prepare report on a short-range
(5 year) capital improvements
program.
19. Bicycle and Pedestrian Trafficways
~ : Midland County lacks a longrange plan for bicycle and
pedestrian trafficways.
Goal: Prepare a comprehensive
plan and capital improvements
program directed at bicycle and
pedestrian trafficways.

Strategies:
• Incorporate the north-south
circulation and bicycle and
pedestrian trafficways policies
(Nos. 16 and 19), including public
transit, rail and airport planning
needs, into the area-wide
comprehensive transportation
planning process.

Policy: The Midland County Road
Commission, in conjunction with the
Midland County Parks and
Recreation Commission, should
prepare a comprehensive plan and
capital
improvements
program
directed at bicycle and pedestrian
trafficways.

• Formulate an area-wide transportation steering committee,
which might include a
representative of the Midland
County Emergency Services
Department.
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�Strategies:

Policy:
The Midland County
Economic Growth and Development
Corporation, in cooperation with the
Midland County Planning
Commission, local municipalities,
industries, businesses and public
school districts, should identify and
promote commercial and industrial
development at those locations
offering the greatest potential for
success.

~

• Incorporate the County's rails-totrails program into the bicycle
and pedestrian trafficways policy.
• Report on origins (bicyclists/
users), destinations (attractions/generators) and needs (trail
types/ corridors).
• Report on a long-range (20-year)
plan.

Strategies:

• Report on a capital improvements program.

• Encourage planned industrial and
commercial parks to locate where
services are available and where
site location standards indicate.

• Report on a coordination
program with County and City
streets and highway planning,
and County and City parks and
recreation planning.

• Promote planned industrial and
commercial parks in the Bullock
Creek, Coleman and Meridian
public school districts.

• Seek State financing assistance
from the Michigan Department of
Transportation.

• Utilize P.A. 425 to share tax base.
• Promote communications and
cooperation between the
municipalities and County
economic development and
planning agencies.

Economic Development

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20. Location of Industrial and Commercial Development
Issue: Based on recent projections,
the amount of acreage needed for
new industrial and commercial
development is relatively limited.
Competition between communities
for that development is likely to be
keen.

21. Agricultural Economy
Issue: The agricultural economy of
Midland County appears to be in
decline due to decreasing farm
income, per-farm value and value of
croppage.

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Promote commercial and
industrial development in areas
meeting the necessary site criteria
thereby offering the highest potential
for success.

Goal: Encourage the stabilization of
the County's farm economy.
Policy:
The Midland County
Cooperative Extension Service, in
cooperation with the Midland County
1-11

�Strategies:

Economic Growth and Development
Corporation, should determine the
current and forecast needs of the
agricultural section of the County
economy and formulate programs to
address those needs.

• Prepare an analysis of current
and future job opportunities,
wage levels, job growth
segments and training/education
programs and requirements in
Midland County.

Strategies:

• Formulate a strategy to target
higher paying job categories to
promote job growth in Midland
County.

• Work with the Soil Conservation
Service and Farmers Home
Administration to define the
needs for the stabilization of the
local agricultural economy.

• Conduct a target market analysis
for Midland County business to
identify growth areas in business
and resultant job creation.

• Evaluate how the Midland County
Planning Commission can,
through traditional planning
methods, assist the farm
economy.

Environment

23. Private Sewage Systems

• Input agricultural stabilization
mechanisms into other planning
initiatives/issues during implementation.

Issue: The lack of public sanitary
sewers requires reliance on on-site
disposal. This may result in groundwater and surface water contamination problems as development
increases.

22. Labor Force
Issue:
The types of job
opportunities for Midland County
residents will continue in manufacturing as well as government and
service related jobs, creating a
continued demand for qualified,
skilled labor.

Goal: Carefully regulate development in nonsewered locations in
order to protect groundwater
resources.
Policy: Local governmental units
should carefully regulate development in nonsewered locations as a
way of protecting groundwater
resources.

Goal: Determine the future "human
resource" needs of the Midland
County residents.
Policy:
The Midland County
Economic Growth and Development
Corporation should explore the
labor force needs of Midland County
employment centers.

Strategies:
• Administer and enforce municipal
and township codes and ordinances in accordance with plan
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of clean water for residential and
commercial purposes.

policies/ actions and County
Health Department regulations.

Goal: Protect local groundwater
supplies/ aquifers from contamination.

24. Air Pollution Control
~ : The Michigan Department of
Natural Resources has indicated
that industrial air quality monitoring
in Midland County does not
adequately assess exotic pollutants.

Policy: The Midland County Health
Department, in cooperation with
local governing bodies, should
develop and implement groundwater
protection measures and should
monitor suspected problems areas.

Goal: Provide an adequate and
accurate system capable of
measuring and interpreting local
ambient atmospheric emissions/
conditions resulting from industrial
processes.

Strategies:
• Report on groundwater
resources/hydrogeological conditions in the County.

Policy: The Midland County Health
Department, in cooperation with
Environmental Protection Agency,
the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, major manufacturers
and industries, should monitor local
atmospheric conditions pursuant to
industrial emissions.

• Report on assessment of
groundwater problems and the
impact of large users drawing
down the water table.
• Report on a groundwater
protection management plan,
including protection measures
and a monitoring system.

Strategies:
• Encourage growth and
development away from airborne
particulates.

• Establish priorities for monitoring
suspected groundwater contamination areas, such as existing
municipal landfills, closed dump
sites, wells and abandoned gas
stations.

• Monitor the situation for change
in conditions.
• Develop a local education/
awareness program.

26. Environmental Management Planning

25. Groundwater Protection
Issue: While there is a recognition
that the potential for environmental
contamination exists within the
County, there is no integrated
program to address existing and
potential contamination in a
comprehensive manner.

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Local communities have
stressed the need to protect
groundwater from contamination in
order to ensure long-term supplies

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�implemented and politically and
financially acceptable to the
public and private sectors.

~ : Establish a comprehensive
county-wide plan to define and
address existing and potential air,
surface water, groundwater, soils,
noise and visual pollution.

• Solicit voluntary compliance and
require mandatory compliance
when necessary.

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners should commission the Midland County Planning
Commission, in conjunction with the
Midland County Health Department
and other public and private sector
organizations, to develop a comprehensive environmental management
plan and program.

Planning Information. Coordination
and Implementation

27. Municipal and Township Master
Plans
~ : Lack of consistent and timely
update of local master plans has
resulted in housing units and other
types of development being
constructed in rural areas without
the benefit of planned coordination
with public utilities, services and
transportation.

Strategies:
• Solicit interest from selected
groups (e.g., County Health
Department, Dow Chemical
Company, Michigan Department
of Natural Resources) to participate in defining the intent and
scope of a comprehensive environmental management program.

Goal:
Encourage local units of
government to develop and/or
update comprehensive plans in
coordination with the County
Comprehensive Plan.

• Undertake an inventory and
evaluation of current environmental contamination conditions
(including P.A. 307 sites) and
project the potential for future
contamination/ pollution.

Policy: Local governmental units
should provide facilities and services
commensurate with sound land and
growth development policies.

• Develop a county-wide environmental management plan
addressing the issues of air,
water, soils, noise and visual
pollution.

Strategies:

• Establish a county-wide hazardous materials management
program.

• Encourage local planning commission review of public works in
accordance with adopted master
plans.

• Prepare/update/adopt master
plans and community facilities
plans.

• Develop a comprehensive environmental management program
that is capable of being
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documents necessary to properly
guide growth and development.

28. Local Plann1ng Information
~ : There is currently a lack of
available resources in the County to
support local planning efforts.

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission should advise
local communities on the need to
prepare and maintain necessary
planning and zoning documents.

~ : Promote coordination and
consistency among local governmental units through leadership of
the County Planning Commission.

Strategies:

Policy:
The Midland County
Planning Commission should be a
source of information to local units
of government for master planning.

• Make

recommendations on
updating master plans in the
context of conducting township
zoning coordination reviews.

Strategies:

• Workshops on preparing/
updating municipal master plans,
zoning documents and developing current standards.

• Provide current geographical
information maps.

• Evaluate innovative approaches
tried in other areas in Michigan
and the Nation (e.g., performance standards, land development codes).

• Provide current socioeconomic
data.
• Continue County Planning
Commission review of local plans
to ensure coordination with the
County Comprehensive Plan.

30. County-Wide Geographic Information System (GIS)

• Provide educational resources for
local unit planning processes.

Issue: There is no computerized
mapping system established at a
county-wide level that provides for
accurate, detailed representation of
resources and developed features
and which can be easily updated as
needed.

29. Planning Effort by Local Governmental Units
Issue: Community master plans
and zoning ordinances vary
markedly in format, depth of
information and consistency with
current law. Some communities do
not have current comprehensive
plans.

Goal:
Establish a geographic
information system at the County
level that will meet the application
needs of staff and on-line
departments.

Goal: Encourage local communities
to prepare and maintain those

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�31. Formulation of Other Planning
Elements

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners should develop
and implement a county-wide GIS
system that can be used for
accurate mapping, retrieval and
modification of geographic
components related to land use,
zoning, public works (drainage,
roads), utilities (sewer, water, energy
transmission), site design, property
valuation and tax assessment,
census data, traffic volumes, and
other community development
factors.

Issue: As described in the Midland
County Strategic Planning report,
the Planning function of County
government will be called upon to
provide the Controller-Administrator
and Board of Commissioners with
more data for thoughtful decisions.
~:
Provide financial and
professional staff support to
strengthen County planning efforts.

Strategies:

Policy: The Controller-Administrator
and Midland County Board of
Commissioners should provide
additional financial support, and
technical and professional staff to
adequately support the County
Department of Planning, Midland
County Planning Commission, and
other cooperative planning-related
bodies to carry out comprehensive
planning data analyses, development plans and planning implementation programs.

• Conduct a GIS feasibility analysis.
• Establish a GIS program under
the coordinated leadership of the
County Department of Planning
and the County Department of
Information Systems.
• Inventory the GIS needs of each
County department to determine
required extent and capacity of
proposed system.

Strategies:

• Work with a GIS professional to
construct and implement a GIS
program for the County,
responsive to the needs of each
department.

• Provide funding and administrative support for permanent
technical and professional
planning staff.

• Educate the County Department
of Planning and County
Department of Information
Systems in the application and
updating of the GIS system.

• Provide funding and administrative support for hiring special,
professional consulting firms to
augment the permanent planning
staff engaged in special projects.

• Continue to evaluate the
operation and efficiency of the
County GIS system.

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• Assist in recommending specific
textual changes in P.A. 282 of
1945 pertaining to required
intergovernmental cooperation.

32. Intergovernmental Coordination for
Planning
Issue: There is currently no existing
mechanism requiring intergovernmental coordination for planning
among the various State, County
and local governmental agencies.
This results in a substantial gap in
project information available to the
County Planning Commission for
consideration and inclusion in
planning decisions and
recommendations.

33. Structure for Implementing
Comprehensive Plan

the

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The County Planning
Commission is not capable or
empowered to implement the wide
variety of functions identified in the
County Comprehensive Plan.

establishment of
for requmng
coordination of
County.

Goal: Identify or provide for an
organizational structure(s) within the
County that will be able to
implement, or at least promote, the
proposals identified in this Plan.

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners, in conjunction
with the Midland County Planning
Commission, should promote state
enabling legislation to empower
county planning commissions to
coordinate federal, state and local
agency planning activities and
require such agencies to submit
plans for such coordination.

Policy: The Midland County Board
of Commissioners, in conjunction
with the Controller-Administrator and
the Midland County Planning
Commission, should establish a
strategic program at the County
level to identify specific
organizations and a structure
responsible for implementing
specific Plan recommendations.

Strategies:

Strategies:

• Actively lobby with the Michigan
Association of Counties (MAC),
Michigan Chapter of the
American Planning Association
(MAPA) and Michigan Society of
Planning Officials (MSPO) to
amend the County Planning Act
(P.A. 282 of 1945) to require
County notification and
coordination of various agency
planning activities .

• Encourage the involvement of
identified units of government,
public/private nonprofit organizations, businesses and
interested individuals in the
implementation program.

Goal: Promote the
a mechanism
intergovernmental
planning within the

• Assign organizations/individuals
to specific proposals and work
with them to develop a series of
strategies for each proposal.

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�Home and Modular Home Regulations
(No. 3) was implemented by the Midland
County Planning Commission by
publication of model standards governing
the use, construction, and placement of
mobile and modular housing.
The
standards are contained in the Planning
Commission's report entitled Study of
Mobile &amp; Modular Homes in Midland
County, Michigan, January 1989.

• The County Board of Commissioners should lead the
implementation program and
support the efforts of the County
Planning Commission.
• Provide for a system of
monitoring the progress made by
participants.
Implementation of 1987
Comprehensive Planning Policies

The preparation of housing studies in
1991 by Wilkens and Wheaton
Engineering Company for the Midland
County Housing Commission and the
City of Midland do relate to the
Affordable Housing issue (No. 1), but a
housing plan still remains to be prepared.
The results of the two studies are
presented in the reports entitled
Affordable Housing Study for the OutCounty Area of Midland County.
December 1991; and Comprehensive
Housing Affordability Strategy, City of
Midland, November 1991.

Upon identifying planning issues in 19851987, the Midland County Planning
Commission and other public bodies
started promoting the implementation of
certain policies addressing key issues of
county-wide significance. Although there
were several specific issues (42), major
implementation efforts were directed at
issues dealing with housing standards,
affordable housing, traffic data, County
highway planning, public transit,
consolidation of public services, County
offices, solid waste resource recovery
and disposal, planning of County
government facilities, economic development, river and stream preservation,
and coordinated management of County
offices.
A description of the
implementation of policies dealing with
these issues follows:

To generate interest in the County
Housing Planning issue (No. 5), the
Midland County Planning Commission
sponsored a county-wide workshop in
October 1988 on "Midland County
Housing Needs."
Transportation Issues - Key transportation issues included:

Housing Issues - Key housing issues
included:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6. Traffic Data
7. North-South Circulation
8. Public Transit
9. M-20 and Saginaw Road Corridor
Development
10. County Highway Planning
11. Bicycle and Pedestrian Trafficways

Affordable Housing
Preservation of Housing
Mobile Home and Modular Home
Regulations
Elderly Housing Needs
County Housing Planning

None of the housing policies were fully
implemented except the policy on Mobile
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comprehensive plan and capital
improvements program directed at
bicycle and pedestrian trafficways. The
acquisition of the County linear park
properties within the abandoned CSX
Railroad right-of-way by the Midland
County Parks and
Recreation
Commission for nonmotorized transportation purposes does relate to this
issue, however.

A traffic count program was initiated in
1989, addressing the Traffic Data issue
(No. 6), as part of the Midland County
Road Commission's report entitled
Midland County Long-Range Transportation Plan, 1991, December 1991.
This report also addresses the NorthSouth Circulation issue (No. 7) and
County Highway Planning issue (No. 10).
The County Highway Planning issue (No.
10) will be re-addressed in implementing
a new policy on area-wide comprehensive transportation planning. To promote
the undertaking of an area-wide
comprehensive transportation plan for
Midland County, the County Planning
Commission sponsored a county-wide
workshop in October 1992 on
"Comprehensive Transportation Planning"
and the Federal lntermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.

Community Facilities Issues - Key
community facilities issues included:
12. Midland Urban Growth Area (MUGA)
Policy
13. Historic Sites, Identification and
Preservation
14. Consolidation of Public Services
15. County Offices
16. Recreational Funding for Property
Acquisition and Facility Development
17. Meeting Recreation Needs: Resident
versus Tourist
18. Solid Waste Resource Recovery and
Disposal
19. County Drains
20. Adaptive Reuse of Schools
21. Planning of County Government
Facilities
22. Water Supply Without Consideration
of Public Sewers

Considerable promotion of the Public
Transit policy (No. 8) was given by the
Midland County Board of Commissioners
but implementation of a county-wide
public transit system failed due to lack of
support by the City of Midland and the
townships.
As a means of promoting the implementation of the M-20 and Saginaw Road
Corridor Development policy (No. 9), the
Midland County Planning Commission
sponsored a county-wide workshop in
October 1991 on "Highway Corridor
Management Planning."

In cooperation with the Bicentennial
Committee and the Midland County
Parks and Recreation Commission, the
Midland County Historical Society
initiated the marking of historical sites
(Issue No. 13) in the County.

Although there was discussion by the
Midland County Road Commission and
Midland County Parks and Recreation
Commission regarding the Bicycle and
Trafficways issue (No. 11), there was no
implementation of the policy for a

Of major importance to the County, the
Midland County Board of Commissioners
initiated implementation of the policy on
Consolidation of Public Services (No. 14)
in conjunction with the policy on
1-19

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January 1986. As an update to the
earlier waste-to-energy feasibility study,
the Midland County Board of
Commissioners participated in a Clean
Michigan Fund-financed study, which
was published in two reports: Phase I
Feasibility Study: Waste-to-Energy in the
East Central Region of Michigan, October
1986; and Phase II Feasibility Study:
Waste-to-Energy Feasibility Study for
Bay, Gladwin, Isabella, &amp; Midland
Counties, April 1987.
These
implementation efforts were followed by
the updating and adoption by the
Midland County Board of Commissioners
of the report entitled Solid Waste
Management Plan, Midland County.
Michigan, October 1988. Professional
management consultants were then hired
by the County to assist the Midland
County Board of Commissioners in the
administration and implementation of the
Solid Waste Management Plan. This lead
to contractural agreements between the
City of Midland and local jurisdictions for
use of the City's landfill for waste
disposal. Later the Midland County Solid
Waste Management Advisory Board,
responsible for coordinating implementation of the Solid Waste Management
Plan, was created. While these various
implementation efforts were being
pursued, the Midland Volunteers for
Recycling, Inc., a nonprofit corporation,
was created.
A public education
program was developed and expansion
of voluntary recycling ensued.

Coordinated Management of County
Offices (No. 40). The results of the
Board's work are contained in the
following documents: Coordination of
County Services, Report of the Midland
County Task Force on Local Government
and Services. January 1990; Strategic
Planning Report. Midland County,
Michigan, September 1991; and the
Board of Commissioners' Transition
Team's reports which lead to the creation
of a Controller-Administrator position for
managing County government services.
At the time the County Comprehensive
Plan was being prepared, the Midland
County Planning Commission addressed
the issue of County Offices (No. 15),
looking at the deficiencies within existing
housing spaces and sites for County
offices and recommending needed
improvements. The results of the study
are contained in the report entitled
Comparative Evaluation of Midland Office
Facility Alternatives. August 1986.
Various efforts were pursued in the
implementation of the Solid Waste
Resource Recovery and Disposal policy
(No. 18). Upon initiation by Midland
County Board of Commissioners, Bay,
Gladwin, Isabella, and Midland counties
participated in a waste-to-energy
feasibility study. The results of the study
are contained in the report entitled Solid
Waste Disposal System Feasibility Study
for Bay, Gladwin. Isabella and Midland
Counties. December 1985. This study
was followed by the report entitled
A Development Plan for a Volunteer
Recycling Program for Midland County,
Michigan, September 1986. Toe Midland
County Planning Commission then
prepared the report entitled Solid Waste
Facility Regulations for Midland County,

The Adaptive Reuse of Schools issue
(No. 20) was addressed in part by the
Midland Public Schools Board of
Education, although no overall
consolidation of space occurred
throughout the County.

1-20

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23. Random Development Resulting
From Poor Soils
24. Location of Industrial and
Commercial Development
25. Floodplain Development
26. Land Use Compatibility Between
Governmental Units
27. Regional Commercial Center
Location
28. Economic Development Sites
29. Prime Farmland Preservation
30. Conflicts Between Residential/NonResidential Development
31. Residential Development in NonUtility Areas
32. Soil Erosion

•
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The Midland County Economic Growth
and Development Corporation (formerly
the Midland County Growth Council)
continued its efforts in implementing the
policy on Location of Industrial and
Commercial Development (No. 24) and
the Economic Development Sites policy
(No. 28) in conjunction with the policies

Ill
Ill

on the Midland County Economic
Development Strategy (No. 38) and
Economic Diversification (No. 39).

The issue of ; Planning of County
Government Facilities (No. 21) was
addressed by the Midland County
Planning Commission in 1987 by
preparing the County's first report on
County facilities entitled County Facilities
Master Plan, May 1987. This report was
followed by the updated report entitled
County Facilities Master Plan - 1990
Update, October 1990. The County
Facilities Master Plan provided impetus
for preparing a County Capital Improvements Program, a policy on maintaining
and replacing County motorized vehicles,
and a County facilities preventive
maintenance program.

To promote interest in implementing the
Prime Farmland Preservation policy (No.
29), the Midland County Planning
Commission sponsored a county-wide
workshop in October 1986 on "Preservation of Agricultural and Forested
Lands.N
Implementation of the land use policies
was limited; however, the Midland County
Planning Commission sponsored countywide workshops on "Futuring" (1989) and
"Planning and Zoning in Your Community" (1990) to promote interest among the
municipalities and townships to prepare
and update their community master
plans.

Land Use Issues - Key land use issues
included:

General Planning Issues - Key general
planning issues included:

33. Urban Amenities in Rural Locations
34. Private Sewage Systems
35. Midland Urban Growth Area (MUGA)
Policy
36. Air Pollution Control
37. Stream System Use
38. Midland County Economic Development Strategy
39. Economic Diversification
40. Coordinated Management of County
Offices
41. Planning Effort by Local Governmental Units
42. Groundwater Protection
Implementation of the Stream System
Use policy (No. 37) was carried out by
the Midland County Parks and
Recreation Commission in cooperation
with the Midland County Planning

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Commission.
The work involved is
contained in the report entitled Midland
County River Protection Plan, November
1991, which provides a model master
plan and zoning regulations for the
municipalities and townships to use in
preserving river and stream corridors.
Implementation of other general planning
policies was limited, except the
Coordinated Management of County
Offices policy (No. 40). This policy was
broadened by the Midland County Board
of Commissioners and combined with the
Consolidation of Public Services policy
(No. 14) to include all County offices in
addition to those departments and
agencies responsible for housing,
transportation, community facilities and
land use.

•
•
•

The Midland County Planning Commission also sponsored a county-wide
workshop in October 1987 on "Groundwater Protection Management Planning"
to promote interest in implementing the
Groundwater Protection policy (No. 42).

1-22

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Comprehensive Plan

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Land Use

Recommended Future Land Use

This section describes the existing land
use pattern in Midland County and
forecasts land use distribution patterns
for the future.
As the County's
population grows there will be a demand
for more homes, commercial uses and
employment opportunities.
Careful
planning for these uses can help ensure
cost-effective services and an attractive
living environment.

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan map
(Map 17) depicts the following major land
use classifications. Other subcategories
of land use are described as guidelines
for purposes of municipal and township
planning.
Agricultural Land

The Michigan Resource Inventory System
(MIRIS) is a computerized mapping
program that depicts land uses and
natural resources within counties, based
upon aerial photographs and ground
checking. The MIRIS maps for Midland
County indicate that agricultural land
uses, for the most part, coincide with the
Important Farmlands map identified in the
1987 County Comprehensive Plan.
Comparison of both maps also indicate
sections, particularly along the northern
portions of the County, that are
considered to be important farmlands but
were not used for agriculture when the
MIRIS inventory was performed. There
are also locations, particularly in the
center of the County, where croplands
and pasture lands exist which are not
considered important farmlands. Overall,
there are almost 98,600 acres of
cropland, representing over 29 percent of
the County's land area and more than
2,800 acres of permanent pasture,
comprising 0.8 percent of the County.
The townships that are most oriented to
agriculture are Warren, Geneva, Jasper,
Hope, Homer, Porter, Mt. Haley, Larkin
and Ingersoll. The primary agricultural
use in these townships is cropland and,
in most cases, these lands have been
designated as agricultural by local
governmental units in their land use plans
and zoning ordinances.

Existing Land Use

The evaluation of the existing uses of
land is necessary in order to estimate
future need. The land use figures used
in this Plan are consolidated from land
cover /use information made available by
the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources through the Michigan
Resource Inventory System (MIRIS) (see
Table 45). The land cover/use data is
displayed on Map 15.
Table 45 provides a comprehensive
breakdown of land use types for each of
the County's political jurisdictions
according to MIRIS data, which is based
on 1978/1979 aerial photographs and
subsequent field checking. Almost 92
percent of the County is devoted to
"rural" uses such as agricultural and
forested lands.
Approximately eight
percent is devoted to more intensive
"urban" uses including housing,
commercial and industrial development.
The City of Midland (while housing 50
percent of the County's population)
contains over 35 percent of the County's
combined
residential,
institutional,
commercial and industrial land use
acreage.

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EXISTING LAND USE
MIDLA D COUNTY. MICHIGAN

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UNDEVELOPED / RURAL RESIDENTIAL

TRANSPORTATION

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MICHIGAN LAND INFORMATION SYSTEM 1979

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25000

37500

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TABLE 45

EXISTING LAND USE (ACRES)

Low Density
Residential

796
3 .5%

High Density
Residential

30~
1.3%

Hope

Homer

441
1.9%

1,746
11 .5%

'

Ingersoll Jasper

300
2.0%

83 ,
3 .5%

0

forome

297
1.3%

Larkin

1,084
4.9%

Lee

1,112
5 .1 %

Lincoln

1,22&lt;
5.3%

Mt.
Haley

Midland Mills

651
4.3%

soc
10.9%

572
2 .3%

Porter

543
3.5\{

Coleman Midland SJnfo(d
City
City
Village rrot.ala

Warren

m

549

.8%

2.4%

(

0

C

C

(

C

(

0

0

C

C

C

--

-

neg

--

C
--

C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

275
41.6%

5,008
28 .5%

23f
24 .1%

16,959
5.0%

4
.6%

115
.6%

C

-

124
neg.

IC

9

3(
.2%

10
. 1%

12
.1%

59
.3%

39
.2%

23
. 1%

6
. 1%

16
. !%

-

.1%

469
2 .7%

soc

-

25
3 .8%

34

-

6C
.1%

C

neg .

15
.1%

C

neg .

3 .5%

.2%

142
.6%

II
neg .

45

105
.7%

12
. 1%

41 1
1.8%

18
.!%

371
1.7%

332
1.5%

145
.6%

313
2.1 %

541
7.3%

43
.2%

73

.2%

.5%

72
.3%

21f
1.0%

20
3 . 1%

2,418
13 .8%

25
2.5%

5,315
1.6%

20
. 1%

6
neg .

18
.1%

105
.7%

11
. 1%

23
. 1%

7
neg .

67
.3%

2(
. 1%

44

I.

.2%

neg .

21
.3%

25
. !%

.I%

11
neg

102
.5%

2
.3%

669
3.8%

42
4.3%

1,204
.4%

90
.4%

4
neg .

0

17
. 1%

6
neg .

C

C

-

-

. 1%

43
.2%

0

-

78
.4%

C

-

75
.3%

C

-

-

14
2. 1%

832
4.7%

4~
4.9%

1,211
.4%

28
.1%

53
.2%

112

45

0
0

198
.9%

.4%

1,24(
16.8%

4
neg

0

.5%

251
1.7%

0

-

74
.3%

95

.3%

8
neg .

113

.5%

-

-

433
1.9%

14
2.1%

1,02,
5.8%

4S
5.0%

3,741
1.1%

Agricultural

4,096
17.9%

8,649
37.4%

1,246
5 .4%

3,667
24.2%

6,583
43 .4%

16,541
70.5%

11,54,
50.0%

1,759
8.0%

8,22C
37.5%

2,709
11 .8%

2,255
14.8%

2,241
30.4%

2,771
11 .3%

8,766
57.4%

10,49,
45 .7%

9,376
41.7%

175
26.5%

88 1
5 .0%

35
3 .6%

102,0U
30.0%

Forest Lands

13,268
57.8%

12,18C
52 .7%

18,372
79 .5%

6,703
44 .2%

5,712
37.7%

4,096
17.5%

9,37f
40.6%

13,568
61.9%

9,098
41.6%

15,421
67 .0%

8,56(
56 .3%

1,323
18 .0%

16,271
66 .3%

4,563
29.9%

8,929
38.9%

8,736
38.8%

2~
4.2%

3,496
19 .9%

257
26.2%

159,95')
41.l %

1,600
6 .9%

257
1.1%

354
1.5%

234
1.5%

326
2 . 1%

403
1.7%

341
1.5%

1,595
7.3%

861
3 .9%

627
2 .7%

1,392
9 .2%

44
.6%

2,27f
9.3%

389
2 .5%

1,151

195
.8%

C

-

181
1.0%

C

5.0%

-

12,222
3.6%

582
2 .5%

C

0

217
1.4%

Sli
3 .7%

10
neg .

50
.2%

49
.3%

34
.5%

3
neg

0

-

30
.2%

0

.3%

2
neg.

C

-

221
1.5%

59

-

-

-

215
1.2%

17.9%

2,465
.7%

2,33(
IO.I%

1,648
7.1%

2,509
10.8%

2,275
15.0%

1,98,
13 . l %

1,061
4.5%

1,433
6.2%

2,353
10.7%

1,999
9. 1 %

2,655
11.6%

1,699
11 .2%

1,10,
15 .0%

10.4%

905
5.9%

2,083
9.1%

2,883
12.8%

104
15.7%

2,285
13 .0%

7S
8.0%

33,953
9.9%

23,121

23,112

15,153

15,164

23,452

23,09'

21,911

21,89,

23,01(

15,19'

7,361

24,534

15,278

22,983

22,501

661

17,595

981

339,969

Commercial

Industrial

Institutional

'I

Greendale

Edenville Geneva

Land Use

C

9

17

Parks/Open

w'Space

Trans, Comm
&amp; Utilities

Wetlands

Water Bodies

Undeveloped
Nonforcstcd Land

Totals

22,96

4

Notes: neg. - negligible acreage
SOURCE: Michigan Dcpanmen1 of Natural RelOUrces Current Uae Inventory Acreage Report (Based on 1978/79 aerial photography).

C

-

2,55t

C

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is based on the application of the
County's 1978/79 acres per unit rate
multiplied by the projected growth in
housing units estimated over the future
years (Table 50).

This category is created to recognize the
substantial economic and land use
impacts agricultural uses have on the
County. For identification purposes only,
farming operations exceeding 40 acres
should be placed within this category.
Farm residences are included only if part
of an active farming operation and
located on a parcel greater than 40
acres.

The Plan delineates four residential
classifications:
Rural Residential,
Residential, High Density Residential and
Mobile Home Park. Within the County
there are approximately 124 acres of
medium to high density multiple-family
housing units, primarily within the City of
Midland. This represents a little over
0.03 percent of the County's total
acreage. At the same time, there are
about 16,600 acres, or 4.9 percent of the
County, devoted to single-family and
duplex residential development, mostly
within the City of Midland and emanating
westward along major County roads and
local roads.

The 40-acre division is appropriate, given
the 1987 Census of Agriculture
information that indicates that the
majority of the farms within the County
exceed 50 acres.
Agricultural/Small Farm - As the character of farming changes and more people
become involved in farming on a parttime basis, more as a hobby than a
primary or even single source of income,
there is a need to set aside smaller
parcels for such activity. These "hobby"
farms should be large enough to
reasonably accommodate farm
production activities, yet smaller than the
acreage needed to operate a commercial
farmstead. Typical farm activities, such
as the raising of livestock and crop
production, would be allowed on a
limited basis.
Because these farm
operations would be considered as
hobbies, they could occur on marginal
farmlands in any of the townships in the
County, outside of municipalities
(Coleman, Midland and Sanford).
Residential Land

As Table 46 depicts, there is a
substantial variation in the anticipated
future distribution of residential land use
throughout the County. Overall, Midland
County should add over 16,000 (or 25
square miles) acres of residential
development to its inventory over the
next 25 years. The City of Midland will
account for about 33.5 percent of that
growth. The majority of growth outside
the City of Midland, will occur in the
County's western and northern
townships. Specifically, the following
change in residential acreage, based on
population projections, is projected for
each township:

Residential Acreage Requirements (Table
46) - This table combines both low and
high density development needs. The
table projects that Midland County will
require 16, 116 additional residential acres
(roughly 25 square miles) by 2015. This

Edenville +489
Geneva
+232
Greendale + 287
Homer +1,947
Hope
+333
Ingersoll
+768
J-4

Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley
Porter

+933
+787
+872
+459
+479
+174

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Jasper
+175
Jerome + 1,03?
Larkin
+883

Warren
+516
Coleman City + 345
Midland City + 5,400

These figures are based on arithmetic
caJculations and do not represent actual
conditions.

TABLE 46
RESIDENTIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS (Low and High Density)
Based on 1978/79 Acres/Unit as Applied to Projected Housing Need
.·.·.-•• -.-.·❖:❖:❖: ❖:•:-:-

TgwnshllUi
Edenville

·-·-·.·--.-.. ·•. ·... ·•·•·•••

■11111lii1C!l~ii,1
796

912

.87

304
441

412

866
303

1,015

1,355

.74

995
410

405

535

443

1.00

528

528

815

1,751

1,471

1.19

1,557

1,853

630
2,680

3,800

Hope

300

549

.55

558

307

425

640

Ingersoll

832
297

943

.80

984

787

1,115

1,555

.70

385

270

355

445

.82

1,478
1,312

1880

2,515

1.10

1,803
1,193

1,635

2,195

Geneva
Greendale
Homer

Jasper
Jerome*
Larkin

1,320
1,112

383
1,604
1,010

Lee

1,225

1,090

1.12

1,395

1,562

1,875

2,495

Lincoln

651

547

1.19

658

783

1,045

1,570

Midland
Mills

800
572

812

836

1,700

550

828
671

1,215

467

.99
1.22

830

1,130

Mt. Haley

543

503

1.08

570

616

790

1,095

Porter

188

358

.53

399

211

280

Warren

549

622

.88

658

579

785

385
1,095

Cities
Coleman
Midland

279

536

.52

526

275

416

620

5,123

13,790

.37

15,338

5,675

7,980

11,075

c~um~

17,083

26,355

.65

29,343

18,904

25,356

35,020

*Includes Vdlage of Sanford

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population and Housing Summary Reports, 1980 and 1990; Gove Associates Inc.

J-5

�Each jurisdiction should review its master
land use plan to determine if it has
enough land planned for residential use
(single-family, multiple-family, mobile
home park) to accommodate these
forecasted additional acreages required.

water only. The lots along the lake in
Edenville Township are not improved with
either water or sewers. U.S. 10 and
Michigan Highway 20 are also routes
along which strip rural residential
development occurs.

Rural Residential - Rural residential
indudes those areas identified for
residential development where public
sewer and/or water is not available or
anticipated during the Plan period. Such
locations are typically distant from the
County's urbanized sectors and
comprise the majority of land area within
the County. Rural residential is often
found in close proximity to the County's
agricultural areas.

Residential - The residential classification,
sometimes referred to as urban
residential, reflects areas either served by
public sewer and/or water, or indicates
locations where these utilities are
potentially available.
Lot sizes are
generally one acre or less, and contain
single-family or duplex residential units.
The residential classification encompasses full service utility areas, such as
the cities of Coleman and Midland, to
outlying townships where utility service
has been planned but may not be
currently available.
In cases where
utilities will not be developed for an
extended period, local communities
should consider the sizing of lots
commensurate with their ability to supply
quality groundwater while also handling
wastewater.

The rural residential category indudes
residences on parcels from .10 acres to
less than one acre.
This density of
development is recognized because of
the nature of nonfarm residential uses.
This type of development often occurs
when individuals divide larger parcels for
residents seeking a rural living
environment. The lack of utility service
will also dictate somewhat larger parcels
for water and sewer provisions. Much of
the existing rural residential development
occurs in a linear configuration along
rural roads that follow section lines,
particularly in the central/southern
portions of the County. Homer, Jerome,
Larkin and Lee townships, ,along with
Midland Township contain the majority of
rural residential land uses found within
Midland County.
Sanford Lake is
surrounded by relatively higher density
residential land uses. Although these
units are on smaller lots (approximately
1/4 to 1/2 acres), they are not improved
with sewer and therefore are considered
rural residential. The lots along Sanford
Lake in Jerome Township are served with

High Density Residential - While the
residential classification is limited primarily
to urban built-up areas with utilities
existing or planned, and consists of
single-family and two-family housing, the
high density residential classification
would consist of properties containing
three or more units and be restricted to
areas with existing sewer and/ or water
systems.
This currently limits such
development to the City of Coleman and
the City of Midland and, · if approved by
the County Health Department, the
Midland County Water District No. 1. In
effect, the high density residential
classification is a subcategory of the
residential classification.
Within this
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category, there are 120 acres of low-rise
multi-family development and almost four
acres of high-rise multi-family housing,
primarily within the City of Midland. The
restriction of higher density residential
development to urbanized, full service
utility areas (the cities of Midland and
Coleman) makes sense from an
environmental, access and service
standpoint, and those types of units
should continue to be restricted to those
urban areas. Such residences could also
be located in the Midland Urban Growth
Area once utilities become available.

measure of future need. Table 48 is
based on the relationship of the
commercial market to spending. As
population and sales increase, the need
for additional commercial development
also increases. The tables indicate a
range of 746 to 1,519 acres, or an
average of 1, 132.5 new acres by the year
2015, given the estimated commercial
acreage existing in 1980.

Mobile Home Park - This is another
residential land use subcategory. The
nine mobile home parks in the County,
two of which are located in Lee
Township adjacent to M-20, encompass
over 21 0 acres, or 0.06 percent of the
County's land area. Aside from those
parks in Lee Township, the majority of
mobile home parks in the County are
located within full utility service areas (the
City of Midland, or the City of Coleman),
or within the defined Midland Urban
Growth Area. Since mobile home parks
are a relatively higher density land use, it
is preferable to locate them within utility
service areas or, as an alternative, in
locations with soils that are capable of
accommodating on-site waste systems,
are not prime for agricultural use, and
are compatible with surrounding land
uses. The County should encourage the
placing of mobile homes in parks rather
than on individual lots.

Community Commercial - This Plan
identifies a number of locations as
community commercial. These areas
primarily exist to serve the day-to-day
needs of localized populations (less than
30 minutes away). Typical uses include
gasoline service stations, grocery stores,
restaurants and other small retail establishments. Limited office development
may also be found.
Several of the
centers, such as along M-20 and at the
US-1 0 interchanges, also serve motorists
traveling through the County. Community commercial uses should be located in
planned centers, off major roads, as
opposed to strip commercial areas.

Commercial areas delineated by the Plan
generally coincide with existing
commercial development.

The size of a community commercial
center may vary, but normally does not
exceed five to 10 acres.
In many
instances, these centers encompass only
the corner lots of highway intersections.
There are over 800 acres of community
commercial development within the
County including the City of Midland,
which contains the majority of
commercial land use within the County.

Commercial Land

Commercial Acreage Requirements (Tables 47 and 48) - This table estimates
future commercial acreage needs. Table
47 applies the 1978/79 per capita
allocation of commercial land to
projected population growth as a
J-7

�TABLE 47
COMMERCIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS (Per Capita)
Based on Population Growth and Using 1978/79 - Allocation of Acre/Person for Each Jurisdiction

•:&lt;

Jurisdiction

1978/79
Acres Per
Capita •·

Projected

Estimated

1978/79
i

2015

2000

1990

Acreage

Townshigs

Edenville
Geneva
Greendale
Homer
Hope
Ingersoll
Jasper**
Jerome*
Larkin
Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley**
Porter**
Warren

.005
.008
.012
.007
.008
.004
0
.014
.018
.012
.014
.003
.011
0
0
.009

10
9
15
30
10
12
0

.017
.013

25
469

13
10
20

15
12
23

38
12
14
14

44

84

11
16

73
74
53
29
9
20
19
14
20

21
378

28
604

12
8
18
30
10
11
11
64
65

60

59
39
23
6
16
0
0
17

48

25
7
18
17

14
16
16
86
61
34
10
23
22
16
23

Cities

Coleman
Midland

1,064
.011
756
800
Countx
*Includes Village of Sanford
-Projection based on average of .01 commercial acres/person countywide (excluding
Cities of Midland and Coleman) and 1990 Census of Population.
SOURCE:

32
700
1,215

MIRIS; U.S. Census of Population (1980); Gove Associates Inc.
(Projections based upon Woods and Poole (1992)
TABLE 48
COMMERCIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS
Based on Retail and Service Sales/Establishment

Year
1982
1987
1990
2000
2015

Population
73,992
75,029
75,651
91,280
105,730

Total Sales*
$363,452,000
$451,019,000
$527,468,275
$986,066,805
$2,202,687,790

Establishments
790
765
790
1,064
1,675

Acreage
932
903
933
1,259
1,988

*Constant dollars with no increase for inflation. 1990, 2000 and 2015 total sales based upon rate of increase between
1982 and 1987. Number of establishments based upon increased sales/establishments between 1982-1987 and calibrated
to calculate number of establishments for 2015. Projections are based on Woods and Poole (1992) .
SOURCE: U.S. Census of Retail Trade: 1982, 1987; U.S. Census of Service Industries: 1982, 1987;
U.S. Census of Population: 1990.

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the community commercial designation,
is designed to accommodate the
immediate needs of urban residents
being within a generalized circumscribed
area (such as a six- or eight-squareblock residential district). In the rural
sections of the County, neighborhood
commercial uses are primarily located in
agricultural areas and serve a market
radius of two to three miles.
Typical
uses within this classification would
include small independent grocery
stores, gas stations, small sit-down
coffee shop/restaurants, grain and feed
stores and similar uses. Size, as well
as type, of activity is also a defining
characteristic of neighborhood
commercial activities. A neighborhood
commercial area could consist of a single
small store on a one- or two-acre (or
larger) site containing several smaller
retail/service facilities. They should be
located in planned centers, off primary
roads, preferably at or near intersections,
on sites that can efficiently serve a
population of about 2,000 to 4,000
persons. Aggregations of neighborhood
businesses within a center, with common
off-street parking, is a desirable
alternative to separate, scattered
neighborhood commercial uses. Such
centers should be strategically located
within the rural portion of the County,
serving a radius of two to three miles and
covering four to eight acres.

commercial development within the
County including the City of Midland,
which contains the majority of
commercial land use within the County.
This Plan attempts to recognize viable
community commercial locations. It is
possible that unexpected population
growth, changing consumer habits and
preferences, or other factors may result
in the demand for additional centers.
Locational
include:

criteria

for

new

centers

- Demonstrated need based on market
demand.
- Compatibility with
opment.

adjacent devel-

- Location on designated arterials or
collectors as opposed to local streets.
- If possible, linkage to public utilities. If
not, sites must be capable of
supplying potable water and handling
wastewater discharges.
- Suitable location within the trade area
(or market population) to maximize
potential for success and reduce
travel time and energy costs for
consumers.
- Suitable access to fire, police, rubbish
collection and other municipal service.

Office - This is a subcategory of the
community commercial land use classification. Office space can range from a
single small one-person facility to a
complex of office buildings. In many
instances, buildings of a certain primary
use (e.g., industrial or retail commercial)
may contain office space, but are not
classified as office because the majority

- Potential for growth.
Neighborhood Commercial - While
community commercial activities are
intended to serve the general community
in which they are located, neighborhood
commercial, which is a subcategory of

J-9

�of the building is devoted to the primary
use. The City of Midland contains most
of the office space within the County.
The proximity of offices to easy
accessibility, adequate parking and
complementary services are important
factors in defining the best location for
office space. Optimally, offices should be
concentrated within existing urban areas
(i.e., downtowns), to provide a resource
for increased retail commercial activity
within central business districts.
If
feasible and beneficial to the upkeep and
maintenance of the neighborhood, older
dwelling units on the perimeter of the
central business district could be
converted to office space. In rural areas,
offices should be located in central
locations for easy accessibility and
efficiency by placing complementary
businesses within close proximity to each
other.

design and operating standards that will
mm1m1ze negative impacts upon
surrounding land uses and traffic flow.

General Commercial - Whereas community commercial land uses are
designed to serve the entire community,
and neighborhood commercial activities
are intended to serve more local needs,
general commercial land uses are
designated as activities that are not
contained within a planned shopping
area but located individually or in
"pockets" throughout the community.
General commercial land uses may
consist of a wide variety of activities that
are not within the central business
district, or in regional shopping centers
or neighborhood centers. Such stores
may serve both neighborhood and
community-wide markets.
Typical
general commercial businesses include
auto dealers, contractor's yards, building
suppliers, and similar businesses. These
businesses should be limited to
designated areas and have measurable

While the importance of the City of
Midland as a regional center remains
strong, growth since the mid-1970s has
resulted in new commercial development
occurring along the perimeter of the City
and into the surrounding townships.
Such growth is especially evident in the
vicinity of Larkin Township where a major
shopping center has recently been
completed on Eastman Road near U.S.
10.

Regional Commercial - It should be
recognized that some areas act, or may
act, as shopping districts for persons
outside the immediate area. Generally
these centers will have large "anchor"
stores and serve larger populations.
Available shopping opportunities will be
of a type that will attract customers from
distances of about 30 minutes driving
time.
A regional center provides a full range of
comparison shopping and includes
general merchandise, clothing, furniture,
appliances, specialty stores, automotive
centers, and similar establishments.
Regional centers attract consumers from
a wide trade area.

Outlying growth is anticipated to continue
with many of the traditional commercial
functions relocating from the City to the
growth areas. Accordingly, the County
Regional Commercial Center has been
designated in an area just north of
U.S. 10 in the City of Midland and Larkin
Township. The City, however, remains
intrinsically linked to the center.

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TABLE 49
INDUSTRIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS PER CAPITA
Based on 1980 Per Capita Allocation of Industrial Acres For Each Jurisdiction
•.·

:::--:

:-::::::·::.

:;::,::;:

i Jurisdiction .. :

..[1978/79
\Acres Per ·

ti Capita•-/

.. ·•:•. ::::

...

•1s1~11s .

Estimated · •· :
·•.

- Acreage

1990 • ·• ......

•,•,:: :-:-::•:•··

·.·

-Projected

2000

• 2015

TQwnshiR§

Edenville
Geneva
Greendale

.002
.004
.004
.006
.004
.001
.002
.002
.009
.002
.041
.135
.003
.003
.007
.030

5
5
5
27
5
4
3
7
29
6
67
323
5
5
9
55

5
5
6
27
5
4
3
9
32
8
74
323
5
5
8
55

5
5
7
32
6
4
3
10
37
9
86
394
5
6
10
66

6
6
8
37
7
4
3
12
43
10
100
457
6
7
11
76

.014
.062

20
2,286

20
2,345

23
2,881

27
3,337

Sanford

.019

16

17

21

24

CQ~nty

.039

2,881

2,956

3,610

4,181

Homer
Hope
Ingersoll
Jasper
Jerome*
Larkin
Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley
Porter
Warren
Cities

Coleman
Midland
Villages

*Does not include Village of Sanford.
SOURCE: Midland County; 1980 &amp; 1990 Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.

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�increase in industrial jobs. It is possible
to guide industrial employment by
promoting new business start-ups as well
as expansion of existing industries. This
can be accomplished by establishing the
appropriate "environmentM for
entrepreneurial development in the
County. Within that framework, this Plan
recommends additional or expanded
development for entrepreneurial "start-up"
businesses and for business expansion
within or adjacent to the City of Coleman,
in Ingersoll and Midland townships, such
as along Gordonville Road, and adjacent
to the Village of Sanford, as well as within
or adjacent to the City of Midland. In
those locations without existing
community sewer or water utilities, such
as along M-20 in Lee or Greendale
townships, new industrial development
should be required to construct adequate
water and sewer systems approved by
the County Health Department.

Industrial Land
Industrial Acreage Requirements (fable
49) - This table estimates Mure industrial
acreage needs. Table 49 is based on
1978/79 per capita allocation of industrial
land to projected population growth.
Table 49 estimates that 1,300 additional
acres of industrial land will be needed
county-wide by the year 2015 (over
1978/79 acreage). This calculation is
based solely on the ratio of industrial
acreage to population in each jurisdiction
at the time the MIRIS inventory was
conducted. Since some of the townships
did not have any .industrial land in
1978/79, a constant of "5" acres was
assigned to Edenville, Geneva,
Greendale, Hope, Mills and Mt. Haley
townships for the purpose of projecting
future industrial land acreage
requirements. Projections for the other
units of government were based on the
1978/79 actual acreage.

New industries desiring to locate in the
County will analyze numerous site, labor
and political factors. Knowledge of these
can be beneficial to the County and local
units of government as they delineate
industrial areas and/or seek to attract
new industries. They include:

As of 1978/79, about 2,881 acres of land
in the County were devoted to industrial
use. By 2015, it is estimated that 4,181
acres (or about 6.5 square miles) of
industrial land will be needed in the
County, a 45 percent increase in land
area over 35 years. This Plan calls for
Midland County's industrial land base to
primarily remain within existing industrial
areas and expand within certain school
districts (because of the desire of certain
school districts to increase their tax base
through industrial development). The
industrial and commercial goal and
associated action calls for promoting
planned industrial and commercial parks
in the Bullock Creek, Coleman and
Meridian public school districts. This is
in agreement with the Woods and Poole
employment projections that project an

• Community acceptance
• Transportation logistics - access to
freeway, rail and air
• Power supplies, including adequacy
and costs
• Water supplies, including raw and
municipal water
• Natural gas supplies
• Raw material proximity
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Coleman and Meridian public school
districts.

• Market proximity
• Permitability, including environmental
and zoning permits

Public Land

• Utility purchase costs

The public land classification consists of
land holdings under public and quasipublic ownership, including institutional
properties and lands in a natural
condition. These encompass State forest
lands and various County and other nondeveloped municipal holdings.

• Land availability and costs
• Sanitary Sewerage
• Waste disposal opportunities, sanitary
sewer, including hazardous wastes

Over 50 percent of the County's
institutional acreage is located in the City
of Midland. This consists of County and
City administrative facilities, the Grace A.
Dow Memorial Library, the MidMichigan
Regional Medical Center, parks, public
and private schools, the Midland
Community Center and other similar
facilities. Because the City of Midland will
continue to be the commercial employment and cultural center of the County,
and is also projected to retain about 50
percent of the County's population
through the year 2015, the majority of
institutional acreage in the County will
likely remain in the City of Midland. Most
townships have recently remodeled their
meeting facilities (township halls) or
constructed new administrative facilities.
Aside from local parks, the only facilities
operated by several townships are
maintenance/ storage buildings. It is not
likely that new local public facilities, aside
from the parks recommended above, will
be required over the next 25 years.

• Labor supply and labor relations
• Local support services
• Local development incentives,
including tax abatement
New industrial development should be
sited in those locations lending
themselves to such development.
Light Industrial - Light industries (those
that have minimal impact upon
surrounding land uses) are more flexible
in their location standards and criteria
than basic (heavy) industries.
Light
fabrication and assembly operations that
are completely enclosed with little or no
negative air, noise, vibration or visual
impacts upon surrounding areas do not
have to be subject to the number and
type of local restrictions, including
concentration in designated industrial
sites, as do heavier industries. It is,
however, desirable to aggregate light
industries in specified locations to better
coordinate associated truck traffic,
oversee environmental impacts, and in
general provide better coordination of
uses and services. This Plan advocates
the placement of planned industrial and
commercial parks in the Bullock Creek,

The County Facilities Master Plan - 1990
Update identifies improvements to, or
development of, 13 County facilities:
Animal Control Center education room,
Children's Center, County Jail,
Courthouse exterior restoration,
J-13

�of the County where local public recreation facilities do not exist, such as
Jasper, Ingersoll, Edenville, Mt. Haley,
Geneva and Hope townships. Municipal
and township parks should be developed
either as joint ventures, or independently,
in those townships to serve the residents
of those jurisdictions.

Courthouse maintenance and storage
shed, Emergency Operations Center,
County Linear Park development,
Manitou County Park development,
Mental Health outpatient facility, Pine
Haven Recreation Area development,
Sanford Lake County Park picnic
pavilions and storage building, and
Veterans Memorial County Park picnic
pavilion. The total estimated cost of
these improvements is over $25 million,
in 1990 dollars.

Natural Conservation Area - Natural
features areas, consisting of forested
lands, wetlands, rivers, streams and
lakes account for approximately 175,000
acres, or 51 percent of the County's total
area. The majority (91%) of those natural
features are forests, with about seven
percent wetlands and two percent as
water bodies. Of the forested areas,
about 37,000 acres (23%) are under
State forest lands, mostly in Edenville
and Geneva townships in the northern
and western portions of the County.

Parkland - Overall, there are 21 major
township /village/ city parks in the County
totalling 1,551 acres. The County owns
or administers eight parks, including the
CSX Railroad right-of-way for
development of a linear nonmotorized
transportation trail. Several proposed
County park improvements have been
described in the Public Land section
above.
These include the Pere
Marquette Rail-Trail linear park, which will
require a master development plan;
Manitou Park on Chippewa River Road in
Lee Township, which is presently
improved only with picnicking and
parking facilities and which will also need
a master plan for development; Pine
Haven Recreation Area on Maynard
Road in Jerome Township, west of
Sanford Village, for which a master plan
will be required; Sanford Lake County
Park improvements, consisting of two
new picnic pavilions and additional
storage space for vehicles and
equipment; the construction of two picnic
pavilions at Veterans Memorial County
Park near the Village of Sanford.

Wetlands are located throughout the
County and typically follow rivers and
streams.
Map 16 identifies those
wetlands.
Major existing
conservation/natural
resources facilities open to the public
include the Chippewa Natural Center
(866 acres in Homer and Midland townships adjacent to the Chippewa River)
with easy access from the City of
Midland and the Pine Haven Recreation
Area in Jerome Township. The County
has the opportunity to acquire 325 acres
of State forest land to comprise the Pine
Haven Recreation Area through a land
swap. The majority of this area would be
used for trails for cross-country skiing,
mountain biking and nature interpretation.
The County's 1988 Recreation Plan
acknowledges the importance of the river
system to the history of the County,

Although this Plan indicates an adequate
amount of recreational acreage exists to
accommodate existing and projected
populations, there are geographical areas
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NATURAL
FEATURES
z
i
a...
IL._
MIDLAND
COUNTY
MICH!GAN
_ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __j

1
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LEGEi\lD
CONFINED FEEDING

FORESTED

f -

WETLANDS

s CUR CE :

MICHIG,,N l.AND INFORMATION

0 6250 12500

SYSTEM

1979

25000

37500

Gowe Associa1tes !Jtllco

i6Dl Portage
Ka.la.muoo,

S1breet

Michigan -d90O1

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including Indian encampments, early
pioneer settlements, mineral exploration
and lumbering. Consequently, that plan
recommends the establishment of a ''Trail
of Histort for archeological and historical
interpretation.

_ The site contains unique or abundant
natural resources, such as unusual
flora and fauna, plant or tree species
which are indigenous to the area but
in a concentration or density that
makes the area unique.

Overall, the County should identify key
natural and archeological sites, such as
the Kawkawlin Wildlife Flooding and
Refuge Area in Mills Township, and work
with local interested organizations and
the State to preserve those sites, while at
the same time opening them up to public
access in a manner compatible with
preservation.
Existing natural
conservation areas are identified on Map
16. The tour currently designated natural
conservation areas provide substantial
opportunity for public access for natural
study and recreation. These areas are
primarily located in the northern and
eastern sections of the County,
particularly in or near the City of Midland,
providing easy access to the majority of
the County's residents. Using National
Recreation Association standards of eight
acres of natural area per 1,000 persons
(as identified in the Midland County 1988
Recreation Plan), the County should have
846 acres of natural/conservation lands
open for public use by the year 2015.
Between Pine Haven Recreation Area
and Chippewa Nature Center, there are
almost 1,200 acres of natural area
available for public access in the County.
However, other natural resource areas of
significance may also exist and these
should also be preserved for public
access and enjoyment.
Such areas
should be carefully evaluated and
selected, using relevant criteria to identify
and rank potential sites. That process
could include the following criteria:

_ The site contains only limited manmade facilities associated with the
operation of the natural conservation
area (e.g., picnic areas, canoe
launch, etc.)
_ The site can be reasonably accessed
by automobile, and adequate parking
can be provided at the designated
entrance to the area.
_ The site can accommodate hiking
trails without major modifications to
the terrain, water courses, or plant
species.
_ The site is on existing publicly owned
land (e.g., the Au Sable State
Forest), or owned by a nonprofit
entity willing and able to make the
site available for public access.
_ Access should be free of charge.
River and Stream Preservation
Corridors

The County's river and stream corridors
are considered significant water
resources. These are made up of the
Tittabawassee River watershed and its
three subwatersheds - the Chippewa,
Pine and Tittabawassee. Since these
watersheds are interjurisdictional, they
require a coordinated effort among
jurisdictions, not only within Midland
County, but also among the various
counties in the watershed to ensure the
quality
of water in these subwaterJ-16

�uses such as pumphouses, docks,
bridges, decks/ gazebos, boathouses,
trails, etc.
In effect, the natural
vegetation strip would provide a
protective barrier between more intense,
contamination-prone activities and the
adjacent body of water.

sheds. Map 2 identifies the County's
river corridors and drainage basins. Map
16 shows wetlands and forested lands
associated with the rivers and streams.
Sedimentation and chemical contamination have been major sources of pollution
of the three river systems in the County,
although the levels of toxic chemicals has
decreased in recent years.
Fishing
continues to be a popular recreational
activity along the three rivers, and the
County recreation plan calls for the
pursuit of a system of canoeing and
fishing access sites along the County's
rivers. It also calls for collaborating with
local units of government to initiate
appropriate zoning along river corridors
to prevent degradation of those rivers.
As a complementary planning policy, the
Comprehensive Plan also calls for the
adoption of floodplain management
regulations.
Townships that adopt
effective regulations for controlling
development within the 100-year
floodplains would be eligible to enroll in
the National Flood Insurance Program,
thereby providing insurance benefits to
property owners.

Since local zoning is under the
jurisdiction of each township and
municipality within the County, adoption
and incorporation of the River Protection
Plan's recommendations into local zoning
ordinances, as well as appropriate
enforcement, is up to the individual units
of government.
The County should
continue to encourage local jurisdictions,
especially those with rivers, stream
corridors and major drainage systems
within their boundaries, to review and
adopt the River Protection Plan's
recommended ordinance language or
modify it (within reason) to meet their
particular needs.
Nonmotorized Transportation
Corridor

The Plan map designates the abandoned
CSX Railroad right-of-way as a Nonmotorized Transportation Corridor for
such users as bicyclists, hikers, walkers,
runners, horseback riders and crosscountry skiers. The corridor would be
developed and managed as prescribed in
a corridor development plan. Other
corridors should also be included in the
County Comprehensive Plan when a
county-wide bicycle and pedestrian
trafficway plan is formulated.

The County recently commissioned a
River Protection Plan intended to provide
model provisions for controlling land uses
and activities adjacent to river corridors
within the County. Those provisions
apply to four major categories: water
quality, scenic preservation, recreation/
access and protection of sensitive
environments. The River Protection Plan
recommends an overlay zone be applied
to properties along rivers, natural
streams and County drains. Within that
overlay zone, it is recommended a SOfoot wide natural vegetation strip be
required. Uses allowed within the buffer
strip would be limited to river compatible

Synopsis

Overall, the Comprehensive Plan
attempts to coordinate land use changes
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facilities; and designates and preserves
natural areas while opening them up
judiciously to public access. The Plan
also protects stream and river corridors
through local adoption and enforcement
of appropriate zoning controls and
promotes the development of a nonmotorized transportation corridor to
provide linkage between public focal
points along that corridor.

with anticipated societal changes to
ensure the County optimizes both public
and private development options in the
future. That includes accommodating
more "hobby" farms on smaller, yet
productive agricultural land in a manner
that will not conflict with surrounding
residential uses;
establishing an
agricultural land use pattern that
continues to reserve and preserve larger
(40-acre +) prime agricultural parcels for
commercial agriculture, minimizing
intrusion of nonagricultural uses on viable
agricultural land; coordinating residential
densities with available public facilities,
particularly sewer, water and streets to
ensure effective phasing of development
and preservation of resources, including
the consolidation of mobile homes in
licensed mobile home parks; and
providing for efficient distribution of
various categories of commercial
development utilizing defined locational
and site criteria that will utilize
appropriately sized roadways and access
to public facilities and utilities as well as
optimally serve identified market areas.
The Plan promotes industrial
development oriented to "start-up"
businesses as well as expansion of local
businesses in locations that will benefit
most of those school districts within the
County that need additional operating
revenues. The Plan recommends
establishing reasonable location, design
and environmental guidelines and
regulations for light and heavy industry to
enhance the attractiveness of those
facilities; specifies public facility
improvements, public service,
administrative and recreation facilities,
county park land improvements as well
as the locating of recreation sites and
facilities in certain townships that
presently are without public recreation

Community Facilities

As Midland County continues to grow
and develop in the future, so will its need
for public facilities and services.
A
number of services provided to the
residents of the County are provided by
County government or county-wide
service agencies. These are in addition
to the services provided by the
municipalities and townships. Individual
townships typically provide services
associated with street maintenance and
improvements, fire protection, park
development and maintenance, and
ordinance adoption and enforcement. In
some instances, water system
development and solid waste programs
are conducted through township
government. The Midland County Water
District No. 1 conducts a water system
development program in cooperation with
Jerome and Lincoln townships and the
Village of Sanford.
Several issues appear to be more
common than others among townships.
Those include road maintenance, water
quality and trash in residential areas.
Other areas, such as Jerome Township,
foresee the need for a sanitary sewer
system. Most local units of government
have comprehensive land use plans,

J-18

�While the County school districts,
hospitals, county-wide nonprofit
organizations and other governmental
agencies supply a large proportion of the
services available to County residents
(such as road improvement/maintenance, libraries, county fairgrounds,
emergency/medical care, sheriff, mental
health, senior services, solid waste
management), opportunity exists to
increase cooperation among all units to
provide more efficient services and
facilities to residents and businesses.

an authority. A separate collection and
treatment system(s) could be built to
serve other townships as needed. For
example, in townships such as Edenville,
Homer and Lee, that currently have water
quality problems associated with
individual systems, the same options
could be studied.
In fact, Homer
Township is planning on developing a
sanitary sewer system in a portion of the
township and a water system throughout
the area if approved by Township
residents. The Coleman water system
could also be extended to serve Warren
Township and possibly areas beyond the
Township boundary.

Sewer /Water

Recreation

While the City of Midland has adopted an
urban growth area policy for placement
of water and sewer facilities, there are
locations outside of that area where
projected growth could warrant
community sewer systems. Referring to
the projected residential acreage
requirements in Table 46, most
townships could potentially require some
form of community sanitary system in the
next 25 years - the exceptions include
Geneva, Greendale, Jasper and Porter
townships. Various options are available
for Mure study of alternative systems.
For example, if feasible, the City of
Midland could expand its service area to
include two or three of those townships
(perhaps Homer, Larkin, Lee, Ingersoll,
Lincoln and/or Midland); the City of
Coleman could service most, if not all, of
Warren Township. However, lift stations
would have to be provided, due to
distance and topography. If warranted,
Edenville and Jerome townships could
consider constructing a joint sewer
system, possibly owned and operated by

The County is served by 21 major city,
township and county parks, which are
distributed throughout the County, with
concentrations within the City of Midland
and on the south end of Sanford Lake.
Additional local township parks could be
located in Jasper, Mt. Haley, Ingersoll,
Hope, Geneva and Edenville townships.
These additional parks would allow for
easy access to picnicking or recreational
facilities for residents of those townships.
The opportunities for using local school
facilities for additional local recreational
programs should also be explored. This
would require a formal effort between the
school districts and local units of
government to organize and coordinate
the use of those facilities for community
recreation. The County has initiated
development of the abandoned CSX
Railroad right-of-way as a nonmotorized
transportation corridor. This right-of-way,
which is owned by Midland County, runs
northwesterly for approximately 26.5
miles from the City of Midland through
Coleman to the Clare County/Isabella

many of which have been updated within
the last five years.

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expanding or renovating their existing
municipal offices or building new facilities.

County line (the city limits of Clare). It
would be used as a multipurpose recreational trail by bicyclists, hikers, runners,
cross-county skiers and walkers. The
County should continue to pursue the
development of this right-of-way.
A
county-wide bicycle and pedestrian
trafficway plan should also be prepared
as a guideline for the provision of such
facilities. Over time, trail "spursu could be
accessed and developed linking the CSX
right-of-way to various adjacent parks
and recreation sites, such as Sanford
Lake Park, Veterans Memorial Park, Pine
Haven Recreation Area, Coleman School
ball diamonds, Coleman City Park,
Sanford Village Park and River Bend
Park.

Police and Fire Protection

Overall, the County appears to be
adequately serviced with fire protection
through fire departments that are
primarily comprised of volunteer fire
fighters. All fire fighting facilities appear
to be adequate to serve their respective
communities over the next 20 years. Fire
fighting equipment will obviously have to
be replaced and upgraded in all 11
departments by the year 2010. Those
fire service areas that cover more than
one township (Midland, Ingersoll, Mt.
Haley townships; Lee, Greendale and
part of Porter townships; and Warren and
Coleman townships) should be capable
of maintaining service within those
geographic areas during the next 20
years. Given the level of population
growth expected in some townships it is
suggested that the Midland County
Township Officers Association conduct a
study of the adequacy of all fire fighting
facilities.
Likewise, a study by the
County Sheriff's Department in
cooperation with the Township Officers
Association, of expanding and funding
police protection in growth areas is also
suggested.

County Facilities
Several County facilities require study
and planning of expansion or additional
capacity. These facilities include the
County Jail, an emergency operations
center, a children's center, an animal
control center education room, a mental
health outpatient facility, and a
congregate housing facility.
Township/Municipal Halls

The majority of township halls in the
County are relatively newer facilities (built
since 1960), and could expect to
adequately accommodate anticipated
needs over the next 20 years. Several
townships, however, utilize older facilities
as township halls and may need to
renovate those facilities or build new
ones by the year 2010. Those include
Warren, Geneva, Homer and Porter
Townships.
In addition, the City of
Coleman may need to consider

Community Centers

The four community centers appear to
equitably serve the County in their
geographic distribution, although
additional centers may be appropriate
within the northwestern and southcentral
portions of the County to better serve the
recreational and social needs of the
residents of those areas. To do so
would require an effort to organize, raise
J-20

�funds, staff with paid and volunteer
personnel and finance programs. Such
centers should be centrally located for
easy access.

the next 20 years to serve the residents
of Coleman and Warren townships.

senior Citizen Centers

The Chippewa Nature Center, Sanford
Museum, Bradley House, H. H. Dow
Museum and the Midland County
Historical Museum all appear to
adequately provide historical
representation and education to the
residents of the County, as well as
tourists and visitors. These facilities can
and should be listed as attractions in any
County tourist promotion materials.
These facilities should be maintained and
renovated as necessary over the next 20
years.
The potential for greater
coordination and sharing of exhibits
should be explored.

Museums

As the County's population continues to
age, the demand for senior citizen
facilities and services will increase. The
current distribution of senior centers
within the County does not necessarily
represent an optimum geographical
distribution of those facilities. A study
should be conducted by the Midland
County Council on Aging to determine
whether an additional center could be
located in the southcentral portion of
the County, perhaps in Lee or Porter
townships, to better serve the needs of
seniors living in that general area. Some
of the Council on Aging's facilities may
eventually need to be expanded or
renovated to meet the needs of the
issues identified on page G-42, especially
the developmentally disabled.

Medical and Emergency Facilities

The four emergency advance life support
ambulance vehicles operating out of
three locations in the County appear to
be adequate to serve the County's shortrange and long-range emergency
medical needs. However, there should
be a study made for an ambulance
station located on M-20 in the Southwest
section of the County. Jasper Township
is currently serviced by the volunteer fire
and emergency medical operations out of
St. Louis. That operation does not
include advanced life support equipment.
The MidMichigan Regional Medical
Center's plans to double in size should
accommodate the medical needs of the
County's projected population through
the year 2010. The Midland County
Department of Emergency Services will
require an improved emergency
operations center with adequate
communications capability. One option
is to locate this center in Sanford

Libraries

The two major existing libraries within the
County provide adequate library services
to the townships through a cooperative
system.
However, additional library
facilities within the County should be
developed to provide increased access
to local residents. The Grace A. Dow
Memorial Library's concept of
establishing satellite libraries in several
locations throughout the County will
facilitate that principle. Those locations
should be determined after analysis of
population distribution, accessibility, cost
and proximity to existing libraries, among
other factors. The Coleman Area Library
should be renovated and enlarged over

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jurisdictions for providing those facilities,
and providing the financial resources to
acquire and construct those resources
according to realistic capital
improvements programs at both the
County and local government level.

because of its central location and the
existence of the Sheriff's relay
communication station in the Village.
Another option is to locate the center in
the new police station in the City of
Midland.

Housing

Public Education

In general, it is anticipated the four major
school districts within the County may
need to undertake expansion of their
existing facilities.
Based upon the
projected populations by age group in
Table 10, there should be long-range
increases in student population and
subsequent demand for additional
facilities. Maintenance and renovation
will continue to be required within each
district over the next 20 years.

Housing Programs

Government programs for housing have
concentrated on three primary aspects:
financing, construction and rehabilitation.
Of these, financing and rehabilitation
currently receive the most attention.
Government construction of new housing
has, essentially, ceased.
Financing
programs, mostly in the form of
guarantees or interest subsidies are
limited in scope and availability.
Rehabilitation, while reduced in funding,
remains an active pursuit of many
programs conducted by various levels of
government.

For the most part, colleges and
universities in or adjacent to Midland
County will continue to expand their
enrollments and campus facilities. The
existence of these schools is a
tremendous asset to Midland County and
they should be promoted as such.
Options for coordination among the
area's colleges and universities should
be analyzed and pursued.

The base planning document used by
the Midland County Housing Commission
to formulate programs and policies is a
1991 Comprehensive Housing Affordability Study entitled, Affordable Housing
Study for the Out-County Area of Midland
County. This report was developed in
conformance with federal requirements
for identifying the needs of those "at-risk"
households within the County (lowincome, handicapped, homeless), and
identifies strategies for providing
adequate housing for those segments of
the population. The Midland County
Housing Commission administers several
programs concentrating on housing
rehabilitation
and
neighborhood
improvement, including weatherization
and clearance activities.

Synopsis

The location, timing and type of public
facilities within Midland County can either
influence, or be determined by, the
character and rate of private
development. The former will occur if
the County and each of its jurisdictions
takes a "proactive," rather than "reactive"
approach to the provision of those
facilities. That requires a concerted effort
at developing realistic projections of
needed facilities or facilities likely to be in
demand, ensuring coordination among
J-22

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Future Housing Needs

Two programs which have been used for
rehabilitation work are the Federal
Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) Program and Michigan State
Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)
Small Cities Program. These programs
provide grant and loan funds for
rehabilitation activities.
Substantial
administrative activities have been
accomplished by the Commission for the
Michigan Energy Bank and the
Community Home Improvement Program
(CHIP) sponsored by the Michigan
Department of Commerce.

Having projected Mure population
growth it is possible to estimate the need
for housing within each community.
These estimates were made by using the
1990 Census figures for housing units,
and calculating the relative proportion of
total housing units to 1990 households in
each jurisdiction. That proportion was
assumed to remain constant over the
next 25 years and was multiplied by the
projected number of households for each
jurisdiction in Table 16. The results are
depicted in Table 50. This table indicates
a need of 6,627 units over the next five
years as a result of new households as
well as nonhousehold living quarters.
The 1991 County Affordable Housing
Study also indicates up to 680 additional
units are needed over the next five years
to replace existing deteriorated units and
cover current need. This results in a
total estimated need of 7,307 units by
1995 (The Affordable Housing Study
uses a different methodology for
calculating future demand and forecasts
a need of 2,464 to 2,954 additional units
over the next five years). To incorporate
both projections into this Plan, a range of
2,465 to 7,307 units should be built over
the next five years in the County.
Residential acreage needs have also
been projected based on anticipated
population growth identified in this Plan
(see Table 46).

The status of any housing program is
generally uncertain and can only be
depended upon from year to year. The
County Housing Commission has
recognized this fact and is pursuing
funds as they become available. One
source which may be depended upon is
the income returning to the program from
repayments of earlier loans. Activity on
accounting for and collecting these
payments is continuing.
The City has also recently completed a
Comprehensive Housing Affordability
Strategy, which is required to receive
federal funds for identified "at-risk"
populations. For residents in the City of
Midland, the City has a separate Housing
Commission. In conjunction with the
CDBG and MSHDA programs, the City
provides four housing related programs.
These include a free paint program
provided by the City in target activity
neighborhoods, assistance with self-help
rehabilitation, a deferred loan for elderly
and low-income homeowners for home
improvements and a basic weatherization
package for owned or rented dwellings.

The Midland County Comprehensive Plan
attempts to meet housing needs by:
1.

J-23

Recommending that housing needs
be carefully analyzed through an
update of the 1980 County Housing
Plan/Program, including housing
needs for all segments of the
population. This would include a

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2.

Once identified, that strategies be
developed for implementing housing
needs, including creation of a City-

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County housing trust fund to finance
low-to moderate-income housing.

description of the total housing
stock requirements by population
characteristics and income levels.

The Comprehensive Plan provides
standards for housing densities
based on land use, environmental
and social constraints and needs.

TABLE 50

PROJECTED HOUSING NEEDS BY JURISDICTION
:-:-;-:•.··

Jurisdiction
Townshig1
Edenville
Geneva
Greendale
Homer
Hope
Ingersoll
Jasper
Jerome*
Larkin
Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mount Haley
Porter
Warren

Persons/
Unit 1980

,/'' l,Jnlts/

Households
1990 :: ·

Units
1990

' Households
. 1990

Projected Units . .

1995

2000

..

2015

2.22
2.81

857
367

995
410

1.16
1.12

1,065
495

1,165
545

1,555
720

2.81

496

3.04

1,492

528
1,557

1.06
1.04

575
2,005

630
2,250

2.27
3.19
2.95

431
931

558
984

1.29
1.06

no

385
1,803

3.25
3.05

364
1,647
1,155
1,329

1.06
1.09
1.03
1.05

680
1,250
470
2,075
1,345
1,515

815
3,195
1,160
1,945

3.00
2.94

628
802

658
836

3.13
3.15

530
552

550
570

1.05
1.04
1.04
1.03

3.11

384
623

399

1.04

494

2.60

2.97

1,193
1,395

1,395
510
2,290

635
3,070

1,485
1,675

1,995
2,260

780
1,095

880
1,225

1,320
1,715

615
660
475

680
730

925
1,015

530

658

1.06

800

890

725
1,245

1.06
1.04

705
19,365

800
21,570

1,190
29,930

1.06

35,970

40,020

55,415

Cities
Coleman
Midland

2.67
2.68

14,709

526
15,338

Coun!X

2.79

27,791

29,343

*Includes Village of Sanford
Projected 1995, 2000 and 2015 dwellings are rounded to the nearest 5 units.
NOTE:

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Housing unit refers to actual dwelling/living unit whereas household refers to the persons
occupying a housing unit.

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Housing; Gove Associates Inc.

J-24

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Transportation

3.

The movement of people and material is
critical to the economic and social
functioning of the County. As identified
in the Transportation section of this Plan
report, there are several categories, or
levels, that make up the County's system
of streets and roads, including freeways,
state trunklines, County primary and local
streets. As stated on page F-5, the State
has no plans for major trunkline
construction projects during the next 1O
years. There are, however, two major
studies currently in progress that could
have long-range impacts, including safety
and capacity improvements to M-20 west
of the City of Midland, and improving
U.S. 1O interchanges east of the City of
Midland. Map 9, which depicts the
County's functional classification system
of roads, will be considered as the
County's highway, street and road
transportation plan, until a
comprehensive area-wide transportation
plan can be developed. A suggested
outline of the components of a
comprehensive transportation plan
consists of the following:

4.

5.

6.

7.

1.

2.

Data collection, including origin
and destination surveys, traffic
counts, accident rates, and other
travel related information, economic
activity centers, population
characteristics and densities/
concentrations; land use distribution
patterns and existing transportation
facilities and systems.
Preliminary goals and objectives that
set policy and measurable standards of performance, including costeffectiveness, travel times, accident
frequency and accessibility.

J-25

Analysis of the existing system,
identifying the condition, problems
and opportunities associated with
highways, roads, streets, rail, air
and pedestrian and nonmotorized
transportation.
Determination and projection of
travel demand for both the shortterm (3-5 years) and long-term (20
years) to identify the required levels
of service which will act as
standards for developing alternate
systems for further review.
If possible, apply a computerized
model that will simulate travel
characteristics including demand,
route assignments and speed,
which will define the various
alternative systems to be analyzed.
Analysis and evaluation of each
alternative, using the levels of
service standards identified in (4)
above, and defined goals and
objectives as the criteria for
comparing and ranking alternatives.
Selection of the alternative (or hybrid
of alternatives), that best meets the
applied standards and goals and
objectives statements, as the
preferred plan.

8.

Describing the selected plan in
adequate detail to make clear to the
reader the specifics of the plan as it
applies to each component of the
County's transportation system.

9.

Developing an implementation
program that describes the elements
of the plan, the activities to be

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and Development Corporation and the
Convention and Visitors Bureau each
target different segments of the
economy, benefits will likely-be realized
through continuing coordination between
these two organizations. Maintaining a
close working relationship between these
two groups and the Saginaw Area
Community Growth Alliance will also help
leverage local economic benefits utilizing
regionwide resources.

undertaken, and the costs and
sources of revenue for each activity.
The resultant plan should then be used
as a guide for both the County, State and
the cities, townships and village in their
developing and adopting capital
improvement programs.
Economic Development

Economic development planning
addresses three important aspects:
(1) providing for the proper location of
industrial and commercial development,
(2) improving the agricultural economy of
the County and (3) promoting higher
wage levels.

Currently, the State of Michigan is
emphasizing revitalization and
development of industrial and commercial
activities on sites with existing
infrastructure, rather than on new
"greenfield" sites in rural areas. This
program may not benefit Midland County
directly. As noted in Table 30, there are
only 22 industrial park lots that have not
been sold or developed. This situation,
combined with the need to increase the
property tax base of the Bullock Creek,
Coleman and Meridian Public School
Districts, requires the creation of
additional planned industrial parks. While
new industrial parks should be located in
these school districts, local small "start
up" entrepreneurial businesses should
also be encouraged in each school
district. At the same time, local existing
businesses (industrial and service)
should be assisted in efforts to expand
their operations. Many of these existing
businesses are located in the County's
industrial parks.

Economic development on a county-wide
scale requires coordination among
jurisdictions and organizations within the
County.
The recent merger of the
Midland County Growth Council and the
Midland County Economic Development
Corporation has been a positive move in
that direction.
This umbrella
organization, the Midland County
Economic Growth and Development
Corporation, is oriented to economic
needs throughout the County.
This
umbrella organization is comprised of the
Small Business Center, Midland County
Convention and Visitors Bureau and
Economic Development Corporation of
Midland County (338 Corp). The former
functions of the Midland County
Economic Development Corporation are
now provided by the umbrella
organization.
At the same time, the
Midland County Convention and Visitors
Bureau is targeting conventions, special
events and sightseeing markets to attract
outside nonmanufacturing revenue into
the County. While the Economic Growth

Emphasis should be placed upon
creating a positive entrepreneurial
"environment" within each school district
in the County to promote new business
start-ups and business expansions. To
achieve such an environment, a countywide entrepreneurial "support system"
J-26

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with industrial development, the County
should encourage and foster downtown
commercial revitalization by emphasizing
small entrepreneurial start-up efforts.

should be established. A support system
would allow small start-up businesses to
access business and technical expertise,
provide appropriate building space, offer
associated educational opportunities,
assist in business promotion and in
general establish an atmosphere within
the County that encourages and fosters
individual initiative to begin new business
ventures. At the same time, efforts
should be made to work with existing
businesses to max1m1ze their
opportunities for expansion.

Overall, a combination of support
systems, including educational services,
business incubator development,
information networks (including
identifying existing local strengths and
weaknesses and access to the latest
technologies and marketing techniques),
local financing and government fiscal
support are needed to successfully
encourage individuals to enter into new
entrepreneurial ventures.

Another important component of local
economic vitality is the commercial retail
and service sector. Viable communities
have active downtown business districts.
That does not necessarily mean that
downtowns must compete with outlying
retail malls, but they should identify their
particular "niche" within the community
and complement the larger stores
located in retail malls. Each municipality
within Midland County (the cities of
Midland and Coleman and the Village of
Sanford) should identify its own market
area and the types of businesses that
could viably locate within its downtown
area.
In addition, to attract new
businesses and new customers, each
downtown should identify ways to
improve its physical landscape through
streetscape revitalization and building
facade improvements. Both the cities of
Coleman and Midland have started
programs to improve their downtown
business areas, and Midland has recently
completed a downtown streetscape
project.
Businesses within each
downtown area should coordinate
advertising and promotion efforts,
establish uniform business hours and
emphasize customer service and ease of
access (through off-street parking). As

The effects of decreasing farm income
and farm size on the County's economy
warrants a concerted effort between the
County agricultural stabilization and
economic development organizations to
promote improvement of the County's
agricultural economy.
A program
focused on stabilizaiton of the local
agricultural economy to offset the decline
in crop values and farm income should
be geared to promoting food production
and processing ventures on a regional
scale, combining the agricultural
resources of the County and surrounding
counties with the industrial food
processing potentialities in Midland
County.
With the increase in retail and service
jobs, economic development planning
should focus on increasing wage levels in
growth-oriented employment sectors to
offset the effects on the economy due to
an increase in lower wage level servicerelated jobs.
Local economic
development organizations should
undertake a labor torce needs analysis

J-27

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operate. Such a management approach
should be well thought out, rational,
implementable, based upon reasonable
scientific parameters, and reflect a
consensus of opinion among the
management participants.
It should
consist of an environmental resource
management process that includes both
public and private sector organizations.
Those organizations should cooperatively
develop a comprehensive environmental
management plan and program designed
to reasonably mitigate existing
contamination and provide for the future
protection and wise use of the County's
natural resources. Current issues that
should be addressed, and which are
identified on pages C-11 through C-18,
include: the proper use and disposal of
hazardous materials; the decontamination of groundwater through
protective and remedial actions pertaining
to the eight activities identified as
contributing to groundwater pollution as
well as other sources not specifically
identified in this Plan; the contamination
of surface water (rivers and lakes)
resulting from septic systems, agriculture
and commercial and industrial land uses;
nonpoint sources of water pollution (e.g.,
fertilizers, animal wastes, urban water
runoff); air pollution from industrial (and
automobile) sources; soil contamination
identified in the Michigan Department
Natural Resources list of environmental
contamination sites (see Table 3, pages
C-15 and C-16); noise and visual
pollution from industrial processes;
billboards/signs; and unregulated junk
and used parts yards, truck traffic, and
similar uses and activities.

and develop strategies for promoting
higher paying jobs in the County.
The key to the maintenance and growth
of the County's economy lies in its
existing population and businesses. The
County and its economic development
agencies should work with local
communities to target efforts at new
business development and existing
business expansion. At the same time,
the public sector should work hand-inhand with private commercial businesses
to create viable downtown business
districts that complement commercial
activities outside of central business
areas.
Environment

The viability of Midland County as a
place to live, work and play is, of course,
dependent upon the state of the
environment.
As with any other
geographic area, the County's natural
environment is not perfect - that is, it is
not free of contamination. Environmental
contamination is the product of both
human and natural processes. Because
contamination is found to one degree or
another within the natural order, it is
unrealistic to expect or anticipate the
complete elimination of pollution, or "zero
tolerance" within Midland County. It is
possible, however, to rationally address
and remove a reasonable amount of
contamination currently or previously
created by human activity.
To do so requires a management
approach to environmental issues that
can accomplish needed environmental
decontamination and pollution prevention
without needlessly or unduly impacting
the way businesses and individuals

The comprehensive environmental
management plan should identify specific
projects and time frames within which

J-28

�abandoned CSX rail right-of-way) is also
a "given" feature and identified on the
Comprehensive Plan map.

they should be completed, the responsible parties for implementing the project,
the general cost, and the sources of
funding, if possible. It should be a
participatory plan, inviting input from a
wide variety of sources. Finally, the plan
should call for voluntary compliance for
most activities and require mandatory
decontamination and pollution prevention
measures only when necessary.
Voluntary compliance could include
incentives identified within the plan in
those situations where compliance may
exceed State preemption standards.

Third, public and institutional lands,
consisting of park lands, natural
conservation areas and other publicly
owned lands, are also "given" areas that
remain relatively constant.

J-29

I

Fifth, commercial and industrial land uses
were designated using municipal and
township master plans and land use
location planning principles and
standards as guidelines. Commercial
and industrial land use designations
outside of municipal boundaries are
located to centrally serve surrounding
residences, are on major thoroughfares
for easy access and optimum exposure,
and in areas where utility service is
available.

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Seventh, residential land uses (less than
1 acre) inside the utility service areas
were designated. Areas designated as
residential have been changed from the
1987 Comprehensive Plan.
Those
changes are described in more detail in
the description of land use classifications
below,

Second. the County's new, nonmotorized transportation corridor (the

~

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Sixth, prime agricultural lands, as well as
lands as designated in P.A. 116, lying
outside utility service areas were
designated.
These lands remain
essentially the same as the 1987
Comprehensive Plan.

First, the river corridors were designated.
These are existing natural features and
remain the same as depicted in the 1987
Comprehensive Plan map.

~

Fourth, utility service areas (the cities of
Coleman and Midland, as well as the
Midland Urban Growth Area and Midland
County Water District No. 1) were
designated as they currently exist.

Future Land Use Patterns

The culmination of the analysis of the
various man-made and natural components of the County, combined with the
issues, goals and policies defined in this
report constitutes the Comprehensive
Land Use Plan. Acreage figures of the
land use areas as depicted on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan map are presented in Table 51. The Comprehensive
Land Use Plan map is depicted on page
J-34 and reflects the optimum Mure land
use distribution patterns in the County
and its various units of government. The
map, as constructed in the 1987
Comprehensive Plan and reconstructed
in this Plan, is based upon an overlay
approach, adjusted for projected population, growth, planning principles and
standards. That approach is defined
below:

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comprise approximately 49,946 acres, or
14.8 percent of the County.

Eigth, rural residential land uses
(including one- to 10-acre home sites
and "hobbyu farms) were designated.
These areas have also been changed
from the 1987 Comprehensive Plan.

The river corridor designation applies to
the major river systems within the
County, including the Pine, Chippewa,
Tittabawassee, Salt, Little Salt, Sturgeon
and Kawkawlin rivers as well as Bullock
Creek. These water bodies would be
subject to an overlay zone that would
require a vegetative "buffer" strip on
either side that would limit the type and
location of structures not compatible with
the preservation of the rivers' natural
environments. The river corridor will
cover roughly 20,889 acres, or 6.2
percent of the County.

Ninth, adjustments to the resultant
Comprehensive Land Use Plan map were
made based upon public meetings and
comments.
The following provides a description of
the distribution of the various land use
categories depicted in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan map.
Agricultural areas, as indicated earlier,
are essentially prime agricultural, P.A.
116 lands and small uhobby" farms, and
are generally situated around the
perimeter of the County.
In total,
agricultural lands will comprise
approximately 116,873 acres or 34.6
percent of the County.

Rural residential lands are predominant
outside of the Midland Urban Growth
Area (MUGA) and the areas serviced by
the water distribution system in Midland
County Water District No. 1. The rural
residential designated areas are adjacent
to or interspersed among agricultural and
State forest lands and because of their
relatively low density (1-10 acres) are
compatible with agriculture and forest
open space use. A number of sections
in Jerome, Lincoln and Homer townships
that were designated as residential in the
1987 Comprehensive Plan have been
redesignated as rural residential. This is
because those sections are located
outside a reasonable distance (approximately 1/2 mile) from existing water
distribution lines and are likely not to
develop as more dense residential land
use.
Rural residential uses cover
approximately 105,091 acres, or 31.1
percent of the County.

Areas devoted to public land will remain
generally the same as currently exists,
with change in the use of some of those
lands.
For example, it has been
proposed that the State forest land that
comprises the Pine Haven Recreation
Area be traded to the County and
administered as a permanent natural
conservation area.
Other County
recreation facilities will be further
developed, such as the Sanford Lake
County Park, Veterans Memorial County
Park and Manitou County Park. The
CSX Railroad right-of-way will be
converted to an improved nonmotorized
transportation corridor. Local township
parks, particularly in Jasper, Ingersoll,
Geneva, Edenville, Mt. Haley and Hope
townships should be located and
developed. In total, public lands will

Areas designated as residential include
single-family on one acre or less, duplex
units, mobile home parks and multipleJ-30

�the City of Midland, along major
thoroughfares with easy access. New
industrial development is oriented
primarily to entrepreneurial "start-up"
businesses and ''targetedu industries
(those for which proactive attraction or
retention efforts should be focused
because they best correspond to the
County's existing economic strengths).

family housing. Residential lands are
located within the MUGA boundaries and
generally within one-half mile from
existing water distribution lines within
Midland County Water District No. 1.
These properties are generally located in
a pattern surrounding the City of
Midland, and in a northeasterly line
parallel to U.S. 10, as well as within the
City of Coleman. The densities allowed
within areas designated as residential
land use will most likely depend upon
whether or not public water supply
and/or sanitary sewers are available.
Residential land uses account for 10.3
percent of the County's land, or 34,857
acres.

As indicated earlier in this Plan report,
additional or expanded industrial
development should occur within the
Bullock Creek, Coleman and Meridian
public school districts.
Such
development is proposed along
Gordonville Road east of Poseyville Road
in Midland Township (in the Bullock
Creek School District), west of the City of
Coleman and near the U.S. 10 - M-18
interchange (in the Coleman School
District) and adjacent to U.S. 10 and
along Meridian Road in Lincoln Township
(in the Meridian School District).
Industrial activity is also proposed along
Eastman Road in Larkin Township, north
of the City of Midland. Other locations of
planned light industrial, manufacturing
and commercial parks could be situated
off M-20 in Lee and Greendale townships
and off M-18 in Warren, Jerome and
Edenville townships in accordance with
local master land use planning. The
proposed distribution of industrial land
uses within the County reflects both
existing industrial activity, the future
expansion of that activity and the
placement of new concentrations of
industrial land uses in easily accessible
locations adjacent to population centers.
In total, industrial lands will comprise
approximately 8,483 acres, or 2.5 percent
of the County.

It should be noted that the primary
criterion for designating areas as
residential or rural residential is the
availability of public utilities, particularly
water and/or sewer. The existing and
potential location of those facilities does
not necessarily correlate with the
projected residential acreage
requirements identified in Table 46.
Certain areas, for example Lee Township,
are forecast to require a substantial
population growth and accompanying
residential acreage development.
However, Lee Township is designated to
develop as rural residential and
agricultural because no utilities to serve
standard residential development are
scheduled. It would be in the best
interest of the County to require that
utility districts identify and evaluate
projected population growth in various
locations and determine if utilities should
be provided to accommodate or direct
that growth.
Industrial land uses are distributed within
the County, primarily adjacent to or within
J-31

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a recommendation as it pertains to local
planning. That is, at the same time the
Midland County Comprehensive Plan
defines the direction of County agencies,
with some degree of potential for
implementation, it is intended to function
primarily as a guide for future planning
and development among local
jurisdictions. Consequently, it provides
information to local units of government
about their own specific conditions a well
as the condition of other units within the
County. As a county-wide plan it also
prescribes and promotes coordination
among jurisdictions, ensuring that
individual municipal and township plans
complement, rather than conflict with,
plans of adjoining jurisdictions. Guided
by the proposals and programs
contained in this Plan, local jurisdictions
should be able to more efficiently provide
for implementation within their own plans.
County level agencies and organizations
will be more directly impacted through
the implementation measures contained
in this Comprehensive Plan.

Commercial land uses will generally
reflect the existing distribution of those
uses. Outside the cities of Midland and
Coleman the majority of commercial land
uses will be community commercial,
oriented to serve the day-to-day
shopping needs of local residents within
a short driving distance. These community commercial land uses are located at
intersections of major roads in locations
most easily accessible to surrounding
residents. Several townships, such as
Jasper, that have relatively small
populations, will not contain community
commercial centers of any substantial
size but will still sustain small individual
"neighborhood" commercial establishments (which are not delineated on the
Comprehensive Land Use Plan map).
Community commercial development will
be concentrated along Eastman Road in
Larkin Township, to complement the new
Midland Mall in that area. Commercial
land uses cover approximately 1,829
acres, or 0.5 percent of the County.
Planning Information, Coordination
and Implementation

Without accurate and useful information
from which to make practical decisions,
and without effective coordination among
jurisdictions, local plans will likely not be
efficiently implemented. To ensure that
local plans and programs are
coordinated, efficient, based upon
accurate and useful data and contain
realistic implementation programs,
Midland County should establish an
ongoing system of providing for and
monitoring those planning components.
Current state enabling legislation
provides for county planning commission
review of all local plans.

The Midland County Comprehensive Plan
encompasses a wide variety of topics
and issues, some of which are the
responsibility of the County and its
various agencies, and others that are the
legal or identified responsibility of local
units of government, other taxing
jurisdictions, or quasi-public and private
institutions. Each level of government,
within the County, for example, has the
power to develop and implement a comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance.
While these plans and ordinances are
local in scope and can be implemented
by each respective jurisdiction, the
County Comprehensive Plan is, in effect,

Implementation of the Midland County
Comprehensive Plan will require the
J-32

�Midland County Planning Commission
should promote the implementation of
the Plan. Strategies for implementing
each of the planning elements of the
Comprehensive Plan are described in the
Implementation section of this report.

Implementation of the Midland County
Comprehensive Plan will require the
cooperation and dedication of many
organizations and units of government.
In cooperation with the Midland County
Board of Commissioners and Midland
County Controller-Administrator, the

TABLE 51
ACREAGE OF PLANNED LAND USES*
Land Use Category
Agricultural

Acreage

Percent of County Area

116,873

34.6

Commercial

1,829

0.5

Industrial

8,483

2.5

Public

49,946

14.8

Residential

34,857

10.3

105,091

31.1

20,889

6.2

337,968

100.0

Rural Residential
River Corridor
TOTAL

*Based on calculation of land areas as depicted on the Comprehensive Land
Use Plan Map (No. 17)
SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

J-33

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IMPLEMENTATION

Jurisdictions within the County vary
according to the number and type of
mechanisms adopted to regulate or
manage development. These variations
create a diversity in the overall character
and timing of growth within the County.

The Mure of the County rests upon the
ability of its representatives, officials and
residents to manage its resources.
Those resources - economic, human and
environmentaJ - interact to form the total
living environment of Midland County. It
is likely there would be no argument to
the claim that the County would benefit
by the efficient use of those resources.
Management of the County's resources
can be achieved by carrying out a
strategic implementation program and
administering growth management
techniques. One of the more recent and
increasingly popular methods of striving
for that efficiency is through a concept
called growth management.

To identify the various growth
management mechanisms existing
among the various jurisdictions within the
County, a survey form was distributed to
all locaJ units of government, collected
and the results tabulated. Table 52
depicts the results of that survey. The
universe of growth management techniques potentially available to local units
of government consists of ordinances,
codes, regulations, and miscellaneous
controls and guidance mechanisms,
including master plans and land use
plans.

Growth Management

Growth management can be generally
defined as a tool or series of "tools"
oriented to controlling the location, timing
and indirectly the cost of new
development within a given area. Within
that definition, growth management
approaches and techniques are diverse.
They can consist of one specific
technique, such as zoning or a set of
techniques which, when combined
together, form a comprehensive program
for overseeing new development as well
as maintaining and revitalizing existing
development.

The survey indicated that all local
jurisdictions have adopted zoning
ordinances, building codes and master
plans or land use plans. These are, and
have been, the basic "foundation blocks"
of managing development within a
community.
Other types of control mechanisms are
also "on the books" in fewer than onehalf the County's governmental units.
These include junkyard, floodplain
management, mobile home and
subdivision control ordinances, as well as
other ordinances and regulations. Most
local governments, however, limit their
growth management control programs to
the three basic mechanisms described
above.

The County, as a unit of government,
does not retain the option to control land
use and development processes within
its boundaries. These processes are
regulated by individual townships, cities,
and the village within the County through
legally adopted controls such as zoning
ordinances and building codes.
K-1

�TABLE 52
GROWTH MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

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ORDINANCES

Zoning Ordinance
Dangerous Bulldlngs Ordinance

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Anti-blight Ordinance

•
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Noise Control Ordinance
Junkyard Ordinance

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Manufactured Home/Mobile Home Park Ord.

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Lot Split Ordinance

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Floodplain Management Ordinance
Land Access Ordinance

•.•.•·

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• •
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Wetlands Protection Ordinance
Groundwater Protection Ordinance
Subdivision Control Ordinance
CODES

Building Code

•

•

•

•
•

•

•

•

•

Housing Code/Rental Code
REGULATIONS

Stormwater Mana!}ement Regulation
Hazardous Material Regulation
River/Stream Protection Regulation

•

Septic System Maintenance Regulations
MISCELLANEOUS

Wellhead Protection Program
Special Use Permits
Site Plan Review
Planned Unit Development Standards
Prime Farmland Protection
Public lmerovement Performance Guarantees
Master Plan/Land Use Plan

• • • • •
• • • • • •
• • • •
• •
• • •
•
•
• • •
•
•
•
•
•
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•

•

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Economic Development Techniques
Ca1&gt;ital Improvements Program
Public Improvements Requirements
•

Indicates community adopted growth management technique

SOURCE: Midland County Survey Questionnaire, June 1992

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diligently, would remediate existing
problems and prevent others from
occurring. However, the human and
financial resources are not available to
ensure appropriate enforcement.
In
some instances it may be more effective
for two or more jurisdictions to combine
resources to retain and upgrade
enforcement.

The City of Midland has adopted the
greatest number of techniques, followed
by Lee Township, then Midland
Township, the City of Coleman, Jerome,
and Homer townships.
In general,
beyond zoning ordinances, building
codes and community plans, there
appears to be a substantial variation
among jurisdictions relative to adoption
of growth management mechanisms.
The ordinances, regulations, codes and
techniques identified in Table 52 are
currently authorized under state enabling
legislation.
Therefore, all could
potentially be adopted or administered by
each unit of government.

Implementation Program

Table 54 identifies the implementation
program called for in this Plan. This
table is formatted to provide a comprehensive overview of the important
elements of the program, within a
strategic framework. The policies and
strategies defined in the section titled
"Goals, Policies and Strategies for the
Futureu are again listed in the first
column, along with more detailed action
statements corresponding to a particular
strategy. The next three columns contain
letters or numbers that correspond to the
key on page K-32. The second column
identifies the specific organization(s),
institution(s) or individual(s) assigned the
responsibility for carrying out the specific
strategy and associated actions. The
third column describes the year(s) within
which the particular action is to occur or
be completed. The last column refers to
the source(s) of funding the particular
action. By referring to this table, those
responsible for overseeing and implementing this Plan will be able to understand their particular assignments, as
well as the responsibilities of other
participants, and follow through on them
within the identified time frame. This
format not only establishes direction for
implementing the plan, but also provides
a mechanism for monitoring the progress
of implementation activities.
If a

Even though each jurisdiction has its own
zoning ordinance, the survey also
indicates there are a number of
provisions that should be incorporated
into each ordinance text, but are not
included (see Table 53).
These
jurisdictions would benefit by including
these provisions to promote effective
development and control conversion of
prime farmlands.
These techniques, and others that are
more sophisticated (and which are
currently not authorized under existing
state enabling legislation but which may
be allowed in the Mure) can collectively
ensure that growth and development, as
well as preservation of resources, will
occur in accordance with a welldeveloped and rational process.
However, regulations and ordinances
have a price. They require diligent
enforcement to be effective. That in turn
requires appropriate staff and funding.
Often, local governmental units have
adopted ordinances, codes and
regulations that, if enforced properly and
K-3

�action. It is intended to follow a rational
process to achieve desired ends.
However, since unforeseen circumstances can alter the Plan's desirable
objectives, this schedule is also intended
to be as flexible as necessary to ensure
the Plan is referred to and useable.

particular action is not successfully
undertaken by the recommended time
frame, those involved should meet to
identify alternative policies or actions to
achieve the desired objective.
This implementation program is
essentially designed to be a guide for

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TABLE 53
SURVEY OF CITY, TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE ZONING

Coleman City

Yea

Yes

No

No

No

Edenville Township

Yea

Yes

Yea

No

No

Geneva Township

Yea

No

No

No

Yes

Greendale Township

Yea

Yes

No

No

No

Homer Township

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Hope Township

Yea

Yes

No

No

No

Ingersoll Township

Yes

No

No

No

No

Jasper Township

Yea

No

No

No

Yes

Jerome Township

Yes

No

No

No

No

Larkin Township

No

No

No

No

No

Lee Township

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Lincoln Township

Yes

No

No

No

No

Midland City

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Midland Township

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

MIiis Township

Yes

No

No

No

No

Mt. Haley Township

No

Yes

No

No

No

Porter Township

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Sanford Village

Yes

No

No

No

No

Warren Township

Yea

Yes

No

No

No

SOURCE: Midland County Survey Questionnaire, June 1992

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TABLE 54

IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
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IMPLEMENTiNG :BODIES .
AND PARTICIPANT$ .

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POLICIES/STRATEGIES/ACTIONS

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SOURCE

LAND USE
1.

RANDOM

DEVELOPMENT

G

A Identify areas potentially unsuitable for on-site wastewater disposable.

2.

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1.

Utilize the County Soils Survey to map general areas where development requiring on-site
wastewater disposal should be prohibited. Incorporate that Information Into the land UM plan map.

G,P

1,2

A,E

2.

Encourage local units of government to amend their comprehensive plan maps to reflect areas that
should not be developed In higher density uses.

G,P

1,2

A,E

3. Encourage local units to zone their Jurisdictions in accordance with their land use plans.

G,P

2,3-5

A,E

FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT

p

A. Promote applications for the National Flood Insurance program among developed properties within
USGS recognized flood-prone areas.

I

01

1.

Make applications to FEMA for National Flood Insurance .

p

1,2

A

2.

Contact property owners not currently enrolled In the Flood Insurance Program and encourage
them to enroll.

F,J,P

2,3-5

A,E

F,J,P

1,2

A,E

F,J,P

1,2

A,E

1,2

A,E

B. Adopt floodplain regulations and ordinances consistent with FEMA standards.
1.

Inventory locations in the County that are within the 100-year floodplain of any water body, utlllzlng
the recently completed River Protection Plan.

2. Encourage local townships that contain 100-year floodplain areas to adopt the model zoning
language In the River Protection Plan and modify standards as necessary to meet FEMA
requirements.

3.

PRIME FARMLAND PRESERVATION

p

A Distribute appropriate data relative to farmland preservation to local units, including USDAJSCS maps
Identifying prime agricultural land.
1.

~

Put a program together to Inform and educate townships about Identifying and preserving prime
agricultural lands. Include data cited in this plan and other data sources, and provide larger acale
maps of each township with overlays Indicating existing land uses on those soils.

M,P

FUNDING

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·•· •· lM:iMJlm~?.~l~~i:Jiil·: : 1:1!:!• 1 •:·•~f~ ~•1•· ·•:• •=,• ·
B. Conduct workshops on preserving agricultural land.
1. Combine data Identified above with description of relevant legislation and planning and zoning
standards as part of a workshop agenda.

M,P

2

A,E

2. Present the workshop to each township on-site at township hall.

M,P

2

A,E

M,P

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

A,ED

W,M,S

1,2,3-5

A,E

W,M,J,S

1,2,3-5

A,E

W,J,M,P

2,3-5

A,E

C. Promote h:t. 116 Farmland Preservation and report on model/sample preservation techniques.
1.

Incorporate Into workshop format and continue to update to Inform townships of the most recent
farmland preservation legislation and techniques through periodic communication to local Plannlng
Commissions.

4. SOIL EROSION

M

A. Prepare and distribute to landowners Information about erosion problems and erosion control methods
and Increase the level of field assistance to landowners.

~

1. Collect current ASCS, Cooperative Extension, Farm Bureau and other agency data and Information
pertaining to soil erosion; coordinate collected Information Into a presentation packet and distribute
the packet to large acreage landowners through the mall.

I

B. Develop/expand programs whereby landowners using erosion control practices are given public/media
recognition.
1. Develop a monitoring program through ASCS and the County Planning Commission whereby
landowners that have utilized erosion control measures are Identified and awarded a certificate of
recognition and/or other award and are Identified In local print and radio/TV media.
C. Prepare model standards for codes and ordinances addressing soil erosion and encourage local units
of government to Incorporate erosion control standards In local development regulations.
1. Research existing erosion control ordinances and review literature on soil erosion practices and
techniques; develop a model language that can be Incorporated Into local zoning ordinances and
that reflects state-of-the-art techniques. Disseminate model to townships and encourage them to
Incorporate into their ordinances.

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D. Develop economic incentives to promote so11 erosion control.

1. Establish an ad-hoc panel of county and township officials to review and discuss options for
providing economic relief or reward to lndlvlduals or businesses who follow appropriate aoil erosion
control practices. Develop a legally Implementable process for adopting and administering auch
Incentives. Encourage each jurisdiction 0ocal governmental unit) to adopt such Incentives.

W,M,P

2,3-5

A,E

D,B,L

1

A

O,K,J,P

1,2

A

O,K,J,P

1,2

A

O,K,J,P

1,2

A

1,2,3-5

A

E. Ensure that the provisions of the Soll Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act are being enforced and
Increase the level of on-site field assistance to landowners.

1. Acquire additional funding for County Road Commission staff to devote more time to advisory and
enforcement activities for soil erosion mltlgatlon/elimlnation In new development.
5.

LAND ACCESS, SUBDMSION AND LOT SPLIT CONTROLS

K

A. Collect and review lot split, land access and subdivision control regulations and procedures used by
each local unit of government.

~

~

1.

Access lot splits and subdivision maps from the County Equalization Department and Identify
parcels with Inefficient or nonexistent land access. Collect ordinances/regulations from each
jurisdiction to determine overall characteristics and effectiveness of regulations.

B. Develop a ' model" set of regulations for use by local governmental units.

1. Research 'state-0f-the-art• lot split, land access and subdivision control regulations and combine
with Information collected above to develop model ordinance/regulations for use by local
jurisdiction and distribute to jurisdictions for review.
C. Encourage local units to adopt model regulations and provide technical assistance as needed as well
as periodic review.

1.

Present formal "model" as recommendation and encourage local units to adopt. Continue to
encourage adoption until all units have formal land access/subdivlslonflot split regulations In
conjunction with, or similar to, the model presented . Provide ongoing technical assistance through
the County Planning Commission Including annual monitoring of application of regulations to
Identify problem areas. Develop recommended solutions and present to local units of government.

6. SMALL WATERSHED PLANNING

M

A. Define the boundaries of small watersheds.
1.

Establish a surveying and mapping program that will define the criteria for identifying small
watershed boundaries and undertake survey over time to accurately map boundaries.

M

-

---'

.:::-

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; 5, : 1: : 1: 1 : 1:';:1 : 1 : 1 : :1~~a~::1: t.: :
B. Encourage local governments to form a consortium to inventory and study small watersheds and
recommend remedial or protective concerns.

1. Contact local Planning Commissions to explain concept and solicit interest; establish an

O,J,M,P

1,2,3-5

A

1,2,3-5

IA

organizational meeting to initiate consortium; conduct a mapping and on-site Inventory of small
watersheds, using appropriate guidelines, including the 'Midland County River Corridor Study" and
"Midland County Alver Protection Plan . ■

2. Draft a work paper on recommended remedies and protective actions to be distributed to local
units for review and comment; develop and distribute final draft to local governmental units;
encourage implementation of recommended actions through periodic review of progress by

I

O,J,M,P

I

consortium members and the County Planning Commission.

C. Notify governmental units of public/private funds avaliabie for protective remediation and enhancement
of small watersheds and subdralnage basins.

1. Keep abreast of current technologies and practices in small watershed planning and Identify grant
programs and funding sources that may be utilized for implementing remedial and protective

1'
00

II

I

O,J,M,P

11,2,3-5,6-10
11-15,16-20

IA

actions.

7.

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

I

J

A. Prepare a report on necessary and desired growth management techniques for implementing
comprehensive development plans.

1. Utilize results of growth management survey conducted as part of this plan to develop a paper on
the status of growth management among local jurisdictions and distribute to those jurisdictions for

O,J,P

1,2

A

O,J,P

2,3-5

A

O,J,l,P

2,3-5

A,E,J

review.

B. Formulate model codes, standards, regulations and ordinances oriented toward growth management
and distribute to local jurisdictions for revising and adoption.
1. Include the results of the status paper in a model set of growth management codes, ordinances,
standards and regulations and distribute to each jurisdiction. Recommend specific techniques for
adoption by specific Jurisdictions; follow through with technical assistance as requested and
monitoring program to identify strengths and weaknesses of each applied technique; conduct
seminars on administering recommended techniques.

8. STREAM SYSTEM USE

A. Prepare/update municipal plans in accordance with model County Alver Protection Plan.
1.

Request each Township, City and Village Planning Commission to review model Alver Protection
Pian and determine best way to incorporate model into jurisdiction's existing comprehensive or
land use plan.

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POLICIES/STRATEGIES/ACTIONS

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IMPLEMENTING QOOIES:;,:
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B. Prepare/update munlclpal zoning ordinance and maps In accordance with the municipal River
Protection Master Plans and model County River Protection Overlay Zone regulations.

1. Based upon updated master plans Incorporating river p(otectlon programs, recommend model
zoning changes that can be Incorporated Into the existing ordinance of local Jurladlctlon. Assist, u

O,J,l,P

2,3-5

A,E,J

D,B,J,l,G,K,M,C,U,T,P

1,2

A

necessary, each Jurladlction In adopting the model ordinance to the specific needs and
characteristics of that jurisdiction.
COMMUNITY FACILITIES

9. CONSOLIDATION/COORDINATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES

B

A. Promote the possibilities of coordination/consolidation at the County and local levels.
1.

~
co

Establish a "blue ribbon" panel of County Department Heads, County Board representatives, a
representative from each Jurisdiction (local govt., special assessment districts, school districts and
utility districts) to meet and discuss the possibilities and potentials of coordination among entitles.

B. Investigate the privatization of some services.

1.

Based upon the results of the Initial meeting, publish a work paper Identifying a recommended
administrative and coordinating structure to oversee the analysis, evaluation and recommendations
relative to a consolidation/coordination effort.

D,B

1

A

2.

Proceed to study In detail existing conditions and Identify specific options for Improving the costeffectiveness of the delivery of services at all levels of the County, concentrating on consolidation,
coordination and privatization.

D,B,J,l,G,K,M,C,U,T,P

1,2,3-5

A

3.

Develop and publish a draft report of findings to all Impacted jurisdictions and agencies In the
County for review and comment.

D,B

3-5

A

D,B,

3-5

A

D,B

3,6-10, 11-15, 16-20

A

4. Revise the study as necessary and submit to local jurisdictions and the County Board of
Commissioners for adoption by each unit.

5. Establish a "coordinating council" to oversee implementation of study recommendations.

�·• • : ,Mij~1.im1tmf!~~:1:1• 1::• i• 111i:i li:11:a

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N

10. SOLID WASTE RESOURCE RECOVERY AND DISPOSAL

A. Encourage creation/expansion of the recycling market.
1.

Draft and solicit a resolution to be adopted by local units of government encouraging appropriate
atate and federal leglalatlon to promote aource separation, recycling and packaging practices.

I

N,B,P

1,2

A

2.

Promote, and work with, local entrepreneurs Involved In "start-up' businesses to use recyclable
materials as raw material for new products. Assist such businesses with technical assistance
programs, Industrial tax abatements and providing a clearing house for applicable federal and state
grant program Information.

I

N,B,E,S

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

A,D,E,I

B. Budget for ongoing coordination of solid waste management planning.

1. Establish a meeting among local Jurisdictions to discuss potential for COOl'dlnatlng existing aolid
waste management activities and the establishment of a Countywide Solid Waste Management
Authority to coordinate aolid waste management programs.

N,B,P

A

A,C,E

2.

Explore the various funding options available to finance Implementation of the County's Solid
Waste Management Plan.

N,D,B,P

3.

Develop a 1-year and 5-year Capital Improvement Program for solid waste management, Including
coordination/consolidation of existing programs and establish a budget accordingly.

N,D,B,P

A,2,3-5,6-10
11-15, 16-20

A

N,B,P

1,2

A

1'
.,j.

0

4. Establish a Solid Waste Management Authority with the commission to administer solid waste
coordination operations within the County.
C. Budget for professional management consulting services and advice on managing the Implementation
of the Plan.
1.

Coordinate a meeting between County, City of Midland and Townships officials to discuss shared
funding of a management consultant.

2.

Establish a budget and description of responsibilities.

3. Develop a Request for Proposals and solicit proposals from qualified ~mpanles.
4.

Select consultant and begin programs; ensure consultant Is answerable to an Identified
body/individual (on a regular basis).

I

N,P

N,P
N,P
N,P

• ' • ' • \ • ' • ' a 1a , a ' • ' • ' • ' • ' • '

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POLICIES/STRATEGIES/ACTIONS :

D. Work to implement program and schedule contained In the Solid Waste Management Plan.
1. Review implementation schedule In adopted Solid Waste Management Plan and develop a
corresponding detailed work program for each program/project identified In the Implementation
program.

N,P

1,2

A

2.

N,P

1,2

A

Establish/utilize organizations Identified In the Implementation schedule in the Plan.

E. Establish public education programs and promote public awareness of Immediate need to select solid
waste recovery and disposal facility proce88 and proceed with Implementation of designed facility (and)
provide method of funding .
1. Utilize the County Solid Waste Management Plan and develop an updated Information base
describing the existing status of solid waste disposal facilities In the County and the future capacity
of the County to dispose of wutes.

I

N

2

A.E

2.

Distribute information to local units, organizations and the private sector, describing the condition
and capacity of existing facilities in the County and the likely impacts of future demand.

I

N,P,S

2

A.E

3.

Follow the implementation program In the County Solid Waste Management Plan Update, Including
establishment of the recommended organizational atructure(s) and pursue funding sources as
appropriate, Including local private and public Investment.

I

N,B,P,S

1,2,3-5

A,E,J

A

I
...,I.
...,I.

11. INTERGOVERNMENTAL PLANNING OF UTILITIES

B

A. Assess county-wide water distribution and sanitary sewerage needs In an area-wide plan with
recommendations; prepare an area-wide water and sewer plan dealing with needs for Improvements,
financing and responsibilities and coordinate with local land use plans.
1.

Using the County Comprehensive Land Use Plan and projected housing unit growth as a guide,
Identify townships expected to experience a numerical growth above a defined number of
households. Analyze all townships In detail to Identify the location of existing residential,
commercial and industrial activities In each township. Establish a specified residential density as a
"benchmark" and Identify those areas that currently exceed that density. Develop a composite or
"overlay" map combining the results of both maps to Identify high growth townships and specific
higher density locations In the County. Outline utility service areas that reflect existing high density
areas and areas most likely to develop within fast growing townships.

I

B,J,P,O

1,2,3-5

A.C,E,J

2.

Present the results to officials In affected townships for review and discussion. Work with township
officials to identify, establish and implement a sewer and water development/Improvement
program in a controlled , efficient phased process consistent with planned development.

I

B,J,P,O

2

A,C,E,J

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12. SCHOOL DISTRICT COOPERATION

A. Explore the creation of an "umbrella" oversight committee to undertake a study of possibilities of
coordination/cooperation among school districts and guide the process.
1.

Contact administrators of all school districts within the County and establish a meeting to discuss
common Issues, concerns and possibilities that could be mutually addressed and Identify the
potential for forming a committee of representatives from each district to formulate plans and
programs for Increased coordination.

2. Assist the committee in obtaining data, general Information, and public input in the program.

T

1,2

A,J

I

T

I

1,2

I A.J

I

T

I

1,2,3-5

I A.J

B. Prepare a strategic plan outlining how facilities, resources and programs could be shared effectively.
1.

2.

;;,;:
I

.....

II

Form a strategic planning program/process that Includes focus groups developing solutions and
specific activities for particular Issues, with coordination/cooperation/efficiency as the underlying
theme.
Publish the results of the strategic plan (recommendations/specific activities) and distribute to all
households in the County via IChool district newsletters.

IT

I 3-s

I A.J

I

3-5

I A.J

C. Evaluate foundation funding for the Plan, as well as implementation.

I\)

1. Continue to monitor progress of assigned activities identified in the Plan and assist districts In
obtaining funding for cooperative programs as identified In the strategic plan.

T
D,B

13. COUNTY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

A. Solicit short-range and long-range budgetary needs from various County departments and agencies.
1.

Recommend a budgeting technique to be adopted by the County Board that represents an efficient
approach to validating current programs (such as zero based budgeting) .

2.

Solicit surveys of all County departments and agencies under County Board of Commissioners'
control requesting Identification of effectiveness of the previous year's expenditures of each
department and short-range and long-range goals, programs and expenditures proposed for the
department over the next 1-year and 5-years.

3.

Develop long-range forecast of revenues and expenditures.

..

I

D,B

I

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IA

I

D,B

I

1

IA

I

D,B

I 2

IA

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B. Provide for review and Input of the proposed departmental capital budgets by the County Planning
Commission.
1. Develop a synopsls/overvlew of adopted County plans and present to the County Planning
Commission along with the goals, programs and expenditures proposed by each
departmentjagency. Assist the Planning Commission In reviewing and analyzing proposals relative
to plans and adjusting department goals and programs to conform to/coordinate with overall plan
recommendations.

I

0,8,J

1,2

A

0,8,J

2

A

0,8,J

1,2

A

C. Develop and adopt a county-wide short-range and long-range Ananclal Management Plan/Capital
Improvements Program and Incorporate the plan Into the County annual budgeting process.
1.

Submit any revised programs back to departments/agencies for review and comment. Incorporate
the results Into a draft management plan for presentation to the County Board of Commissioners
for review and adoption.

0 . Annually review and amend the County Financial Management Plan/Capital Improvements Program.
1. Submit any revised programs back to departments/agencies for review and comment. Incorporate
the results Into a draft management plan for presentation to the County Board of Commlsslonera
for review and adoption.

~

~

w

14. SOCIAL SERVICES PLANNING

A.

u

Inventory and analyze the efficiency of existing social service providers and programs.
1. Appoint a County standing committee to evaluate social service providers and programs.

u

2. Undertake an Inventory of the existing programs, their Impacts and operations, provided by state
and local social service related agencies.

u

1,2

A,J

3.

Establish a list of standards by which to evaluate and measure programs.

u

1,2

A,J

4.

Conduct evaluation and provide results to County and service providers.

u

2

A.J

A

�•:•,•· 'Mi'-'/iNJit ffit,~~::•: i• ,,j: :i !\i\i:•: :i:i~ ~, • i !\i :•;: :• 1·•·:; :; ;: •i!iftii~-• • ·•· •·•.,

·. -: {' ::~[ldi~s)STRATEGIES/ACTIONS :r::'x;::: : :; ; ;:; t\
8 . Establish consortium of service providers to forecast and evaluate future social service needs.

u

1. Contact all service providers to Identify interest in forming consortium.
2.

u

If interest Is shown, invite all providers to organization meeting.

A,J
1,3-5

u

3. Have providers forecast social service needs and evaluate and rank results aocordlng to

A,J
A,J

Importance.
C. Develop and adopt a aociai services delivery plan to reflect projected demands and available resources.

u

2

A,J

2. Include recommendations for financing proposed programs.

u

2

A,J

3. Present study to providers and County Planning Commission for review and comment.

J ,U

2

A,J

4. Present results of study to County Board of Commissioners for adoption.

B,U

2

A,J

COUNTY HOUSING

J

1.

...

~

15.

Use results of forecast and evaluation as basis for formulating a service dellvery plan that will
improve existing programs and recommend additional programs as neceaaary.

PLAN

.I:,.

A. Reassess housing needs data on a 5-year basis via a County-wide Housing Needs Analysis.
1. Meet with housing providers/social service agencies.

I

2. Establish a general scope of work for undertaking a housing needs analysis and useaament.

I J,C

A,J

3. Promote/obtain financing to fund the assessment; retain outside consultant or perform assessment

I

D,B,J,C

A,D,E,H,J

I

J,C

J,C,U

A

In-house.

4. Work closely with organization/Individual conducting assessment to ensure accurate and

1,2

comprehensive Information.

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POLICIES/STRATEGIES/ACTIONS

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B. Evaluate methodologies and programs to Increase owner-occupied units In the County.
1. Research successful projects from other communities that have Increased owner-occupancy.

J,C

I 1

IA

J,C

I 2

IA

3. Assess research Information relative to meeting the requirements and standards establllhed above.

J,C

I 2

IA

4. Identify and further study those program options that best meet the requirements and standards.

J,C

I 3-5

IA

5. Adopt the option for inclusion in a county-wide housing plan.

J,C

I 3-5

IA

2.

Establish goals, policies and evaluation standards for application to Midland County.

C. Prepare County-wide Housing Plan which identifies measures for Implementation.

~
I
~

01

II

II

1. Obtain funding to develop plan.

D,B,J,C

2. Work with selected outside consultant or in-house staff to complete plan, Including Implementation
measures.

J,C

I

I

A,O,E,H,J
A,D,E,H,J

:.3-5

D. Explore the establishment of a vehicle for implementation of the Housing Plan, such as a nonprofit
Housing Corporation.
1.

Review nonprofit housing providers in other communities to Identify and evaluate structure and
programs that may be applied In Midland County.

2. Research other, more current innovative organizational structures that may be utilized and evaluate
according to objective criteria and standards.

3. Select structures and programs that will likely provide the most benefit and which can realistically
be Implemented.

4. Engage in the formation of the selected organization(s) .

I

I
I
I

J,C

I

J,C

11,3-5

J,C

B,J,C

I
I

1

1

2

I

I
I
I

A,D,H,J

A,D,H,J

A,D,H,J

A,J

E. Consider forming a City-County housing trust fund to finance housing.
1.

Develop proposal outline for the organization and operation of a Trust Fund.

D,B,J,C

1

A,J

2.

Meet with City and County officials and social services providers to discuss Interest and potential.

J,C,P,U

1

A,J

3. If a Trust Fund is considered viable, develop a draft plan for organizing, financing and operating
the Trust Fund.

D,J,C

2

A,J

4. Procure funding (grants, fund-raising campaign, etc.) and implement plan.

D,J,C

I

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

I

A,O,H,J

�@m-,~e.~l~li~jj: 1:\i:1:1:1 .11:1:1 1i : :lil\:! !:(••-1••:•••:::;:•:•:•~i~1••:• •:i·•:·•·•·

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F.

Formulate model codes for local units to use to maintain and Improve the County's housing stock.

1. Review and assess existing housing related codes that have been adopted by local units of

J,C

A,D,H,J

J,C,P

A,D,H,J

3. Evaluate codes and regulations In accordance with specified objectives.

J,C,P

A,D,H,J

4. Develop model codes and recommend to each unit of government within the County for adoption
(u la or with modification).

J,C,P

government within the County.

2.

Research applicable codes utilized In other communities.

16. NORTH-SOUTH CIRCULATION
A.

~
.....

0)

2

A,D,H,J

L

Prepare a report on analysis of problems with recommended solutions.
1. Initiate a study to Inventory existing conditions and potential problems.

L

A,K

2.

Develop goals for achieving optimum north-south circulation and establish standards for
evaluating/ meeting those goals.

L

A,K

3.

Identify programs/solutions and evaluate relative to established standards.

L

2

A,K

B. Include County transportation needs In the County Road Commission's Capital Improvement Program.

1. Incorporate the results of the above report Into a specific series of Implementation measures.

I

L

2

I

A,K

2. Develop cost estimates and identify revenue sources for each Implementation measure or project.

I

L

2

I

A,K

3. Identify phasing of specific projects.

I L

3-5

I

A,K

I

L

3-5,6-10, 11-15, 16-20

I

A,K

L

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

4.

Incorporate all of the above components Into a Capital Improvement Program and promote through
adoption process.

C. Budget annual capital expenditures with CIP.

1. Budget annual capital expenditures with CIP.

A,K

J,L,P,R

17. ACCESS MANAGEMENT/CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT
A. Organize a joint Steering Committee for the process.
1. Develop outline of proposed policy and send letters to appropriate agencies and communities
requesting participation.

J,L,P,R

A,K

2. Hold meetings to discuss proposed program and organizational structure.

J,L,P,R

A,K

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B. Seek funding for Committee.
1.

Review financing/funding sources.

A,K

D,B,J,L,P,R

2. Apply for appropriate funding program/resources.

D,B,J,L,P,R

A,K,J

2

C. Prepare report on M-20 corridor land use and traffic service for the State, County Road Commission
and municipalities.

1. Assign responsibility among committee members to draft report.

I

J,L,P,R

I

1

I

A,K

2. Contract with professional consultant to conduct study.

I

J,L,P,R

I

1

I

A,K

J,L,P,R

I

1

I

A,K

4. Develop recommendations and adopt study report.

J,L,P,R

I

2

I

A,K

5.

J,L,P,R

I

2

I

A,K

J,L,P,R

I

2

I

A,K

3.

Conduct data collection and analysis.

Present report to all units of government along corridor.

6. Assign organization and personnel to Implement plan.

~

.....
......,

D. Prepare a report on Saginaw Road corridor land use and traffic service for the State, County Road
Commission and municipalities.

1.

Prepare report on Saginaw Road corridor land use and traffic service for the State, County Road
Commission and municipalities; Incorporating the study procedure and criteria as recommended
for the M-20 corridor.

18. AREA-WIDE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

A,K

2,3-5

J,L,P,R

J,L,P,R

A. Incorporate north-south circulation and bicycle and pedestrian trafficway pollcles Including public transit, rail and airport planning needs, Into the area-wide comprehensive transportation planning process.

1.

Inventory existing transportation facilities and analyze existing conditions and life expectancies of
existing components.

2. Apply population and land use projections to Identify system demand.

~

I

J,L,P,R

I

J,L,P,R

I

1,2

I:

I

A,K,E,J

I

A,K,E,J

3.

Develop a system 'model" that distributes traffic among different modea and Identify optimum
system capacities.

J,L,P,R

4.

Develop recommended Improvements/expansions to accommodate projected optimum system.

J,L,P,R

3-5

A,K,E,J

5.

Establish goals and policies to Implement recommendations.

J,L.P,R

3-5

A,K,E,J

A,K,E,J

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B. Formulate Alea-wide Transportation Steering Committee

1. Establish list of recommended professionals and representatives who would best contribute to
developing

a comprehensive transportation plan.

I

1

I

A.K.E,J

J,L,P,R

I

1

I

A,K,J,E,J,

J,L,P,R

I

1

I

A,K,E,J

J,L,P,R

I

2. Contact persons on list to determine Interest and seek funding for planning.
3.

I

Conduct organizational meeting, Including establishing project goals and procedures.

C. Prepare a report on analysis of street and highway needs data.

1. Conduct Inventory of all existing systems and modes within the County.

J,I,L,P,R

A,K,E,J

2.

Based upon population and land use projections, as well as existing deficiencies, ldsntlfy future
transportation system nHda.

J,l,L,P,R

1,2

A,K,E,J

3.

Prepare and distribute report on transportation needs.

J,L,P,R

1,2

A,K,E,J

J,L,P,R

2,3-5

A,K,E,J

D. Prepare an area-wide traffic analysis Including traffic generation data, origin and destination study and
traffic flow assignments.

~

1. Identify traffic zones throughout the County and conduct origin/destination surveys of automobile
and commercial/industrial traffic at Identified survey points.

~

CX&gt;

E.

2.

Analyze land uses within the County by zone and apply standard rates for traffic generation to each
type of land use; apply thoae rates to the volume of land uses In each zone to determine total trip
generation rates In each zone.

I J,L,P,R

2,3-5

A,K,E,J

3.

Utilize existing computerized traffic assignment programs; assign traffic volumes along specified
routes to Identify capacities and demands; utilize same program for projected volumes baaed upon
future land use and population scenarios.

I

J,L,P,R

2,3-5

A.K.E,J

1. .Access existing data on bridges In County.

L,P,R

1

A

2.

Conduct a structural Inspection on any bridge In the County that has not been Inspected within the
past three years.

L,P,R

1,2

A,K,E,J

3.

Prepare reports on the condition and recommended maintenance and/or upgrading of each
Inspected bridge.

L,P,R

2,3-5

A,K,E,J

4.

Establish annual Inspection program.

L,P,R

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

A,K,E,J

Prepare a report on critical bridges and historical data on bridges.

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Prepare long-range transportation plan report for all transportation modes.

F.

1. Conduct an Inventory and analysis of nonmotorized transportation systems In the County and
develop a plan according to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Trafflcwaya recommendations below.
2.

A,K,E,J

J,l,L,P,R

Incorporate the Bicycle and Pedestrian Trafficways into the studies and reports described above to
formulate a comprehensive transportation plan.

J,l,L,P,R

2

A,K,E,J

G. Prepare report on a short-range capital Improvements program.
1.

Develop specific strategies and projects to Implement the programs Identified In the comprehensive
transportation program over the next five years.

I

J,L,P,R

1,2,3-5

A,K,E,J

2.

Identify associated costs and revenue sources for each project.

I

J,L,P,R

1,3-5

A,K,E,J

3. Define persons, organizations and agencies responsible for each project.
4.

~
-A.
co

Prioritize projects to Identify Implementation In one-year and five-year phases.

19. BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFICWAYS
A.

J,L,P,R

A,K,E,J

J,L,P,R

A,K,E,J

l,L

Incorporate the County's rails-to-trails program Into a bicycle and pedestrian trafflcways policy.

1. Incorporate the County's rails-to-trails program Into a bicycle and pedestrian trafflcwaya program.

A,E,K

l,L

B. Report on origins, destinations and needs.

1. Formulate &amp; conduct a survey of bicyclists &amp; hikers to Identify origins, destinations &amp; preferences.

l,L

1,2

A,E,K

2.

Tabulate and analyze survey results.

1,L

2

A,E,K

3.

Publish report Identifying results and analysis of survey.

l,L

2

A,E,K

C. Report on a long-range plan.
1.

Analyze existing facilities for existing and future capacities.

1,L

A,E,K

2.

Project future demand.

1,L

A,E,K

3. Develop goals and objectives for bicycles and pedestrian pathways.
4.

Propose bicycle and pedestrian path corridors for the next 20 years In the County.

5. Identify Implementation measures, Including strategies.

1,L

2

A,E,K

l,L

2

A,E,K

l,L

2

A,E,K

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D. Report on a Capital Improvements Program.

E.

1. Define specific projects under long-range plan implementation measures.

l,L

1,2

A,E,K

2. Identify associated phasing costs, revenues and funding sources.

l,L

1,2

A,E,K

l,L,P,R

1,2

A,E,K

Report on a coordination program with County and City streets and highway planning and County and
City parks and recreation planning.

1. Report on a coordination program with County and City streets and highway planning and County
and City parka and recreation planning.

F. Seek MOOT financing assistance.
1.

1,L,R

Seek MOOT financing assistance.

E

20. LOCATION OF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
A.

~

~

K

Encourage planned Industrial and commercial parks to locate where services are available and where
site location standards indicate.

E

1,2,3-5

A,D,E,J

2. Draft standards that identify desirable site locations for Industrial and commercial parks.

E

3-5

A,O,E,J

3. Develop a quantitative scale {value) Indicating the relative Importance of each standard .

E

3-5

A,D,E,J

4.

E

3-5,6-10

A,O,E,J

T,E

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

1. Utilize ranking system above to identify best sites in these districts.

T,E

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

2. Work with appropriate local units of government to acquire property.

P,E

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

3. Access public and private funding sources to develop sites.

D,B,P,S

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

4. Undertake an industrial target market analysis to identify most appropriate Industries for each park.

E,S

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

5.

E,S

3-5,6-10

A,D,E,J

1. Inventory and map service areas (utilities) within the County identifying locations, size and other
characteristics.

Rank available sites according to value.

5. Prioritize sites accordingly.
B. Promote planned Industrial and commercial parks In the Bullock Creek, Coleman and Meridian public
school districts.

Develop and implement a promotion/attraction campaign using results of market analysis.

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1,2,3-5

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3-5,6-10,11-15, 16-20

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C. Utilize P.A. 425 to share tax base.

1.

Identify situations and locations where P.A. 425 may be most applicable.

2. Work with local units of government and businesses to adopt and Implement P.A. 425 where
applicable and appropriate.

0 . Promote communications and cooperation between municipalities and County Economic Development
and Planning agencies.

1.

Establish a monthly "breakfast" meeting between County economic development and planning
agencies and local units of government.

O,J,T,P,E

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

A,J

2.

Provide for continued printed communication and promotion.

P,E,S

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

A,J

21. AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY
A.

~

A

Work with SCS, Farmers Home Administration and Cooperative Extension Service to define the needs
for the stabilization of the local agricultural economy.

I\)
....L

1.

Establish a "panel" of representatives to meet on a regular basis with the goal of stabilizing the
local agricultural economy.

Z,A,M,E

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15-16-20

A,J

2.

Conduct a survey of existing agricultural operations to identify characteristics, attitudes and Ideas.

Z,A,M,E

2,3-5,11 -15

A,J

Z,A,M,E

3-5

A,J

3. Develop comprehensive agricultural stabilization and expansion plan.

B. Evaluate how the Midland County Planning Commission can, through traditional planning methods,
assist the farm economy.
1.

Meet with County Planning Commission to discuss problems and Identify strategies to Incorporate
plannlng methods Into plans to assist the County's farm economy.

A,J,E

3-5, 11 -15

A,J

2.

Utilize County Planning Commission resources to assist in the agricultural stabilization and
enhancement plan.

A,J,E

3-5, 11 -15

A,J

C. Input agricultural stabilization mechanisms into other planning Initiatives/Issues during Implementation.

1.

Develop synopsis of agricultural stabilization and enhancement plan and reference potential
situations/conditions under which each plan recommendation may be applied.

A,E,M

3-5,11-15

A,J

2.

Distribute synopsis to local units of government (City/Village Commissions, Township Boards,
Planning Commissions) with instructions on possible applications.

A,E,M,O,P

3-5, 11 -15

A,J

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22. LABOR FORCE

A. Prepare an analysis of current and future job opportunities, wage levels, job growth segments and
training/education programs and requirements In the County.
1.

Prepare an analysis of current and future job opportunities, wage levels, job growth segments and
training/education programs and requirements in the County.

E,S

1,2,3-5

A,J

B. Formulate a strategy to target higher paying job categories to promote job growth in the County.

1'
I\)
I\)

1.

Identify existing wage rates and job classifications In the County.

E,S

1,2,3-5

A.J

2.

Utilize targeted Industry market study described above to Identify most desirable and compatible
businesses that could locate In the County.

E,S

3-5

A,J

3. Identify wage rates associated with targeted Industries and compare with existing wage rates.

E,S

3-5

A,J

4. Develop strategies to attract those Industries with higher wage rates than currently exist In the
County.

E,S

3-5

A,J

p

23. PRIVATE SEWAGE SYSTEMS

A. Administer and enforce municipal and township codes and ordinances In accordance with plan
policies/actions and County Health Department regulations.
1.

Inventory all local land use plans and identify implications of policies and land use distribution
patterns relative to existing Health Department regulations.

O,J,G,P

2

I A.E,J

2.

Modify land use plans/policies to adapt to regulations, or vice-versa.

O,J,G,P

3-5

I

A.E,J

3.

Establish and administer local codes and ordinances that best fit County Health Department
regulations and local land use plans and pollcles.

O,J,G,P
3-5,6-10,11-15,16-20

I

A,E,J

G

24. AJA POLLUTION CONTROL

A. Encourage growth and development away from airborne particulates.
1.

Analyze sources of airborne particulates, including location , type and quantity.

Y,G,O,S

6-10

A,E,J

2.

Analyze predominant wind direction and their Impact upon flow direction of airborne particulates.

v,G,a,s

6-10

A,E,J

3.

Encourage future land use development In areas least affected by particulate flow.

O,J,G,Q

6-10

A,E,J

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B. Monitor situation for change In conditions.
1. Identify most effective equipment required for monitoring program.

G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

2.

G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

1. Compile generic Information on air pollution and combine with specific data pertaining to Midland
County, including traditional and exotic air emissions.

G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

2.

G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

3. Outllne education program using collected data and remedial programs.

G,Q

6-10

A,E,J

4.

G,T,Q,S

6-10, 11-15, 16-20

A,E,J

Purchase and utilize equipment.

C. Develop a local education/awareness program.

Develop recommended programs for remediating air pollution Impacts,

Implement education program through schools, service clubs and other organizations.

~

25. GROUNDWATER PROTECTION

w

A.

G

I\)

Report on groundwater resources/hydrogeologlcal conditions In the County.
1. Compile existing data on hydrogeologlcal conditions, Including well logs, geologic features, etc. to
utilize in computerized program that Identifies groundwater conditions throughout the County.

G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

2. Compare existing groundwater conditions with future land use plans to determine long-range
Impacts.

D,J,G,Q,P,O

3-5

A,E,J

G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

2. Collect data pertaining to the quantity of water used.

G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

3. Identify characteristics of aquifer(s) to determine Impact on surrounding wells.

G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

4. Develop a report of findings.

G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

B. Report on assessment of groundwater problems and the Impact of large users drawing down the water

table.
1.

Identify existing large users of water.

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,

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11

1

1
••••

11

11

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C. Report on groundwater protection management plan Including protection measures and a monitoring
system .
1.

Analyze data collected above and develop goals and objectives for protection of groundwater.

G,Q

, 3-5

A,E,J

2.

Develop a plan based upon derived goals and objectives.

G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

3.

Recommend a system for effectively monitoring the success/failure of the proposed plan.

G,Q

3-5

A.E,J

D. Establish priorities for monitoring suspected groundwater contamination areas, such as existing
municipal landfills, closed dump sites, Act 307 site, etc.

1.

Establish a weighting (ranking) system for evaluating Importance of land uses relative to
groundwater protection.

O,J,G,Q

6-10

A.E,J

2.

Utilize system to evaluate and prioritize suspected contamination sites.

G,Q

3-5,6-10

A.E,J

B,J,G,Q

3-5

A.E

2. Draft and send a letter describing goal and Intent and request participation.

B,J,G,Q,S

3-5

A,E

3. Establish organization meeting and date and time.

B,J,G,Q

3-5

A.E

4.

B,J,G,P,Q,S

3-5

A,E

O,J,G,Q,S

6-10

A,E

B

26. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLANNING

~

~

A. Solicit Interest from selected groups to participate In defining the Intent and scope of a comprehensive
environmental management plan.

1. Define the goal and intent of establishing a plan, develop a list of prospective public and private
sector organizations and Individuals.

Hold organization meeting.

B. Undertake 11n Inventory and evaluation of current environmental contamination conditions ~ncludlng
P.A. 307 sites) and project the potential for future contamination/pollution.

1. Review projected future land use configurations and Identify potential associated contamination
(based on standard manufacturing processes or activities associated with each projected use).

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AND PARTICIPANTS .

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FUNDING .•

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C. Develop a county-wide Environmental Management Plan addressing Issues of air, water, solls, noise
and visual pollution .

1. Collect data on environmental pollutants, P.A. 307 site Inventory, future land use, site contamination
analysis and potential air pollution generators determined under the air pollution control strategy

J,G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

2. Analyze Impacts of future population growth and land use distribution patterns on those Issues.

O,J,G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

3. Establish goals and objectives for mitigating environmental pollution concerns and analyze those

J,G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

J,G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

5. Present plan tor review to the group selected above.

B,J,G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

6. Adopt and publish plan.

B,J,G,Q

3-5

A,E,J

G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

2. Identify the various hazardous materials produced or used in the County and their current methods
and practice of storage or disposal.

G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

3. Meet with hazardous materials handlers In the County and In conjunction with research materials

G,0 ,5

3-5

A,E,J

G,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

B,J,G,P,Q,S

3-5

A,E,J

J,G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

2. Develop specific Implementation programs associated with program goals and objectives.

J,G,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

3. Promote the adoption of the program by local units of government.

B,J,G,P,Q

6-10

A,E,J

G,P,Q,S

6-10

A,E,J

and Inventories.

Impacts upon the local economy.
4.

:f-

Develop policies and strategies to Implement the plan.

0 . Establish a county-wide hazardous materlals management program.

"'
CJl

1. Research available Information/publications pertaining to hazardous materials and their safe
handling, storage and disposal.

Identified above, Identify beat management practices.
4.

Develop a program for management of hazardous materials, emphasizing voluntary compliance
where appropriate and mandatory compliance where necessary.

5. Adopt management program and associated ordinances as necessary.
E.

Develop a comprehensive environmental management program that Is capable of being Implemented
and politically and financially acceptable to the public and private sectors.

1.

4.

Incorporate all of the above programs into a comprehensive program framework.

Through the organization established above, promote voluntary acceptance of the program by the
private sector.

F. Solicit voluntary compliance and require mandatory compliance when necessary.

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11

1

1

F. Solicit voluntary compliance and require mandatory compliance when necessary.
1. Solicit voluntary compliance and require mandatory compliance when necessary.

6-10

A,E,J

p

27. MUNICIPAL ANO TOWNSHIP MASTER PLANS
A.

G,P,Q,S

Prepare/update/adopt master plans and community facilities plans.
1. Encourage each local unit of government with a land use plan adopted 5 or more years ago to
update lta plan.

O,J,P

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

A,J

2. Provide a general outline of the process local units should use to evaluate the viability of existing
plans and Items that should be considered In a good plan.

O,J,P

2,3-5

A-J

1. Educate local Planning Commissions as to their responsibilities to review proposed public works
plans from all local, county and state agencies, to ensure conformance with adopted plans.

O,J

3-5,6-10,11 -15,15-20

I A.J

Encourage local Planning Commissions to develop and adopt a process for evaluating proposed
public works projects.

O,J

3-5,&amp;-10, 11-15, 1&amp;-20

I A.J

B. Encourage local Planning Commission review of public works In accordance with adopted master
plans.

2.

~

~

J

28. LOCAL PLANNING INFORMATION

A. Provide current geographical Information maps.
J

3-5

A,J

H,J

3-5

A,J

H,D,B,J

3-5

A,J

J

3-5

A,J

J

3-5

A,J

1. Develop a file of existing socioeconomic data for the County and each of Its local Jurisdictions.

J,P,E

3-5

A,J

2. Develop a list of information available and distribute to local units.

J

3-5

A,J

3. Establish a system to allow access by local governments.

H,J

3-5

A,J

1. Evaluate &amp; define the mapping goals and associated needs of the County, municipalities &amp; twps.
2. Identify computer hardware and software that best fits the County's computerized mapping needs.
3.

Purchase/lease equipment and programs, or hire consultant, to develop maps.

4. Collect data , existing maps and generate updated computer maps.
5.

Distribute maps to local units as requested.

B. Provide current socioeconomic data.

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C. Continue County Planning Commission review of local plans to ensure coordination with the County
Plan.

D.

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1.

Notify all local units of government to remind them they are required to send local plans to the
County Plannlng Commission for review.

O,J,P

3-5

A

2.

Establish a general review framework that allows for objective evaluation and conforms with the
contents of the plan.

J

3-5

A

Provide educational resources for local unit planning processes.
1. Continue to monitor and offer attendance at conferences and seminars to the County Planning
Commission members.

J

2.

Annually budget for educational seminars and conferences for County Planning Commission
members.

D,B,J

3.

Sponsor conferences within the County for educating local Planning Commission members on
specific planning ISSt.tes.

J,O,P

4.

Encourage local Planning Commissions to attend state-wide and regional conferences and
seminars.

O,J,P

29. PLANNING EFFORT BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL UNITS
A.

I

I
I

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

IA

1,2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

IA

2,3-5.6-10.
11-15, 16-20

I

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

IA

A

J

Recommend updating master (and land use) plans In the context of conducting township zoning
coordination reviews.
1.

Utilize Information In Table 52 and review local zoning ordinances and plans.

O,J,P

3-5

I

A

2.

Identify areas where local units' zoning maps and texts do not reflect proposals In the local plan.

O,J,P

3-5

I

A

3.

Identify areas where land use plans, zoning maps and ordinances among adjoining units of
government conflict with each other.

O,J,P

3-5

I

A

4.

Recommend changes In local land use plans, zoning, ordinances and maps to reflect greater
coordination between ordinances and plan proposals of each jurisdiction as well as among
adjoining jurisdictions.

O,J,P

3-5,6-10, 11-15, 16-20

I

A

O,J,P

3-5,6-10, 11-15, 16-20

I

A

B. Conduct and sponsor workshops on preparing/updating municipal master plans, zoning documents
and developing current standards.
1.

Conduct and sponsor workshops on preparing/updating municipal master plans, zoning
documents and developing current standards.

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1

1

C. Evaluate innovate approaches tried in other areas in Michigan (and the Nation),
1.

Collect and evaluate resource data on innovative growth management techniques.

J

3-5

2.

Identify these techniques that are legal In Michigan and which can function In Midland County.

J

. 3-5

Provide reports to local units of government that describe each technique, Its legal status In

O,J,P

3.

I

I

A

I

A

3-5,6-10,11-15,16-20

A

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

Michigan and the condition, under which the technique could or should be applied.

B

30. COUNTY-WIDE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYTEMS (G.I.S.)
A. Conduct a GIS feasibility analysis.
1.

Develop a position paper on the need for Incorporating a GIS system within County government
and present to the County Board of Commissioners.

B. Establish a GIS program under the leadership of the County Planning Department and the County
Department of Information Systems.

~

~

1.

Establish a GIS program under the leadership of the County Planning Department and the County
Department of Information Systems.

C. Inventory and analyze the GIS needs of each County department to determine required extent and
capacity of proposed system.
1. Develop a survey form and distribute to each County department.
2.

Tabulate surveys and Identify a list of composite needs that are most common among
departments.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

3.

Identify the system that best meets those needs.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

1. Request assistance from suppliers to Identify range of cost for constructing a GIS system.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

2.

Request a budget allocation for developing and Implementing a GIS program.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

3. Utilize survey results to develop a request for proposals for professional assistance.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

4. Conduct selection process and work with consultant.

H,D,B,J

3-5

A

D. Work with a GIS professional to construct and Implement a GIS program for the County, responsive to
the needs of each department.

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E. Educate County Department of Planning and County Department of Information Systems In the
application and updating of the GIS system.
H,D,B,J

3-5

A

H,D,B,J

3-5,6-10, 11-15, 16-20

A

D,B,J

2

A

D,B,J

2

A

D,B,J

2

A

D,B,J

2

A

D,B,J

2

A

1. Identify conditions and situations under which consultant should be utilized.

D,B,J

2

A

2. Identify on annual basis projects which will require consulting assistance and establish

D,B,J

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15, 16-20

A

D,B,J

2

A

1.

Educate County Department of Planning and County Department of Information Systems in the
application and updating of the GIS system.

F. Continue to evaluate the operation and efficiency of the County GIS system.

1.

Continue to evaluate the operation and efficiency of the County GIS system.

31 . FORMULATION OF OTHER PLANNING ELEMENTS

D,B

A. Provide funding and administrative support for permanent technical and professional planning staff.
1.

~

~

Identify planning projects and day-to-day activities in the County Planning Commission and
Planning Department and calculate man- hours required to perform those tasks/projects.

2. Compare man-hours required with existing available man-hours.
3.

If additional manpower required, Identify amount and qualifications neceaaa,y.

4. Identify appropriate budget and request appropriation.
5.

Suggest additional funding sources, If necessary, Including user fees.

B. Provide funding and administrative support for hiring special, professional oonsultlng firms to augment
the permanent planning staff engaged In special projects.

recommended budget for each project.

3. Request funding for project(s) in annual budget.

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1

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B

32. INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION FOR PLANNING

A. Actively lobby with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Chapter of the American Planning
Association and Michigan Society of Planning Officials to amend the County Planning Act to require
County notification and coordination of various agency planning activities.
1. Actively lobby with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Chapter of the American
Planning Association and Michigan Society of Planning Officials to amend the County Planning Act
to require County notification and coordination of various agency planning activities.

V,B,J

3-5

A,J

V,B,J

3-5

A,J

2. Develop preferred amendment language and Identify sponsor(s) of ieglslatlon.

V,B,J

3-5

A,J

3. Continue to work with sponsor(s) to ensure passage.

V,B,J

3-5

A,J

B. Assist in recommending specific textual changes In P.A. 282 of 1945 pertaining to required
Intergovernmental cooperation.
1.

Initiate meetings with organizations identified above to discuss need for leglslatlve amendments.

I

~

33. STRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTING COMPREHENSNE PLAN

0

A. Encourage Involvement of Identified units of government, public/private nonprofit organizations,

u&gt;

B

businesses and Interested Individuals In the implementation program.
1.

Develop an executive summary of this Plan and distribute to local units of government.

D,B,J,P

2

A

2.

Send the Identified Individuals/organizations and agencies responsible for Implementing this plan
copies of the plan text with references to their specific strategic activltJea.

J

2

A

B. Assign ongoing/individuals to specific proposals and work with them to develop a series of strategies
for each proposal.
1.

Notify those Individuals/organizations and agencies of the need to communicate with the County
Planning Commission and establish an •open door" policy to encourage oommunlcatlon with the
Planning Commission.

2. Establish a monitoring program or system that provides for consistent oversight of the
Implementation process, Including Identification of alternative strategies or actions that can be

I

D,B,J

I

3-5

IA

I

D,B,J

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3-5,6-10,11-15,16-20

IA

applied as necessary.

3.

Provide ongoing technical assistance to each identified individual organization or agency to assist
In accomplishing their objectives.

4. Provide for coordination among responsible parties with quarterly or semi-annual meetings among
those working on similar or Interrelated objectives .

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C. The County Board of Commissioners should lead the lmplementatlon program and support the efforts
of the County Planning Commission.

1. Ensure the County Board of Commissioners Is familiar with this plan.

D,B,J

2

A

2. Encourage Board members to work with Identified parties responsible for Implementation.

D,B,J

2,3-5,6-10,

A

11-15,16-20

3. Update the County Board continuously on progress made in plan Implementation.

D,B,J

3-5,6-10, 11, 16,16-20

A

4. Incorporate Implementation programs Into County Capital Improvements Program.

D,B,J

2,3-5,6-10,
11-15,16-20

A

D,B,J

2

A

2. Develop PERT or GANT Chart for those participants who failed to do ao.

D,B,J

3-5

A

3. Identify dates (months) In each chart where monitoring should occur.

D,B,J

3-5

A

4. Meet with specified parties in Identified month to discuss progress, problems and alternative
actions If necessary.

D,B,J

3-5,6-10,11-15, 16-20

A

5. Develop and maintain a 'master" chart Identifying progress or problems and coordination among

D,B,J

3-5,6-10,11·15,16-20

A

D. Provide for a system of monitoring the program made by participants.

1. Request each participating entity to develop a GANT Chart or PERT Chart to identify proposed
activities and alternative actions.

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parties.

.FUNDING

-

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KEY TO IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

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IMPLEMENTING BODIES AND PARTICIPANTS

A

-

Cooperative Extension Services

B

-

County Board of Commissioners

C

County and City Housing Commissions

I

-

J

-

County Planning Commission

K

-

County Plat Board

-

Local Units of Government

-

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

R

s

-

Private Interests (Residents, Business, Industries)

T

-

Public School Districts/Superintendents

D
E
F
G

I

H

I

L

I
I

M
N

0
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I

u
V

w

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z

County Controller/Administrator
County Economic Growth &amp; Development Corporation
County Emergency Services Department
County Health Department
County Information Systems Department
County Parks and Recreation Commission

County Road Commission
County Soil and Water Conservation District
County Solid Waste Management Advisory Board
Local Building, Planning and Zoning Officials

Michigan Department of Transportation

Social Services Consortium
State-wide Planning-related Organizations
U.S. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Farmers Home Administration
SCHEDULE

FUNDING SOURCES

1

-

One Year

A

2

-

Two Years

3-5

-

Three through Five Years

D E F G H I J -

6 - 10
11 - 15
16 - 20

Six through Ten Years
Eleven through Fifteen Years
Sixteen through Twenty Years

-

General Revenues (County /Local)

B

Tax Increment Financing

C

Special Assessment District

K

K-32

-

Community Development Block Grant
MDNR/CZM/NRFT/LAWCON/MDOC Grant
User Fees
Michigan Municipal Bond Authority
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Small Business Administration Loans
Foundation Grants/Contributions
Michigan Department of Transportation

I

�ADDENDUM
-

TO THE

MIDLAND COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
REPORT

MIDLAND COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

AUGUST 1993

�INSTRUCTIONS

This addendum was prepared to provide the recipient of the Midland County
Comprehensive Plan report, dated April 1993, with additional and revised information.
The previous sections and paragraphs of the Comprehensive Plan report referred to in
this addendum should be crossed out and notations made to the new sections and
paragraphs.

This addendum should accompany the Comprehensive Plan report for

handy reference. Please follow the instructions given on the top of each page.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Midland County Department of Planning
Midland County Service Building
220 W. Ellsworth Street
Midland Michigan 48640-5149
(517) 832-6870

�TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Labor Force Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-29
Building Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-31
Development Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-34
Industrial Parks ..............-. . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . D-35
Map No. 7, Industrial &amp; Research Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-37
Tri-City International Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7
Sanitary Sewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-2
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-26
Midland Community Center ............ -; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-39
Table 46, Residential Acreage Requirements ............................. J-5
Natural Conservation Area .......................................... J-16
Sewer/Water .................................................... J-19
Economic Development ............................................ J-26

�ADDENDUM

Labor Force Characteristics
Instructions: Add the following paragraph to the end of the Labor Force Characteristics
section, page D-29.
Comparing the labor force characteristics in 1988 with the estimated employment
in 1990 (see Tables 25 and 29), the employment by industry has changed.
Manufacturing, wholesale and retail jobs have a smaller percentage share of the
total employment in 1990 compared with a larger percentage share of jobs in the
construction, transportation/communication/utilities, finance/insurance/real estate,
and services industries. In 1990 construction jobs made up 9.3% of the total
employment; manufacturing jobs, 31.9%; transportation/communications/utilities,
1.4%; wholesale/retail, 13.0%; finance/insurance/real estate, 4.5%, and services,
30.0%.

0-29

�ADDENDUM
Building Construction
Instructions: Add the following paragraph to the end of the narrative on Building
Construction, page D-31.
Since the estimates provided by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Construction
Statistics Division, are based on reports submitted by the municipalities and
townships, the estimates do not include all construction in the County. Not all of
the municipalities and townships reported on their building permits issued for the
period 1980 - 1990 and, therefore, not all of the actual construction costs,
particularly industrial and institutional, are estimated.

0-31

�ADDENDUM
Development Strategy
Instructions: Substitute the following for the first paragraph of the Development Strategy
section, page D-34.
The Midland County Economic Development Council, (MCEDC), contracted with
the Battelle Institute, a private research company, for an analysis and
recommendations regarding the economic development of the Midland County
area The Economic Development Corporation of the County of Midland (338
Corp.) worked with the Council on the development of the Battelle analysis. As a
result of the Battelle analysis, a group of "targeted" industries was identified. A
targeted industry is one in which attraction (or retention) efforts should be
concentrated and which best matches the County's strengths to growth-oriented
industries. Since analysis was performed the list of target industries has changed
very little.

D-34

�I
I
I

I
I

ADDENDUM

Industrial Parks
Instructions: Substitute the following for the section on Industrial Parks, page D-35.
Midland County is home to a variety of industrial and research parks. There are
currently eight existing industrial parks and one research park. There are 22
industrial park lots currently available for construction and five available research
park lots. Ownership of the parks varies, as does certification between the parks.
For details concerning individual parks, refer to Table 30. Map 7 shows the
general locations of the industrial and research parks. Additional lots are available
for development in other industrial locations shown on this map.

I

I

I

I

0-35

�ADDENDUM

Map No. 7, Industrial &amp; Research Parks
Instructions: Refer to the following note when using Map No. 7, page D-37.

I
I

The Lincoln Industrial Park, No. 2, is located in the southeast corner of Stark and
Letts Roads, not on Dublin Road.

0-37

�ADDENDUM
Tri-City International Airport
Instructions: Substitute the following narrative for the description of the Tri-City
International Airport, pages F-7 and F-8.
The 3,00CF-acre Tri-City International Airport is located nine miles northwest of
Saginaw near Freeland, Michigan. The airport serves the Saginaw area, the
Midland area and Bay County. There are currently two runways located at the
airport. The main runway is ·8,000 feet long and 150 feet wide and the crosswind
runway is 6,500 feet long and 150 feet wide. Two airlines, United and Northwest
operate from the airport's two gates with passenger-loading bridges. In addition
to the two airlines offering jet service, there are commuter airlines services,
Continental Express, USAir Express, and Skyway. There is an average of 20
commercial flights in and out of the airport per day. Annually there are over 6,800
commercial flights serving 500,000 passengers from Tri-City's facilities.
Corporate aviation is also significant at MBS. Dow Chemical and Dow Corning
each have a fleet of corporate aircraft housed in their own hangars. In addition,
many corporate aircraft are maintained by the fixed based operator.
A concessionaire offers both short-term and long-term parking at the airport.
Other concessions available at the airport include: five car rental agencies, travel
agencies, and restaurant/gift shop services. U.S. Customs is located at Tri-City,
making international check-in very convenient.
The annual budget for the airport is $3.6 million. This figure does not include the
$1 to $2 million that is received as grants from the Federal Aviation Trust Fund.
The City of Saginaw, the City of Midland and Bay County each contribute $50,000
towards the airport's annual operating budget.
The Tri-City International Airport has its own fire department that includes crash
and rescue vehicles. It also maintains snow removal equipment. A noise impact
study was recently performed for the Tri-City International Airport. The study
outlines existing noise impact on the area, and also projects impacts over the next
10 years. It is based on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) acceptable
noise level standards.
Note: This addendum is continued on page F-8.

F-7

�ADDENDUM

Tri-City International Airport description continued.

The Airport's Master Plan is approved by the F.A.A. In the last five years the
Airport received over ten million dollars in federal grants for improvements made
to taxiways, runways, aprons, utilities, service roads, acquisition of land, fire
equipment and a computerized security access system.
During the next year, 1993, a federal grant will be received for construction of new
terminal access drives, airfield signage and terminal modifications. The Master
Plan includes an additional third runway to be parallel to the main runway,
acquisition of land, rescue equipment, snow removal equipment, terminal
expansion, new fire rescue facility, and airfield improvements.

I

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~

I
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F-8

�I
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I

ADDENDUM

Sanitary Sewer
Instructions: Substitute the following for the second paragraph of the Sanitary Sewer
section, page G-1.
The second municipal sewer system is operated by and with the City. of Midland.
The capacity of the City's wastewater treatment plant in 1993 was 12 mgd. Most
areas within the City have sewer service available and capacities exist for serving
a greater area The City of- Midland has adopted a sewer and water extension
policy known as the MUGA or Midland Urban Growth Area Policy. Simply stated,
the MUGA policy is that utility service will only be provided if one of two conditions
occur. If a property is inside the MUGA boundary but outside the city limits,
utilities will be provided if the property is annexed. If outside the MUGA boundary,
utilities will only be provided to a governmental agency. The only instance in which
this has happened is in the Midland County Water District No. 1. The system has
a current capacity of 6.5 mgd, and is operating at 100 percent capacity. A new
facility is located adjacent to the existing wastewater treatment plant and will
increase the wastewater treatment plant's optimum capacity to 10 million gallons
per day with peak flow capacities of twice that amount. Based on the City's 1990
population of a per-capita capacity of 264 gallons per day, or 96,360 gallons per
year, will be available once improvements to the wastewater treatment plant are
complete. Peak capacities on a per-capita basis will be twice these figures.

I
I
I

I

I

G-1

�•
-I

ADDENDUM
Water
Instructions: Substitute the following for the second paragraph of the Water section, page
G-2.
Midland County Water District No. 1 is currently administered by the Midland
County Department of Public Works. Areas served in Water District No. 1 include
the Village of Sanford and portions of Lincoln and Jerome townships immediately
adjacent to the Village. The Water District has a 200,000-gallon storage tank in the
Village of Sanford. Annually, 100-105 million gallons of water are purchased from
the City of Midland by the Water District and distributed throughout the District.
With an estimated population of 4,027 for Water District No. 1, the per-capita
capacity is 70 gallons per day, or 25,453 gallons per year. Although the District is
administered by Midland County, the system is owned by the three municipalities.
This was arranged when the system was financed in 1969. When the bonds are
paid off by the three municipalities new operational arrangements will likely occur.
One possible arrangement could consist of the forming of a water authority
between the three communities. While the three communities all have a part in the
water system, each municipality is responsible for the expansion of the system.
During the 1980s, 15 miles of watermains were installed.

Instructions: Substitute the following for the last paragraph of the Water section, page

G-2.
The City of Midland's water system falls under the same extension (MUGA) policy,
as the sewer. The capacity of the City's water system in 1993 was 48 mgd. When
averaged for the year, 21-25 million gallons per day are pumped through the City's
water system. With the City's 1990 population of 37,819 this translates to a percapita capacity of between 555 gallons per day and 661 gallons per day. Annually,
on a per-capita basis, between 202,575 and 241,265 gallons of water is the current
capacity of the system. Of the 21-25 million gallons pumped per day in Midland,
between eight and nine million gallons are for domestic use.

G-2

�ADDENDUM
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library
Instructions: Substitute the following for the last paragraph of the Grace A. Dow Memorial
Library section, page G-26.
Currently under construction is an 18,000-square-foot addition, which will alleviate
the current space shortage the library is experiencing.
Note: The remainder of this paragraph was deleted.

~

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G-26

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ADDENDUM

Midland Community Center
Instructions: Substitute the following for the first paragraph of the Midland Community
Center section, page G-39.
Midland Community Center offers a large variety of activities to Midland County.
The Community Center, established by H. H. Dow in 1917, was moved to its
current location at 2001 George Street in 1955. Since then, the center has been
expanded and improved al~ times and has over 155,000 square feet of interior
space. The Midland Community Tennis Center, an affiliated organization, is
located at 900 E. Wackerly Road and the Midland Soccer Club, a private
organization, furnishes soccer fields and facilities at 1550 N. Jefferson Road.
Instructions: Substitute the following for the fourth paragraph of the Midland Community
Center section, page G-40.
The following list, taken from the Midland Community Center's 1991 Spring
Schedule, shows the variety of programs that are available:
-Indoor jogging
-Indoor swimming
-Weight and nautilus equipment
-Steam and sauna facilities
-Supervised gymnastics
-Fencing
-Bridge/chess teams
-Various exercise and aerobic programs
-Weight loss programs
-Bicycle trips
-Basketball and volleyball
-Table tennis and football
-Billiards
-Racquetball and squash
-Dance lessons
-Children's programs
-Self defense classes
-Marksmanship
-Arts and crafts
-Camping
-Summer day camp
-Travel
-Curling (located at 700 Gerald Court).

G-39 and G-40

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ADDENDUM

Table 46. Residential Acreage Requirements
Instructions: Refer to the enclosed page, J-5, for the revised Table 46, page J-5.
Note: This addendum properly re-aligns the data in Table 46 among the jurisdictions.

I

I
I
I

J-5

�Jasper +175
Jerome + 1,037
Larkin
+883

These figures are based on arithmetic
calculations and do not represent actual
conditions.

Warren
+516
Coleman City +345
Midland City + 5,400

TABLE 46
RESIDENTIAL ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS (Low and High Density)
Based on 1978/79 Acres/Unit as Applied to Projected Housing Need

Jurisdiction

1978/1919 '
Acreage ,

TQwnshlgl!
Edenville
Geneva
Greendale
Homer
Hope
Ingersoll
Jasper
Jerome*
Larkin
Lee
Lincoln
Midland
Mills
Mt. Haley
Porter
Warren

796
304
441
1,751
300
832
297
1,320
1,112
1,225
651
800
572
543
188
549

912
412
443
1,471
549
943
383
1,604
1,010
1,090
547
812
467
503
358
622

.87
.74
1.00
1.19
.55
.80
.7()
.82
1.10
1.12
1.19
.99
1.22
1.08
.53
.88

995
410
528
1,557
558
984
385
1,803
1,193
1,395
658
836
550
570
399
658

866
303
528
1,853
307
787
270
1,478
1,312
1,562
783
828
671
616
211
579

1,015
405
630
2,680
425
1,115
355
1880
1,635
1,875
1,045
1,215
830
790
280
785

1,355
535
815
3,800
640
1,555
445
2,515
2,195
2,495
1,570
1,700
1,130
1,095
385
1,095

Cities
Coleman
Midland

279
5,123

536
13,790

.52
.37

526
15,338

275
5,675

416
7,980

620
11,075

Count~

17,083

26,355

.65

29,343

18,904

25,356

35,020

*Includes Village of Sanford

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population and Housing Summary Reports, 1980 and 1990; Gove Associates Inc.

J-5

�ADDENDUM
Natural Conservation Area
Instructions: Substitute the following for the fourth paragraph of the Natural Conservation
Area section, page J-16.
Overall, the County should identify key natural and archeological sites; such as the
Kawkawlin Wildlife Flooding and Refuge Area in Mills Township, Chippewa Nature
Center and Pine Haven Recreation Area, and work with local interested
organizations and the State to preserve those sites, while at the same time
opening them up to public access in a manner compatible with preservation.
These designated natural conservation areas provide substantial opportunity for
public access for natural study and recreation. These areas are primarily located
in the northern and eastern sections of the County, particularly in or near the City
of Midland, providing easy access to the majority of the County's residents. In
addition, parts of the Midland City Forest and the 500 acres of land owned by the
City of Midland in Porter Township are considered natural conservation areas.
Using National Recreation Association standards of eight acres of natural area per
1,000 persons (as identified in the Midland County 1988 Recreation Plan), the
County should have 846 acres of natural/conservation lands open for public use
by the year 2015. Between Pine Haven Recreation Area and Chippewa Nature
Center, there are almost 1,200 acres of natural area available for public access in
the County. However, other natural resource areas of significance may also exist
and these should also be preserved for public access and enjoyment. Such areas
should be carefully evaluated and selected, using relevant criteria to identify and
rank potential sites. That process could include the following criteria:
The site contains unique or abundant natural resources, such as unusual
flora and fauna, plant or tree species which are indigenous to the area but
in a concentration or density that makes the area unique.
The site contains only limited man-made facilities associated with the
operation of the natural conservation area (e.g., picnic areas, canoe launch,
etc.)
The site can be reasonably accessed by automobile, and adequate parking
can be provided at the designated entrance to the area.
The site can accommodate hiking trails without major modifications to the
terrain, water courses, or plant species.
The site is on existing publicly owned land (e.g., the Au Sable State Forest),
or owned by a nonprofit entity willing and able to make the site available for
public access.
J-16

�•

ADDENDUM

Sewer/Water
Instructions: Substitute the following for the section on Sewer/Water, page J-19.
While the City of Midland has adopted an urban growth area policy for placement
of water and sewer facilities, there are locations outside of that area where
projected growth could warrant community sewer systems. Referring to the
projected residential acreage requirements in Table 46, most townships could
potentially require some form of community sanitary system in the next 25 years the exceptions include Geneva, Greendale, Jasper and Porter townships. Various
options are available for future study of alternative systems. For example, if
feasible, the City of Midland could expand its service area to include two or three
of those townships (perhaps Homer, Larkin, Lee, Ingersoll, Lincoln and/or Midland).
The recent agreements covering annexation and utility extensions between the City
of Midland, Midland Township and Larkin Township, are examples of options of
providing sewer and water services. The City of Coleman could service most, if
not all, of Warren Township. However, lift stations would have to be provided, due
to distance and topography. If warranted, Edenville and Jerome townships could
consider constructing a joint sewer system, possibly owned and operated by an
authority. A separate collection and treatment system(s) could be built to serve
other townships as needed. For example, in townships such as Edenville, Homer
and Lee, that currently have water quality problems associated with individual
systems, the same options could be studied. In fact, Homer Township is planning
on developing a sanitary sewer system in a portion of the township and a water
system throughout the area if approved by Township residents. The Coleman
water system could also be extended to serve Warren Township and possibly
areas beyond the Township boundary.

J-19

�..
ADDENDUM
Economic Development
Instructions: Substitute the following for the second paragraph of the Economic
Development section, page J-26.
Economic development on a county-wide scale requires coordination among
jurisdictions and organizations within the County. The recent merger of the
Midland County Growth Council and the Midland County Economic Development
Corporation has been a positive move in that direction. This umbrella organization,
the Midland County Economic Growth and Development Corporation, is oriented
to economic needs throughout the County. This umbrella organization interfaces
with the Small Business Center, Midland County Convention and Visitors Bureau
and Economic Development Corporation of the County of Midland (338 Corp). The
former functions of the Midland County Economic Development Corporation are
now provided by the Midland County Economic Growth and Development
Corporation. At the same time, the Midland County Convention and Visitors
Bureau is targeting conventions, special events and sightseeing markets to attract
outside nonmanufacturing revenue into the County. While the Economic Growth
and Development Corporation and the Convention and Visitors Bureau each target
different segments of the economy, benefits will likely be realized through
continuing coordination between these two organizations. Maintaining a close
working relationship between these two groups and the Saginaw Area Community
Growth Alliance will also help leverage local economic benefits utilizing regionwide
resources.

I
J-26

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                    <text>FINAL DRAFT

(C(O)MOFmJEilffiEN§ITVJE JFJLAN
City of St. Joseph, Michigan

- - - - - - - - - - - GoRAADCblesl'C

@

�COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN

Prepared for:
CITY OF ST. JOSEPH
St. Joseph, Michigan

FEBRUARY 1993
Project E13991

Prepared by:
GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.
1601 Portage Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan

�City of St. Joseph Planning Commission

Burton Baker
Robert Ehrenberg
Patsy Hartzell
Jerry Heppler
Daniel Hopp
Richard Lambrecht
Rosemarie Reissmann
Jeffrey Schmidt
William Thomas
Wes Harper, Jr.
(Ex-Officio)

�TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ................................................. i

PART I: INVENTORY, TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS

•

PHYSICAL FEATURES ......................................
Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Climate .............................................
Soils ...............................................
Topography and Natural Features ..........................
Environmental Contamination Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Floodplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sensitive Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-1
A-1
A-3
A-5
A-6
A-6
A-7
A-7

POPULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Population Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Age Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Population Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
Race Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
Household Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5
Population Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7
Trend Analysis Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1 O
HOUSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Occupancy and Tenure of Housing Units
Types of Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Housing Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Age of Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Household Projections . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.... .. ..... .. ........
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................
.....................

C-1
C-1
C-1
C-4
C-6
C-7

ECONOMY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1
Employment by Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3
Principal Economic Base Employers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6
Available Industrial Sites in Berrien County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8
Income ............................................. D-9
Taxes ............................................. D-10

PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES ........................ E-1
City Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-3
Police Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-4
Fire Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
Recreational Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5
School District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-8
Mercy Memorial Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-13
Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-16
Historic Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-17

�Page
YWCA of South Western Michigan ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
KRASL Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA Family Center . . . . . . . . . . .
Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Water .............................................
Wastewater Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Natural Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Public Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
National Functional Classification System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Average Daily Traffic Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E-17
E-18
E-18
E-19
E-19
E-20
E-21
E-22
E-22
E-22
E-22

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1
St. Joseph Questionnaire Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1
Tabulated Survey Results ................................ F-1
Comments from Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-5
Cross-Tabulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7
St. Joseph Planning Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-15
St. Joseph Key Person Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-17
EXISTING LAND USE ......................................
Introduction ..........................................
Land Use Classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Existing Land Use Inventory/Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Existing Land Use Inventory/Analysis: Planning Areas . . . . . . . . . . .
Potential Areas of Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

G-1
G-1
G-1
G-2
G-5
G-9

PART II: FUTURE LAND USE, GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE ............... H-1
FUTURE LAND USE ........................................
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Future Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Residential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Commercial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Public Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-1
1-1
1-1
1-1
1-4
1-6
1-7
1-8

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J-1

APPENDIX A - St. Joseph Planning Questionnaire
St. Joseph Key Person Survey

�LIST OF TABLES
TABLE
8-1 POPULATION ............................................ 8-1
8-2 AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN . . 8-2
8-3 AGE DIST~IBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 1980-90 .... . .............. 8-4
8-4 POPULATION DENSITY .................................... 8-5
8-5 RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
8-6 HOUSEHOLDS: ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN . . . . . . . . . 8-6
8-7 COHORT-SURVIVAL PROJECTIONS ........................... 8-8
8-8 POPULATION PROJECTIONS ............................... 8-10
C-1 OCCUPANCY AND TENURE OF HOUSING UNITS ................. C-2
C-2 TYPES OF HOUSING UNITS: 1980-1990 ........................ C-2
C-3 TYPES OF HOUSING UNITS IN ST. JOSEPH,
BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3
C-4 MEDIAN VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS ........... C-5
C-5 VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS ............... . . . C-5
C-6 CONTRACT RENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5
C-7 AGE OF HOUSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6
C-8 HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND OCCUPIED HOUSEHOLD PROJECTIONS ..... C-7
C-9 HOUSING UNIT FORECAST ................................. C-8
C-10 HOUSING TYPE FORECAST: TOTAL UNITS ...................... C-9
C-11 HOUSING TYPE FORECAST: FUTURE NEEDS BASED ON
EXISTING UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-10
D-1 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE .................................... D-1
D-2 1990 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY: ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY
MICHIGAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4
D-3 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY IN ST. JOSEPH: 1980, 1990 .......... D-5
D-4 PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS IN BERRIEN COUNTY . . . . . D-6
D-5 OTHER EMPLOYERS IN BERRIEN COUNTY ..................... D-7
D-6 AVAILABLE INDUSTRIAL SITES ............................... D-8
D-7 INCOME FIGURES FOR ST. JOSEPH AND BERRIEN COUNTY . . . . . . . . D-9
D-8 COMPARISON OF TAX RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-11
E-1 COMPARISON OF COMMUNITIES ............................. E-2
E-2 RECREATIONAL AREA FACILITIES ............................ E-6
E-3 MARINAS IN THE CITY OF ST. JOSEPH AND NEARBY MARINAS . . . . . . E-7
E-4 STUDENT ENROLLMENT TRENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-9
E-5 FIVE YEAR STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-10
E-6 LEVEL OF SERVICE FOR ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL DISTRICT . . . . . . . . . . E-11
E-7 ST. JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ..................... E-12
E-8 SELECTED STATISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-15
E-9 CHURCHES IN ST. JOSEPH AREA ...................... . .... E-16
E-10 HISTORIC STIES IN ST. JOSEPH ............................. E-17
E-11 YMCA MEMBERSHIP TRENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-18
G-1 CITY OF ST. JOSEPH EXISTING LAND USE ACREAGES ............. G-2
G-2 EXISTING LAND USE DISTRIBUTION FOR CITY OF ST. JOSEPH ...... G-7
1-1 LAND USE DISTRIBUTION ................................... 1-3
1-2 FUTURE LAND USE REQUIREMENTS: CITY OF ST. JOSEPH ......... 1-3
1-3 FUTURE LAND USE DISTRIBUTION ............................ 1-5

�LIST OF FIGURES
Page

FIGURE
A-1 AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES ......................... A-3
A-2 AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION .......................... A-4
A-3 AVERAGE MONTHLY SNOWFALL ............................. A-4
8-1 AGE DISTRIBUTION: ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN ..... 8-3
8-2 AGE DISTRIBUTION: ST. JOSEPH 1980-90 ..... ............. ..... 8-4
8-3 AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 1990 ................. 8-9
8-4 AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
8-5 POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR ST. JOSEPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
C-1 HOUSING UNITS BY TYPE: ST. JOSEPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4
C-2 HOUSING UNITS BY TYPE: BERRIEN COUNTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4
C-3 VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS: 1990 ............. C-6
D-1 UNEMPLOYMENT TRENDS: 1988-1991 ......................... D-2
E-1 AVERAGE DAILY WATER PRODUCTION ....................... E-20

LIST OF MAPS
MAP
A-1
A-2
E-1
E-2
E-3
G-1
G-2
1-1

LOCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
PHYSICAL FEATURES ..................................... A-8
NATIONAL FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM .............. E-23
AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC COUNTS .......................... E-25
AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC TRENDS .......................... E-26
EXISTING LAND USE ...................................... G-3
PLANNING AREA BOUNDARIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-6
FUTURE LAND USE MAP .................................... 1-2

�INTRODUCTION

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ INTRODUCTION

• This Comprehensive Development Plan for the
City of St. Joseph, in Berrien County, Michigan,
is an update of the City's Comprehensive Plan
adopted in 1976.
This Plan incorporates
updated information and ideas, as well as key
features of the 1976 Comprehensive Plan, to
create paths the City may follow to reach
established goals.
The process of updating St. Joseph's
Comprehensive Plan will identify many of the
changes that have occurred since the 1976 Plan
was implemented. This Plan will identify existing
trends, patterns, facilities, land uses and
other information to make projections to meet
St. Joseph's future needs.
In order to develop a plan, as opposed to just
an inventory of existing conditions, goals must
be developed that reflect the desires of the
community and its residents. Once the goals
and objectives have been developed - that detail
St. Joseph's preferred future - they must be
compared with the projections established in
this Plan to form strategies. Strategies are
developed to implement goals to help the City
and its residents meet the established goals and
objectives during the planning period. Care
must be exercised that individual strategies are
compatible within all goals.
The Comprehensive Plan should be designed to
build on the community's existing strengths and
lessen or eliminate the effects of the area's
weaknesses.

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

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PHYSICAL FEATURES

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHYSICAL FEATURES

The physical features of a community are
facts that generally resist change. Since
physical features , essentially do not
change, plans are designed to
accentuate the area's strengths and
minimize the weaknesses of the area's
physical features/setting.

Michigan to the west, Van Buren County
to the northeast and Cass County to the
east. To the south is La Porte County,
Indiana and St. Joseph County, Indiana.
Berrien County is 90 miles from Chicago
and is located in the Chicago-Detroit
industrial corridor. Distances to major
metropolitan areas are:

Location
The location of St. Joseph is one of the
City's physical features that should be
accentuated in any plan developed by
the City. St. Joseph is the County Seat
of Berrien County and is essentially two
separate peninsulas, and an island,
surrounded by various water features.
The southern peninsula, which makes up
the largest portion of St. Joseph, is
bounded by Lake Michigan to the west,
the St. Joseph River to the north and
east, and St. Joseph Township to the
south.
The northern portion of
St. Joseph is bounded by Lake Michigan
to the west, the St. Joseph River to the
south, the Paw Paw River to the east and
Benton Township to the north. A large
portion of the northern portion of
St. Joseph is currently devoted to
industrial uses. Marina Island is also
within the City's boundaries. This island
is located in the St. Joseph River and is
connected to both the southern portion
of St. Joseph, and Benton Harbor, by
Business Loop US-31. Since water
features provide a large portion of the
City's boundaries the potential for
geographic expansion of the City is
limited. While expansion is limited there
are several areas in the City which can
benefit from redevelopment.

Ann Arbor, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Chicago, Illinois
Cleveland, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Indianapolis, Indiana
Jackson, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Mackinac Bridge
South Bend, Indiana

145
71
90
300
183
170
83
160
112
50
120
302
33

Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles
Miles

Development and population in Berrien
County is dense enough that the County
has been designated a Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA), known as the
Benton Harbor MSA.
Map A-1 shows the location of Berrien
County in relation to Michigan and
surrounding States.
The map also
shows the relationship of St. Joseph to
other communities in Berrien County.

Berrien County is the most southwestern
county in Michigan's lower peninsula.
The County is bounded by Lake

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

A-1

�---------------------- PHYSICAL FEATURES
MAP A-1

- .LOCATION

CANADA

M!~apolis
Milwaukee

• Philadelphia
ittsburg!Lr

County Seat: St. Joseph

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Benton Harb
St. Jose
Shoreh

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oloma
ervliet

ER R I EN

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Eau Claire
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ien Springs
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New Buff ala
Grand Beach .,
Michiana A.

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ien 0 -. -.i....:c:J==~

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SOURCE:

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Michigan Department of Commerce

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

A-2

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHYSICAL FEATURES
being the month with the highest average
amount of precipitation (3.8"). Generally,
February is the driest month with a total
average of 2. 1 inches of precipitation
(Figure A-2). The average amount of
snow that falls per month can be seen in
Figure A-3. January, with 20.7 inches, is
generally the month with the greatest
snowfall. The average seasonal snowfall
is 67 inches. The prevailing wind is from
the south-southwest.
Average wind
speed is highest, 12.4 miles per hour, in
March from the north-northwest. Every
one year in 10, the last freeze occurs
later than May 15 and the first freeze
occurs earlier than October 5 (USDA).

Climate

Climate, like location, is a physical
feature that is • impossible for a
community to change. The weather
patterns of an area must be considered
in any long-range planning activities.
Figure A-1 shows the average monthly
temperatures for the area (based on data
collected between 1948 and 1977). The
coldest month of the year is generally
January with an average temperature of
25.3 ° F. The warmest month of the year
is generally July with an average temperature of 71.7°F. The average annual
precipitation is 36 inches with April

FIGURE A-1
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES

TEMPERATURE

(FO)

90...------------------,

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'S

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-AVERAGE
• • • · • AVERAGE LOW

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

A-3

�----------------------------- PHYSICAL FEATURES
FIGURE A-2
AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION
PRECIPITATION
(INCHES)

4.0,,,-------------------,
....

·:::: 3.o+.......,r-----1:::: ::::.
-

-

-

..-..---1•::::t-.-.. -..r_--1 ::::.

·:::. ►.-

.·:::. ::::. ·:.·:. ·.·:.·. 7:-:-:" ·.·.·.·.· ·::.·: ::.·: .·:.·:

-:-:-:-:-: - -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-::-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-::-:-:-:-:-:-:
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-::::. ::::. ·:::. ·:::: ·:::: ·:::: .-:.-: ::::. ::::. ·:::. ·:::. ·:::.
1.1&gt;- -:-:-:-:- : :-:-:- :-:-:-:- :-:-:-:-. :-:-:-:-: -:-:-:- : -:-:-:-: -:-:-:-: -:-:-:-:- :-:-: :- : :-:-:- :-: :-:-

0

................................. .. .. ..

t.AONlH

FIGURE A-3
AVERAGE MONTHLY SNOWFALL
SNOWFALL

25;------------------,

(INCHES)

20
~

15•

10

-:·::::
-:-:-: 1----------------.... t - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1

.. . .

·:::: :::: ~.
............

,...._ ::::
5 - -:-:-:-:- -:-:-:-:-

:-:-:-:- 1------ - - - - -

t.AONlH

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

A-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHYSICAL FEATURES

brown, mottled clay to a depth of
about 60 inches.
Unlike the weather and the location of a
•
community there are methods to
accommodate the soils in a given area
by planning around any serious
limitations of the soils. Berrien County
consists of eight major soil associations.
Of these eight associations two are
dominant in St. Joseph: Blount-Rimer
Association and Shoals-CohoctahAbscota Association.
The following
descriptions are from the Soil Survey of
Berrien County, Michigan:
Blount-Rimer Association - This
association makes up 18 percent of
the county. It is about 40 percent
Blount soils, 20 percent Rimer soils,
and 40 percent soils of minor extent.
Blount soils are nearly level or gently
sloping and somewhat poorly
drained. The surface layer typically
is dark grayish brown loam about 9
inches thick. the mottled subsoil is
about 25 inches thick. The upper
part is yellowish brown, firm silty
clay loam; the lower part is dark
yellowish brown, firm clay. The
underlying material is yellowish
brown, mottled clay loam to a depth
of about 60 inches.
Rimer soils are nearly level or gently
sloping and somewhat poorly
drained. The surface layer typically
is very dark grayish brown loamy
fine sand about 9 inches thick. The
mottled subsurface layer, about 23
inches thick, is pale brown and
yellowish brown, loamy fine sand or
fine sand. The subsoil, about 9
inches thick, is gray, firm clay. The
underlying material is yellowish

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Most of the soils in this association
have been cleared and drained.
They are used for cultivated crops
that are common in the county and
for hay and pasture. Orchards and
vineyards are common. There are
some swampy, undrained areas.
Wetness and restricted permeability
are the main limitations.
If
adequately drained, the soils in this
association are well suited to
cultivated farm crops. They are also
well suited to hay, pasture and
woodlands. These soils are poorly
suited to building site development
and septic tank absorption fields. A
high water table is the main
limitation.
Shoals-Cohoctah-Abs cot a
Association - This association
makes up two percent of the
county.
It is about 30 percent
Shoals soils, 30 percent Cohoctah
soils, 25 percent Abscota soils and
15 percent soils of minor extent.
Areas of these soils are on bottom
lands, floodplains, or terraces along
rivers and streams. The Cohoctah
soils are on lower elevations than
the Shoals and Abscota soils. The
Abscota soils are on higher
elevations than the Shoals and
Cohoctah soils. All of these soils
are subject to flooding.
Shoals soils are nearly level and
somewhat poorly drained.
The
surface layer is dark grayish brown
silt loam about 9 inches thick. The
underlying material is multicolored,
stratified silt loam, loamy fine sand,
A-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHYSICAL FEATURES

fine sandy loam, and loamy fine
sand to a depth of about 60 inches.
Cohoctah soils are nearly level and
poorly drained. The surface soil is
very dark grayish brown and very
dark gray sandy loam about 15
inches thick.
The mottled
underlying material is mostly dark
gray silt loam in the upper part and
very dark gray fine sandy loam in
the lower part to a depth of about
60 inches.
Abscota soils are nearly level to
gently sloping and moderately well
drained. The surface layer is dark
brown sandy loam about 1O inches
thick. The mottled, loose sand
subsoil is about 29 inches thick.
The upper part is light gray, and the
lower part is pale brown.
The
underlying material is multicolored
sand to a depth of about 60 inches.
The Shoals and Abscota soils are
well suited to hay, pasture and
trees. The Shoals soils are well
suited to cultivated crops.
The
Abscota soils are fairly suited to
cultivated crops and some
recreation uses. Shoals soils are
fairly suited to poorly suited to
recreation uses. Cohoctah soils are
poorly suited to cultivated crops,
hay, pasture and recreation uses
and are well suited to woodland.
The soils in this association are
poorly suited to building site
developments and septic tank
absorption fields because of
flooding.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Topography and Natural Features

Like soils, the topography and natural
features of an area should be
accommodated, even though certain
topographical or natural features can be
changed.
One natural feature that
cannot be easily changed is Lake
Michigan, which creates St. Joseph's
western border. This is by far the most
important natural feature in not only St.
Joseph but in the four State region. The
lake's influence on the region and
St. Joseph is very great. The other
major water features that directly
influence St. Joseph are the St. Joseph
River, the Morrison Channel, the Paw
Paw River and south of St. Joseph,
Hickory Creek.
Lake Michigan, whose approximate mean
lake elevation is 580 feet, is the lowest
elevation in St. Joseph. The St. Joseph
and Paw Paw Rivers are essentially the
same elevation. The City's southern
portion is situated on a plateau which
protects the City from fluctuating lake
and river levels. The plateau's elevation
is roughly 650 feet. This plateau, which
forms the more developed part of St.
Joseph, is divided by a valley which acts
as a drain for much of the area's surface
water.
The valley's elevation drops
below 600 feet.
Environmental Contamination Sites

Michigan has listed all of the sites of
environmental contamination that pose
some threat to the State's environment.
Berrien County had 68 sites listed in the
1991 list published by the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources. One
of the State's top priority sites is located
in St. Joseph, north of the St. Joseph

A-6

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PHYSICAL FEATURES

River.
The site is listed as Auto
Specialties and has detectable levels of
lead, arsenic, chromium, PCBs and
benzene. A remedial action plan has not
been approved by the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources but
interim response activity has been
provided.
The only other site in
St. Joseph currently listed by the
Department of Natural Resources is the
Enterprise Oil Tank Farm. The site is
located on Marina Island and has
detectable levels of Benzene and
Toluene. The approximate location of
these sites can be seen on Map A-2.

Sensitive Areas

Sensitive areas in St. Joseph consist of
beaches and wetlands (Map A-2) . Along
much of Lake Michigan's shoreline are
vast stretches of sandy beaches. These
beaches require special attention to
minimize erosion from wind and wave
action. Wetlands are also present in
St. Joseph and are shown on Map A-2.
The majority of wetlands in St. Joseph
are adjacent to the St. Joseph River, but
others exist in both the northern and
southern portions of the City.

Floodplain

The 100-year floodplain, as defined by
the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, is shown on Map A-2. The
floodplain designates areas which are
susceptible to flooding - the 100-year
designation means that during any
particular year there is a 1 in 100 chance
of the area flooding. The largest areas
that are in the floodplain are along the
St. Joseph and Paw Paw Rivers, which
are more susceptible to short-term
fluctuations than the lake. The majority
of Marina Island is in the floodplain as is
the area between 1-94 Business and the
Paw Paw River. A narrow band of land
along Lake Michigan's shoreline is also in
the 100-year floodplain. St. Joseph has
a valley which crosses the City from the
southwest to the northeast. This valley
contains many flood-prone areas that are
not directly related to either the lake or
the rivers.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

A-7

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c:::&gt;

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A
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2
---~1
SAINT JOSEPH ,
I

•

SCALE

P'a•.•500·

o·

1ooo· 1500·

I

MICHIGAN

2500·

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.
~I

I

I

PHYSICAL
FEATURES MAP

1

�•
•
•
•
•
•II
•
•
••
•
•II
,

II

•
•
•
•

POPULATION

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION

percent. By 1980 the percentage had
dropped to 5.6 percent due to the fact
that the County's population had
continued to increase as the City's
population decreased. Between 1970
and 1980 the population of St. Joseph
decreased from 11 ,042 to 9,622, or 12.9
percent.
Between 1980 and 1990,
St. Joseph's population decreased by 4.2
percent - a much smaller decrease than
during the 1970-80 period.
Berrien
County began to decrease in population
between 1980 and 1990. In 1990 the
County's population of 161 ,378 was 5.8
percent lower than in 1980. Since the
County's population decreased at a
greater rate than St. Joseph's population,
the City increased its share of the
County's population to 5. 7 percent.

The study of the population of a
community is much more than analyzing
the number of people ,residing within a
given area. To thoroughly understand a
community's population, trends must be
established that tie the past to the
present and identify the diversity and
composition of the community's
residents. By relating the past to the
present, it is possible to project various
aspects of St. Joseph into the future.
Population Trends

Between 1960 and 1990, the population
in St. Joseph has decreased by
21.6 percent. During the same period,
Berrien County's population increased by
7.7 percent. Table B-1 identifies the
population of the City and the County
from 1960 through 1990 and shows the
relationship between the two areas. In
1960, St. Joseph's population of 11,755
was 7.8 percent of the County's
population of 149,865.
In 1970,
St. Joseph decreased as a percentage of
the County's total population to 6. 7

Age Distribution

The distribution of the City's residents in
relation to their ages is important to
determine if existing services and facilities

TABLE B-1
POPULATION TRENDS
·::\{::~ .

St. Joseph
Berrien County
St. Joseph as
% of Berrien
County

··-,:_ %r lit / . . ,. ?(

·•·.··

%:

.

t %:

·•· change
'60~'70

, 1980 ·

.Change
'70-'80

-1990·.

11,042

- 6.1

9,622

-12.9

9,214

- 4.2

-21 .6

149,865

163,940

+9.4

171,276

+4.5

161 ,378

- 5.8

+7.7

7.8

6.7

1960

1970

11 ,755

5.6

(;hange Change
_ieo;;.~90 . ·. '60;;.'.90 ,

5.7

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION

are available to meet the demands of all
age groups. Table B-2 identifies the age
distributions in St. Joseph as well as
Berrien County and Michigan. Since St.
Joseph's median age of 37.2 is higher
than Berrien County's figure of 33.6 or
Michigan's median age of 32.6, it is
apparent that St. Joseph has a higher
percentage of older residents, or a lower
percentage of younger residents, than
either the County or the State. In 1990
residents under the age of 18 accounted
for 17.8 percent of St. Joseph's
residents. This figure is considerably
lower than the County's 27 percent figure
or the State's figure of 26.5 percent. The
percentage of residents in the 18-24 age

category is not noticeably different in St.
Joseph than in the County or State and
the percentage of residents in the 25-44
age category is only slightly higher in the
City. The percentage of residents in the
45-54 age category is lower in the City
and the percentage of residents in the
55-64 age category is not noticeably
different than either the County or the
State. St. Joseph has a much higher
percentage (18.4%) of residents in the
65-84 age group than the County
(12.4%) or the State (10.8%).
The
percentage of residents 85 and over is
nearly three times as high in St. Joseph
than in the two comparison areas.
Figure B-1 graphically shows the age
distribution for the three areas.

TABLE B-2
AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH CITY,
BERRIEN COUNTY AND MICHIGAN: 1990

&gt;t : a§trierf:~ounty:f; . : tMi.¢higijp ;:
xNOrli:BIP:i'.:. : :~rbt.T6t~f: r %:af¥8tkt•· ·
Under 5

506

5.5

11,895

7.4

7.6

5-17

1,138

12.3

31,624

19.6

18.9

18-24

922

10.0

15,562

9.7

10.8

25-44

3,040

33.0

48,272

29.9

32.1

45-54

805

8.7

16,843

10.4

10.2

55-64

818

8.9

14,947

9.3

8.5

65-84

1,693

18.4

20,026

12.4

10.8

85+

292

3.2

2,119

1.3

1.1

Median Age

37.2

33.6

32.6

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1990

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-2

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - POPULATION
FIGURE 8-1
AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY AND MICHIGAN: 1990

•

35

30

- - - - - -:: , - - - - - - - - - t

25

:i ~
20

15

10

5

I--

,-

,-

- \I

,-

~ :i:

iv

~

0

UNDER 5 5-17

18-24

25-44

45-54

ACE

55-64

65-84

85+

E/:3

ST JOSEPH

[ZZ3

BERRIEN COUNlY

c::J Mla-tlGAN

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population

•
•

Between 1980 and 1990 the age
distribution in St. Joseph had several
noticeable changes (Table B-3). The
percentage of children under the age of
five increased from 4.5 percent to 5.5
percent of the population, but the
percentage of children between the ages
5 and 17 decreased from 15.0 percent to
12.3 percent. The number of college age
residents (18-24) decreased by 27.6
percent to lower the percentage of
residents in this age group to 10.0
percent. Between 1980 and 1990 the
percentage of residents in the 25-44 age
group increased 24. 7 percent to account
for 33.0 percent of the population. This
was one of only three age groups that
increased numerically. The 45-54 age
group did not change a great deal
between 1980 and 1990 as a percentage

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

of the City's population but this age
group decreased numerically by 14.7
percent. The number of residents in the
55-64 age group decreased by 33.5
percent, or from 12.8 percent to 8.9
percent of the City's population. It is
unusual that both the 45-54 and the
55-64 age group decreased while the
median age of St. Joseph increased, it is
even more unusual that the 65-84 age
group decreased. The 65-84 age group
decreased numerically but increased as
a percentage of the population - this is
possible since the overall population
decreased at a greater rate than the age
group. The percentage of residents 85
and over increased by 57.8 percent - the
largest percentage increase of the eight
age groups.
Figure 8-2 graphically
represents the changes .
B-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION
TABLE 8-3
AGE DISTRIBUTION IN ST. JOSEPH: 1980-1990

435

4.5

506

5.5

+16.3

1,441

15.0

1,138

12.3

-21.0

18-24

1,274

13.3

922

10.0

-27.6

25-44

2,379

24.7

3,040

33.0

+27.8

45-54

944

9.8

805

8.7

-14.7

55-64

1,231

12.8

818

8.9

-33.5

65-84

1,733

18.0

1,693

18.4

-2.3

85+

185

1.9

292

3.2

+57.8

Median Age

36.2

Under 5
5-17

I

37.2

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1980, 1990
FIGURE B-2
AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 1980-1990

NUMBER

UNDER 5 5-17

18-2+

25-+♦

+5-5+

AGE

55-8+

65-84

65+

r::::i:J 1980
IZZ2l 1990

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1980, 1990

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION

Population Density

The population density of an area is
dependent upon two factors - land area
and population. St. Joseph, with a 1990
population of 9,214 and a land area of
3.4 square miles has a population density
of 2,710 persons per square mile (Table
B-4). Berrien County, which had a 1990
population of 161,378 and a land area of
576 square miles, had a population
density of 280 persons per square mile roughly one-tenth the population density
of St. Joseph. Michigan's population
density in 1990 was 163 persons per
square mile.

percent of the City's population, 15.4
percent of the County's population and
13.9 percent of Michigan's population.
The percentage of people in the
"American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut"
category is also smaller in St. Joseph, as
is the "Other" category. The percentage
of St. Joseph residents in the "Asian or
Pacific Islander" category is 1.5 percent higher than either the County or the
State.
St. Joseph has a lower
percentage of residents with Hispanic
origins than either the County or the
State.
Household Types

Race Composition

The racial composition in St. Joseph is
less varied than in Berrien County or the
State as a whole. Table B-5 shows that
in 1990, 94.9 percent of the City's
residents were white - compared to 82.6
percent for the County and 83.5 percent
for the State. Blacks make up 3.1

How individuals live, in relation to each
other, often reflects the lifestyles and
housing needs of a community. Table
B-6 shows that of the 4,200 households
in St. Joseph, 1,875 or 44.6, are married
couple families. This percentage is much
lower than either Berrien County or
Michigan. Additionally, "Other Family,
Male Householder" families account for a

TABLE B-4
POPULATION DENSITY
... ··T./
·-:-·-: .
., ::,••::;:;-:::::···

" ·::•)
:,:

St. Joseph
Berrien County
Michigan

·-:

·•.

·.·.·.•-

·Square Miles

Population

Population Density
(Persons Per Sq. Mi.)

9,214

2,710

576

161,378

280

56,954

9,295,297

163

3.4

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION
TABLE 8-5
RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

@tNumberf
Black
American Indiana, Eskimo, or Aleut
Asian or Pacific Islander
Other
Hispanic Origin (any race)

94.9

133,259

82.6

83.5

283

3.1

24,872

15.4

13.9

20

0.2

685

0.4

0.6

142

1.5

1,487

0.9

1.1

26

0.3

1,075

0.7

0.9

113

1.2

2,683

1.7

2.2

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1990

smaller percentage (2.1%) of households
than the County (2.9%) or the State
(3.3%). In St. Joseph there are 338
households in the "Other Family, Female
Householder" category, or 8.0 percent of
all households - lower than the County's
figure of 13.3 percent or the State's
figure of 12.9 percent.
Since the
percentage of family households was
lower in St. Joseph it follows that the
percentage of nonfamily households is
much higher. In 1990, 1,900 of the City's

4,200 households were nonfamily
households, or 45.2 percent. This is a
much higher rate than either the
County's rate of 28.1 percent or the
State's rate of 28.7 percent. Single
person households accounted for 40.0
percent of the City's households
compared to 24.4 percent of the
County's and 23. 7 of the State's
households. This large percentage of
single-person households is why the
City's median number of persons per

TABLE 8-6
HOUSEHOLDS: ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN

Total Households

4,200

100.0

61,025

100.0

100.0

Married Couple Families

1,875

44.6

33,974

55.7

55.1

87

2.1

1,772

2.9

3.3

338

8.0

8,099

13.3

12.9

1,900

45.2

17,180

28.1

28.7

Householder Living Alone

1,680

40.0

14,861

24.4

23.7

Householder 65 and Over

699

16.6

6,406

10.5

9.3

Other Family, Male Householder
Other Family, Female Householder
Nonfamily Households

Persons Per Household

2.06

2.60

2.66

SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population: 1990

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-6

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION

household is lower than either the
County or the State. One explanation of
the larger percentage of single person
households is the lar9er percentage of
single householders over 65 years of
age, which accounts for 16.6 percent of
the City's households. Many of these
households are occupied by individuals
whose spouses are deceased. While this
accounts for many of the 1,680 single
person households it does not account
for all of them. In 1990 there were 981
single person households occupied by
residents under 65 - this accounts for
23.4 percent of the City's households
and is much higher than the County's
rate of 13.9 percent.
Population Projections

In order to meet the residents of a
community's future needs, it is essential
that population projections are established that reflect the population over a
set period of time. These projections can
be one of two major types of projections.
The first is based on past trends and the
existing population, and shows where the
population is likely to go if no steps are
taken to change the rate of growth or
decline. The second major type of projection is goal oriented and involves
establishing what the desired population
should be-based on a variety of factors
such as population density, services
available, land available and many other
considerations.
Ideally, population
projections should be based on a combination of these two styles since trends
cannot be ignored and the act of planning is essentially a community's desire
to have some control over its future.
Cohort-Survival Method of Projection

existing population into age groups and
projecting each of these age groups into
the future. St. Joseph's population has
been separated by sex into 18 separate
age groups for a total of 36 groups (18
male and 18 female). The size of the 36
groups is based on 1990 Census
information. Once the age groups were
established each group was moved into
the future five years at a time. A survival
rate, different for each age and sex
group, was applied to each of the 36
groups. The survival rates are based on
1988 national averages which suit this
sample well since residents of Michigan
and the United States have similar
average lifespans (Michigan 73.65,
United States 73.88). When the survival
rates are applied to each of the age
groups, the size of the group decreases
as it moves into the future, decreasing
more rapidly as the age group matures
and ages. Since each age group moves
forward, a void is created when the
under 5 year old age group moves into
the 5-9 year old age group. These voids
have been filled by calculating the 1990
ratio of women of child bearing age (1544) to the under 5 age group. In 1990
there was one child in the under 5
category for every 4.004 woman of child
bearing age. This ratio has been applied
in each of the future time-increments to
project the number of children under 5
years of age, and is divided evenly
between male and female children.
The entire process of projecting each
group and determining the number of
under 5 years old has been calculated
for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015.
The individual results, along with the
1990 information, can be seen in
Table B-7. This table does not reflect inmigration or out-migration.

The Cohort-Survival method of population
projections lnvolves separating the

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-7

�TABLE B-7

0

COHORT-SURVIVAL PROJECTIONS

('}

~

&gt;-&lt;:

.:,:/\, 2000.,.,

~

: {~ie :, ;t;fu;i~ • ., Toti(i ·· tk1J:/

en

~

....,
0

~

~II
en

: :;;ffi~,~

:Mti,i::r ::fJMii~f ;:J6~1:U

:Mail} feffi;1e •·

ti~~

468

217

218

435

205

206

411

180

181

361

167

167

334

I

504 I

233 I

234 I

467 I

216 I

218 I

434 I

201 I

203 I

404 I

178 I

178 I

356

235 I

210 I

445 I

231 I

213

I

233 I

234 I

467 I

216 I

218 I

434 I

201 I

203 I

404

241 I

168 I

409

I

235 I

210 I

445 I

231 I

213 I

504

I

233 I

234 I

467 I

216 I

218 I

434

I

246 I

520 I

239 I

168 I

407 I

233 I

209 I

442 I

229 I

212 I

501 I

231 I

233 I

464

212

I

245 I

517 I

237 I

168 I

405 I

231 I

208 I

439 I

221 I

211 I

498

348 I

328 I

676 I

210 I

244 I

514 I

235 I

167 I

402 I

229 I

207 I

436

Under 5

232

274

506

234

234

5-9

235

210

445

231 I

213

10-14 I

241 I

168 I

409 I
523 I

I

504

~II
~II

15-19 I

276 I

247 I

20-24 I

353 I

330

811

25-29 I

477 I

431 I

908 I

351 I

329 I

680 I

30-34 I

455 I

363

I

818 I

473 I

430 I

903

35-39

373

344

717

451

362

813

469

429

898

345

327

672

268

243

511

233

166

399

40-44

286

311

597

368

342

710

445

360

805

463

426

889

341

325

666

265

242

507

45-49

206

221

427

282

309

591

363

340

703

440

358

798

457

423

880

337

323

660

50-54

167

211

378

200

218

418

274

304

578

353

335

688

428

352

780

444

416

860

55-59

171

207

378

162

208

370

194

215

409

266

299

565

343

330

683

416

347

763

60-64

204

236

440

158

198

356

150

199

349

179

206

385

246

286

532

317

316

633

65-69

203

289

492

189

226

415

146

190

336

139

191

330

165

197

362

227

273

500

70-74

147

298

445

170

261

431

158

204

362

122

172

294

116

173

289

138

178

316

75-79

147

266

413

123

270

393

142

236

378

132

184

316

102

156

258

97

156

253

80-84

96

247

343

96

204

300

80

207

287

92

181

273

86

141

227

66

120

186

85+

71

221

292

87

270

357

93

278

371

84

284

368

89

356

81

Total

4,340

4,874

9,214

4,325

4,758

9,083

4,289

4,638

8,927

4,240

4,515

8,755

4,166

8,542

4,076

('}

~II

II

Median Age

I

= 37.2

683

I

214

Median Age

= 38.8

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.

to
I

00

I

I

Median Age

= 40.7

Median Age

= 43.0

I

267

I

4,376

Median Age = 45.5

I

229

4,242

I

315

I 8,318

Median Age"' 47.5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION
FIGURE B-3
AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 1990
MAU

FDIAI.£

AOE

•

P-

I
I

I
I
70-7♦

I

I

80-84

l

55-158

I

I

I

I

I

I
I

I

25-29

I

I

20-2♦

I

I

15--1 8

I

10-14

5--8

I

UNDO&lt; 5

500

400

JOO

200

100

100

200

300

400

500

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.
FIGURE 8-4
AGE/SEX DISTRIBUTION FOR ST. JOSEPH: 2015
MAI.£

FDIAI.£

AOE

lt H
80-M
75-79

r

70-74

r

I

65-69

I

80-84

I

I
I
I

I
I

I

35-39

I

Jo-34

25-29
2.0-24

15-18
10-14

5-9

I
500

-4-00

300

200

100

100

200

300

400

500

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-9

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION
Trend Analysis Projections

In addition to the Cohort-Survival Method
of projecting the population, projections
based on past trends in St. Joseph have
been calculated. Four separate trends
are shown in Table B-8 (in addition to the
Cohort-Survival Method). Three linear
trends are shown that are based on the
changes in population between 19801990, 1970-1990 and 1960-1990. The
10-year trend projection has the least
drastic population decreases - due to a
slower decrease between 1980 and 1990
than the other two periods. The 10-year
trend analysis is also very similar to the
Cohort-Survival figures. Between 1990

and 2015, the 10-year trend analysis
shows an 11.07 percent decrease in
population - from 9,214 residents in 1990
to 8, 194 residents in 2015. The CohortSurvival has a slightly smaller decrease from 9,214 in 1990 to 8,318 in 2015, or a
9.72 percent decrease. The projection
based on the 20-year (1970-1990) data
has the greatest decrease in population.
This projection shows a decrease from
the 1990 population of 9,214 to a 2015
figure of 6,929 - a 24.8 percent decrease.
The 30-year (1960-1990) trend projection
is nearly as dramatic as the 20-year trend
analysis.
The 2015 figure for this
projection is 7,096 - a 23.0 percent
decrease.

TABLE 8-8
POPULATION PROJECTIONS

10-Year ('80-'90)

9,214

9,010

8,806

8,602

8,398

8,194

-11 .07

20-Year ('70-'90)

9,214

8,757

8,300

7,843

7,386

6,929

-24.80

30-Year ('60-'90)

9,214

8,790

8,367

7,943

7,520

7,096

-23.00

Cohort Survival (in-migration
= out-migration)

9,214

9,083

8,927

8,755

8,542

8,318

-9.72

Equilibrium (based on a
9,214
9,151
9,088
9,067
9,047
9,040
decreasing percentage
decrease)
SUURvt:: 1960-1970-1980-1990 U.S. Census of Population; Gove Associates nc.

-1.89

@ CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-10

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ POPULATION

approaching 0.0 percent in the future this projection has been tabled
"Equilibrium." It is felt that to set an
optimistic tone for this Plan this is the
projection that should be followed.

The final trend analysis is by far the most
optimistic of all the projections.
This
projection is based on the fact that
between 1970 and 1980 the City's
population decreased by 12.9 percent,
and that between 1980 and 1990 the
decrease in population decreased by 4.2
percent. If this trend is carried forward
the population would decrease by 1.4
percent between 1990 and 2000 and
by 0.4 percent between 2000 and 2010.
Since the population continues to
decrease, but at a much lower rate -

These two analyses illustrate the point
that without some intervention the City's
population will continue to decline in
number and increase in age. The "goal"
for the City should be a long-range
increase in population, reversing the
trend of the past 30 years.

FIGURE 8-5
POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR ST. JOSEPH

POPUI.AllON
12,000

11,000

~

10,000

11 ,042

~ ........,

~ 9 214

..

..

..

9!"'

••..;

8,

-~·.::: •=..:.:• ..:.·• ~t:...

9,000

h--.,

8,000

8

81 4

~"&gt;
~:---.

7, 000

6

s;, ~9

6,000

s.ooo
4,000

J ,000
2,000

1,000
0

19 0

19~0

1980

1990

19tl5

20 00

2005

2(1 0

211 5

• ••• ••
--• · ••• •
_,, _ ,,_

COHORT-S\JRll1VAI.
10 YEAR TREND
20 \'EAR TREND
30 'l'EAR TREND
EQUILIBRIUM

YEAR

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

B-11

�HOUSING

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING

The housing in a community is often a
direct reflection of the character and
economic well-being o# the community.
Besides obvious details such as
abandoned houses, vacant lots or
deteriorated housing units, there are
more subtle indicators of a community's
housing characteristics that can be used
to create a profile of the area's housing
stock.
Occupancy and Tenure
of Housing Units

Even with St. Joseph's decreasing
population, the City has a higher
percentage of occupied housing units
than either the County or the State. Of
the City's 4,545 housing units, 4,200
(92.4%) were considered to be occupied
in 1990. This percentage is higher than
the County's figure of 87.8 percent or the
State's figure of 88.9 percent. These
figures can be seen in Table C-1. One of
the main reasons the State and County
have a higher percentage of vacant units
than St. Joseph is that Michigan and
Berrien County have a higher percentage
of vacant seasonal units than St. Joseph.
Only 1.3 percent of St. Joseph's housing
units are seasonal units, compared to 6.4
percent of the County's housing and 5.8
percent of the State's. St. Joseph has a
much lower percentage of owneroccupied housing units than either
Berrien County or Michigan. Of the
City's 4,200 occupied housing units in
St. Joseph, 2,396 (57.0%) were owneroccupied in 1990. The remaining 1,804
(43.0%) occupied units were renteroccupied.
Berrien County's owneroccupied units account for 69.6 percent
of the occupied units and Michigan's
owner-occupied units account for 71.0
percent of the State's occupied housing

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

units. Finally, Table C-1 shows that
St. Joseph has a much lower percentage
of units with over one person per room.
The main reason for this is probably the
large percentage of single person
households.
Types of Housing

Housing types change to suit the needs
of a community. Between 1980 and
1990 the total number of housing units
decreased by 0.3 percent - a much
smaller percentage decrease than the 4.2
percent decrease the population
experienced. This does not mean that a
vast number of vacant housing units
have been created by the differences.
Many of the housing units in St. Joseph
are occupied by single person
households, so while there are fewer
people to fill the housing units,
household sizes have been decreasing
as well, and occupancy rates stabilizing.
Table C-2 shows how the number of
single-family homes decreased by 1. 7
percent between 1980 and 1990. This
means that 44 homes have been torn
down, converted to multiple-family units
or converted to other uses such as office
or commercial uses. During the same
period the number of duplex units
has decreased by two and the number
of multiple-family units has decreased
by 12.

C-1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING
TABLE C-1
OCCUPANCY AND TENURE OF HOUSING UNITS

? f@1.1sirtg
:nJ;itts:

69,532

100.0

100.0

61 ,025

87.8

100.0

88.9

100.0

57.0
43.0

42,452
18,573

61.1
26.7

69.6
30.4

63.1
25.8

71.0
29.0

7.6

8,507

12.2

11.1

59

1.3

4,448

6.4

5.8

40

0.9

1,686

2.4

Total Housing

4,545

100.0

Occupied Housing

4,200

92.4

Owner-Occupied
Renter-Occupied

2,396
1,804

52.7
39.7

345

For Seasonal,
Recreational or
Occasional Use
With Over 1 Person
per Room

Vacant Housing

1.0

100.0

2.8

2.4

2.6

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census

TABLE C-2
TYPES OF HOUSING UNITS: 1980-1990

Single-Family Units
Duplexes
Multiple-Family Units
Other
Total

2,655

58.3

2,611

57.4

-1.7

41

0.9

37

0.8

-9.8

1,857

40.7

1,845

40.6

-0.6

5

0.1

52

1.2

+940.0

4,558

100.0

4,545

100.0

-0.3

SOURCE: U.S. Census: 1980-1990

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSNE PLAN

C-2

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING

over twice the percentage of multiplefamily units as the County (17.2%) or the
State (19.6%). The fact that St. Joseph
has a high percentage of multiple-family
housing units is not a new occurrence,
since in 1980, 40.7 percent of the City's
housing units were multiple-family.

Table C-3 compares St. Joseph's
housing to Berrien County and Michigan.
St. Joseph has a much lower percentage
of single-family homes, duplexes and
mobile homes than the County or the
State. This also shows that the City has
a much higher percentage of multiplefamily housing units than either of the
other two areas.

Figures C-1 and C-2 graphically
demonstrate the types of housing that
exist in St. Joseph and Berrien County.

With 1,845 multiple-family units (40.6% of
the City's housing units), St. Joseph has

TABLE C-3
TYPES OF HOUSING UNITS IN ST. JOSEPH,
BERRIEN COUNTY AND MICHIGAN: 1990
::'ii

tj~:: u8;®pb;': ::"I r,aera~R::l glio.8i§:I!i: t:MJ¢higa.ii /

1

I/Ncttr)b~r ;
Single-Family Units
Duplexes
Multiple-Family Units
Mobile Home, Trailer, Other

·.•.•.•.,.,:,.•ItC&gt;··.;-;.;.;.;. , , ••.•.

Nurti~;~r':'.:'·

.:::::::;::('}'o':':':•:;:•:

IIIINOm~~:::11::

2,611

57.4

51,424

74.0

69.5

37

0.8

1,331

1.9

3.4

1,845

40.6

11,984

17.2

19.6

52

1.2

4,793

6.9

7.5

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING
FIGURE C-1

Housing Values

HOUSING UNITS BY TYPE: ST. JOSEPH

The value of owner-occupied housing is
increasing in St. Joseph at a greater rate
than either Berrien County or Michigan.
Between 1980 and 1990 the median
value of owner-occupied housing in
St. Joseph increased from $36,500 to
$66,200 - an increase of 81.4 percent.
During the same period the median value
of the County's owner-occupied housing
increased by 55.8 percent to reach a
median value of $52,800. The State's
owner-occupied housing increased in
value by 55.4 percent to reach a median
value of $60,600. Table C-4 shows these
figures as well as the relationship
between St. Joseph's housing value and
the County's and State's housing values.

OTHER

DUPLEX HOMES

52 UNITS

37 UNITS
(0.8%)

(1.27.)-~

SINGLE
FAMILY
HOUSING

SOURCE: 1990 U.S.Census of Population
FIGURE C-2
HOUSING UNITS BY TYPE: BERRIEN COUNTY

MOBILE HOMES
4,793 UNITS

(6,91/.
DUPLEX HOMES
MULTIPLE
1,331 UNITS
FAMILY
(3.41/.)
HOUSING
11,984 UNIT"J..-T'ff""-_

(17.21/.)

Figure C-3 graphically demonstrates the
differences in the three areas.
FAMILY
HOUSING

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

0

The majority of owner-occupied housing
units (54.8%) in St. Joseph are valued
between $50,000 and $100,000. Table
C-5 shows that St. Joseph has a much
smaller percentage (24.6%) of owneroccupied housing units that were valued
under $50,000 than either the County
(46.8%) or the State (38.5%). In all of the
other categories (greater than $50,000),
St. Joseph has a higher percentage than
either Berrien County or Michigan.

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Since there is such a high proportion of
renter-occupied units in St. Joseph it is
important to compare the monthly rate
for renting a housing unit to other areas.
Table C-6 shows that St. Joseph's
median monthly rent is higher than either
Berrien County or Michigan. While St.
Joseph has a higher monthly median
rental rate, Michigan has a higher

C-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING
very uniform with the vast majority of
units being in the $250-$499 range.

percentage of units whose rent is over
$500. Rent in St. Joseph seems to be

TABLE C-4
MEDIAN VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS

::: :::~?§{

Coqhfy

1980

$39,000

$33,900

$36,500

107.7

93.6

1990

$60,600

$52,800

$66,200

125.4

109.2

55.4%

55.8%

81.4%

% Increase

SOURCE: U.S. Census: 1980-1990

TABLE C-5
VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS

Less than $50,000

511

24.6

15,460

46.8

38.5

$ 50,000 to $ 99,999

1,138

54.8

13,488

40.8

42.5

$100,000 to $149,999

235

11.3

2,590

7.9

11.4

$150,000 to $199,999

90

4.3

823

2.5

4.1

$200,000 to $299,999

55

2.7

- 473

1.4

2.4

$300,000 or More

47

2.3

207

0.6

1.1

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census

TABLE C-6
CONTRACT RENT

Less than $250

283

16.1

5,249

31.2

25.2

$ 250 - $ 499

1,279

73.0

10,995

65.3

58.0

$ 500 - $ 749

183

10.4

551

3.3

13.9

$ 750 - $ 999

5

0.3

22

0.1

1.9

$1,000 and More

3

0.2

25

0.1

1.0

Median (Dollars)

$351

$294

$343

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING
FIGURE C-3
VALUE OF OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS: 1990
PERCENT

60 . . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

40

20

10

f.-.·.-!.·!::.j ST JOSEPH

IZZZI
c:::J

BERRIEN COUNTY
MICHIGAN

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

Age of Housing

The age of housing units in a community
often reveals the character of the
community. Older housing is the sign of
an established community while newer
housing is often the sign of a new and
expanding community.
St. Joseph,
which is a well established community,
has a large percentage of older homes.

Over 44 percent of the City's housing
units were built before 1939 (fable C-7).
Houses built between 1940 and 1959
account for over 30 percent of the City's
units. Houses built during the past 1O
years account for only 4.8 percent of the
City's housing units. For comparison,
13.6 percent of the State's housing units
were built between 1980 and 1990.

TABLE C-7
AGE OF HOUSING IN ST. JOSEPH

-.rr

-Year Structure Built • -•
1939 or Earlier

Number.of Housing Units ·

:-:

% ••:•:•'•:•:

2,006

44.1

1940 to 1949
1950 to 1959
1960 to 1969

680
698

15.0
15.4

565

12.4

1970 to 1979
1980 to March 1990
Total

379

8.3
4.8
100.0

217
4,545

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-6

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING

Table C-8 uses population projections
and projections for the median
household size (persons per household)
to determine the number of households
to the year 2015. Since household sizes
are projected to decrease throughout the
planning period, the number of
households will not decrease at as great
of a rate as the population of St. Joseph.
The population is expected to decrease
by 1.9 percent between 1990 and 2015.

Household Proiections

Although St. Joseph is essentially a fully
developed community, with very little
undeveloped land, there will most likely
be some changes in residential land uses
due to the changing needs of the area's
residents. In order to determine the
amount of land that should be devoted to
residential uses in the future, it is
necessary to determine the number of
housing units that will be required. The
coordination of several facts and
projections is required in order to project
housing needs in a community. Before
housing projections can be made it is
necessary to establish population
projections, projected household sizes,
trends relating to housing types and
current facts relating to housing in the
area. A vacancy rate also must be
established to allow residents to move to
larger, or smaller, homes and to allow
newcomers to move to St. Joseph.

During the same period the number of
households is expected to decrease by
0.3 percent.
In 2015 the projected
household size for St. Joseph is 2.03
persons per household and 2.42 persons
per household for the County. Additional
information (rable C-8) indicates that the
number of housing units in Berrien
County is projected to increase by 5.1
percent by the year 2015.

TABLE C-8
HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND OCCUPIED HOUSEHOLD PROJECTIONS

... :

&lt;: \tt 1 )-~ sf .J~seph::\:'.
\: :::x:::·· :f:_:Jf::::/. : Housihofd i

L

-....

'i::Y:e~f : ,:: Pdpuialiofr:;',. _ :;.· \/Lsiia :[ : \{f fouseholds

°.li tt9~;~b,otd{ - -• ·: ·•·.• ·• :: :/ . . ,t·

t :•::•. ;@,·/::, ff
; ·•· eoplllaticm : ,:,:::, \ Sii~ :

JiBouseti:6rds ·_.

1970

11,042

2.62

4,117

163,940

3.19

50,758

1980

9,622

2.14

4,296

171 ,276

2.80

60,276

1990

9,214

2.06

4,200

161,378

2.60

61 ,025

1995

9,151

2.05

4,198

161,900

2.55

62,423

2000

9,088

2.05

4,170

161,700

2.50

63,593

2005

9,067

2.04

4,180

160,300

2.47

63,808

2010

9,047

2.03

4,192

158,500

2.45

63,607

2015

9,040

2.03

4,188

157,800

2.42

64,111

SOURCE:

0

t&gt; •@[( sifri~n po~inty :./ ·ti ·&lt;f, }

U.S. Census of Population 1970, 1980, 1990; Michigan Department of Management and
Budget; Gove Associates Inc.

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-7

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING

Table C-9 uses the number of
households, established in Table C-8 to
determine the total number of housing
units required in the City of St. Joseph
and Berrien County by the year 2015.
The total number of housing units in
St. Joseph is projected to change very
little from the 1990 figure of 4,545 total
housing units. The total figures are
based on existing vacancy rates and
existing ratios between the number of
households and the number of housing
units in the City and County. Using this
methodology a total of 4,541 housing
units will be required in St. Joseph by
2015. This is four units less than existed
in 1990.

types of housing in the community that
existed in 1980 and 1990 were used to
project housing percentages to the year
2015. Once these percentages were
projected forward, the percentages were
applied to the "total" figures from Table
C-9 to determine the number of housing
units in each of the four categories.
Table C-1 O shows that the number of
single-family homes will decrease from
2,611 in 1990 to 2,570 in 2015 - a 1.6
percent decrease. During the same
period the number of duplexes is
projected to decrease by 1O units.
Multiple-family units are expected to
increase by 2.4 percent between 1990
and 2015 to reach a total of 1,889 units.

In order to determine what types of
housing will be needed in St. Joseph, the
TABLE C-9
HOUSING UNIT FORECAST
.·•&gt;:

Year

r

:-:·

St. Joseph
Occupied
Units

...

.

...

-;:;:

Total

::::·

:•::;:&gt;::::

·· Berrien County
ciccupie8·
Units

'°',,/

/

:-:

-::
:=::"

Total . .

1990

4,200

4,545

61,025

69,532

1995

4,198

4,551

62,423

71,125

2000

4,170

4,521

63,593

72,458

2005

4,180

4,532

63,808

72,703

2010

4,192

4,545

63,607

72,474

2015

4,188

4,541

64,111

73,048

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-8

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HOUSING

TABLE C-10
MOUSING TYPE FORECAST: TOTAL UNITS

SingleFamily

2,655

Duplex

41

MultiFamily

1,857

Other
Total

5

58.3 2,611

0.9

37

40.7 1,845

0.1

52

57.4 2,603

0.8

36

40.6 1,857

1.2

55

4,558 100.0 4,545 100.0 4,551

57.2 2,586

0.8

32

40.8 1,849

1.2

54

100.0 4,521

57.2 2,579

56.9 2,582

32

0.7

27

40.9 1,867

41.2

1,882

1.2

54

0.7

1.2

54

56.8 2,570

0.6

56.6

27

0.6

41.4 1,889

41 .6

1.2

54

1.2

100.0 4,532 100.0 4,545 100.0 4,541

100.0

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

Under the category "Other" the number
has increased from 5 in 1980 to 52 in
1990. In St. Joseph there are no mobile
homes or trailers, so the category
consists entirely of "other." Other can
mean boxcars, houseboats or a variety
of other housing types. For the housing
projections, the percentage of other
housing will remain constant (1.2% of the
area's housing) since it is difficult to
project the need for this category of
housing.

units will be required to meet the
projected need for multiple-family
housing. The total figure in Table C-11
indicates that by 2015 an excess of four
housing units will exist if no changes are
made and if all existing housing units are
properly maintained.

Table C-11 uses the figures established
in Table C-1 O to show the changes that
will be necessary.
The table lists
excesses and deficiencies based on
existing housing units. Using projections,
and the 1990 figure of 2,611 single-family
units in St. Joseph, Table C-11 shows
that in 2015 there will be an excess of 41
units. Similarly, it can be seen that an
excess of 1O duplexes will exist in 2015.
By 2015 an additional 44 multiple-family

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

C-9

�0

TABLE C-11

§

HOUSING TYPE FORECAST: FUTURE NEEDS BASED ON EXISTING UNITS

0

"I1
(/)

;3

....

: : ri;;::•:•

,,_.(Jl\~~~~,11i: ti;I.~.: l:i~\~~~il1!ll!,~iJ,••I

I

I

E=8

2,586

E = 25

2,579

E = 32

2,582

E = 29

36 I

E = 1

32

E = 5

32

E = 5

27

1,845 I 1,857 I

D = 12

1,849

0=4

1,867

D = 22

55 I

D = 12

54

D=2

54

I

D=6

4,521

E = 24

4,532

0

(/)

~

~
(/)

§
8

(j

"C

~

SingleFamily
Duplex
MultiFamily

2,611

37 I

52 I

Other
Total

4,545

I

2,603

4,551

1

""~'~'',i l~~]~ffl
I

E = 41 I

-1.6

E = 10

21 I

E = 10 I

-27.0

1,882

D = 37

1,8891

D = 441

+2.4

D=2

54

D=2

I

D = 21

+3.8

E = 13

4,545

D=0

4,5411

E = 41

-0.08

2,570

54

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

8
&amp;1

(j

....0
I

~

,_1

�ECONOMY

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
The economy of a community is often
difficult to limit to the community's
borders. This is true because many
people do not choose to live and work in
the same community. The St. Joseph
area does seem to offer its residents a
large percentage of their jobs since in
1980, 86.0 percent of the City's workers
lived less than 20 minutes from their
place of employment. While a large
portion of the City's workers were
employed near their homes, at least 14.0
percent worked outside of St. Joseph.
Unemployment

A community's unemployment rate is
often used to indicate the economic
vitality of the area. To better understand
what an area's unemployment rate
means it should be compared with other
unemployment rates to develop a relation
between local and regional rates that

shows the relative economic condition of
an area.
Table D-1 shows the
unemployment rates for St. Joseph,
Benton Harbor, the Benton Harbor MSA
(Berrien County) and Michigan. Between
1988 and September of 1991 the
unemployment rates in St. Joseph have
been consistently lower than for the
County or the State as a whole. The
difference between St. Joseph's
unemployment rate and Benton Harbor's
is so drastically different that it is difficult
to believe the two cities are adjacent to
each other. While St. Joseph's rates are
lower than the comparison areas' rates,
the City's unemployment rates do tend to
relate to the State and County's
unemployment rates - which have risen
since 1988. The Benton Harbor MSA
(Berrien County) and Michigan have had
similar unemployment trends since 1988,
with their trend lines crossing every year
(Figure D-1).

TABLE D-1
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

4.8

5.2

5.2

6.7

22.4

23.9

23.8

28.9

Benton Harbor MSA
(Berrien County)

6.8

7.4

7.3

9.4

Michigan

7.6

7.1

7.5

9.2

St. Joseph
Benton Harbor

SOURCE: Michigan Employment Security Commission

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
FIGURE D-1
UNEMPLOYMENT TRENDS: 1988-1991

UNEMPLOYMENT
RATE (%)

30

25

•

.

. . . . . . . .. .

........•..................•.

20

15

10

•· ....... . .
5

-- - -

- - -

---

- -- -- -- --

---- - --

__.

0--------------------------.. .
198B

19B9

1990

YEAR

SEPTEMBER 1991

-ST. JOSEPH
• • • • • • • • • BENTON HARBOR
· · · · • · · · · BERRIEN COUNTY
- - - - MICHIGAN

SOURCE: Michigan Employment Security Commission

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-2

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY

Employment by Industry

The types of jobs tnat people in a
community have can identify a lot about
the community. Table D-2 compares
employment in St. Joseph with
employment in Berrien County and
Michigan. The information shows that in
1990 St. Joseph had a much lower
percentage of agricultural related
employment (0.2%) than either the
County (2.8%) or the State (2.0%) - this
is not surprising since St. Joseph is an
urban area. It also is not surprising that
the County has a higher percentage of
agricultural employment than the State since Berrien County is a major
agricultural County.
The percentage of construction related
employment in St. Joseph was higher
than either the County or the State in
1990. Construction accounted for 5.3
percent of St. Joseph's employment, 5.0
percent of Berrien County's and 4.9
percent of the State's.
Employment relating to the manufacturing of both nondurable and durable
goods was lower in St. Joseph than
either the County or the State.
In
St. Joseph 5.0 percent of the
employment was related to the
manufacturing of nondurable goods - the
County figure was 6.5 percent and the
State's figure was 5.6. Employment
relating to the manufacturing of durable
goods accounted for 18.7 percent of the
City's employment - lower than the
County's rate of 21.3 percent or the
State's figure of 19.0 percent.
The
manufacturing of durable goods is the
largest employer for all three areas.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Employment relating to transportation
accounts for 2.3 percent of St. Joseph's
jobs - less than the County or the State.
Communications and public utilities
related jobs account for 2.6 percent of
the City's employment. This figure is less
than the County's figure of 2.9 percent
but greater than the State's figure of 2.1
percent.
Wholesale trade in St. Joseph is related
to 5.4 percent of the City's employment.
This is a larger proportion than either the
County or the State. The second largest
employer in St. Joseph is related to retail
trade. With 17.2 percent of the area's
employment related to retail trade,
St. Joseph is very similar to both the
County and the State.
St. Joseph's
figure of 4.9 percent for employment
related to finance, insurance and real
estate (FIRE) is higher than the County
(4.3%) and lower than the State (5.4%).
Employment related to health services in
St. Joseph is lower than either the State
or County - this is unusual since the
Mercy Memorial Medical Center is
located in St. Joseph. Education related
employment in St. Joseph accounted for
9.1 percent of the City's employment lower than Berrien County but higher
than Michigan. In the four remaining
categories (business and repair services,
personal entertainment and recreation
services, public administration and other
professional and related services),
St. Joseph has higher percentages than
either the County or the State.

D-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
TABLE D-2
1990 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY: ST. JOSEPH, BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN

11

0.2

2,044

2.8

2.0

Construction

245

5.3

3,630

5.0

4.9

Manufacturing - Nondurable Goods

233

5.0

4,790

6.5

5.6

Manufacturing - Durable Goods

874

18.7

15,588

21.3

19.0

Transportation

108

2.3

2,411

3.3

3.3

Communication and Other Public
Utilities

119

2.6

2,122

2.9

2.1

Wholesale Trade

252

5.4

3,053

4.2

4.0

Retail Trade

805

17.2

12,300

16.8

18.0

Finance, Insurance and Real Estate

229

4.9

3,167

4.3

5.4

Business and Repair Services

228

4.9

3,089

4.2

4.7

Personal, Entertainment and
Recreation Services

205

4.4

2,622

3.6

3.9

Health Services

356

7.6

5,605

7.7

8.9

Educational Services

426

9.1

7,184

9.8

8.6

Other Professional and Related
Services

398

8.5

3,622

5.0

5.8

Public Administration

182

3.9

1,927

2.6

3.8

Agriculture,Forestry, Fishing, Mining

SOURCE: 1990 U.S. Census of Population
Table D-3 shows how employment
changed in St. Joseph between 1980 and
1990.
Overall, the number of jobs
increased in 11 of the 15 categories.
The most dramatic increase was in
construction. Between 1980 and 1990
the number of construction-related jobs
increased from 129 to 245, or an

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

increase of 89.9 percent. The second
largest increase was in wholesale trade
which increased by 71.4 percent between
1980 and 1990 to reach a 1990 figure of
252 jobs.
The third largest change
occurred in "other professional and
related services" which increased from
304 employees in 1980 to 398 employees

D-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
decreased from 1,065 employees in 1980
to 874 in 1990. The second largest
decrease occurred in the nondurable
manufacturing which decreased from 315
to 233 jobs. The third largest decrease
was in the public administration category
which decreased by 70 personnel during
the period. Overall, manufacturing and
public jobs decreased in the City while all
others either increased or remained
relatively unchanged.

in 1990. This was followed by business
and related services which increased by
88 employees to reaoh a total of 228.
These numeric increases were followed
by health related services, transportation,
education, finance, insurance and real
estate, retail trade,
personal
entertainment and communications and
public utilities. The largest decrease
during the 10-year period occurred in the
manufacturing of durable goods which

TABLE 0-3
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY IN ST. JOSEPH: 1980, 1990
JrtitiAAeriC=

:'.~lf/&lt;,,,

:!li[i.\~; .· ~1~B;::

20

0.5

11

0.2

-9

-45.0

Construction

129

2.9

245

5.3

+116

+89.9

Manufacturing - Nondurable Goods

315

7.1

233

5.0

-82

-26.0

1,065

24.0

874

18.7

-191

-17.9

65

1.0

108

2.3

+43

+66.2

Communication and Other Public Utilities

117

2.6

119

2.6

+2

+1.7

Wholesale Trade

147

3.3

252

5.4

+105

+71.4

Retail Trade

789

17.8

805

17.2

+16

+2.0

Finance, Insurance and Real Estate

210

4.7

229

4.9

+19

+9.0

Business and Repair Services

140

3.1

228

4.9

+88

+62.9

Personal, Entertainment and Recreation
Services

202

4.5

205

4.4

+3

+1.5

Health Services

308

6.9

356

7.6

+48

+15.6

Educational Services

383

8.6

426

9.1

+43

+11.2

Other Professional and Related Services

304

6.8

398

8.5

+94

+30.9

Public Administration

252

5.7

182

3.9

-70

-27.8

4,446

100.0

4,671

100.0

+225

+5.1

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining

Manufacturing - Durable Goods
Transportation

Total

SOURCE: 1980, 1990 U.S. Census of Population

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY

Principal Economic Base Employers

Economic base employers are industries
whose goods or services are chiefly
exported from the area and are often the
reason a variety of other employers
exist in an area. The Principal Economic

Base Employers in Berrien County are
shown in Table D-4. These employers
are essential to the area's economic
stability since they help bring wealth into
the community and because of the
multiplier effect these industries have on
creating jobs in other local industries.

TABLE 0-4
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS IN BERRIEN COUNTY

Whiripool, Benton Harbor

1,885

Home Appliances

Zenith Data Systems, St. Joseph

1,830

Computers, electronic equipment

Bendix Automotive Systems, St. Joseph

1,200

Auto parts

Leco, St. Joseph

1,200

Analytical instruments

United Technologies Auto., Niles

650

Miscellaneous plastic products

Gast Mfg., Benton Harbor &amp; Bridgman

641

Compressors, air and gas

Simplicity Patterns, Niles

509

Dress patterns

Tyler Refrigeration, Niles

484

Refrigeration and heating

Modern Plastics, Benton Harbor

463

Molders, inject. thermoset

Weldun International, Bridgman

425

Flex assembly and test systems

Comstock Mich. Fruit, Benton Harbor

355

Canned fruits

National Standard, Niles

350

Reinforcing and specialty wire

Ag-Tech Crop Sprayer, Niles

300

Horticulture sprayers

Hughes Plastics, St. Joseph

270

Custom molded thermoplastics

Wollin Products, Stevensville

250

Miscellaneous plastic products

Industrial Rubber Goods, St. Joseph

242

Molded and extruded rubber

Premier Tool &amp; Die, Berrien Springs

230

Zinc and aluminum die cast

Sheperd Products, St. Joseph

165

Hardware, stampings

AUSCO Product Company

207

Malleable castings

New Products Corp., Benton Harbor

210

Die cast component parts

Total Employees

11,931

SOURCE: Michigan Department of Commerce, January 1992

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-6

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY

described individually throughout the
Plan, i.e. public employees, school
employees and employees at Mercy
Memorial Medical Center, as well as
others.

Table D-5 lists other employers in the
area that can be considered base
employers - since their products or
services are exported from the area.
Other major employers in the area are

TABLE D-5
OTHER EMPLOYERS IN BERRIEN COUNTY

=

i ::trt=Im:: m:

,5pipl9ye.~s
All Phase Electric, St. Joseph &amp; Benton Harbor

250

Electrical parts distribution

Hanson Mold, St. Joseph

100

Mold manufacturers

Vail Rubberworks, St. Joseph

100

Rubber and polyurethene

Advanced Products Corp., Benton Harbor

30

Tool and die supplies

Alreco Metals, Inc., Benton Harbor

133

Aluminum smelter

Benton Harbor Engineering, Benton Harbor

100

Hydraulic cylinders

Custom Products, Stevensville
D.C. Cook Plant, Bridgman

21

Sheet metal products

750

Nuclear Power Plant

plus (400
contracted
employees)

Cast-Matic Corporation, Stevensville

140

Aluminum and zinc, die casting

KitchenAid, St. Joseph

247

Home Appliances

SOURCE: City of St. Joseph; Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

0-7

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
throughout the County. Table D-6 shows
that two sites of less than .5 acres were
available in St. Joseph in 1991 - a very
small amount of land. Many of the areas
surrounding St. Joseph have large
amounts of available industrial land.

Available Industrial Sites in Berrien
County

The Michigan Department of Commerce
has published a list that details the
amount of industrial land available

TABLE D-6
AVAILABLE INDUSTRIAL SITES
(as of December 1991)

Benton Harbor

18

469

190

0

Benton Township

18

491

199

1

Berrien Springs

1

3

Bridgman

2

107

43

0

Buchanan

4

0

0

1

Buchanan Township

1

5

2

0

Chikaming Township

1

0

0

0

Coloma

1

0

0

0

Hagar Township

2

6

2

0

Lake Township

3

63

25

0

Lincoln Township

3

30

12

0

Niles

8

19

8

Niles Township

6

105

42

0

Oronoko Township

3

34

14

0

St. Joseph

2

0

0

1

St. Joseph Township

4

0

0

0

Stevensville

1

0

0

0

Three Oaks

1

0

0

0

Watervliet

1

25

10

0

Watervliet Township

1

0

0

0

81

1,357

548

4

County Total

0

Zero acres indicates less than half an acre available.

SOURCE: Michigan Department of Commerce

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-8

�r
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY
St. Joseph's median household income
was $15,150, or 93.1 percent of the
County's figure of $16,274. Between
1979 and 1989 the City's per capita
income increased by 99.0 percent nearly doubling in 10 years. In 1989 the
City's per capita income was $18,421, or
145.8 percent of the County's per capita
income of $12,636. Between 1979 and
1989 the household income for
St. Joseph increased by 88.6 percent to
reach a figure of $28,566. This is 104.8
percent of the County's household
income of $27,245 - even though
St. Joseph's average household size is
considerably smaller.

Income

Another major indicate&gt;r of an area's
economic condition is income. Incomes
indicate the buying power of the
residents of an area, when compared
with the surrounding area. In 1979, St.
Joseph's per capita income was $9,257,
or 137.7 percent of Berrien County's per
capita income of $6,723. Table D-7
shows that while the per capita income
was higher in St. Joseph than in Berrien
County, the median household income
was higher in Berrien County - this
can be attributed to
St. Joseph's
smaller median household size. In 1979,

TABLE D-7
INCOME FIGURES FOR ST. JOSEPH AND BERRIEN COUNTY: 1979 AND 1989

:] : : : :~?'ti)
,: :cnahg~(

•
•II
•
•II
•
•

s1siI, ·

tt=::;:::1

St. Joseph

$9,257

$18,421

99.0

$15,150

$28,566

88.6

Berrien County

$6,723

$12,636

88.0

$16,274

$27,245

67.7

St. Joseph as
% of County

137.7%

145.8

93.1%

104.8

SOURCE: 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census of Population

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-9

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ECONOMY

Taxes

The truces in a community are essential to
support the services that are required to
operate and maintain a community.
Table D-8 compares the 1990 State
Equalized Valuations (SEV) and the
various true rates of 1O cities in Western
Michigan (including St. Joseph). By
comparing these cities with each other it
is easier to understand how true rates and
SEVs influence the ways that a city
generates funds. St. Joseph's 1990 SEV
of $188,025,387 is second only to
Holland's SEV of $516,270,200 - but
Holland's population count is over three
times greater than St. Joseph's. The
City's per capita SEV of $20,406 is 146
percent higher than the 1O city average
figure of $14,020. South Haven's per
capita SEV of $17,214 is the second
highest per capita SEV. For comparison,
each community's county, city, school
and total truces are shown in Table D-8.

St. Joseph. While St. Joseph's true rate is
lower than many of the comparison
communities, the SEV in St. Joseph is
higher. This means that even though
St. Joseph's true rates are lower, only one
community (Holland) collected more
truces than St. Joseph. On a per capita
basis, St. Joseph residents paid
$1,220.42 compared to the 1O city
average of $858.52.

In St. Joseph, the County (Berrien) true
rate of 5.99 mils is lower (92%) than the
10 city average county true rate of 6.54
mils. Only Holland's county true rate of
.43 mils is lower. St. Joseph's City true
rate of 16.7 mils is higher (109%) than
the 1O city average true rate of 15.37 mils.
Both Niles (18.65) and Three Rivers
(18. 71) have higher city true rates than
St. Joseph. The school system true rate
of 37 .12 mils in St. Joseph is lower (97%)
than the 10 city average of 40.03 mils.
Of the 1O communities only one, South
Haven, has lower school true rates.
When all of the true rates are combined,
the overall true rate in St. Joseph of 59.81
mils is lower (97%) than the 1O city
average of 61.94 mils.
Of the 10
communities three - Sturgis, South Haven
and Otsego - have lower true rates than

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

D-10

�••••
0

TABLE D-8

§

COMPARISON OF TAX RATES

:111i

~

....0~

!

§
@

~·~~~·~·· ml!llm1

iliBr~Jli'hmi\!lii

St. Joseph

$188,025,387

$20,406

5.99

$1,125,839.61

16.70

$3,139,497.49

37.12

$6,979,591 .96

59.81

$11,244,929.06

$1 ,220.42

Sturgis

$118,822,984

$11 ,730

6.36

$755,714.17

10.80

$1,283,298.70

39.54

$4,698,141 .97

56.70

$6,737,154.84

$665.07

Three Rivers

$n,169,090

$10,491

6.36

$494,611.41

18.71

1,455,110.20

39.32

$3,057,802.85

64.39

$5,007,524.46

$675.51

Allegan

$54,872,255

$12,068

6.76

$370,733.42

14.95

$820,340.21

39.09

$2,144,808.30

60.79

$3,335,881 .93

$733.64

$95,763,996

$17,214

7.24

$693,256.43

16.53

$1 ,583,304.45

I

35.81

I

$3,434,815.12

I

59.64

I

$5,111 ,316.00

I

$1 ,026.67

Niles

$120,175,500

$9,646

5.99

$719,582.80

18.65

$2,241 ,oao.19

I

42.48

I

$5,105,386.11

I

67.12

I

$8,066,oso.so

I

$647.46

Holland

$516,720,200

$16,807

5.43

$2,805,813.82

14.63

$7,560,795.90

I

40.64

I $20,999,687.79 I

60.10

I

$31,366,297.51

I

$1,020.21

Springfield

$45,979,060

$8,237

7.07

$325,094.94

15.50

$712,675.43

49.61

$2,280,920.00

72.18

$3,318,690.37

I

$594.53

Otsego

$53,262,300

$13,529

6.76

$359,856.08

11 .00

$585,892.74

37.36

$1,989,741 .05

55.11

$2,935,489.87

I

$745.62

Hastings

$76,4n,aoo

$11 ,678

7.48

$571,740.38

16.20

$1 ,238,940.36

39.25

$3,002,028.97

62.93

$4,812,109.11

I

$734.88

Average

$134,786,857

$14,020

6.54

$822,224.31

15.37

$2,062,093.63

40.03

$5,369,292.47

61.94

$8,253,610.41

I

$858.52

(')

~

~~...

South Haven

SOURCE: Michigan Department of Treasury; Gove Associates Inc.

~
(")

0I

........

I

�PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

The level of service provided to the
residents of a community can be
measured in several ways - many of
which are difficult to put into quantifiable
figures. Some of the less quantifiable
methods include the feelings of the
community's residents towards the City
and the service provided, the quality of
the City's employees, and other factors
that a number often cannot define. One
method to show the level of service in a
community is to make comparisons with
other communities.
In January of 1992, a survey of 1O
communities (including St. Joseph) was
taken to compare population, total fulltime employees, residents per employee
and employee distribution.
For this
comparison part-time and volunteer
forces were not included. The results of
this survey allow residents to compare
their community with nine other
communities in Western Michigan. The
results of this survey are shown in Table
E-1. The average population of the 1o
communities is 9,614, which is very
similar to St. Joseph's 1990 population of
9,214. The average number of full-time
employees is 91.1 - considerably less
than St. Joseph's work force of 125.
The table shows that St. Joseph has one
employee for every 73. 7 residents, the
only community with more employees
per resident is South Haven with 62.5
residents per employee. The average
number of residents per employee is
105.6. St. Joseph has a considerably
larger proportion of City employees than
the average of the 1O communities. This
means that a higher level of service is
provided to St. Joseph residents than
many other communities in Western
Michigan.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The distribution of City employees is also
shown in Table E-1. St. Joseph's Police
Department employs 26 persons,-or 20.8
percent of the City's work force. This
force is four persons larger than the
average figure for the 1O communities,
but accounts for a smaller percentage of
the communities work force than the
average. The City's Fire Department
employs 14 full-time employees - a larger
force than the 1O community average of
10.3 employees. The percentage of fire
fighters, relative to total City employment,
is 11.2 percent, very similar to the 1O city
average of 11.3 percent. St. Joseph's 53
repair or maintenance related personnel
accounts for 42.4 percent of the City's
employees - higher than the 1O city
average of 38.2 percent. The 13 full-time
employees used to operate the City's
library and other similar resources
accounts for 10.4 percent of City
personnel - higher than the average of
8.5 percent.
The number of
administrative personnel in St. Joseph is
19. This figure accounts for 15.2 percent
of the City's employees and is a lower
percentage than the 1O city average of
17. 1 percent.
These figures indicate that St. Joseph
has more employees per resident than
the average community, but that no
department has a disproportionately high
or low number of employees when
compared with employee distribution in
the nine other communities.

E-1

�TABLE E-1

0

COMPARISON OF COMMUNITIES

§
~
Cll

dll11flllltl

'.'"-l

0
Cll
tTI

~

St. Joseph

~

Sturgis*

9,214

125

73.7

26

20.8

14

11 .2

53

42.4

13

10.4

19

15.2

10,130

101

100.3

16

15.8

14

13.9

44

43.5

9

8.9

14

13.9

4

180.2

16

25.2

9

14.2

25

39.4

3

4.7

10.5

16.5

0

2.1

19

39.6

5

10.4

7

14.6

0

0

Three Rivers

7,413

63.5

Allegan

4,547

48

94.7

16

33.3

South Haven t t

5,563

89

62.5

20

22.5

11

12.4

35

39.3

4

4.5

19

21 .3

0

Niles

12,458

145

85.9

24

16.5

14

9.7

76

52.4

11

7.6

20

13.8

0

Holland

30,745

227.05

135.5

64.0

28.2

27.0

11.9

55.75

24.6

29.55

47.4

20.9

3.35

23.1

10

25.6

0

8

20.5

0

12

46.2

0

6

23.0

0

18

38.3

2

4.3

5

10.6

0

34.8

38.2

7.7

8.5

15.6

17.1

0 .7

4.0

tTI

8
(')

~

Springfield

5,582

39

143.1

12

30.8

9

Otsego

3,937

26

151 .4

8

30.8

0

Hastings

6,549

47

139.3

18

38.3

4

8.5

Average

9,614

91 .1

105.6

22

24.1

10.3

11.3

*An additional 295 employees work in the City-owned Hospital
**Although the 4 full-time Library employees are not City employees, they have been Included in the total count.

SOURCE: 1990 Census of Population; Gove Associates Inc.

tTI

N

I 13.0

1.4

0.8

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

City Hall
The St. Joseph City Hall, located at 620
Broad Street, provides office space for
the City Manager, the City Clerk and
Treasurer, the Assessor, the Community
Development Office and Purchasing,
Engineering Personnel, Inspection
Personnel and various support
personnel.
Additionally, the Police
Department is housed in City Hall and
the Fire Station is connected directly to
the City Hall. The 3-story masonry
building which houses the City offices
currently has 15,438 square feet of
space, an additional 6,754 square feet of
space is located in the adjacent Fire
Station. The City Hall and Fire Station,
which were both built in 1913 and have
since had extensive renovations, were
evaluated in 1991. The report "City
Hall/Fire Station Facilities Study" details
many of the facility's shortcomings and
list the advantages and disadvantages of
renovating the existing building versus
building new facilities. The following
recommendation is taken directly from
the report:
Recommendation
City Hall - The existing City Hall
building was built in 1913 and has
had numerous remodeling in 78
years of service for the people of St.
Joseph.
The structural engineering report
notes that the structure (frame of
building) is in very good condition.
But that pollution and time has taken
its toll on the exterior/interior
architecture of the building. This will
require repairs and updating of
materials.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The mechanical and electrical
engineering reports note that the
building systems need total
replacement. The existing systems
have worked well for many years, but
have become obsolete.
These
systems need to be updated to serve
the people of St. Joseph into the
year 2000 and beyond.
There are code deficiencies, with
the big issue being AD.A. or the
Americans with Disabilities Act, which
becomes effective January 26, 1992.
This is a federal civil rights legislation
designed to improve access to jobs,
work place and commercial spaces
for disabled people. The State of
Michigan is incorporating AD.A.
requirements into its barrier free code
requirements. This means elevators,
ramps and barrier free restrooms are
required in the existing City Hall.
Fire Station - The existing Fire Station
was also built at the same time as
the City Hall in 1913, and has had
many remodelings in 78 years. The
structural engineering report notes
that the building has some structural
problems and will need structural
rework if renovated. The mechanical
and electrical engineering reports
note that this building, like City Hall,
needs total rework of its systems.
Again, time and age have taken their
toll on the building's mechanical and
electrical systems, as was the case
of the electrical fire last year. Like
City Hall, the Fire Station needs work
on code deficiencies such as barrier
free requirements and facilities for
women.

E-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

There are major working problems
trying to run a state-of-the-art Fire
Station in a 78 year old building. The
11 foot high overhead doors with 14
foot high ceiling in existing apparatus
room does not work well with today's
equipment that needs 14 foot high
overhead doors with 16 foot high
ceilings in apparatus bays. This type
of problem has caused damage to
the equipment and could cause injury
to personnel.
Conclusion - The space study shows
that the City government needs now
and in the next five years about 60
percent more space, but that over
the next 20 years only 182 SF of
added space after the first five years
is needed.
The areas with the
greatest needs are the Police, Fire,
Engineering, Inspection and City
Manager/ Personnel Departments.
As part of the space study requirements four renovation/remodeling
concepts have been developed with
preliminary cost estimates.
Estimates for potential construction of an
entirely new facility have also been
prepared. Building a totally new
facility would be the least costly vs.
renovation of existing buildings.
Today a new facility is about 80
percent efficient (ratio of circulation,
exterior walls, mechanical spaces,
etc. to usable space). The existing
City Hall is about 45 percent efficient
with renovation and additions it may
be able to increase efficiency to
about 65 percent to 70 percent.
The existing old buildings have
served the City well for 78 years,
and have a lot of character and

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

sentimental value. The report states
"Renovation of these buildings will
show your commitment to your motto
'Holding onto the past...Reaching out
to the future;' but to do renovation
will be more costly."
Police Department

The City's Police Department, which is
located in the City Hall, occupies 3,289
square feet of space throughout the City
Hall. The City maintains no holding cells
due to insurance costs and the
availability of County Jail holding cells.
The Department has 19 full-time certified
officers including the Police Chief, two
Lieutenants and a Detective and one
part-time certified officer. In addition to
the officers the Department consists of
four 911 dispatchers, two clerical
employees and one parking enforcement
officer. The Department has five marked
vehicles, one of which is a reserve
vehicle, three unmarked vehicles and a
van which is used by the Department for
a variety of purposes. The Department
has a four person dive team (soon to be
a 5 person unit). With two rivers running
through the City, and Lake Michigan this
seems a necessity.
Some of the needs facing the
Department include the need to update
the communication equipment used by
the Department, more personnel and
more training. The increased demands
placed on law enforcement personnel
requires that training is constantly
updated. Some of the goals of the St.
Joseph Police Department include
expanding cooperative efforts with St.
Joseph Township and Lincoln Township,
and instituting a Marina Patrol for the
many marinas in the community.
E-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

In 1990 there were 1,932 complaints, or
five percent less than the 2,033
complaints filed in 1989. While the
number of complaints decreased
between 1989 and 1990, the number of
criminal arrests increased. In 1989 there
were 539 arrests, this number increased
by 20.2 percent in 1990 to 648 arrests.
During the same period the number of
traffic arrests increased by 24.2 percent from 3,229 in 1989 to 4,011 in 1990. In
1990 the City issued $47,331 dollars
worth of parking tickets.
Fire Department

The Fire Department is located adjacent
to the City Hall, in the 2-story fire station.
The Department consists of 14 full-time
personnel including the Fire Chief and
the Fire Marshall. In addition to the 14
full-time personnel there are 11 paid, oncall firefighters. Ideally, the fire station is
staffed by four firefighters at any time,
but a minimum of three firefighters is
allowed. The four police dispatchers are
also used to dispatch the Fire Department for fire and other emergencies. The
Department has three engines one of
which is used as a reserve unit. The
newest engine is a 1983 Pierce that is
capable of pumping 1,000 gallons per
minute. The second on-line engine is a
1973 American LeFrance capable of
pumping 1,500 gallons per minute. This
vehicle is also fitted with a 50 foot
"telesquirt" which assists in fighting fires
in multi-story buildings. The reserve
engine is a 1954 American LeFrance that
is capable of pumping 1,000 gallons per
minute. In addition to the fire engines
the Department maintains a utility /pickup
truck, a van for the inspector and a
station wagon for the Fire Chief.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The City's water system provides an
overall flow of 3,500 gallons per minute
for fire fighting.; In 1990 the Department
responded to 199 calls, usually the
Department responds to between 220
and 225 calls per year. The Department
currently has several needs. The major
need is to update its facilities by either
renovating the existing building or
building a new facility. If a new facility is
built it should be more centrally located
than the existing station. Another major
requirement is the addition of a
ladder/pumper truck to the Fire Station's
fleet of vehicles.
Updating existing
vehicles is another need, as is replacing
4" fire mains and providing improved
maintenance to hydrants. Some of the
goals of the Department include
increasing crew sizes to five people
(instead of 4). This would allow for safer
operation of the vehicles by allowing
more than one person operate an
engine. Another goal is to increase
support staff by adding a secretary/
clerical worker to the Department.
Increasing computer literacy for Fire
Department members is also a goal of
the Department.
Recreational Facilities

The parks and other recreation related
facilities in and around a community
directly contribute to the quality of life for
area residents. St. Joseph is aware of
the importance of recreation to an area
and has implemented a 5-year recreation
plan to guide the City's recreational
programs into the future. The following
inventory of area facilities is taken from
the Plan:

E-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES
TABLE E-2
RECREATIONAL AREA FACILITIES

, ':tl; " r vtit~ m•::c:t? \lf

-:.--·

.-,.-.

lii'

it

\F

..
:~::;:;::::

,:;@(\= -. Fibillttea .·

....

t;t:,.lK. ?f ,

.•.--·
--:-:-.

t h:;tes ,.,
'-:-:-::-·

Berrien County Facilitie•

Rocky Gap Park

Swimming , Picnic /vea

Madaline Bertrand Park

Hiking, Shelter, Disc Golf Course, Nature lveas

Love Creek Park

Nature Center, Exhibits, Hiking, Restrooms, Book Store

11.0

Silver Beach/Broad Street

Under Development

22.0

3.0

Total Acreage
State of Michigan

157.0

Facilitia■

Warren Dunes State Park

Camping , Swimming, Hiking, Lake Michigan Shore Sand Dunes

Warren Woods State Park

Hiking , Picnic /veas, Educational Programs

Grand Mere State Park

Hiking, Educational Programs

1,190.0
500.0
1,022.0

Total Acreage
City of St. Joseph

121 .0

2,712.0

Facilitie ■

Tlscornia Park{Tiscornia Park Drive

Swimming , Picnic lvea, Pavilion, Lifeguards, Restrooms

16.0

West Basin Marina/ Edgewater

79 Slips, 100 A. of Broadside Dockage 94 off-street Parking

7.96

Spaces, Restrooms, Store
Bluff Park/ Lake Blvd .

Lake View, Memorials, Band Shell , Restrooms, Formal Garden,

7.34

Community Events
Upton lvboretum/ Blossomland Bridge

River, Frontage, Asphalt Paths, Lighting, Benches, Gazebo

Kiwanis Park/Wolcott Avenue

Large Playfield, 2 Ball Diamond (1 Lighted), 6 Lighted Tennis

2.3
19.2

Courts, 2 Horseshoe Pits, 1 Basketball Court, 2 Shuffleboard
Courts, Shelter, Restrooms, Off-street Parking

'
'

I

Point Park/ State and Main

Passive Recreation, Aesthetic Value

0.3

Boat Launch Site/Industrial Island

Concrete Launch Ramp

3.0

Lion 's Park/ Pine Street

Passive Recreation, Lake View, Hiking

Milton Park/ Niles Avenue

Small Neighborhood Park, Lights, Sandlot, Paths

Stubblefield Tennis Courts/ St. Joseph H.S.

7 Tennis Courts

Dickenson Park/ Lakeview

2 Ballfields (1 Lighted)

8.39

Whittlesey Park/ Napier Avenue

lee Skating with Warming House, Rocket (Youth) Football

2.64

Lookout Park/ Lakeshore Drive

Passive Recreation, Picnic lvea

8.96

Riverview Park/ Niles Ave. South

Passive Recreation, Fully Enclosed Lodge, 2 Shelters 2 Picnic
/veas, 3 Ballfields (1 Lighted), Restrooms, Boat Launch, Park,
Fee for Non-City Residents

(St. Joseph Township)

17.22
2.12
4.0

Total Acreage

107.00

206.43

SOURCE: City of St Joseph Recreation Plan, 1990

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-6

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIF.S

The City's 1990-1995 Recreation Plan
has determined that an adequate amount
of land is currently devoted to public
recreational purposes. The plan stresses
the importance of the City's location at
the mouth of the St. Joseph River and
feels the expansion of marina services
should be encouraged. The long-range
objectives from the City's 1990-95
Recreation plan are listed on the
following page.

In addition to the parks, the area's
schools are also used for many
recreational activities as described in the
public schools section of this Plan.
St. Joseph's proximity to Lake Michigan
provides many recreational opportunities
that relate to the lake. In the City's
boundaries, there are several marinas
(Table E-3) offering a total of 740 slips.
In addition to the 740 slips in St. Joseph
there are currently an additional 780 slips
in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph
Township.

TABLE E-3
MARINAS IN THE CITY OF ST. JOSEPH AND NEARBY MARINAS

________________ ______
,,,::c Name .

........_

# of Slrps -

.;.;.;.._

City of St. Joseph
Brian's Harbor

220

Harbor Isle Marina

175 (42 owned by condominium •
50-75 additional slips
planned)
_,;__..;..__..;.._

Pier 33 -

East
South
West

_____

~

44
127

49

Waterfront Marina

53

West Basin Marina

72

Shoreview Condominiums

18

Total

758

Nearby Marinas
Eagle Point (St. Joseph Township)

503 (more planned)

--'----------~

New Harbor Marina (City of Benton
Harbor)

56 (107 more planned • engineering and
permits ready • waiting for economy)

Pier 1000 (Benton Harbor)

220

ng

Total (Existing)
SOURCE: City of St Joseph, Gove Associates Inc.

0
-

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

- - - - - - - - ~ ~- - --

-----

E-7

--

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

Long-Range Objectives
Lookout Park:
A) Expansion of Lookout Park
should be programmed to
provide erosion protection along
the edge of Lakeshore Drive.
Silver Beach Area:
A) Continue to work with Berrien
County and adjoining property
owners to assure a public beach
access to Lake Michigan.
B) Facilitate residential development
and similar land uses that will
compliment the recreational
activities anticipated in this area.
School District Facilities:
A) Continue to work with the School
District to provide a broad range
of recreational facilities and
programs.
B) Maintain a formalized relationship
with the School District to assure
continuing funding for any joint
recreational activities.
Ravine Area Protection:
A) Provide protection for major
ravine areas in the City through
scenic easements, dedications,
or reservations.
B) Encourage protection of such
areas by allowing density credits
in development proposals.
C) Acquire ravine areas wherever
possible.
Bike Path System:
A) Implement the Bike Path System
as previously recommended.
B) Provide for dedications and/ or
reservations of the bike path

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

system when new development
takes place.
Marina Improvements:
A) Continue to refine and improve
facilities at West Basin Marina.
B) Provide additional slips and
dockage in the St. Joseph River
to enhance the leisure-time
recreational opportunities
provided by these natural
resources.
School District

An area's school system is an important
part of a community. Schools educate
the area's youth and prepare them for
adult life in the community. Not only do
a
community's schools benefit the
existing residents, they are often the
reason new residents choose one
community over another. Schools also
are an important part of a community's
social character. Since schools are vital
to a community's well-being, it is
essential that a thorough description of
the school system is included in this
Plan, and that the system is included in
the planning process.
The St. Joseph Public School District
covers 22 square miles of land and
serves residents in the City of St. Joseph
and portions of St. Joseph, Lincoln and
Royalton townships. Between the 197778 school year and the 1991-92 school
year, overall enrollment in the School
District decreased by 33.0 percent.
Table E-4 breaks the student enrollment
into three separate school age categories
and shows total enrollment figures for the
District. Between 1977-78 and 1981-82
overall enrollment decreased by 23.0
percent with similar decreases in the
E-8

�j, 1, 1

11

0

TABLE E-4

(')

~

STUDENT ENROLLMENT TRENDS

~ I,·

.• I ...,.,.·.,.·.,.·.·.,.,.·.,.,.. v,, , , ........ -,.......·.L.,. ,......,.,.......,.•. L,.,,-,., ....................,.. , .

~

.....

ta1r lffl

0
Cl.)

~
j
&gt;
@
0

n

Elem.

(tl!i

1

1

llill llm

•

1,716

1,571

1,456

1,387.3

1,290

-24.8

1,212

1,151

1,150

1,142

1,147

-5.4

1,004

1,039

1,056

1,113

1;-160

+ 15.5

-32.4

567

584

520

450

460

-18.9

496

490

445

400

255

-28.4

538

523

507

529

551

+2.4

-2.8

1,427

1,294

1,230

1,179

1,108

-22.4

1,029

1,017

976

988

1,004

-2.4

924

866

818

770

774

-16.2

-45.8

-23.o I

2,131

2,506

-s.4 I 2,466

2,485

+0.8

-33.0

(K-5)
Middle
School

(6-8)

"'1:1

~

High
School

(9-12)
Total

3,110

I

3,449

I

3,206

I

3,016*

I

2,asa••

*Includes 7 Special Education Students
**Includes 15 Special Education Students
SOURCE: St. Joseph Public Schools; Gove Associates Inc.

tT1

\0

I

2,658

I

2,511

I

2,530

I

I

2,428

I

2,381

I

2,412

I

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

three school age categories. Between
1982-83 and 1986-87 overall enrollment
figures decreased by 8.4 percent - a
much smaller percentage decrease than
the previous period. During this period
the middle school enrollment figures
decreased by 28.4 percent - a much
greater decrease than elementary school
or high school figures. Enrollment in the
St. Joseph Public School System
increased by 0.8 percent between 198788 and 1991-92. The majority of the
increase is due to the 15.5 percent
increase in elementary students.
Between 1977-78 and 1991-92
elementary student enrollment decreased
by 32.4 percent, Middle School
enrollment decreased by 2.8 percent and
High School enrollment decreased by
45.8 percent. The total student count in
1991-92 of 2,485 students was 1,225 less
than the 1977-78 figure of 3,710.
Enrollment projections for the School
District indicate an increase in total
students between 1992-93 and 1996-97
of 9.0 percent. Table E-5 shows the
projections for the three age groups.

Table E-6 shows the level of service
provided by the School District during the
1981-82 and 1991-92 school years.
During this 1O year period the overall
staff size of the school system has
decreased by 19.5 percent but the
number of students per teacher (class
size) has also decreased. Table E-6
shows that during the 1981-82 school
year there were 21.1 students per
teacher. During the 1991-92 school year
there were 20.3 students per teacher - so
more attention could be given to
students during the 1991-92 school year.
This is not due to the hiring of additional
teachers, but is due to fewer students.
During the 1O year period the number of
teachers decreased from 135.5 to 122.7 a 9.4 percent decrease. During the
same period the number of students
decreased from 2,858 to 2,485 -a
decrease of 13.1 percent. Overall, the
number of students to School District
employees increased from 10.2 during
the 1981-82 school year to 11.0 during
the 1992-92 school year. The major
changes in the distribution of employment occurred between professional
occupations and nonprofessional
occupations.

TABLE E-5
FIVE YEAR STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS

1,191

1,218

1,212

1,251

1,264

+6.1

Middle School {6-8)

572

605

628

636

646

+12.9

High School {9-12)

765

746

782

816

846

+10.6

2,528

2,569

2,622

2,703

2,756

+9.0

Elementary (K-5)

Total

SOURCE: St. Joseph Public Schools

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-10

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

personnel, food service employees,
operations/maintenance staff and
transportation employees. It is apparent
that the school system desires to keep
the number of employees that are
directly involved in teaching the student
as high as possible, while cutting back
on the number of employees that are not
directly involved in the education of
St. Joseph's youth.

The number of students per professional
School District staff decreased from 17.4
in 1981-82 to 16.5 in, 1991-92. The
number of students per nonprofessional
School District staff increased from
24.5 in 1981-82 to 32.9 in 1991-92, both
in the number of employees and in the
staff to student ratio has been in
the noninstructional
support
staff.
These employees include administrative

TABLE E-6
LEVEL OF SERVICE FOR ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL DISTRICT
,',''\:}•:•
.

Classification

Number

Classroom Teachers
Professional
Nonprofessional

1991-92

1981-82

Ratio of
Students·.••·
to Staff

Number

. Ratio of
.•.$tudents
to Staff

%Change
1981-82 to
· 1991-92

135.5
134.0
1.5

21.1

122.7
121.2
1.5

20.3

-9.4

7.0
7.0
0.0

408.3

14.8
6.3
8.5

167.9

+111.4

Professional
No.,professional
Pupil Services
Professional
Nonprofessional

7.5
6.5
1.0

381.1

10.3
9.3
1.0

241 .3

-36.7

Instructional Support Staff
Professional
Nonprofessional

8.0
2.0
6.0

357.3

8.0
3.0
5.0

310.6

0.0

123.0
15.0
108.0

23.2

70.5
11 .0
59.5

35.2

-42.7

-

-13.1

Added Needs

Noninstructionai Support Staff
Professional
Nonprofessional
Student Count

2,858

-

2,485

Professional Subtotal

164.5

17.4

150.8

16.5

-8.3

Nonprofessional Subtotal

116.5

24.5

75.5

32.9

-35.2

281

10.2

226.3

11.0

-19.5

Total

SOURCE: St. Joseph School District; Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-11

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIFB

St. Joseph Beauty College is also located
in the Jefferson School building. The
North Lincoln School property is being
leased to the Berrien County Intermediate
School District which uses the facility for
special education programs.
The
Washington School was sold to
KitchenAid.

During the 1991-92 school year, there
were 226.2 School District employees.
This figure includes 127.5 professional
teaching staff members and nine
nonprofessional teaching staff members.
Instructional support staff, i.e.
counselors, account for 10.3 staff
members and instructional staff services,
i.e. library personnel, account for eight
staff members. The administrative staff
consists of 21 people, food service
accounts for 12 people, operations and
maintenance accounts for 26 employees
and the transportation staff accounts for
8.5 members.

The transportation of students to school
and special events is accomplished by
the 8.5 person transportation staff and
the seven school buses the District
maintains.
The existing problems currently facing
the District are related more to external
relations with the State of Michigan than
internal operations of the school system.
It is not felt that any serious problems are
currently facing the School District.
Short-range goals are developed annually
that relate to the operation of the School
District and these short-range goals are
often related to longer-range goals.

The St. Joseph School District consists of
five schools. These schools are listed in
Table E-7. Since 1980 three schools
have been closed in the St. Joseph
School District: Jefferson, North Lincoln
and Washington.
Jefferson School is now being used for
School District Administration personnel
and alternative education programs. The

TABLE E-7
ST. JOSEPH PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES

Grades Served

K-5

K-5

K-5

6-8

9-12

1991-92 Student Count

353

405

402

551

n4

Year School Built

1958

1964

1948

1967

1957

Major Renovations

1963

1953

Major Facilities

Student Capacity
Acreage/Site Size

1959
Gym,
Planetarium,
Auditorium

Gym,
Auditorium,
Pool

420

504

448

520

1,574

7

10

4.83

35

31.5

SOURCE: St. Joseph Public Schools

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-12

•

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

Mercy Memorial Medical Center

Mercy Memorial MedicaJ Center (MMMC)
is part of the Lakeland Regional Health
System which is also comprised of Mercy
Center in Benton Harbor, Pawating
Hospital in Niles, Mercy Memorial
Nursing Care Center in St. Joseph and
several specialized clinics throughout the
area.
MMMC was built in 1951 (at that time it
was called Memorial Hospital) and
expanded in 1969. In 1977 Memorial
Hospital merged with Mercy Hospital in
Benton Harbor to form the Southwestern
Michigan Health Care Association. In
1985 Memorial Hospital was renamed the
Mercy Memorial Medical Center. In 1990
consolidation of acute care to MMMC
was completed.

In 1988 MMMC opened a lab and X-Ray
Center at 2500 Niles Road and in 1989 a
speech and learning clinic in Berrien
Springs. The following year MMMC
opened Lakeside Lab, X-Ray and
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Center and Pharmacy in the Cedarwood
Medical Center.
In 1991 MMMC
acquired Shoreham Terrace Nursing
Home and opened a pharmacy in Berrien
Springs.
A _partial listing of the center's extensive
services, facilities and capabilities are:
Heart Center - This program was
initiated in 1972 and expanded in 1990.
The facilities include:

•
•
•
•

0

Two cardiac catheterization labs
Short- and long-term recovery
EKG room
Education/screening room
CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

•

Cardiac surgery facilities

The center is capable of performing any
type of cardiac surgery except
transplants and pediatric cardiac surgery.
Nuclear Center - This program, which
uses radioactive isotopes to diagnose
and treat diseases, was instituted in 1974
and expanded in 1990. The center
maintains a testing laboratory, SPECT
camera and a hot lab. The center is
capable of diagnosing and treating a
variety of disorders affecting the thyroid,
bones, brain, liver, lungs and other areas
of the body.
Cancer Care Center - This program was
also instituted in 1974 and expanded in
1990. The center maintains a linear
accelerator and simulator, a 20 bed
inpatient center and seven outpatient
rooms.
The Cancer Care Center's
capabilities include radiation oncology
therapy and chemotherapy.
Surgery .-- The surgery facilities were
expanded in 1985 and consist of five
general surgery suites, three specialized
surgery suites, an endoscopic
procedures room,
a cytosopic
procedures room, pre- and post-surgery
rooms and outpatient rooms. The center
is capable of a variety of surgical
procedures such as:

•
•
•
•
•
•

Cardiac Surgery
Vascular Surgery
Neurosurgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Ophthalmologic Surgery

E-13

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

The team also has 24 hour anesthesia
coverage, laser surgery and a respiratory
therapy team for open heart surgery.
Critical Care Unit - This unit was

expanded in 1990 and consists of a 22
bed critical care unit with individual
rooms. Each room is equipped with a
variety of monitoring equipment.
Capabilities of the unit include a
combined medical/surgical critical care
unit and a 2-1 patient/nurse ratio.
Rehabilitation Center - This center was

established in 1988 and expanded in
1989. The center includes a 10 bed
inpatient rehabilitation unit, outpatient
facilities, a sports medicine center and a
speech therapy center.
Capabilities
include rehabilitation for victims of
strokes, accidents and debilitating
disease with physical, occupational and
recreational therapy. The center can
also treat a variety of disorders
associated with speech, language,
hearing and swallowing.
Family Birthing Center - The center was

expanded in 1985 and includes five
labor-delivery-recovery rooms, a surgical
suite and four nurseries.

1,894 employees - up nearly 20 percent
from the 1990 count of 1,586. In 1992
there were 145 doctors affiliated with
MMMC - up 45 percent from 100 doctors
in 1988.
Table E-8 shows some selected statistics
for MMMC such as the number of
admissions between 1989 and 1991.
Current issues being faced by MMMC
include the combining of health care
services to provide a more regional
approach to health care; the decreasing
availability of qualified health care
workers; and charitable care for
uninsured users of the center's facilities.
The goals of MMMC includes providing a
comprehensive system of health care
serving all stages of life and responding
to the needs of the community. MMMC
will seek new opportunities and initiate
alliances to meet these goals. MMMC
will also continue to promote more
interaction between physicians and other
health care providers. The center will
advocate ·equal access to health care to
improve the health status of area
residents.
MMMC recently purchased the Lakeview

Radiology - In addition to facilities
located at MMMC, two outpatient
locations are available.

School property and is devising a plan to
develop the property.

Other services include a pediatrics
facility, a substance abuse treatment
program, 24 hour emergency room
services, a psychiatric unit and a variety
of other services.
In 1992 the 280 bed facility had 1,794
employees, plus an additional 100 at the
MMMC Nursing Care Center for a total of

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-14

]

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES
TABLE E-8
SELECTED STATISTICS

!~!2l !•:• 1•!·
)J j 9$Qf 1991}&gt;
1

1

1

1

!l:! li:l !i

1

1

Admissions
Angioplasty*
Ambulatory
Care*
Births
Cardiac
Catheterization *
Surgery
X-Ray

11,100

10,419

-6.1

9,905

-4.9

177

294

66.1

514

74.8

11,628

13,341

14.7

17,002

27.4

1,203

1,357

12.8

1,174

-13.5

862

1,177

36.5

1,515

28.7

7,977

9,092

14.0

9,658

6.2

62,088

74,699

20.3

77,811

4.2

*Primarily outpatient
SOURCE: Mercy Memorial Medical Center

,
,

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-15

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

residents. Table E-9 lists churches that
are in and around St. Joseph.

Churches

Churches are an important part of
community life for many of St. Joseph's
TABLE E-9
CHURCHES IN THE ST. JOSEPH AREA

American Baptist church of St. Joseph

3265 S. Cleveland, St. Joseph, Michigan

First Baptist Church

902 Broad, St. Joseph, Michigan

First Landmark Missionary Baptist Church
Chapel

3835 Washington, St. Joseph, Michigan

Niles Avenue Baptist Church - SBC

1301 Niles Avenue, St. Joseph, Michigan

Oakridge Baptist Church

766 Oakridge Drive, St. JosepO00h, Michigan

North Lincoln Baptist Church

683 Maiden, St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Joseph Catholic Church

211 Church St., St. Joseph, Michigan

Niles Road Community Church

3800 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan

Riverview Park Christian Church

2929 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan

Christman Reformed Church of St. Joseph

3275 Washington St., St. Joseph, Michigan

First Church of the Nazarene

3351 Niles Avenue, St. Joseph, Michigan

First Congregational Church

2001 Niles Avenue, St. Joseph, Michigan

Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ

1200 W. Glenlord Road, St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

914 Lane Drive, St. Joseph, Michigan

Chapel An Evangelical Free Church

4250 Washington, St. Joseph, Michigan

Grace Lutheran Church

404 E. Glenlord Road, St. Joseph, Michigan

Saran Lutheran Church - ELCA

510 Main St., St. Joseph, Michigan

Trinity Lutheran Church

715 Market, St. Joseph, Michigan

Church of Christ

3550 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Joseph Seventh-Day Adventist Church

2929 Niles Avenue, St. Joseph, Michigan

Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

4340 Lincoln St., St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Peter's United Church of Christ

623 Church St., St. Joseph, Michigan

Zion Evangelical UCC Church

3001 Veronica, St. Joseph, Michigan

Arden Limited Methodist Church

4841 N. US-31, St Joseph, Michigan

First United Methodist Church

3003 Leco Court, St. Joseph, Michigan

SOURCE: 1988-89 Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Ameritech PagesPlus

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-16

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES
Historic Sites

There are currently nine historic sites in
St. Joseph that are listed on the State's
Register of Historic Sites. None of the
sites are listed on the National Register

of Historic Sites. Table E-1 0 lists the
sites, the location and the date the site
was put on the State's Register of
Historic Sites and the date a marker was
placed on the site.

TABLE E-10
HISTORIC SITES IN ST. JOSEPH

·. ·...,tr::H1is Bi~J~~#efi.I:I:
William Burnett Trading Post

East of Miller Dr. and Langley
Ave., on the western shore of
the St. Joseph River

State Register - 03-13-62
Marker - o1-17-65

Congregational Church of
St. Joseph

601 Main Street

State Register - 03-13-62

William S. Dunbar House

814 State Street

State Register - 01-18-80

Edgewater Club Annex

375 North Ridgeway Street

State Register - 07-20-84

Fort Miami

Lake Boulevard and Ship Street

State Register - 02-18-56
Marker - 04-26-56

Fort St. Joseph and
St. Joseph Mission

200 Lake Boulevard

State Register - 07-20-89

Herring's First Flight

Silver Beach

State Register - 05-10-68

Old St. Joseph Historic District

State and Main Streets and
Lake Boulevard

State Register - 09-17-81
Markers (2) - 08-07-84

St. Joseph Public Library

500 Main Street, corner of Elm
Street

State Register - 06-18-82

SOURCE: Michigan Department of State Bureau of History

The YWCA of Southwestern Michigan

The YWCA, located at 508 Pleasant
Street, has been located in the present
building since 1925. An addition to the
building was completed in 1958.
Facilities at the center include a fitness
center, swimming pool, gymnasium,
Nautilus room and a day care center,

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

which currently serves 80 families. The
YWCA offers many programs for area
residents such as swimming lessons,
gymnastics .ballet, Tae Kwon-Do,
aerobics, aqua-aerobics, yoga, senior
fitness classes and babysitting for users
of the facilities. The center has a staff of
60 and currently has approximately 1,500
members.

E-17

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

KRASL Art Center

The KRASL Art Center, located at 707
Lake Boulevard, is a nonprofit organization supported by memberships and
donations. The Center is accredited by
the American Association of Museums
and is open seven days a week, free of
charge. The Art Center is sponsored by
the St. Joseph Art Association and was
opened in 1980. The Center is operated
by four full-time employees and two parttime employees. Additionally there are
numerous volunteers that help make
many of the Center's programs a
success.
The 3-level building, which is
handicapped accessible, offers 2,200
square feet of exhibition space plus an
additional 2,000 square feet of classroom
space.
The three galleries house
numerous exhibitions that are changed
monthly.
In addition to the many
exhibitions, the Center sponsors a
number of classes for people of all ages.
Other opportunities include day trips,
travel abroad, an art shop, music
programs and dinner lectures - as well as
a variety of other opportunities. The
KRASL Art Center has between 20,000
and 25,000 visitors annually. The Center
also sponsors an art fair every July that
attracts as many as 75,000 people from
around the Midwest to the two day fair.
The Benton Harbor-St. Joseph
YMCA Family Center

The YMCA, located at 3665 Hollywood
Road was opened in 1981 replacing an
older facility in Benton Harbor. In 1984
an addition was added to the YMCA that
includes four racquetball courts and a
mens' full service area.
In 1987

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

additional parking and a multipurpose
room was added. Recent membership
trends indicate an increase in the number
of users. Table E-11 shows membership
trends, by sex, between 1988 and 1990.
TABLE E-11

YMCA MEMBERSHIP TRENDS

%

':) 988

1"989

1990

:::,

Increase
' 88-90

Male

1,783

2,749

3,224

80.8

Female

1,402

2,228

2,557

82.4

Total

3,185

4,977

5,781

81 .5

SOURCE: Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA

These dramatic increases demonstrate
the important role the YMCA plays in the
St. Joseph area. The YMCA estimates
that 49 percent of its members live in
St. Joseph, the remaining members live
in the surrounding communities. Since a
large portion of the YMCA's income
(55. 7% in 1990) are from membership
dues, the total income has increased
along with the memberships. In 1990 the
YMCA's income was $906,380. Programs
currently sponsored by the YMCA
include the following:
- Exercise and Aerobic Classes
- Prenatal Exercise Classes
- Strength Training Classes
- CPR Training
- Arthritis Classes
- Aquatics for Various Ages
-Youth Team Sports
- Karate
- Racquetball
- Adult League Sports
-Golf
-Day Camp

E-18

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

-

Nursery and Preschool Programs
Halloween Party
Leadership Training •
Plus many others

The YMCA is aware of the importance of
planning for the future. More information
relating to the YMCA can be found in the
report titled "YMCA Moving Ahead: A
Working Paper Developed for Use at the
Long-Range Planning Meeting, June 20,
1991".
Maud Preston Palenske
Memorial Library

The City of St. Joseph, as well as the
Charter Township of St. Joseph is served
by the Maud Preston Palenske Memorial
Library. The Library, built in 1966 with an
addition added in 1981, has
approximately 25,000 square feet. In
December 1991 the Library had 72,475
volumes. Additionally, the library houses
many periodicals, records, audio and
video cassettes, toys, cameras,
microfiche and other media forms. The
Library offers a TDD (Telecommunication
Device for the Deaf) to allow people with
a hearing impairment to communicate
using the telephone system. Enlarging
equipment and a magnifier are available
for the visually impaired. A variety of
programs are offered for residents of all
ages including story hours, cooking
contests, crafts, puppet shows and a pet
show in the summer for area children.
Programs designed for adults include
photography shows, art exhibits,
,. -genealogy, a book club, investment
counseling and various club meetings.
The Maud Preston Palenske Memorial
Library is a member of the Southwest
Michigan Library Consortium and the
Michigan Library Association.
The

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Library has 12 employees - several of
which are considered part-time. The
circulation in 1990-1991 was 185,251. At
the time of this report the Library's Board
is conducting a needs analysis.
Preliminary data indicates the Library is in
need of additional seating space,
periodicals and audio books.
Water

Lake Michigan offers an unlimited source
of fresh water for the people and
businesses of St. Joseph. Water is
drawn from the Lake via an intake riser
1,500 feet from shore from a depth of
14.5 feet. The water is considered to be
moderately soft but is influenced by
weather conditions, discharge from the
St. Joseph River and the shifting
topography of the Lake bottom. The City
of St. Joseph's water system provides
water for 9,214 residents. In addition,
the system provides water for over 82
percent of St. Joseph Township's 9,613
residents, nearly 86 percent of Lincoln
Township's 13,604 residents, all of
Stevensville's 1,230 residents, 100
percent of Shoreham's 737 residents and
74 of Royalton Township's residents. 1
Applying the 1980 percentages, and 1990
Census figures, a total of 30,837
residents are served by the water
system.
The water treatment plant,
originally built in 1931, has had numerous
improvements. In 1975-76 the plant's
capacity was expanded to 16 million
gallons per day. In 1972 a booster pump
station was constructed at Marquette
Woods Road in Lincoln Township and in

1

1990 Census of Population, City of
St. Joseph
E-19

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACIL~
FIGURE E-1

1967 a 750,000 gallon elevated tank was
constructed.

AVERAGE DAILY WATER PRODUCTION
Figure E-1 shows the daily amount of
water produced by the plant based on
yearly averages.
The 6.068 million
gallons per day produced in 1988 was
27.7 percent higher than the 1980
average of 4.753 million gallons per day.
On June 13, 1988, the plant produced
15.39 million gallons of water to meet
high demands brought on by the
drought.
This figure (15.39 million
gallons per day) represents 96.2 percent
of the plant's designed capacity. The
average per capita production in 1988
was 192 gallons per day. The St. Joseph
Water system has a total storage capacity of 5.12 million gallons. Over half (2.87
million gallons) of the storage capacity is
located at the treatment plant. The
remaining storage areas are the elevated
storage (0.75 million gallons) and ground
storage (1.5 million gallons) tanks.
Emergency water supplies are available
via interconnections between the City of
Benton Harbor and St. Joseph.
Wastewater Treatment

In May of 1991 the "Benton Harbor/St.
Joseph Area-Wide Sewer/Water Study"
was completed for the Community
Economic Development Corporation.
The report details existing capacities of
the water and sewage treatment facilities.
Wastewater treatment is provided by the
joint wastewater treatment plant owned
and operated by the City of St. Joseph
and the City of Benton Harbor. An eight
member Board with three representatives
from St. Joseph operates metering
stations to determine the wastewater
flows from each municipality using the

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

AVERAGE DAILY PRODUCTION
(MIWONS OF GALLONS)

7-r-------------•

4+-----------~•
3+-----------~•
2~------------11

0

..,__-r--.---r----.----,---.-........--.---...,......J
~

~

#

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

YEAR

SOURCE: City of St. Joseph
facilities.
These flows are used to
determine the distribution of costs for
operating the treatment plant between
the users of the system.
The treatment plant is located on Marina
Island, within the City of St. Joseph. St.
Joseph has a gravity sewer which was
built in the early 1950s in conjunction
with the treatment plant and Benton
Harbor's gravity sewer system.
In
addition to these two gravity systems, a
20 inch force main was constructed in
1976.
A modified activated sludge process for
secondary treatment is used to treat the
area's wastewater. Anaerobic digestion
is used to stabilize the sludge and
vacuum filtration is used for sludge
dewatering.
Phosphorus removal is
performed by chemical precipitation. The
plant was designed to provide 90 percent
removal of suspended solids and
biological oxygen demand (BOD), and 90
E-20

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

percent removal of phosphorus. The
plant is designed to process an average
wastewater flow of 13~0 million gallons
per day (mgd) with a maximum daily
wastewater flow of 19.5 mgd. The peak
hydraulic capacity of the plant is 24.0
mgd. The plant design is also based on
a raw wastewater suspended solids load
of 28,200 lb/day and biological oxygen
demand (BOD) of 37,950 lb/day. 2 The
treatment plant is well maintained and
consistently provides quality treatment at
an affordable cost. The plant currently
has the capacity to meet the area's
wastewater needs. Projections -indicate
that in 2010 the plant will be able to
adequately handle the average daily
wastewater flow, but peak day flow will
exceed the plant's current capacity.
Improvements to the plant that will allow
it to meet peak day flows is estimated to
cost $1.5 million (CEDC). While the
combined treatment plant is shared by
Benton Harbor, Benton Charter
Township, St. Joseph Charter Township,
the City of St. Joseph, Lincoln Charter
Township and Royalton Township, each
area is responsible for maintaining their
own sewers. St. Joseph's sewer system
still contains some combined sewers
(sanitary and storm sewers). The City is
in the process of addressing this problem
as well as problems relating to the age of
the system and infiltration of the system.
The 1991 report also concludes that
detailed inspections of major trunk lines
should be undertaken to determine
specific capacities and to locate any
structural problems.

provided through an integrated power
network.
Over 65 percent of the
electricity generated by Indiana Michigan
Power is generated in coal burning
plants. Nearly 35 percent is generated
by Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman,
Michigan, and less than one percent is
hydro power.
Indiana Michigan Power generates 6, 159
Megawatts of electrical energy.
Residential rates are 4.66 cents per
kilowatt hour for under 500 hours. The
rate increases to 5.16 cents per kilowatt
hour for over 500 hours. There is also a
monthly service charge of $7.05 per
customer.
The national average for
electrical energy is 7.87 cents per
kilowatt hour. Indiana Michigan Power
provides energy for Berrien, Cass, Van
Buren and St. Joseph counties in
Michigan, with limited services provided
to Kalamazoo County and Allegan
County. Indiana Michigan Power has
424,077 residential customers, 46,623
commercial customers, 4,497 industrial
customers and 2,079 other customers for
a total of 477,276 customers.
The
company serves an area that covers
7,307 square miles of land in Indiana and
Michigan and has 20,882 miles of
electrical line.

Electricity

Indiana Michigan Power provides
electricity to the residents and
_businesses of St. Joseph. Power is

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

2

Community Economic
Corporation

Development

E-21

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIF.S
Natural Gas

Michigan Gas Utilities Company, which is
owned by Utilicorp United, is the fourth
largest provider of natural gas in
Michigan. Toe company serves 165,000
customers throughout Michigan. The
company's Western Michigan Division
provides natural gas for many of west
Michigan's communities - including St.
Joseph and Benton Harbor. Residential
rates are $3.87 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Commercial rates are $3.92 per 1,000
cubic feet. Of the four largest natural
gas companies in Michigan, Michigan
Gas Utilities Company has the lowest
rates.
Public Transportation

Toe Twin Cities Area Transit Authority
provides Dial-A-Ride services to the
residents of Benton Harbor, Benton
Township and the majority of St. Joseph.
Regular rates for services in St. Joseph
are $2.00. For residents over 62 or
medicare card holders, the fee is $1.00 children's rates are $1.20. These fees
account for 21 percent of the Authority's
operating budget. The remaining costs
are covered by the Federal Government
(30%), the State of Michigan (40%) and
the City of Benton Harbor (9%). The
Authority has a total of 35 employees 24 of which are full-time and 14 of which
are drivers. The Twin Cities Area Transit
Authority, located at 275 East Wall in
Benton Harbor, serves an average of 635
passengers per day. Existing needs
include more busses and more drivers a lack of additional funding limits the
number to the existing levels. Future
goals include longer operating hours and
expanded service areas.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

National Functional
Classification System

As residents of a community, people
know from experience which roads are
local and which roads are used to travel
to adjacent or distant communities. The
same idea has been used by the U.S.
Department of Transportation to classify
street systems. There are essentially
three types of street classifications - with
variations for each classification. Arterial
streets are designed to maximize mobility
through limiting access and maximizing
speed. Local streets are designed to
maximize access by limiting speed and
maximizing access. Collector streets are
meant to act as a "bridge" between the
two other types of streets. Map E-1
shows the National Functional
Classification System for St. Joseph. The
major arterials are I-94/US-33, Niles
Avenue, Lake Shore Drive, Napier
Avenue, Wayne Street and portions of
Port and Ship streets. The minor arterial
streets include Hilltop Road, Cleveland
Avenue, Lake View Avenue, Lake
Boulevard, Langley Avenue, Broad Street
and Ship Street. Collector streets include
Hawthorne Avenue, Wallace Avenue,
• Kingsley Avenue, Wolcott Avenue, Lake
Street, Vine Street and Upton Drive. The
remaining streets are all classified as
local streets.
Average Daily Traffic Trends

Even though St. Joseph's population has
been decreasing most of the traffic count
stations operated by the Michigan
Department of Transportation (MOOT)
have shown an increase in traffic
between 1980 and 1990. The location of
the stations and the average daily traffic
counts for 1980, 1985 and 1990 are
E-22

�~

I._/~,/&lt;.

I'(

~&amp;

C

~0

LEGEND

I

NON-FREEWAY PRINCIPAL
ARTERIAL--CONNECTING
LINKS OF RURAL MINOR
ARTERIALS

3
f■ ■ ■ i

NON-FREEWAY PRINCIPAL
ARTERIAL--NONCONNECTING LINK

I
E

-

~

&lt;f

8

~

MINOR ARTERIAL STREETS
I

I

I

I

I

CO~LECTOR STREETS

~

s
LOCAL STREETS

I

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liAvt: I
a

•

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· :::::,111 I ~:=L
- ~ 1

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MAPE1

SCAL£

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500· 1ooo· 1500·

•

2500'

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.

i

1.,.1

JOSEPH,
MICHIGAN

NATIONAL FUNCTIONAL
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

I

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

shown on Map E-2. Although most of
the stations increased over the 1O year
period, several stations decreased.
Station A, located on 1-94 /US-33 between
the northern and southern portions of
St. Joseph, decreased by 17.7 percent
during the 10-year period. The most
dramatic decrease occurred at Station B,
which is located on Wayne Street
between St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.
The station decreased by 30 percent
during the 10-year period from 18,000 in
1980 to 12,600 in 1990. Station 0,
located on the south side of the City,
decreased by 10.2 percent during the
period. Other stations that decreased
include Stations C, D and J.
Station M, located on Niles Avenue north
of the City boundary, increased by 32.5
percent between 1980 and 1990. This
increase, from 20,000 to 26,500 was the
most dramatic. Station K on Cleveland
Avenue increased from 12,000 to 15,600
- an increase of 22.5 percent. Station L
on Lakeshore Drive increased from
12,000 to 14,800 - an 18.4 percent
increase.
Station H on Main Street
increased by 16.4 percent.
Other
stations that increased include Stations
E, F, G, I and N. In 1990 the station with
the highest count was Station M on Niles
Avenue, which had a count of 26,500.
Stations E and F both had 1990 counts
of 24,400. In 1980 Station E had the
highest traffic count with a count of
23,000.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

E-24

�~

I_/~

~&amp;

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C

~(.J

LEGEND
STATION

A
8
C

D
E
F
G

H

I
J

K
L
M
N
0

1980
13,000
18,000
9,000
8,800
23,000
22,000
11,000
12,800
12,500
16,000
12,000
12,500
20,000
1'1,000
13,700

1985
1990
14,200 10,700
14,900 12,600
7,500
8,700
8,500
8,700
22,800 24,400
24,300 24,400
13,000 11,800
13,500 14,900
13,100 13,900
16,800 15,800
13,000 15,600
11,300 14,800
22,800 26,500
12,800 11,300
13,100 12,300

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�PUBLIC PARTIC/PA TION

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Introduction

In order to create a pJan that reflects the
desires of the area's residents, it is
necessary to determine how people feel
about a variety of topics. This has been
done by distributing a community-wide
questionnaire, interviewing members of
the Planning Commission and City
Commission, other interested people,
and through an initial public meeting and
the monthly Planning Commission
meeting. Additionally a public hearing
was held at the end of the planning
process.
This Section of the Plan
contains the St. Joseph questionnaire
results and the key person survey
results.
St. Joseph Questionnaire Results

During June and July of 1992 a planning
survey questionnaire was developed,
distributed, collected, tabulated and
analyzed by Gove Associates, City Staff
and the Planning Commission. The
questionnaire was mailed with the tax
bills for homeowners and businesses and
distributed by hand to the City's major
multi-family units. In order to have a
statistically valid survey, 300 responses
were required, but 750 questionnaires
were returned to the City - a very good
return rate for a survey, 18.75 percent.
The tabulated results of the survey
questionnaires are included at the back
of this section. The results of the survey,
on a question by question basis, follows:
Tabulated Survey Results
Question #1: Are you an adult City
resident or a non-resident property
owner?

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

the 740 responses to this
question, 672 (90.8%) were City
residents and 68 (9.2%) were nonresident property owners.
It is
apparent that this survey will
represent residents opinions to a
greater degree than non-resident
property owners, i.e. business
owners and landlords. This is to be
expected since there are more
residents than businesses.

Of

Question #2: To what age group do
you belong?

Of the 743 responses to this
question, 7 (0.9%) were between 19
and 24; 70 (9.4%) were between 25
and 34; 126 (17.0%) were between
35 and 44; 142 (19.1%) were
between 45 and 54; 142 (19.1%)
were between 55 and 64; and 256
(34.5%) were 65 and over.
The median age of the respondents is
56. 7 years of age. This is higher than
the City's median age of 37.2 years of
age, however, when those residents
under age 19 are removed, the City's
median age rises to 42.9 years - which is
still considerably lower than the median
age of the questionnaire respondents.
Factors contributing to this include:
1) many of the City's residents are retired
and tend to have more time to complete
a survey; 2) many older residents have
more at stake and have lived in
St. Joseph longer than many younger
residents; and 3) many of the City's
younger residents live with parents that
would have completed the survey.
Considering these points, we believe the
survey results to be valid but skewed to
older residents' opinions.

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Question #3: If a City resident, do you

own your home?
Of the 669 responses to this
question, 608 (90.9%) were
homeowners and 61 (9.1%) did not
own their home.
The 1990 Census lists 2,396 (57.0%) of
the City's 4,200 occupied units as being
owner-occupied - which indicates that a
higher proportion of homeowners are
represented in this survey. The reasons
for this imbalance are similar to the age
difference, 1) homeowners tend to have
more at stake than renters; 2) homeowners tend to have lived in an area
longer than non-homeowners; and 3)
homeowners tend to be older and have
more time to devote to community
betterment.
This anomaly does not
invalidate the survey, however, it only
means that the opinions tend to be
weighted towards the homeowner's
perspective of the City.
Question #4:

Please indicate which
category your total family income fell into
last year.
Of the 699 responses to this
question, 92 (13.2%) had incomes
below $14,999; 58 (8.3%) had
incomes between $15,000 and
$19,999; 49 (7.0%) had incomes
between $20,000 and $24,999; 49
(7.0%) had incomes between
$25,000 and $29,999; 49 (7.0%) had
incomes between $30,000 and
$34,999; 52 (7.4%) had incomes
between $35,000 and $39,999; 81
(11.6%) had incomes between
$40,000 and $49,999; 122 (17.5%)
had incomes between $50,000 and

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

$74,999; and 147 (21.0%) had
incomes greater than $75,000.
The median family income of the
respondents was $40,000. In 1989 the
median family income of St. Joseph was
$38,504 - which correlates very well to
the survey results.
Question #5:

Which of the following
residential types should be encourage as
future development?
#5(1) - Single -Family Residences Of the 750 responses, 575 (76.6%)
were in favor of the additional
development of single-family
dwellings.
#5(2) - Multi-Family (Apartments) Of the 750 responses, 114 (15.2%)
were in favor of the additional
development of multi-family housing
(apartments).
#5(3) - Duplex (Two-Family) - Of the
750 responses, 133 (17.7%) were in
favor of the additional development
of duplexes.
#5(4) - Condominiums, - Of the 750
responses, 175 (23.3%) were in
favor of the additional development
of condominiums.
#5(5) - Senior Congregate Housing Of the 750 responses, 265 (35.3%)
were in favor of the additional
development of senior congregate
housing.
#5(6) - Modular Homes - Of the 750
responses, 44 (5.9%) were in favor
of the development of modular
housing.
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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The only category where over 50 percent
of the respondents feel that further
housing development should occur is in
the additional development of singlefamily housing. However, a higher than
expected number supported congregate
housing.

Question #6 - Where do you shop and
the frequency?
#6(a) - Downtown St. Joseph - Of
the 700 responses, 638 (91.1%)
shop in downtown St. Joseph. Of
the 616 respondents that stated how
often they shopped in the downtown
area, 323 (41.7%) shopped four or
more times per month.
#6(b) - Other areas in St. Joseph Of the 671 responses, 638 (95.1 %)
shop in other areas of St. Joseph.
Of the 579 respondents that stated
how often they shopped in other
areas of St. Joseph, 423 (73.1%)
shopped four or more times per
month.
#6(c) - Niles Area - Of the 457
responses, 38 (8.3%) shop in the
Niles area. Of the 446 respondents
that stated how often they shopped
in Niles, 19 shopped four or more
times per month.
#6(d) - Benton Township - Of the
614 responses, 504 (82.1%) shop in
Benton Township.
Of the 543
respondents that stated how often
they shopped in Benton Township,
201 (37.0%) shopped four or more
times per month.
#6{e) - South Bend Area - Of the
567 responses, 357 (63.0%) shop in

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

the South Bend area. Of the 512
respondents that stated how often
they shopped in the South Bend
area, 30 (5.9%) shopped four or
more times per month.
#6{f) - Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids Of the 516 responses, 241 (46.7%)
shop in Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids.
Of the 487 respondents that stated
how often they shopped in the
Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids area, 15
(3.1%) shopped four or more times
per month.
#6(9) - South Haven - Of the 456
responses, 68 (14.9%) shop in South
Haven. Of the 441 respondents that
stated how often they shopped in
South Haven, 6 (1.4%) shopped four
or more times per month.

Question #7 - Are there specific
commercial businesses or professional
services which you feel are needed in
St. Joseph?
A list of the responses, in
descending order of responses
received, are listed below:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.
9.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

# of Responses
Department Store
19
Grocery
14
Discount Store
11
Recycling
11
Clothing
11
Additional/Improved
9
Medical Services
Mass Transportation
9
Tourism Related Activities
7
Sporting Goods
7
Hardware/Lumber
6
Womens Clothes
5
Shoes
4
Restaurant on Beach
4
General Retail
4

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�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
# of Responses
General Restaurant
4
Mens Clothing
4
Additional Parking
4
Civic Center with conference
4
and banquet facilities
19. Mall/Outlet Mall
3
20. Fabric Store
3
21. Childrens Clothes
3

15.
16.
17.
18.

Two responses were received from
the following:
Taxi Service, Day Care, Olive Garden
Restaurant, Zoo, Stores should be
open later, Art Gallery, Computer
Store, Recreational Boating, Water
Park and Golf Course.
One response was received from the
following:
Business Services, Seafood
Restaurant, Harley Davidson Shop,
Candy Store, Steak &amp; Ale, Chi Chi's,
Show Biz Pizza, Bakery, Female
Physicians, Information Kiosk, Coffee
Shop, Auto Parts Store, Antiques,
Existing businesses should improve
level of services, upgrade Mall, Dry
Cleaning, Ethnic Restaurant, Food
Co-op, Public Pool, Music Store,
Boat Rental, Restaurant with live
music, Convenience Store, Sidewalk
Cates, Ice Skate sales/rental, Hobby
Shop, Buick Dealer, back door
access to shops, Dance Hall and Ice
Cream and Sandwiches.

Question #8 - How do you feel the older
manufacturing areas should be
redeveloped in the future?
#8(1) - Residential - Of the 750
responses, 193 (25.8%) feel that the

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

areas should be used for residential
purposes.
#8(2) - Commercial - Of the 750
responses, 289 (38.5%) feel that the
areas should be used for
commercial businesses.
#8(3) - Public - Of the 750
responses, 121 (16.1%) feel that the
areas should be used for public
uses.
#8(4) - Business/Industry - Of the
750 responses, 426 (56.8%) feel that
the areas should be used for
business and industry.

#8(5) - Recreation/Open Space - Of
the 750 responses, 299 (39.9%) feel
that the areas should be used for
recreation and open space.

Of the five types of land uses, Business
and Industry was chosen by more
residents as the favored way to
redevelop older manufacturing areas.

Question #9 - Is there a particular type
of recreational activity which you would
like to see developed in St. Joseph?
Of the 293 tabulated responses to
this question (others are included in
the comments section}, 73 of the
responses (24.9%) favored further
development of beach/water related
activities; 49 (16.7%) feel the City
needs to improve walking and biking
trails; and 44 (15.0%) feel that
additional recreational opportunities
are needed for young people.
Of the 293 responses, 18 (6.1%) felt
that additional indoor activities are
F-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

needed; 17 (5.8%) would like to see
ice skating developed further; 15
(5.1 %) would like to see passive
parks developetf further; 11 (3.8%)
would like to see more playgrounds
developed; 5 (1. 7%) would like to
see more team sports; and one
respondent feels more softball
facilities are needed.
Other
responses can be seen in the
comments section.
Question #1 O and #11 - See Planning
Questionnaire for the results.

The 1O categories under "current
condition/situation" which received the
most responses in the "good" rating
(highest rating) are:
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.
10.

Fire Protection Facilities
Police Facilities
Churches
Library Facilities
School Facilities
Livability of City
Snow Removal
Overall Appearance
Sidewalk Access
Downtown District

(591)
(574)
(562)
(561)
(547)
(536)
(529)
(515)
(506)

(480)

The 1O categories under "current
condition/situation" which received the
most responses in the "fair" rating (lowest
rating) are:
1.

2.
3.
4.
&amp;.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.

Ausco Property Redevelopment
Bicycle Path Development
Tax Base
Tourism
Waterfront Areas
Recreational Facilities
Traffic Flow
YWCA
Family Orientation
Downtown District

(468)
(373)
(215)
(123)
(109)
(101)
(95)
(79)
(55)
(49)

The 1O categories under "future attention"
which received the most responses in the
"high" rating (high level of attention
should be devoted) are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Ausco Property Redevelopment
Livability of City
Waterfront Areas
Overall Appearance
Tax Base
School Facilities
Recreation Facilities
Housing Conditions
Downtown District
Tourism

(452)
(360)
(358)
(328)
(306)
(301)
(300)
(298)
(295)
(295)

The 1Ocategories under "future attention"
which received the most responses in the
"low" rating (low level of attention should
be devoted) are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Churches
Marinas
Bicycle Path Development
Library Facilities
Sidewalk Access
Mercy Memorial Med. Center
YWCA
Neighborhood Parks
Snow Removal
Police Facilities

(156)
(144)
(116)
(108)
(106)
(99)
(97)
(77)
(76)
(68)

It should be noted that while these
categories have been chosen for not
needing much . attention, all but one
category (churches) have more
responses in the "high" rating than in the
"low" rating.
Comments from Survey

In addition to the preceding survey
results, that can be numerically tabulated
and compared, the survey comments are
a compilation of residents feelings.
Comments tend to be more critical of the
City, since they are points that the

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-5

---------

�- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
respondents feel need to be improved
upon. Fewer comments are received
that state a particular service or other
item is not in need of improvements.

12.

Due to the quantity of comments
received they have been placed into 33
groups. For a complete listing of the
comments, contact the City's Inspection
Department.

14.

The comments, listed in descending
order of responses are as follows:
# of
Responses

1.

2.

3.

Dissatisfaction with City
Services, Employees, School
System, City Commissioners
and Boards

47

16.

Problems with rental properties

11

17.

Improve downtown parking

11

18.

Improve shopping

10

19.

Do not increase tourism - pay
more attention to year-round
residents

10

20.

Move City Hall

10

21.

Limit waterfront development

10

24.

Increase citizen input

9

35

25.

Keep City Hall downtown

8

26.

Improve public relations

7

27.

Regulate pet owners

7

28.

Infrastructure improvements

7

29.

Improve vacant industrial sites

6

30.

Regulate billboards and
political signs

5

31.

Attract younger people

4

32.

Regulate ski jets and boats

4

33.

Increase/institute non-resident
fees

3

29

Improve sidewalks and paths
for pedestrians and bicycles

25

23

Improve marina (5) and
beaches (11)

16

Approve of bluff improvements
and activities

15

Dissatisfaction with waterfront development

12

41

Improve recreation and related
activities

11 .

Comments concerning
questionnaire

15.

9

6.

10.

12

Traffic problems

Like living in St. Joseph

-9.

Satisfied with City services,
Employees, School System,
City Commissioners and Boards

23.

5.

Maintain and improve residential
areas

13

9

Need more business, industry
jobs and tourism (9)

8.

Dissatisfaction with Mercy
Memorial Medical Center

13.

22. · Develop additional parking
44

7.

14

78

Dissatisfaction with development
and activities on Bluff

4.

0

Taxes and cost of housing
too much

Dissatisfaction with zoning
and various City ordinances

14

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
see what choices are preferred by
particular groups in St. Joseph, i.e.
homeowners, seniors, etc.

Cross-Tabulations

This section shows. the responses of
certain questions with those of others - to

Cross-Tabulation #1 - Age and Income (Questions #2 and #4)

age group, which earns a median family
income of $61,665 - considerably higher
than the overall median family income of
$38,504. The only age group (with
adequate responses to determine a
median income) that was below the
overall median income was the 65 and
over group. Residents 65 and over had
a median family income of $21,600.

When age and income are crosstabulated it becomes apparent that
certain age groups earn more money
than other groups. When the median
income of residents is compared by age
it can be seen that income rises as age
increases and then decreased as
residents reach retirement age. The
highest income age group is the 45-54
Income
Below $14,999

19-24
2

25-34

Age
45-54

35-44

55-64

65+
73

9
11

1

3

2
1

6

3
3

$20,000-$24,999

0
1

8

10

$25,000-$29,999

0

7

3
4

36
25

7

12

18

$30,000-$34,999

2

9

10

7

$35,000-$39,999
$40,000-$49,999

2

8
13

14

$15,000-$19,999

$50,000-$74,999

8

9
13
20

0

6
11

25

14

15
39
33
54
41
25
5
NA
$61,667
$42,500
$43,461
$56,089
Median Family Income for St. Joseph - $38,504;
1990 U.S. Census
0
0

$75,000+
Median

13
18
15
22
$21,600

Cross-Tabulation #2 - Age and Home Ownership (Questions #2 and #3)

Age also influences home ownership. As
people grow older, home ownership
percentages climb, to peak at 98.3
percent for residents between the ages

of 55 and 64 years of age.
The
percentage drops to 86.9 percent for
residents 65 and over.

Age
Homeowner
Non-Homeowner
% Homeowners

0

19-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

1

55

106

111

117

3

8

25.0

87.3

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

10
91.4

5

2

95.7

98.3

65+
212
32
86.9

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Cross-Tabulation #3 - Age and Residential Development (Questions #2 and #5)

This series of cross-tabulations shows
how residents in different age groups
responded to question #5 - which is
actually six separate questions (plus
comments) dealing with how people feel
about the development of different
residential types in St. Joseph. This is
important in order to understand if the
results vary between age groups especially since the survey was answered
by a large proportion of residents age 65
and over.

76. 7 percent of the respondents feel that
more single-family homes should be
developed. For residents 65 and over,
62.5 percent feel that single-family homes
should be developed. This figure is
higher for residents under the age of 65
(84.2%). The 25-34 age group has the
highest percentage of positive responses
with an 87.1 percent approval rate.
The second most popular form of future
residential development is senior
congregate housing. While the overall
figure is influenced by residents age 65
and over, it is also the second most
chosen form of residential development
for residents under the age of 65.
Overall, 35 percent of the respondents
favor the development of senior housing.

The cross-tabulation shows that the type
of residential development desired by
different age groups varies - slightly in
some categories and to a greater extent
in others. The most favored form of
future residential development is singlefamily housing. For the total population,

Age
Residential Development Categories

19-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

In favor of single-family residential
Not in favor of single-family residential
% in favor of single-family

2
5
28.6

61
9
87.1

108
18
85.7

118
24
83.1

121
21
85.2

160
62.5

410
570
173
77
84.2 76.7

In favor of multi-family residential
Not in favor of multi-family residential
% in favor of multi-family

2
5
28.6

13
57
18.6

16
109
12.8

15
127
10.6

27
115
19.0

38
218
14.8

73
111
413
631
15.0
15.0

0
7
0.0

9
61
12.9

11
114
8.8

30
112
21.1

27
115
19.0

53
203
20.7

77
130
612
409
15.8
17.5

2
5
28.6

18
52
25.7

27
98
21.6

54
88

35
221
13.7

140
346
28.8

175
567

38.0

39
103
27.5

0
7
0.0

18
52
25.7

23
102
18.4

59
83
41.5

55
87
38.7

105
151
41.0

155
331
31.9

260
482
35.0

5
65

9
116
7.2

6
136
4.2

7
135
4.9

13
243
5.0

28
458
5.8

41
701
5.5

In favor of duplexes
Not in favor of duplexes
% in favor of duplexes
In favor of condominiums
Not in favor of condominiums
% in favor of condominiums
In favor of senior congregate housing
Not in favor of senior congregate housing
% in favor of senior congregate housing
In favor of modular homes
Not in favor of modular homes
% in favor of modular homes

0

1
6
14.3

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

7.1

65+
96

Under 65 !Total

23.6

F-8

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�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

For residents 65 and over, 41 percent
are in favor of developing additional
senior housing - for residents under the
age of 65 the figure is 31 .9 percent. The
45-54 age group has the highest
percentage of favorable responses
(41.5%).

The third most chosen response is for
the development of condominiums.
Nearly 24 percent of the survey's
respondents favor this type of
development.
Age does seem to
influence peoples' opinions when it
comes to the development of
condominiums. For residents under 65,
28.8 percent favor their development - for
residents 65 years of age and over the
figure is 13. 7 percent.
Although duplexes are similar to singlefamily housing (the most popular
response), only 17.5 percent of the
survey's respondents feel that more
duplexes should be developed in
St. Joseph. People 65 years of age and
over are more in favor of their
development than people under the age
of 65.

development of modular housing, with
5.0 percent 65 years of age and older
and 5.8 percent under 65 years of age
favoring modular housing.
Again, the cross-tabulations show that
age does influence peoples' responses
to a certain extent - but the residents of
St. Joseph tend to favor the same types
of residential development regardless of
age.
''Traditional" types of housing - singlefamily housing - is the overall favorite in
St. Joseph. Modular housing (which can
be manufactured to be virtually
undetectable from traditional single-family
housing) is the least favored form of
residential development. Senior housing
is a popular form of housing
development - and was chosen by a
variety of age groups. Condominiums,
duplexes and multiple-family housing are
all forms of housing that some residents
feel are needed in St. Joseph - but not
the majority.

The development of multiple-family
housing is the fifth most favored form of
residential development. Age does not
seem to influence the responses.
Overall, 15.0 percent of the respondents
favor the development of multiple-family
housing with 15 percent under 65 years
of age and 14.8 percent 65 years of age
and over favoring this development.
The least favored form of residential
development in St. Joseph is modular
housing. Again, age does not seem to
influence the results. Overall 5.5 percent
of the respondents favor the

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-9

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Cross-Tabulation #4 - Age and Development of Manufacturing Sites (Questions #2
and #8)

This series of cross-tabulations shows
how residents in different age groups
responded to question #8 - which is
actually five separate questions dealing
with how people feel older industrial sites
should be developed.
This is an
important tabulation since a disproportionate larger number of residents 65
years of age and over returned the
survey.

Of those residents under 65 years of

age, 55.3 percent are in favor of
redeveloping industry.
Of those
residents 65 and over, 59.8 percent are
in favor of redeveloping industry.
Favorable responses for this category
are lower in the younger age groups and
increase steadily - reaching a peak of 69
percent approval at the 55-64 age group
- before decreasing for the 65 and over
group.

The cross-tabulation shows the type of
development that the different age
groups desire in older manufacturing
sites varies slightly in some categories,
and to a greater degree in other
categories. The most favored use for
redeveloping older industrial sites is
business/industry. Nearly 57 percent of
the respondents feel that business and
industry should be redeveloped on the
older sites.

The second most favored type of development that residents chose for the older
industrial sites is recreation/open space.
Over 40 percent of the respondents feel
that the sites should be redeveloped to
serve the recreational needs of the area.
The differences based on the responses
of each age group are more pronounced
for this category.

Age
Development Categories
In favor of residential
Not in favor of residential
% In favor of resident
In favor of commercial
Not in favor of commercial
% In favor of commercial
In favor of public uses
Not in favor of public uses
% In favor of public uses
In favor of manufacturing
Not in favor of manufacturing
% in favor of manufacturing
In favor of recreation/open space
Not in favor of recreation/open space
% in favor of recreation/open space

0

19-24

25-34

35-44

2
5

24
46

42
84

34.3

33.3

24.1

19.1

29
41

57
69

59
82

55
87

41.4

45.2

41.8

38.7

28.6
2
5

28.6
2
5

28.6
2
5

28.6
1
6

14.3

25
45

22
104

45-54

55-64

65+

Under 65

34
107

27
114

63
193

129
356

31
110

21
121

35.7

17.5

22.0

14.8

33
37

73
68

98
44

47.1

63
63
50.0

51.8

69.0

41
29

66
60

64
77

57
85

58.6

52.4

45.4

40.1

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

24.6
84
172

32.8
20
238

7.8
153
103

59.8
69
187

27.0

26.6
202
284

41.6
101
382

20.9
269
217

55.3
229
257

47.1

F-10

Total
192
549

25.9
286
456

38.5
121
618

16.4
422
320

56.9
298
444

40.2

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Over 47 percent of residents under 65
years of age favor changing older
industrial sites to recreational open
space. Only 27 percent of residents over
the age of 65 favor using the land for
recreation. The 25-34 age group had the
largest percentage of respondents
favoring the development of recreational
areas.
Redeveloping the areas for commercial
uses was the third most chosen option
with 38.5 percent of the respondents
favoring commercial development. Of
the residents 65 and over, 32.8 percent
of the respondents favor the
redevelopment of the sites into
commercial uses. For residents under
65 years of age, the favorable response
equal 41.6 percent of the responses.
The age group with the highest
percentage of favorable responses is the
35-44 age group.

65 year of age, 20.9 percent favor
developing the older industrial sites for
public uses.
While the cross-tabulations show that
different age groups favor different types
of development to different degrees - it
shows that they essentially agree that
business/industry should remain, or be
redeveloped, in the older manufacturing
sites.

Redeveloping the City's older industrial
sites for residential purposes is the
second least chosen category - this
api:-Jies for residents 65 and over as well
as residents under 65 years of age. For
residents 65 of age and over, 24.6
percent of the responses are in favor of
developing the areas for residential uses
- this figure is 26.6 percent for residents
under 65 years of age. The age group
which chose this response the most was
the 25-34 age group - which is the age
when families generally are in the market
for their first home.
The least favored category - for both the
under 65 age group and the 65 and over
age group - is public uses. Only 7.8
percent of the responses from those 65
and over are in favor of developing the
sites for public uses. For those under

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-11

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Cross-Tabulation
and #5)

#5 - Homeownership &amp; Housing Development (Questions #3

Homeowners and non-homeowners differ
on the types of housing that should be
developed. Homeowners are more in
favor of the development of single-family
housing and non-homeowners are more

in favor of multi-family housing - which is
not unusual since each group favors the
further development of housing similar to
what they live in.

Homeowner Non-Homeowner
Encourage single-family development

491

28

Do not encourage single-family development

117

33

74

23

533

38

99

12

Do not encourage duplex development

508

49

Encourage condominium development

129

15

Do not encourage condominium development

478

46

Encourage the development of senior housing

203

28

Do not encourage the development of senior housing

404

33

32

8

575

53

Encourage multi-family development
Do not encourage multi-family development
Encourage duplex development

Encourage the development of modular housing
Do not encourage the development of modular housing

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-12

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Cross-Tabulation #6 - Age and Shopping Habits (Questions #2 and #6

While age does influence where people
shop to some degree, the influence is
not significant.
Age

55-64

65+

128

121

206

8

10

15

19

64

111

126

121

205

1

2

10

2

8

10

Shop In Niles area

0

2

5

8

5

18

Do not shop In Niles area

6

43

80

97

87

102

Shop in Benton Township

6

51

95

90

104

152

Do not shop in Benton Township

0

11

18

30

20

31

Shop in South Bend

5

42

69

88

73

75

Do not shop in South Bend

2

15

34

37

40

81

Shop in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids

5

31

44

55

50

53

Do not shop in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids

2

21

53

62

52

82

Shop in South Haven

1

6

10

10

17

24

Do not shop in South Haven

5

41

74

93

71

100

19-24

25-34

35-44

Shop in downtown St. Joseph

4

61

113

Do not shop in downtown St. Joseph

2

8

Shop in other areas of St. Joseph

5

Do not shop In other areas of St. Joseph

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

45-54

F-13

�PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Cross-Tabylatlon #7 - Homeownershlg and Redevelogm ent of Older Manufacturing
Sites (Questions #3 and #8)

The only area where homeowners and
non-homeowners seem to differ on
opinion is in the area relating to the
development of business and industry.

Morehomeowners favor the development
of business and industry and most nonhomeowners are opposed to the
development of business and industry.
Homeowner Non-Homeowner

Favor residential development

165

16

Do not favor residential development

441

45

Favor commercial development

244

14

Do not favor commercial development

363

47

99

11

Do not favor public development

508

50

Favor business/industry development

355

26

Do not favor business/industry development

252

35

Favor recreation/open space

254

22

Do not favor recreation/open space

353

39

Favor public development

I

;I

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-14

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

St. Joseph Planning Questionaire
Raw Figures
1.

Are you an adult City resident? (a) 672 or/non-resident property owner? (b) 68

2.

To what age group do you belong?

(1) .L_19-24

(2) -1Q_25-34

(3) _jg§_35-44

(4) _jg_45-54

(5} __HL55-64 {6} 256 65 and Over

3.

If a City resident, do you own your home? (1) 608 Yes

4.

Please indicate which category your total family income fell into last year.

(1) 92 Below $14,999
(2) 58 $15,000-$19,999
(3) 49 $20,000-$24,999
5.

(4) 49 $25,000-$29,999
(5) 49 $30,000-$34,999
(6) 52 $35,000-$39,999

(2) _§g_No

(7) ~$40.000-$49,999
(8) 122 $50,000-$74,999
(9) 147 $75,000 Above

Which of the following residential types should be encouraged as future development? (Please indicate all
desired types)

6.

(1) .filg_Single-Family Residences

(5) 265 Senior Congregate Housing

(2) 114 Multi-Family (Apartments)
(3) 133 Duplex (Two-Family)
(4} 175 Condominiums

(6) 44 Modular Homes
(Prefabricated Single-Family)
(6) ,JJLOther (Please Explain): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Where do you shop and the frequency?
# Times/Month*

62 No
(b) 638 Yes 33 No
(c) 38 Yes 419 No
(d) 504 Yes 11 0 No

(a) 638 Yes

Downtown St. Joseph
Other Areas in St. Joseph
Niles Area
Benton Township

# Times/Month*

323 (e) 357 Yes
423 (f} 241 Yes
...m (g) 68 Yes

w

11.Q No South Bend Area

30

275 No Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids .1§
388 No South Haven
_§
(h) Other Areas 19

*Over 4 times per month
7.

Are there specific commercial businesses or professional services which you feel are needed in St. Joseph?

8.

How do you feel the older manufacturing areas should be redeveloped in the future? (Answer all appropriate)

(1) 193 Residential
(2) 289 Commercial

0

(3) .!ll_Public

(5) 299 Recreation/Open Space

(4) 426 Business/Industry

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-15

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
9.

Is there a particular type of recreational activity which you would like to see developed in St. Joseph?

ISSUE IDENTIFICATION:
1O. and 11 .

Indicate your impressions of the following facilities/services/areas and what level of attention they
need to make St. Joseph a better community in the future?
10. Current Condition/Situation
Good

Average

11. Future Attention

Fair

High

Average

Low

Housing Conditions

452

216

28

298

224

43

Library Facilities

561

132

18

149

252

108

Recreational Facilities

331

251

101

300

219

45

66

160

373

238

193

116

School Facilities

547

126

13

301

192

65

Fire Protection Facilities

591

101

13

288

259

61

Police Facilities

574

110

21

254

230

68

irraffic Flow

343

265

95

246

261

50

Sidewalk Access

506

160

30

129

312

106

Neighborhood Parks

455

207

42

179

301

77

Snow Removal

529

139

38

186

288

76

Downtown District

480

175

49

295

209

56

Mercy Memorial Med. Center

420

171

109

246

213

99

55

87

468

452

90

30

Tourism

261

299

123

295

224

49

Family Orientation

325

259

55

225

245

54

rYWCA

353

231

79

160

267

97

Churches

562

112

15

121

261

156

Waterfront Areas

374

214

109

358

159

51

Marinas

474

160

38

152

235

144

Livability of City

536

125

32

360

156

41

Tax Base

180

241

215

306

184

52

Semi-Public Uses

224

289

47

93

323

44

Overall Appearance

515

114

14

328

165

27

4

5

10

6

0

4

Bicycle Path Development

Ausco Property Redevelopment

Other

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-16

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

St. Joseph Key Person Survey Results
Trends

A survey was distributed to Planning
Commission members, City Commission
members and other people that have an
interest in the planning process. Surveys
were mailed to people that attended the
initial meeting. City Commission and
Planning Commission members were
interviewed in person - or mailed a
survey if they could not attend the
interviews.
This survey was distributed for the
purpose of soliciting ideas about
St. Joseph's present trends and the
City's future. The results of this survey
are not meant to be a numerical
comparison of results, but are meant to
show what kinds of ideas people have

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

0

about St. Joseph.
By having open
ended questions, unlike the community
survey, a variety of responses were
given. This variety of responses gave
the Planning Commission additional
information to use to see if the Plan was
going in the right direction. It also
showed that everybody has different
priorities.
While many of the following responses
are based on facts, it should be
remembered that for the most part the
responses are opinions of people - which
is what this section was designed to
determine. Quantities of responses have
not been included in this section since it
was felt that it was more important to
view the variety of opinions -instead of
the quantity.

Increase in service jobs
Downtown well-maintained
Active Citizens
Growth in Marinas
Increasing attendance at public events
Condominium development
Well-maintained properties
Progressive community
Influx of stores (not downtown)
Cultural
Influx of physicians
Expansion of MMMC
Tourism
Increase in upscale housing
Younger City Commission
Growing awareness of St. Joseph's uniqueness
Increased support from businesses

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-17

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Loss of industry and manufacturing jobs
Increasing property taxes
Decreasing tax base
Increased isolation between St. Joseph and surrounding areas
Declining population/slow growth
Conservative
Declining credibility due to association with Benton Harbor
Apathy /lack of drive
Inability to attract young people
Higher salaries out of St. Joseph
Negative attitudes
City tries to influence peoples decisions
Unwilling to work with developers
Resentment towards Cornerstone
Poor public relations
Lack of promotion
Negative impact of surrounding shopping areas in downtown

•
•
•
•
•

Aging population
Increasing tourism
More liberal thinking
Increasing number of young, high income couples/families
Need to improve public input process

Analysis
The first thing people will notice in this list
is that they might not agree with all of the
responses - some people might feel that
a trend is positive and another may feel
that it is negative. The benefit of this is
that it gives people something to think
about - that maybe there is something
positive in every trend, or that not every

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

positive trend is without its faults. Other
trends are more neutral.
The City can ·benefit by working to
emphasis the positive trends and reverse
or minimize the negative trends. Care
should be extended to ensure that one
does not cancel out the other - and care
should be used to determine if the
opinions are actually true.

F-18

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Opportunities and Problems

0

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

The waterlront
Health Care/MMMC
AUSCO site and other vacant areas
Lions Park
County development of Silver Beach
Work with surrounding communities
Tourism
Existing character of City
Bluff
Cultural development
Growth opportunities
Acquire Whirlpool field and connect to existing CBD

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

AUSCO site
Lack of space for growth
Lack of vision/change
Two separate commercial areas
Proposal C, or other limits on property taxes
Cost of implementing ADA
Loss of Silver Beach
Ship canal
Lack of public transportation
Appearance of many Main Street businesses
Conservative administration
High cost of housing
Too much waterlront development
Commercial sprawl
No schools centrally located
Whirlpool may not always be in St. Joseph
Image of racial problems/inequities
Traffic
Residents not convinced change is needed
High level of rental properties
Parking
Lack of restaurants downtown

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

F-19

�~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Comments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Need to attract industries/jobs
Improve airport
City Hall - relocate/renovate
Need more businesses downtown
Maintain/improve harbor/marina
Senior services needed
Senior housing needed
Convert box factory
Continue to upgrade infrastructure
Need person(s) in charge of promotion
Market St. Joseph as an area for large Chicago businesses to locate
"satellite" businesses
Curbside recycling
Need to work with developers to ensure successful projects
Schools need more teachers and rooms
Consolidate small residential lots to create new areas for upscale homes
Analysis

such as what opportunities does the
AUSCO site offer. The same should be

Opportunities and problems also divide
many people - it is more apparent here
since some people chose certain points
as opportunities while others chose them
as problems. Some of these include the
AUSCO site, Silver Beach and growth
opportunities.
Many of the listed
opportunities are obvious, such as the
waterfront, but many listed opportunities
need to be debated and expanded upon
to determine what the opportunities are -

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSNE PLAN

done with the list of problems.
Additionally, problems should be
matched up with opportunities.
An
example of this is the problem relating to
the lack of space for growth - this can be
matched -with the AUSCO site as an
opportunity. Many other problems and
opportunities can be matched with each
other - which is one of the useful points
of this Section.

F-20

~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Leadership

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

City administration/staff
City Commission
Businesses
Lending institutions
Whirlpool
Planning Commission
St. Joseph Improvement Association
Cornerstone Alliance
County officials
City Service Clubs
St. Joseph Today
Philanthropists

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

City administration/staff
City Commission
Cornerstone Alliance
St. Joseph Today
Non-forward looking people
Long-time residents
Retail business that treat customers poorly
School Board
Planning Commission (compatibility of land us~s versus development
dollars)
LECO
Whirlpool

•
•
•
•
•

Need inspections of new and renovated buildings
Need more optimistic outlook
Need more leaders
Need greater variety of citizen input
City Manager needs assistant
Analysis

The City Staff and City Commission are
the most influential people in St. Joseph some people perceive what they do as
negative and others feel their work is

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

positive - either way they seem to have
the most control over the direction the
City will go in the future. Many leaders
are perceived as both positive and
negative influences in St. Joseph.

F-21

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Master Plan

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Blueprint/Vision/Guide for the future
Realistic/implementable plan
Reference point
Identify trends
Inform citizens and gain information from citizens
Promotional tool
Identify a limited number of goals
"Outsiders" view of St. Joseph
Identify historic aspects of St. Joseph
Identify opportunities
Identify future land use
Tie with ongoing Strategic Plan
Encourage good neighborhoods and services
Encourage new businesses
Stabilize local economy
More active community
Greater tax base
More visitors
More industry

Analysis

People feel the plan should act as a
flexible guide for the City's future

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

development.
All responses were
positive, or neutral, which indicates that
people feel the Plan is a necessary part
of the City's future.

F-22

�EXISTING LAND USE

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE
Introduction

For a community to plan for its future it is
essential to analyze the existing land
uses, and in order to analyze the existing
land uses it is necessary to perform an
inventory of the area's land uses. This
allows for the relationships of various
land uses to be identified and measured.
The inventory of St. Joseph's land uses
was accomplished by updating the
inventory of past plans with field checks.
The inventory was then recorded on a
computer based map to allow for the
calculation of acreages and ease of
changes on clear readable maps.
Land Use Classifications

In order to compare the existing land
uses with the 1976 land use map, the
same land use classifications are being
used in this Plan. These land use
categories minimize confusion between
the maps, and show the changes of land
uses which have occurred throughout the
City.
Residential - This category indicates an

area in which dwellings with their
accessory buildings occupy the major
portion of the land. This i clude_s singlefamily housing, daplexes and multiRle~r:nily Eiousiog.
Commercial- The commercial category

includes areas, with or without structures,
wh_d
~~-----onal
business s
~~-- This
i
and
services to local residents and
consumers attracted from outside the
community. The two commercial districts
in St. Joseph, as well as retail, wholesale
and office space are included in this

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

category. Ware ousing ancl storage are
also included unless the storage space is
more closely related to another land use
- such as industrial.
Industrial - This category incudes areas
where raw or unfinished materials or
commodities are used to produce a
product. Tnis inclua_es heavy industry, or
im:f ustr1e
hose manufacturing process
causes various emissions (fumes, odors,
smoke, noise, light or vibrations) that can
be detrimental to surrounding land uses.
Also included is light in ustnal uses
whicfi ao not influence surrounding land
uses in the manners of heavy industry.
War-ehuusing ana s- r.ag_e are included in
t -is ca egor_y Lf the warehousing and
storage space is an integral part of the
manufacturing process.
Public/Quasi Public - Public and quasi-

public land uses include land areas and
facilities that are available to all of the
people within a particular service area, or
are used to provide services to the
people. These uses include schools,
libraries, cemeteries, government
buildings, public utilities, recreation and
open space and
museums.
Also
included in this category are areas and
buildings which are used by a limited
number of persons with particular
interests and nonprofit groups. These
include such uses as places of worship,
clubs and other activities.
This category is
comprised of all dedicated surface rightsof-way including streets, highways and
railroads, which are used for the
movement of people and goods.

Transportation

-

G-1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE

community. Establishing an accurate
inventory of land uses is important since
future land use distribution will largely be
shaped by existing patterns. There are
other factors that influence future land
use patterns, but the existing distribution
of land uses is the major factor which
influences the future land use distribution.
This is particularly true for a mature City
such as St. Joseph. The existing land
use inventory for St. Joseph has been
put on the base map to form an Existing
Land Use Map (G-1). The acreage
figures listed in Table G-1 have been
derived from this. The City's existing
land use analysis is presented by
category, and the various planning areas
within St. Joseph.

Redevelopment - This is a new category
which was not included in the previous
Comprehensive Plan. This area of the
City, north of the St. Joseph River, is an
area that is mostly older industrial uses
that are either in need of modernization
or conversion to another land use.
Vacant Land - This category includes
land not used for any purpose previously
listed, and is not developed.
Existing Land Use Inventory/Analysis

The inventory of existing land uses is an
important part of determining the future
distribution of land uses in and around a

TABLE G-1
CITY OF ST. JOSEPH EXISTING LAND USE ACREAGES

Land Use ·

,,..

Arii es ·;

-·-·-·

%of Landh~a

Residential

889.7

40.8

Commercial

112.6

5.2

Public

347.1

15.9

Industrial

109.0

5.0

Redevelopment

152.4

7.0

Vacant

199.6

9.1

Transportation (Streets)

289.5

13.3

82.4

3.8

Land Area

2,182.3

100.0

Total Area (includes Rivers)

2,369.2

--

Transportation (Rail)

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc., 1992.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

G-2

�\_./.,-1/" /&lt;.. / I (

ct'

\

~
~0

~~

A

LEGEND
RESIDENTIAL

=

I

COMMERCIAL

~
1m1mm1mi
... :,,......1

INDUSTRIAL

()

~

PUBLIC/QUASI PUBLIC

~

REDEVELOPMENT

I

VACANT

I

$

/M4~~. .~ V /i::

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SAINT JOSEPH,
MICHIGAN

_______________..._______________________________________
GOVE AS SOCIATES INC.

EXISTING LAND
USE MAP

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE
Residential - The total amount of land

devoted to residential uses in St. Joseph
is 889. 7 acres, or 40.8 percent of the
City's land area. Residential land uses
are by far the most predominant land use
in the City. The majority of residential
land uses are distributed throughout the
City of St. Joseph, south and west of the
river. North of the St. Joseph River
residential uses are limited to the area
near Lake Michigan, along Ridgeway and
Marina drives. A limited amount of
residential development is located on
Marina Island.
Commercial - The total amount of land

devoted to commercial uses in
St. Joseph is 112.6 acres, or 5.2 percent
of the City's land area. Two main
commercial districts exist in the City. The
Business District located just south of the
St. Joseph River serves as the City's
Central Business District since City and
County offices, and many other public
buildings and private businesses are
located in this area. Much of this main
commercial district has extensive
streetscaping to provide a festive
atmosphere for shoppers and visitors.
The Central Business District is oriented
to accommodate pedestrian traffic, and is
interactive with the lakefront parks. The
southern commercial district, located
along Niles Avenue in the southern
portion of the City, contains many retail
and service shops but does not have any
of the major public offices or facilities that
exist in the Central Business District.
Other major differences between the two
districts include the fact that the southern
business district is more oriented towards
the automobile, and it is not as oriented
towards attracting outside visitors as the
Central Business District. In addition to
the two commercial districts there are

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

several smaller commercial uses
throughout the City. One commercial
area exists on Marina Island and no
major commercial uses are located north
of the river.
Public - Public land in St. Joseph
accounts for 347.1 acres of land, or 15.9
percent of the City's land. This is the
third largest land use category - following
residential and transportation. Public and
quasi-public land uses are located
throughout the City.
Industrial - Industrial land uses in
St. Joseph account for 109.0 acres, or
5.0 percent of the community's land
area. When land in the redevelopment
category is not counted as an industrial
land use, the industrial land use category
is the smallest category in the City. The
major industrial areas are located north
of the St. Joseph River, on Marina Island
and in the southern portion of the City.
Redevelopment - This land use is

confined to one area of the City, north of
the river. The area covers 152.4 acres
and accounts for 7.0 percent of the City's
land. The area mainly consists of older
manufacturing sites, which are proposed
for redevelopment.
Vacant - St. Joseph has 199.6 acres of
vacant land, or 9.1 percent of the City's
land area. Some of this land is located
near the St. Joseph River and on Marina
Island and is within the 100-year
floodplain.
Other vacant land exists
along Lake Michigan in environmentally
sensitive areas.
In the southern
panhandle portion of the City there are
several areas of undeveloped land
located between residential and industrial
land uses.

G-4

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE
Transportation - Rights-of-way for
streets and railroads account for 371.9
acres, or 17.0 percent of the City's land
area - the second largest land use in
St. Joseph. Of the 371.9 acres, 289.5
are street rights-of-way and the remaining
82.4 acres are railroad rights-of-way.
Existing Land Use Inventory/
Analysis: Planning Areas

In addition to studying the City of
St. Joseph as a whole, this Plan
examines five distinct planning areas of
St. Joseph.
Map G-2 shows the
boundaries of the five areas. These
areas are based on Census tracts except
for Areas #1, #2 and #3, which are all in
one Census tract. These three areas
have been identified since they are
separated by a geographic feature (the
river).
Planning Area #1 - Planning Area #1 ,
located north of the St. Joseph River
contains 353.3 acres. This is the second
smallest of the five planning areas, and
accounts for 16.2 percent of the City's
land area. The largest land use in the
planning area is the redevelopment
category which covers 152.4 acres, or
43.1 percent of the area's land. The
relationship between the various land
uses is illustrated on Table G-2. The
redevelopment area is crisscrossed with
highways and railroad tracks and is
composed of old manufacturing sites and
vacant land - much of the redevelopment
site is in the 100-year floodplain . The
second largest land use in Area # 1 is
residential which accounts for 91.4 acres
of land, or 25.9 percent of the area's
land. The residential land uses are
concentrated in the western portion of
the area, near Lake Michigan. Land

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

used for streets account for 39.6 acres,
or 11.2 percent of the area's land.
Business 1-94/US-33 is a major arterial
that passes through the area. Upton
Drive is the only collector street and all
other streets are considered local streets.
Railroad rights-of-way cover 27.1 acres,
or 7.7 percent of the area's land. Public
land in Planning Area #1 covers 32.9
acres, or 9.3 percent of the land. The
public land is located where the
St. Joseph River meets Lake Michigan
and consists of Tiscornia Park, the U.S.
Coast Guard Station, the Army Reserve
Armory and the North Pier. There are no
commercial land uses in Planning Area
#1 and the only vacant land is contained
within the redevelopment area.
Planning Area #2 - This Planning Area
consists of Marina Island, between the
St. Joseph River and the Morrison
Channel. The 134.0 acre island is the
smallest of the five planning areas and
accounts for 6.1 percent of the City's
total land area. The largest land use on
the island is vacant land - this is due to
the fact that much of the island is in the
100-year floodplain. The second largest
land use on the island is industrial, which
accounts for 35.9 acres or 26.8 percent
of the island's land.
Public land in
Planning Area #2 covers 25.0 acres of
land, or 18. 7 percent of the island, and
consists of the City's wastewater
treatment facilities, a boat launch facility
and a new parking lot. The streets on
the island are all local and cover 10.2
acres of land. There are 6. 7 acres of
commercial land on Marina Island.
Planning Area #3 - This is the largest of
the five planning areas. The planning
area is located in the main portion of
St. Joseph, north of the ravine. The area

G-5

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SCALE

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SAINT JOSEPH,
MICHIGAN

GOVE ASSOCIATES INC. .._____________
PLANNING AREAS
°' _________________________________
___

0

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TABLE G-2

§

EXISTING LAND USE DISTRIBUTION FOR THE CITY OF ST. JOSEPH

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Resldentlal

91.4

I

25.9

0.0

0.0

364.7

45.5

241.8

58.0

191.8

39.7

z

Commercial

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0.0

6.7

5.0

44.3

5.5

27.9

6.8

33.7

7.0

112.6

5.2

~

Public

32.9

9.3

25.0

18.7

201.1

25.1

46.0

11.2

42.1

8.7

347.1

15.9

9.9

2.8

35.9

26.8

6.2

0.8

2.5

0.6

54.5

11.3

109.0

5.0

152.4

43.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

152.4

7.0

0.0

0.0

56.2

41.9

24.2

3.0

20.5

5.0

98.7

20.4

199.6

9.1

Transportation (Streets)

39.6

11.2

10.2

7.6

124.5

15.5

58.2

14.2

57.1

11.8

289.5

13.3

Transportation (Rall)

27.1

7.7

0.0

0.0

36.5

4.6

13.5

3.3

5.3

1.1

82.4

3.8

Land Area

353.3

100.0

134.0

100.0

801.5

100.0

410.3

100.0

483.2

100.0

2,182.3

100.0

Total Area (Includes water)

408.1

--

195.3

--

817.9

---

464.7

-

2,369.2

en

~

Industrial
Redevelopment
Vacant

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

C)

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-

483.2

889.7

40.8

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE

covers 801.5 acres, or 36. 7 percent of
the City's land. The area is essentially a
mixture of residential areas, a large
commercial district and several public
areas. Residential uses cover 364. 7
acres, or 45.5 percent of the area's land.
The residential uses are distributed
throughout the entire area. Public or
quasi-public land in this area covers
201.1 acres, or 25.1 percent of the land.
Some public land is located along Lake
Michigan's shoreline, in the Central
Business District, at two cemeteries and
at the high school and stadium.
Transportation is the third largest land
use category in Planning Area #3.
Streets cover 124.5 acres of land, or 15.5
percent of the land. No other area has
as high of a percentage of streets as
Planning Area #3. The major arterial
streets in the area include Main Street,
Port Street, Ship Street, Wayne Street,
Niles Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. The
minor arterial streets include Lake
Boulevard, Cleveland Avenue, Lake View
Avenue and Broad Street. Collector
streets include Wallace Avenue, Kingsley
Avenue, Wolcott Avenue, Lake Street and
Vine Street. The remaining streets are all
considered to be local streets. Railroad
rights-of-way cover 36.5 acres of land, or
4.6 percent of the planning area. There
are 44.3 acres of commercial land, or 5.5
percent of the land. No other planning
area contains as much commercial land.
The majority of the commercial land is
located in or around the City's Central
Business District.
Some smaller
commercial areas are located throughout
the area. Vacant land in the planning
area covers 24.2 acres or 3.0 percent of
the land. Most of the vacant areas are
located adjacent to Lake Michigan, but
others exist throughout Planning Area
#3. There are 6.2 acres of industrial

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

land in the area - these uses are located
adjacent to the Morrison Channel.
Planning District #4 - Planning Area #4,
located on the east side of St. Joseph
adjacent to the St. Joseph River, is the
third largest of the five planning areas. It
contains 241.8 acres of residential land
uses, or 58.9 percent of the area's total
land. Of the five planning areas none
has a higher percentage of residential
land. The residential uses are located
throughout the area. The second largest
land use is transportation which covers
71.6 acres, or 17.5 percent land.
Railroad rights-of-way account for 13.5
acres of the transportation land uses,
and streets account for 58.2 acres. The
main arterial streets are Whittlesey
Avenue and Napier Avenue. The one
minor arterial street is Langley Avenue
and the only collector street is Wolcott
Avenue. All of the remaining streets are
considered local. Public land covers 46.0
acres of land. Much of the public/quasipublic land is located at the Mercy
Memorial Medical Center, near the
St. Joseph River. Lincoln School and
park space are two other public uses.
The fourth largest land use in the
planning area is commercial.
The
majority of these land uses are located
along Niles Avenue, in the City's
southern business district. The area has
20.5 acres of vacant land and 2.5 acres
of industrial land.
Planning Area #5 - This area, which is
located in the southern portion of the
City, covers 483.2 acres of land, or 22.1
percent of the City's land. The planning
area, which is the second largest of the
five areas, is the only area that does not
have direct river access. There are 191.8
acres of residential land uses in the area,
G-8

I
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
-~
~

-~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE

or 39.7 percent of the area. The second
largest land use is the vacant category,
with most of the vacant land being
located in the southern panhandle of the
City. Transportation, at 71.6 acres, is the
third largest land use category. The only
major arterial street in the area is Lake
Shore Drive.
Minor arterial streets
include Hilltop Road, Cleveland Avenue
and Lake View Avenue.
Hawthorne
Avenue is the only collector street and all
other streets are considered local streets.
Streets account for 57. 1 acres and
railroad rights-of-way account for 5.3
acres. Industrial land uses in the area
cover 54.5 acres of land, or 11.3 percent
of the planning area's land. The area
has the smallest percentage of public
land of any of the five areas - 42.1 acres,
or 8. 7 percent. The majority of public
land is located along Lake Michigan.
There are 33. 7 acres of commercial land
which account for 7.0 percent of the
area's land. Most commercial uses are
located near Niles Avenue, but other
commercial areas are located throughout
the planning area.
Potential Areas of Conflict

The current distribution of land uses in
St. Joseph have several areas where a
combination of land uses can adversely
influence each other or surrounding land
uses, or can lead to conflicts in the future
if existing trends continue. The following
list are potential areas of conflict:
Planning Area #1 - Several
potential areas of conflict exist
north of St. Joseph River. The
residential areas, located adjacent
to Lake Michigan, limit public
access to beaches and are near

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

environmentally
(beach areas).

sensitive

areas

Another potential area of conflict is
the redevelopment area, north of
the river. When redevelopment
occurs it should be designed to
minimize the impact to surrounding
areas - such as the residential
areas to the west. When planning
for future uses in the
redevelopment area, the large
amount of land within the 1DO-year
floodplain should be planned for in
order to avoid potential conflicts.
Another conflict that currently exists
in the area is the existing site of
environmental contamination (see
Environmental Contamination
Sites).
Planning District #2 - The major
potential conflict on Marina Island
is that a large portion of the island
is in the 1OD-year floodplain. This
limits the type of development that
can occur on the island. Another
conflict on the island is the existing
site of environmental contamination
(see Environmental Contamination
Sites).
Planning Districts #3, #4 and #5 Having two commercial districts
separated by a residential area and
connected by a major arterial street
creates the potential for unplanned
commercial development to occur
between the two commercial areas.
This could disrupt the existing
residential areas and detract from
the existing businesses in the two
areas.

G-9

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ EXISTING LAND USE
Planning District #5 - The vacant
land in the southern portions of
St. Joseph are surrounded by both
residential and industrial areas.
Since the vacant areas are
currently acting as buffers between
these two conflicting uses it will be
necessary to create buffers
between conflicting uses if the
vacant areas are developed.

1
1
1
1

1
1

Floodplains and Sensitive Areas In addition to the previously
mentioned potential areas of
conflict relating to floodplains, there
are several other areas in
St. Joseph where conflicts can
occur that relate to floodplains,
beaches or wetlands.

•
•
~

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSNE PLAN

G-10

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GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIF.S AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

The following is a list of the issues identified in the planning process. The goals,
policies and actions listed are ways to
address the issues. The policy and
action statements present specific
methods for implementing comprehensive planning in the City. The recommended policies are stated in an obligatory sense for implementation. In order
to allow for related issues to be grouped
together, each set of issues, goals, policies and actions has been listed under
one of six major headings.
■

Major Headings are groups of issues
that are closely related to each other.

■

Issues are areas of concern which
have been identified within the City,
which the Planning Commission
believes require some manner of
attention.

■

Goals are broad statements identifying what is to be accomplished under
each topic.

■

Policies are statements which identify
what is to be done to achieve each
goal, as well as the responsible
agency.

■

Actions are statements specifying
measures identified to implement a
policy.

sites for reuse beneficial to the
St. Joseph area.
Policy:
The City will work with
Cornerstone Alliance, the owners of
the various properties and the
various State and Federal agencies
to promote the redevelopment of the
sites.
Actions:
•

Continue to work with involved
parties to cleanup the contaminated sites north of the river
(Edgewater) and on Marina
Island (the tank farm).

•

Determine the most feasible
mixture of uses to be developed
in the areas based on future land
use requirements and the future
direction of St. Joseph.

•

Work with Cornerstone Alliance,
developers, investors, property
owners, adjacent communities
and area residents to create
reuse projects that achieve areawide goals.

2. Waterfront Development

Land Use
1. Redevelopment Areas
~ : Utilizing redevelopment areas.
Goal: Complete the cleanup of contaminated sites and redevelop those

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Issue: Further waterfront development can control public access to
Lake Michigan and the River. It can
detract from the beauty of St. Joseph
by controlling views of Lake
Michigan.
Goal: Work to maintain access and
views of the waterfront by evaluating
the types of redevelopment that can
occur on the lakefront and in areas

H-1

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

that could potentially control views of
the waterfront.
Policy:
The City will strive to
maintain waterfront access and
preserve existing views of the lake by
controlling further development
through code compliance (height or
bulk limitations of structures). The
City does not control waterfront
development on land owned by the
State and Federal Governments.
Actions:
•

•

•

Determine lakefront access
points that are important for
maintaining adequate access to
the beaches.
Evaluate existing views and
determine areas that should not
be developed, or that should be
limited in height or bulk, to preserve views from important parts
of St. Joseph, i.e., bluffs, parks,
etc.
Review the zoning ordinance to
enhance access and views of the
waterfront.

3. Sensitive Environmental Areas
Issue:
Development on or near
environmentally sensitive areas can
irrevocably damage St. Joseph's
natural resources.
Goal: Preserve environmentally sensitive areas in St. Joseph by limiting
development nearby and restricting
development in sensitive areas.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Policy: The City will zone sensitive
areas so as to limit development in
and around the areas.
Actions:
•

Identify environmentally sensitive
areas.

•

Determine an appropriate buffer
zone that should be adjacent to
sensitive areas.

•

Review zoning ordinance to
protect areas designated as
environmentally sensitive by the
City.

4. Vacant or Underutilized Land
~ : The ability for St. Joseph to
expand beyond its existing borders is
very limited.
Goal:
Create opportunities for
various types of development in
St. Joseph by better utilizing existing
areas of vacant or underutilized land.
Policy: The City should create an
inventory of all existing areas of land
that are not currently being utilized to
their fullest capability.
Actions:
•

Inventory all vacant parcels of
land, include ownership and
current zoning of parcels.

•

Inventory all underutilized, abandoned or dilapidated buildings in
St. Joseph - include ownership,
SEV, size and zoning.

H-2

1
l
1

1
1
1
~

•1
~

~

-,_
-

~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOAI..S, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

•

Contact owners of identified
parcel to learn if parcel is
marketable.

•

Encourage the development of
vacant infill parcels.

5. Separated Commercial Areas

Issue: St. Joseph has two separated
shopping areas - one is pedestrian/
tourism oriented and one is resident/
automobile oriented.
Goal: The City should not allow
commercial zoning in areas between
the two commercial areas in the City.
Policy:
In order to prevent the
creation of a large strip-type
commercial development running
between the existing commercial
areas, commercial development
should be restricted between the two
commercial areas.

•

6. Conflicting Land Uses

~ : Conflicting land uses can
detract from the value of adjacent
property and can reduce the overall
livability and workability of the City.
Goal: Preserve the integrity of various conflicting land use through
special separation, screening and
relocation of land uses.
Policy: The City should endeavor to
reduce the impact of conflicting land
uses.
Actions:
•

Identify areas where conflicting
land uses exist.

•

Identify areas where future
conflicts will occur if existing
development patterns continue.

•

Revise the zoning ordinance to
reflect the need to limit conflicting land uses, in the future, by
creating buffers between the
uses, not allowing new conflicts
to occur and minimizing the
effects of existing conflicts.

Actions:
•

0

Update the City's zoning
ordinance for commercial development standards.

•

Designate areas where commercial development can occur
without promoting strip developments.

•

Restrict existing commercial
zones that exist in the strip area,
to prevent strip development
from creeping into sound residential neighborhoods.

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Utilize future office developments
as buffers between commercial
and residential areas.

Economy
1. Commercial Businesses

Issue: Commercial businesses provide jobs for the community, help to
diversify the tax base, and help to
promote the area's tourism.
H-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Goal:
Promote a business
atmosphere that encourages the
expansion of existing commercial
businesses and the location/creation
of new businesses.
Policy: The City of St. Joseph will
work with the Chamber of
Commerce, existing businesses and
potential businesses to determine
their current and future needs.
Actions:
•

•

•

•

2.

Maintain an up-to-date listing of
commercial businesses in the
area. Include a contact person
and all pertinent business
information.
On a regularly scheduled basis,
survey the businesses to determine the existing business
climate.
Maintain a list of local sites and
buildings available for existing
and new businesses to expand
or locate.

promotes new industries to locate in
St. Joseph.
Policy: The City of St. Joseph will
work with existing industries to determine their existing and future needs.
The City will also work to provide
industries looking to locate in the
area a positive experience.
Actions:
•

Maintain an up-to-date listing of
industries in the area - include
contact person and all pertinent
information about the industry.

•

On a regularly scheduled basis,
survey the businesses to determine the existing business
climate.

•

Maintain a list of local sites
available for existing or new
businesses to expand or locate
their operations.

•

Perform a target industry study
to determine the types of industries best suited to St. Joseph
(i.e., workforce skills, training
available, high school and vocational school specialty areas,
etc.).

•

Refocus existing industrial areas
under an "Urban Business Park
Concept" to beautify and give a
theme to specific industrial
areas.

Perform a market study to
determine the types of
commercial businesses that are
needed and could succeed in
St. Joseph.

Industry
Issue: Industries provide jobs for the
community and strengthen the local
tax base.

3. Tourism
Goal: Create a business atmosphere
that encourages the expansion of
existing Industrial Base and

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

~ : Adequate facilities must exist
in order to meet the needs of yearH-4

1
l
1
1

'
'
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'
'-

-~
~

-~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

round residents, seasonal residents
and visitors to St. Joseph.

regulations, allowing access to
people with limited physical abilities.

.9QID: Create an equitable balance

Policy: The City will work to meet or
exceed the requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act.

between providing the residents the
facilities and services they require
with the need to attract additional
tourists to the City.

Actions:

Policy: The City will work to create a
level of tourism that promotes the
overall character of St. Joseph, and
continues to attract an appropriate
level of visitors to St. Joseph.

•

Assess the accessibility of all
applicable City facilities in
St. Joseph (the assistance of a
design professional and people
with various physical limitations
can be very useful).

•

Assess all parks and outdoor
public spaces (Recreation Plan).

•

After assessing public areas
create an improvement schedule
(Capital Improvements Program)
for needed improvements.

Actions:
•

•

•

Ensure that adequate recreational facilities are available to
meet the needs of St. Joseph's
residents (Recreation Plan).
Determine level of parking
required to meet peak visitor
demands at key locations
(beach, bluffs, downtown).
Through traffic counts, determine
if weekend and holiday traffic is
adversely affecting the quality of
residential neighborhoods.

Public &amp; Quasi Public Facilities

2.

Park and Recreation Areas

~:
The City's Park and
Recreation Plan should reflect the
needs of the City's residents.
Goal: Provide a park and recreation
system that meets the needs of
various residents, age groups and
lifestyles.

1. Access

Issue: Many City owned facilities are
inaccessible to people with limited
physical abilities.
Goal:
Provide equal access to
applicable City facilities through the
use of design standards that meet
the Americans with Disabilities Act

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Policy: The City will work to provide
a park and recreation system that
meets or exceeds the needs of area
residents.
Actions:
•

Maintain an up-to-date Recreation Plan.

H-5

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

•

Work to better understand what
the residents of St. Joseph
expect from their park system through various forms of public
input.

the future expansion of MMMC/
Medical Service in St. Joseph.
Actions:
•

Work with MMMC to determine if
additional facilities are needed to
provide health care that is targeted
towards the area's residents.

•

Maintain and upgrade park and
recreation facilities to accommodate for seasonal population.

•

Assess the park system's ability
to provide recreational opportunities to residents with limited
physical and/or mental capabilities.

•

Establish forum for group discussions.

•

Determine where the goals of each
group are compatible.

Assess the recreational value
and function of additions to
parks prior to making improvements.

•

Hold open discussions together to
solve differences that may exist.

•

Modify zoning to implement solutions.

•

•

Assess the need for all existing
public park and recreation areas
in the future.

Aesthetics

Medical Services

Issue: The future growth in the
Medical Service Sector in St. Joseph
can create conflicting land uses with
the surrounding residential areas.
Goal: Promote superior health care/
medical services while preserving the
character of the surrounding
neighborhoods in St. Joseph.
Policy: The City, Mercy Memorial
Medical Center (MMMC) and residents in the surrounding neighborhoods should have open lines of
communications in order to promote
a cooperative atmosphere where all
parties are involved in any plans for

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

'
'1
1

'•
~

1. Appearance
3.

1
1
1
1

Issue:
Maintaining the overall
appearance of St. Joseph is vital to
preserving the City's beauty and
appeal to residents and visitors.
Goal: Maintain and improve the
overall appearance of St. Joseph.
Policy: The City of St. Joseph will
work to maintain and improve the
overall appearance of the City.
Actions:
•

Ensure all public facilities are
properly maintained.

•

Work with businesses to reduce
unnecessary signage.
H-6

~

~

~

~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOAIS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

•

Continue to limit the placement
of billboards to industrially zoned
properties.

•

Continue to provide for sound
code enforcement.

•

Work with political parties to
create mutually beneficial ways
to reduce the size, duration and
quantity of political campaign
signs.

•

Work with the owners and
Michigan's Bureau of History to
have the sites placed on the
State's Register of Historic
Places.
Housing

•

•

Work with electrical/telephone/
cable television utilities to
encourage underground lines
and aesthetic screening.
Maintain street tree and curb
lawns.

2. Historic Preservation
Issue: Historic buildings, areas and
neighborhoods should be preserved
to maintain the City's character.

----

~ : Affordable housing is needed
to encourage people of all age
groups to live in St. Joseph.
Goal: Encourage the development
of affordable housing for households
with a range of incomes and
lifestyles.
Policy: The City will identify areas
where a variety of housing types can
be made available and encourage
the development of housing units of
varied costs and types by allowing
for a variety of housing densities.
Actions:

Goal:
Preserve and improve
St. Joseph's character and quality of
life through the preservation of historical or architecturally significant
buildings.
Policy: The City, in cooperation with
local historic societies, will work to
recommend sites and areas that are
of historic interest to St. Joseph.
Actions:
•

0

1. Housing

Identify structures and areas that
should bA maintained or preserved as' historic sites.

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

•

Identify infill sites where singlefamily units can be built in existing neighborhoods.

•

Promote housing designed with
varied senior lifestyles in mind.

•

Zone areas for higher housing
densities.

•

Identify areas appropriate for
condominium/ congregate style
housing and zone those areas
for alternative housing by Special
Land Use.

H-7

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

•

Determine where higher density
multiple-family rental housing
O.e., apartments) would best fit
into the landscape.
Transportation

1. Streets

Issue: Maintaining the City's street
system is vital to ensuring a safe and
convenient transportation network
throughout the City and points
beyond the City.
Goal:
Maintain and improve
St. Joseph's streets to allow for safe
and efficient inner-city and intra-city
travel.

2.

Downtown Parking

~:
Adequate parking in
St. Joseph's downtown is an important part of the downtown's success.
Goal: Ensure that adequate parking
exists to allow shoppers easy access
to downtown businesses and public
facilities.
Policy: The City will work to ensure
that adequate parking is available in
the downtown area.
Actions:

Policy: The City will work through
the Department of Public Works and
the Michigan Department of Transportation to maintain and improve the
street system, in order to meet the
existing and future transportation
needs of the area.

•

Continue to monitor the local
parking situation in the downtown area.

•

Determine future parking needs
for special events and tourism as
growth occurs.

Actions:

•

Identify areas that can be used
to meet any future parking
needs.

•

Monitor employee parking downtown to determine employee
parking
shopper /tourist
conflicts.

•

•

•

0

and where major street improvements will occur.

Conduct inventories of areas
where streets are in need of
repair, and input to a Capital
Improvements Program.
Through traffic count records,
analyze trends to find where
improvements to lane condition
and traffic flow are needed, (i.e.,
widen lanes or establish one-way
streets).
Through the Capital Improvements Program, schedule when

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

3. Alternative Transportation
Networks

Issue: Maintaining and improving the
City's sidewalks and other pathways
is a viable way to reduce inner-city
automobile trips, while providing a
source of recreation.
H-8

I
I

'I
I

'I
'I
I

-

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GOALS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Goal: Provide an improved network
of sidewalks and other pathways.
Policy:
The City of St. Joseph
encourages the use of alternative
transportation networks by maintaining the existing network and expanding/improving the network in the
Mure.
Actions:

4.

•

Perform an inventory of the existing network of sidewalks and
pathways to determine the existing conditions of surfaces.

•

Maintain the operation of the
existing network.

•

Identify where the network needs
to be upgraded or expanded.

•

Determine areas where crosswalks should be located to provide continuous paths of travel.

•

As the local street system is
improved or expanded the
improvement or expansion of
alternative transportation networks should be considered.

Policy: Work with the Twin Cities
Area Transit Authority to ensure the
level of Dial-a-Ride services match
St. Joseph needs.
Actions:
•

Continue to support the concept
of public transportation.

•

Conduct surveys of residents in
non-service areas to determine if
the existing service area should
be expanded in cooperation with
the Twin Cities Area Transit
Authority.

Public Transportation
Issue: Ensuring that adequate public
transportation is available in
St. Joseph is necessary to meet the
special needs of St. Joseph's various
age groups.
Goal: Work to provide adequate
public transportation.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

H-9

�FUTURE LAND USE

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE
Introduction

In order to determine an appropriate
distribution of future land uses it is
necessary to consider several factors.
These factors include the existing
distribution of land, location of arterial
streets, location of rail transportation,
location of environmentally sensitive
areas, density standards, public opinion,
common sense and planning. These are
the major factors that will guide the
designation of future land uses in
St. Joseph.
This section of the Plan, which analyzes
future land use distribution lists two
separate sets of acreage figures. The first
set lists the future land use requirements.
These figures are based on established
planning standards and an evaluation of
projected growth in the area. These
standards do not consider such things as
the existing distribution of land uses, the
amount of available land, qualities unique
to the community or other factors that
are difficult to quantify. The acreage
figures are used as a guide for overall
land use requirements - they do not
necessarily represent the future of
St. Joseph.
The other acreage figures are based on
the future distribution of land as shown
on the Future Land Use Map (Map 1-1 ).
This information is presented for both the
City and the five planning areas.
Future Land Use

factors, such as housing densities,
persons per household and housing
types can all influence the amount of
land that will be required for residential
uses.
Table 1-1 shows that the "average" urban
area has between 35 and 39 percent of
its land occupied by residential uses. In
St. Joseph this would equal between 764
and 851 acres of land. St. Joseph's
residential uses currently occupy 40.8
percent of the City's land. This figure is
slightly higher than the average, which
can be attributed to several things such
as larger lots, seasonal homes and the
fact that St. Joseph is a nice place to
have a home. St. Joseph is oriented
towards serving residential uses - as
opposed to many other land uses.
Hou_s1ng neeas in St. Joseph are not
e-xpectea to drastically change in the
Mure. While the population is expected
to continue to decrease, much of the
decrease can be attributed to decreasing
household size - not a decreasing
number of households.
Table 1-2 shows that the acreage
requirements, based on the assumption
of a decreasing population, will decrease
by 0.8 acres by 2010 (essentially no
change). While this means the amount
of residential land required to serve the
residents of St. Joseph will remain fairly
constant, it does not mean that land for
residential development should not be
set aside.

Residential

The main factor influencing the amount of
residential land required by a community
is population growth or decline. Other

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

l-1

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GOVE ASSOCIATES INC.

I SAINT

josEPH:

MICHIGAN
FUTURE LAND
USE MAP

I

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE
TABLE 1-1
COMPARISON OF STANDARD LAND USE DISTRIBUTION PERCENTAGES
TO ST. JOSEPH'S LAND USE DISTRIBUTIONS

Residential

35% to 39%

40.8%

Commercial

4.8% to 5.0%

5.2%
5.0%

10% to 11%

Industrial

(12% with redevelopment area)

Streets

20% to 26%

13.3%

Public

10% to 18%

15.9%

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.; The Urban Pattern

TABLE 1-2
FUTURE LAND USE REQUIREMENTS: CITY OF ST. JOSEPH
(Based on Standards &amp; Population Projections)

y~~Qge,ih

=1· ~:~e : ~~ii:;:;1t1t=1tt:;~~~-~

Acreage_In

-~~~a!c~!g~

Residential

889.7

890.9

885.0

887.2

889.7

888.9

-0.8

40.7

Commercial

112.6

112.6

112.6

112.6

112.6

112.6

0.0

5.1

Public

347.1

347.1

347.1

347.1

347.1

347.1

0.0

15.9

Manufacturing

109.0

130.8

152.6

174.4

196.2

218.0

+109.0

10.0

Redevelopment

152.4

152.4

152.4

152.4

152.4

152.4

0.0

7.0

Vacant

199.6

177.6

160.7

136.7

112.4

91.4

-108.2

4.2

Transportation
(Streets)*

289.5

289.5

289.5

289.5

289.5

289.5

0.0

13.3

Transportation
(Rall)

82.4

82.4

82.4

82.4

82.4

82.4

0.0

3.8

2, 182.3

2, 182.3

2, 182.3

2,182.3

2, 182.3

2, 182.3

0.0

100.0

Land Area

*The amount of land required for future streets will Increase proportionally to the land
developed. Increases do not appear in this category since each of the increases In land uses
for the various categories are net figures - which include streets.
SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

I-3

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE

People, or developers, wishing to build
new dwellings will be more likely to locate
in St. Joseph if there are areas in which
to build. St. Joseph does not have a
great deal of suitable land available for
future residential development. Since
several of this plan's goals relate to
developing housing, it is essential to set
aside adequate acreage to meet the
City's future housing goals.

Planning Area #1 currently has 91.4
acres of residential uses. This figure is
not expected to significantly change in
the future, unless a portion of the
redevelopment area is used for
residential purposes.
No significant
residential redevelopment exists or is
planned for Planning Area #2.

The future land use map shows an
additional 86 acres of residential land by
2010. This will account for 44.7 percent
of St. Joseph's land area (Table 1-3).
Planning Area #3 will remain the area
with the most residential acreage (381.8
acres). This figure accounts for 49.2
percent of the planning area's land.
Residential areas are located throughout
the planning area. The amount of land
set aside for future residential use in
Planning Area #3 is 17.1 acres more
than is presently being used.

The amount of land required for
commercial development in an area is
dependent on several factors such as the
area's population, the size of the market
area, the quality of available shopping,
the availability/ quality of shopping in
surrounding areas (competition), and
many other factors. While population is
a factor in commercial development it
does not influence the amount of land
required as much as residential
development.
Between 4.8 and 5.0
percent (Table 1-1) of the "average" urban
area's land is devoted towards
commercial land uses. Currently there
are 112.6 acres of commercial
development in St. Joseph, or 5.2
percent of the City's area - slightly higher
than the average (Table 1-2).

The planning area with the second most
future residential acreage is Planning
Area #5, with 256. 7 acres.
This
accounts for 53. 1 percent of the area's
land and is a 64.9 acre increase over the
existing residential acreage - the largest
residential increase of the five planning
areas. The residential areas are located
throughout Planning Area #5.
Planning Area #4, with 245.8 acres of
future residential uses, is the area with
the highest proportion of residential land
uses (59.9%). The amount of land to be
reserved for residential uses is only 4.0
acres more than currently exists in the
planning area - so very little is expected
to change in Planning Area #4 in regards
to residential uses.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Commercial

Many businesses are designed to serve
the weekend visitor, especially during the
summer. With this in mind a figure of 0.2
percent above the average urban area's
range is not excessive.
Another standard use for judging the
amount of land a community can support
is cited in The Urban Pattern. The
standard indicates that 50 feet of street
frontage per 100 persons in the area is
adequate.
If this rule is followed,
St. Joseph has actequate crommercial
land available to upport 52,300 pers ns,
1-4

~

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--~

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�TABLE 1-3

0

FUTURE LAND USE DISTRIBUTION
(Based on Future Land Use Plan, Map H-1)

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Residential
% of Land Area

Commercial
% of Land Area

Public
% of Land Area

Redevelopment

I

o.o

44.7
33.4

+38.0

44.3
5.5

32.9
9.3

0.0

36.9
27.5

+ 11 .9

o.o I

42.2
31 .5

0.0
0.0

Transportation
(Streets)*
% of Land Area

39.6
11.2

% of Land Area

I

0.0
0.0

Vacant
% of Land Area

I

~r4'$ .

27.1
7.7

o.o I
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o.ol

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0.0

::F~~~hin~Iw;,~1rnN]·::1:;,m:qit/;pt'~TJqsep~/C. ·
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!• •·• •1: ~j!ii:• • _111•. · •_: :•_ :1: •~-•E&gt;c;lstfn.g/futur\( ·:• ~i:i~:.•. ~s~irig/F1,1ture

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0.0
0.0

152.4
43.1

(Rail)

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% of Land Area

Transportation

l .::. P,liy,ni~g(v~~~;i&gt;-: .•• , •••• ····•· Planhin~~e~f4

91.4
25.9

9.9
2.8

Manufacturing
% of Land Area

pi~~tiiri~f'.N~~-~~.s.;

·••••

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256.7
53.1

+64.9

975.7
44.7

+86.0

+15.6

67.3
13.9

+33.6

199.9
9.1

+87.3

46.0
11 .2

0.0

42.1
8.7

0.0

366.81
16.8

+19.7

3.3
0.8

+0.8

54.7
11.4

+0.2

115.61
5.3

+6.6

0.0

0.0

0.0
0.0

0.0

I

0.0

0.0
0.0

-20.5

0.0
0.0

-98.7

0.0

58.2
14.2

0.0

57.1
11 .8

0.0

289.5
13.3

0.0

36.5
4.6

0.0

13.5
3.3

0.0

5.3
1.1

0.0

82.4
3.8

0.0

381 .81
49.2

+ 17.1

245.81
59.9

+4.0

0.0

43.5
10.6

208.9
26.1

+7.8

+6.3

5.5
0.7

-0.7

0.0
0.0

0.0

0.0
0.0

0.0

0.0
0.0

-56.2

0.0
0.0

-24.2

10.2
7.6

0.0

124.5
15.5

0.0
0.0

0.0

o.o

152.4
7.0

-0.0

Total Land Area

353.3

0.0

134.0

0.0

801 .5

o.o

410.3

0.0

483.2

0.0

2,182.3

0.0

Total Area
(includes water)

408.1

0.0

195.3

0.0

817.9

0.0

464.7

0.0

483.2

0.0

2,369.2

0.0

*The amount of land required for future streets will increase proportionally to the land developed. Increases do not appear in this category since each of the increases in
land uses for the various categories are net figures • which include streets.

SOURCE: Gove Associates Inc.

I

VI

-199.6

0.0

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE
or 2r,300 pe sons fa -commercial areas
south of Har ison ~venue and 31,000 for
areas norfh of arrjson Avenue.

Area #'4 cringing tfle to_al ac'fea§e-to
43.5 acres. Most of the new commercial
areas will be along the St. Joseph River.

The Future Land Use Map (Map 1-1) has
an additional 87 .3 acres of commercial
land designated throughout the City - to
keep pace with the increasing service
industry and to allow for an improved
tourism and commercial base.

In Planning Area # 1 no commercial land
is being set aside, unless some form of
commercial development occurs in the
redevelopment area.

Much of the new commercial development (33.6 acres) will occur in Planning
Area #5, making it the area with the
most commercial development. Much of
the existing commercial development in
the planning area exists along Niles
Road. The new commercial development
will occur in the southwest corner of the
planning area, along Hawthorne Avenue,
Kerth Street and Hilltop Road.

The amount of land required for industrial
land uses is largely based on the
desirability of the area to industries. If a
community wishes to attract industries
there are certain requirements that need
to be met, such as good transportation
facilities,
quality workers,
good
infrastructure and land that is ready to be
occupied.

Planning Area #2, Marina Island, will be
the second largest commercial area due
to the development of commercial
marinas and other marine related
activities. An additional 38 acres is being
designated to bring the island's
commercial area to 44. 7 acres, or 33.4
percent of land. Most of the land is
located on the eastern side of the Island,
along the St. Joseph River.
Planning Area #3 currently has the
largest amount of commercial land (44.3
acres), but is not expected to change a
great deal in the Mure - since the
commercial land uses in the area are
already well-established. The commercial
land uses in Planning Area #3 are
located in or adjacent to St. Joseph's
Central Business District.
An additional 15.6 acres of land is being
designated as commercial in Planning

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Industry

Table 1-1 shows that the average urban
area's industries occupy between 1O and
11 percent of the area.
The City's
industrial uses currently occupy only five
percent of St. Joseph.
If the
redevelopment area (which used to be
primarily industrial) is included, a total of
12 percent of St. Joseph's land can
currently be considered industrial land.
In order to increase the amount of
industrial land in St. Joseph to 1O percent
of the City's area, the amount of land
would need to be doubled. The only way
to double the amount of industrial land in
St. Joseph would be to use a large
portion (109 acres) of the redevelopment
area.
This is possible even though
current preliminary plans indicate that
once the cleanup of the area is
completed the area will be used for less
intensive purposes - such as recreation
and residential. If the land was dedicated
to light industrial or warehouse uses it is

I-6

II
~

•
-..
~

--~

~
~~

~

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE

likely that it would remain vacant for a
period of time vntil appropriate
businesses locate on the site.
Table 1-3 shows an increase of 6.6 acres
of industrial land in the Mure - none of
which is located in the redevelopment
area.
Planning Area #5 will have the largest
amount of industrial land, with 54. 7
acres, or 11.4 percent of the area's land
- no significant change will occur from
what currently is located in Planning Area
#5.
Planning Area #2 (Marina Island) will
have a total of 42.2 acres of industrial
land, or 31.5 percent of the area's total
acreage. This reflects an increase of 6.3
acres of industrial land, the largest
increase of any planning area.
The planning area with the third largest
amount of industrial land is Planning Area
#1, which has 9.9 acres of industrial
land, or 2.8 percent of the area's land.
The redevelopment area is also located
in Planning Area # 1, so the potential for
increased industrial activity exists.
Planning Area #3 and #4 both have
small amounts of industrial land uses and
are not going to significantly change.
Public Land

The amount of land required for public
facilities is directly related to the
population of the community and the
level of services offered by the
community.
Since St. Joseph offers
services to nonresidents this accounts for
much of the public land, which is still
within acceptable ranges. The beaches

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

~long Lake Michigan and some of the
many City parks are a few of the City's
amenities that are meant to be enjoyed
by both residents and nonresidents. The
combination of the beaches in the City
and the shops designed for the visitors is
the basis of the tourism industry 'for the
area.
Table 1-1 lists the desired amount of
public land to be between 10 and 18
percent - the widest range offered for any
of the categories. St. Joseph's figure is
15.9 percent, which is reasonable since
the City's figure is near the high end of
the range. Table 1-2 shows the amount
of public land remaining constant in the
future. Table 1-3, which reflects the future
land use map, shows an increase of 19.7
acres of public land.
Planning Area #3 currently has the
largest amount of public land and will
continue to into the future. With 208.9
acres designated for various public uses,
over 26 percent of the area's land will be
used for public uses - an increase of 7.8
acres from existing public use acreage
figures.
Planning Area #4 has the second largest
amount of public land with 46.0 acres, or
11.2 percent of the area's land. This
figure will remain the same in the future.
Planning Area #5, with 42.1 acres, has
the third largest amount of public land.
This area will also remain unchanged in
regards to public land. An additional
11.9 acres of land on Marina Island
(Planning Area #2) are being set aside
for public uses - the largest increase of
public land of the five planning areas.
No changes are planned for Planning
District #1.
1-7

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FUTURE LAND USE
Transportation

The amount of land required for future
street requirements is directly related to
how much development occurs in the
City of St. Joseph. Table 1-1 shows that
streets generally occupy between 20 to
26 percent of an urban area's land generally the second largest land use. In
St. Joseph the streets occupy 13.3
percent of the City's land. This large
difference can be attributed to the large
areas of land that have no streets
crossing them, especially on the north
side of the river, Marina Island and the
southwestern portions of the City. The
ravine area prevents many east-west
streets from connecting. Additionally,
many areas along the St. Joseph River
and Lake Michigan have limited street
access.

Land required for additional rail
transportation is not expected to
increase, but would be more likely to
decrease. Many spurs in the redevelopment area will most likely be removed especially if the area is going to be used
for nonmanufacturing related uses.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•I

The fact that St. Joseph's street system
is not based on a true grid, but is
influenced by natural features is the main
reason that streets are not as dominant
in St. Joseph as other areas.
Table 1-3 shows that o incre se in
streets is planned_, but this is not actually
true. Since all of the future land use
acreages for the various categories are
net figures, streets would be included
with these figures. To determine an
approximate level of additional street
acreage, the existing percentage of street
acreages for the City (13.3%) has been
applied to the vacant land and the
redevelopment area. A figure of 46.8
acres is arrived at using this method
which would bring the total amount of
land required for streets to 336.3 acres,
or 15.4 percent of the City's land area.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

I

I-8

•
•

�CONCLUSION

�_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CONCLUSION
In order for this plan to be implemented
it will take the continued efforts of the
planning Commission: City Commission
and staff, as well as the people of
St. Joseph. There are others whose
cooperation will be necessary, but the
overall responsibility for the
implementation of the plan lies with the
previously listed people.
For the plan to be an effective tool, it will
be necessary to continuously review the
plan to ensure that it continues to reflect
the needs of the people. This should be
done on a regularly scheduled basis to
ensure that the plan is used and does
not become outdated before its time.
A major review and update should be
scheduled for the year 2001, when the
Census information from the 2000
Census becomes available. This major
review should be used to update
population figures and facts as well as to
revise projections if necessary.
Members of the planning Commission
should occasionally review the plan on
their own, and treat their copies as an
active tool - their plans should become
well used and worn - not dusty.
New members of the planning
Commission should be provided with
new copies and should become familiar
with the plan. This will ensure a degree
of continuity between old members and
new members - but it does not mean that
new members should not question the
plan.
If these points are kept in mind, the plan
will act as a guide for St. Joseph to
follow into the future.

0

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

J-1

�APPENDIX A

St. Joseph Planning Questionnaire
St. Joseph Key Person Survey

�ST. JOSEPH PLANNING QUESTIONNAIRE

Zoning and land use are critical to the future of St. Joseph. These areas are being evaluated by the City Planning
Commission as part of a Master.Plan Update. This questionnaire is one of the early steps. The Planning Commission
is asking you to take a few minutes to answer the questions and return the form to City Hall. The form may be dropped
off at City Hall, or returned by mail. Thank you for your cooperation and input to the Master Plan for the future of St.
Joseph. Your thoughts and opinions are a valuable part of the Master Plan.
1.

Are you an adult City resident? (a) __ or/non-resident property owner? (b) _ _

2.

To what age group do you belong?

(1) _19-24

(2) _25-34

(3) _35-44

(4) _45-54

(5) _55-64

3.

If a City resident, do you own your home? (1) __ Yes (2) __ No

4.

Please indicate which category your total family Income fell into last year.

(1)
Below $14,999
(2) -$15,000-$19,999
(3)
$20,000-$24,999
5.

(4)
$25,000-$29,999
(5) -$30,000-$34,999
(6)
$35,000-$39,999

(7)
$40,000-$49,999
(8) -$50,000-$74,999
(9)
$75,000 Above

Which of the following residential types should be encouraged as future development? (Please indicate all
desired types)

(5)
Senior Congregate Housing
(6) --Modular Homes
--(Prefabricated Single-Family)
(6) __Other (Please Explain): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

(1)
Single-Family Residences
(2) --Multi-Family (Apartments)
(3) --Duplex (Two-Family)
(4) -Condominiums

6.

(6) _65 and Over

Where do you shop and the frequency?
# Times/Month

(a)
Yes
No Downtown St. Joseph
(b) -Yes-No Other Areas in St. Joseph
(c) -Yes -No Niles Area
(d) -Yes =No Benton Township

# Times/Month

(e)

Yes

No

(f) -Yes-No
(g)-Yes-No
(h) Other

South Bend Area
Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids
South Haven

Areas_____________

7.

Are there specific commercial businesses or professional services which you feel are needed in St. Joseph?

8.

How do you feel the older manufacturing areas should be redeveloped in the future? (Answer all appropriate)
(1)
Residential
(2) --Commercial

(3)
Public
(4) --Business/ Industry

(5) __ Recreation/Open Space

9. · Is there a particular type of recreational activity which you would like to see developed in St. Joseph?

�ISSUE IDENTIFICATION:

10. Indicate your Impressions of the following facilities/services/areas and what level of attention they need to make
St. Joseph a better community in the future?
(a) Housing Conditions
(b) Library Facilities
(c) Recreational Facilities
(d) Bicycle Path Development
(e) School Facilities
(f) Fire Protection Facilities
(g) Police Facilities
(h) Traffic Flow
(i) Sidewalk Access
0) Neighborhood Parks
(k) Snow Removal
(I) Downtown District
(m) Mercy Memorial Med. Ctr.
(n) Ausco Property Redevel.
(o) Tourism
(p) Family Orientation
(q) YWCA
(r) Churches
(s) Waterfront Areas
(t) Marinas
(u) Livability of City
(v) Tax Base
(w) Semi-Public Uses
(x) Overall Appearance
(y) Other (Please specify) :

Current Condition/Situation
{1)
Good {2)
Average
{1)-Good {2)-Average
{1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
{1)-Good (2)-Average
(1)-Good (2)-Average
{1 )-Good (2)-Average
{1 )-Good {2)-Average
{1 )-Good {2)-Average
{1)-Good {2)-Average
{1 )-Good {2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
{1 )-Good {2)-Average
{1 )-Good (2)-Average
{1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
{1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1 )-Good {2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1)-Good {2)-Average
(1 )-Good (2)-Average
(1)_Good (2)
Average

{3)
Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
(3)-Fair
{3)-Fair
(3)=Falr

11. Future
{1)
High
{1 )-High
(1 )-High
(1 )-High
{1 )-High
(1)-High
(1 )-High
{1 )-High
{1)-Hlgh
(1)-High
(1 )-High
(1)-High
(1)-High
(1)-High
{1 )-High
(1 )-High
{1 )-High
(1 )-High
(1 )-High
{1 )-High
(1 )-High
{1 )-High
(1)-High
(1)=High

Attention
{2)
Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
(2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
(2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
{2)-Average
(2)-Average
(2)
Average

(3)
Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
(3)-Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
{3)-Low
(3)-Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
{3)-Low
{3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)-Low
(3)
Low

COMMENTS: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I
I
I
I

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•II
"~

Ill

1111

�Name

Date

St. Joseph Master Plan
Key Person Survey
1.

What are trends in the St. Joseph Area over the last 5 to 1O years dealing with economic,
physical development, public policy, political/socialjneighborhood climate?

2.

Identify major current development and planning issues, problems and opportunities in
St. Joseph.

3.

Identify emerging or future opportunities or problems for St. Joseph.

�4.

Who are local leaders that could accomplish or restrict the future of St. Joseph (city,
county, neighborhood, business, planning commission)?

I
I

,.
I
I

5.

What do you think should be the product or benefit of an updated St. Joseph Master
Plan?

6.

Identify data, information or reports that we could use in the Master Plan process or local
people with which you believe we should talk.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
""
"

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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Iraq War
Michael Gower
Length of Interview (00:11:54)
Background: (0:00:22)
 Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
 Four sisters, one brother
 Was in school before entering the service
 Enlisted, was not drafted
 Joined the Army
Enlistment: (0:01:58)
 Basic training was at Fort Benning , Georgia
o Break you down as a civilian, and into a soldier
o Marksmanship, etc.
 Rations are small, but very high in protein in Basic
 After Basic training, you can go anywhere
 Served in Iraq
 Served in the First Stryker Brigade
o Describes a Stryker (00:04:28)
o First to go into Iraq with the Strykers
o Large success, and the Army put more money into the equipment
 Talks about more of the horrific scenes he saw (00:06:14)
o Children getting torn to shreds by mortars
o Insurgents
 Made friends while over in Iraq
o Interpreter is one of them
 Was deployed twice
 Had a difficult time communicating, mostly by letter at first, and then phones sometimes
 Second deployment, by telephone and internet
 Returned home August 2nd, 2007
o Vehicle hit by an improvised explosive and killed three of his squad and
dismembered a few other squad members.
o Was injured turning the explosive, and was discharged medically
 Was difficult to readjust to civilian life
 Stays in touch with his friends over Facebook and Together We Serve, and through
phone calls
After the Service: (00:11:48)
 Learned that life is short

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                <text>Michael Gower was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and served with the Army in the Iraq War. He served in the First Stryker Brigade to enter Iraq, and was deployed twice. He was discharged for medical reasons on August 2nd, 2007 after being injured in an explosion that killed three of his squad members and injured several more.</text>
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                    <text>Grace, Matthew
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Name of War: Afghanistan War
Interviewee’s Name: Matthew Grace
Length of Interview: (2:03:26)
Interviewed by: James Smither
Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo
Interviewer: “We’re talking today with Matt Grace of Muskegon, Michigan and the
interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History
Project. Matt, start us off with some background on yourself and to begin with, where and
when were you born?”
[I] was born in Muskegon, Michigan, November 5, 1988.
Interviewer: “Did you grow up in Muskegon?”
Yeah. [I] spent my entire life there. Went to Mona Shores High School and graduated in ‘07.
Interviewer: “What did your family do for a living when you were growing up?”
Well, both of my parents were originally doctors–– met in med school. Till I was about four,
they both worked and then around four or five, when my brother came about, my mom kind of
quit and stayed home with the kids. Dad’s still working.
Interviewer: “Now, let’s see. You were born in ‘88–– 2001, September 11–– you weren’t
quite 13. What do you remember about 9/11?”
I was in sixth or seventh grade–– I wanna say seventh grade, but I might be wrong with that. I
don’t remember exactly, like, when I heard the Trade Centers went down. I remember when the
Pentagon was hit. At that point in time, I didn’t know what the Trade Centers were. I probably
heard about it, [but] it didn’t register any kind of significance.
Interviewer: “Did they do anything at your school or you just kept on with the rest of your
day?”

�I think we kept on with the rest of our day. I remember being in, like, band class or whatever and
hearing that the Pentagon was hit. I was a little stupid asshole–– excuse me–– but I’m like, “Oh
yeah. Down with the government.” or some stupid stuff.
Interviewer: “Well, you get to do that when you’re twelve.”
Yeah. And of course I didn’t know the significance. Then, of course, later on in the day when I
get home, I turn on the TV and it’s all that everyone is watching and everything like that. (2:14).
Interviewer: “Now, after that happens, did you pay much attention to the news after that?
Or, ignore it for a while?”
Yeah. I always was a pretty–– I guess–– informed kid, as much as a middle schooler/high
schooler could be, I guess. I think it had to do with all of my friends being of the exact opposite
political background as me, so any time any discussion of politics came up, I would have to be
really informed to counter their arguments and stuff. I would go on to like Fox News, or
wherever, and read articles that piqued my fancy–– which usually the military wants, so I kind of
kept up with the war in general and everything.
Interviewer: “And then, at what point did you start thinking about going into the service
yourself?”
Oh, that was always the plan or whatever. I mean, I can’t even tell you–– my earliest memories
are like in the backyard with my next door neighbor playing “war” or whatever. Like, it’s not
unusual for a kid to own a G.I. Joe–– [it] might be unusual for a kid to have a G.I. Joe of General
Patton or whatever. So, that was me. It was always the plan–– I didn’t know exactly what branch
I would want to go into or exactly if I was going to go to college first, or what I was going to do,
but that was always a part of the plan. Like I said, one of my earliest memories is with my
neighbor–– an older couple that would watch me–– and they would show me Gary Cooper or
Cary Grant in old Alvin York films. I remember watching that and my grandfather also showed
me Midway with Charlton Heston and Battle of the Bulge movie, all of that. I couldn’t get
enough of that. I read books and everything. It was just a constant fascination. It was like go to
college and join the Army, or vice versa. (4:44).
Interviewer: “So when did you finish high school?”
I guess that would be May of 2007.
Interviewer: “And then how quickly did you enlist after that, or had you already?”

�I enlisted right after that. I had talked to recruiters the previous November or whatever and I kept
in touch. [I] enlisted in August and like a week/week-and-a-half later I shipped out to Benning.
Interviewer: “Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training?”
Yeah.
Interviewer: “Which branch did you choose and why?”
Not exactly a logical choice, but I knew I always wanted to fight and everything like that, so it
kind of narrows it down to Marine Corps or Army. And I think I just kind of decided on it
because Band of Brothers recently came out and I watched all that, so it was like, “I wanna go
airborne” and everything like that. So, that was it. And I also watched Blackhawk Down and I
was like, “I’ll go Army Rangers” or something. Of course, I don’t know how ignorant that was.
(6:01).
Interviewer: “So, it wasn’t so much what the recruiters had to say or what kind of things
they were offering you, it was more of the idea in your own head––”
Yeah.
Interviewer: “–– of how you saw yourself. Okay, so you enlist in the Army, they pack you off
to Fort Benning, Georgia. What kind of reception do you get when you arrive?”
Well, when you first arrive–– [it’s] late at night. Spent a week in this place called 30th AG–– I
believe it’s kind of the reception there where you get to spend a week going through, getting
some shots, doing all kinds of paperwork. They keep you up for the first 24-36 hours and mainly
you’re just sitting in one room, doing absolutely nothing. But, at that point in time, you’re not
actually in with the drill sergeants–– they’re just kind of soldiers that are pushing you through.
They’re jerks and everything like that because you’re day one–– not even a day one Private yet.
But, I mean, they’re not yelling in your face or anything, at that point in time. You go through
the mess hall and everything and it’s a normal Army depot–– it’s not the basic training food. I
was thinking, “Okay, so far this isn’t too bad. I can handle this.” Then, after that week, right
before they pick us up, they come by and they say, “We call your name, file out to the right. You
are going to be eleven charlies. Mortar men.” I’m like, “I don’t want to be a mortar man. I signed
up to be infantry.” They’re like, “Yeah, you’re infantry but you’re also a mortar man.” I’m like,
“Don’t call my name. Don’t call my name.” He’s like, my name–– or my serial number,
whatever it was. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I was called. They filed us up and I
didn’t really know too much about what it was to be a mortar man, but everyone in that group
was sent off and they were all mortar men, and that is what our basic training class was.

�Interviewer: “To back up a little bit, at what point did you do testing for aptitude and that
sort? Was that before you got there or after you got there?”
Are you talking about the ASVAB?
Interviewer: “Yeah.”
I think shortly after I first talked to the recruiter in the November past. I wanna say it was a
month or two. It was shortly after that I took it. (8:24).
Interviewer: “So, was there any additional testing after you got to Fort Benning or just
other kinds of paperwork?”
Just paperwork. Not aptitude or anything like that.
Interviewer: “Then, your preference had been infantry anyway, so it wasn’t like you were
shopping for a particular school.”
No. I wanted to like–– I still had that fantasized image in my mind where it was like I wanted to
go airborne, I wanted to do Ranger. Kind of like lots of young, naive people think–– they’re like,
“Everyone can do that,” or “ I’m special, I can do that.” And, I mean, when I first signed up, I
went in as an 11X, which is like they can put you as an 11 Bravo or an 11 Charlie–– infantry [or]
infantry warman. I asked my recruiter, “What’s 11X? I thought I wanted to do 11 Bravo.” He’s
like–– I think this is the one lie he told me–– he’s like, “That just means they can, later on, go to
Special Forces or airborne” or something like that. I’m like, “Oh, okay.”
Interviewer: “So, you’ve been assigned, you join your company. Now, what’s the actual
training like?”
Well, all basic training is, it’s like they say–– the bare basics. When you actually, finally, first get
to your unit you don’t know jack-shit or whatever, and it’s pretty much up to the guys there––
the Specialists, the level NCOs–– to teach you up on that. Basic training is just of the bare, basic
familiarizations. It’s more, mainly, just to instill that discipline in you that makes it so you can
function when you eventually get to your unit. (10:12).
Interviewer: “How did they go about instilling discipline?”
Well, just constantly yelling at you, smoking you–– physical punishment, push-ups or whatever
exercises they can instill in you. I think one of the main things, looking back, is one of the things
the movies get wrong–– I mean, I love Full Metal Jacket. It’s right there. It’s a lot like that kind

�of experience except the drill sergeants aren’t beating us. But, one thing they get wrong is at the
start they show a Private mess up [and] it’s like, “Drop and give me 50,” or “100.” No one ever
told me to drop and give any number or anything like that. No one ever told me–– well, maybe
one-on-one, if it was just me and a drill sergeant–– 90 percent of the time it’s everyone drops and
you’re going to do push-ups until [they] get bored–– or alternate exercises just to continue to
mess with you. I remember one time, the drill sergeant told us to drop for a reason and stay in a
push-up position and he kind of walked out. He comes back three hours later and he sees us in
the barracks [like], “What the fuck did you guys do?” I’m like, “Drill sergeant, you told us to do
push-ups.” He was like, “That was three hours ago. I went to Taco Bell. Get up.” That’s kind of
the constant thing–– a small fraction. It’s all kind of a game. I thought your job is to make sure
you don’t do anything wrong and it’s the drill sergeant’s job to find what’s wrong. Well, the
problem is, you don’t know all of the rules of the game yet. They do. So, that’s pretty much the
gist of it. (12:16).
Interviewer: “And then what sort of physical training do they do at that point?”
I mean, you wake up in the morning and for the first three weeks–– during the red phase–– it was
4:30a.m. or 5:30a.m. or something like that. Do like an hour-and-half of PT or something. It
varied. Sometimes you’d go on a run or they’d have you do some kind of circuit training where
you’d run 100 meters with someone on your back. Then, there would be like some monkey bars,
you’d do that. Then you’d have to carry this water jug somewhere–– I don’t know. It was all
kinds of things, I mean. Apparently they’ve–– kind of–– “wussied” up the training from what I
hear nowadays where they have this PRT crap that–– I don’t know. But, back then, it was just
whatever they could think of. Then, the rest of the day you’d go off and you’d do whatever
actual “learning” that you were doing, whether it would be on a weapons system or medical care
or land-navigation, or whatever. Then, of course, throughout this whole time the drill sergeants
are still buzzing around, trying to look for anything that is wrong. And they’re smoking you
throughout the day and stuff like that.
Interviewer: “How well did you hold up through this–– mentally and physically?”
I think very well actually. Not to say that it wasn’t stressful, it was one of the hardest experiences
of my life and everything like that. But, I mean, looking at some other guys trying to go AWOL
or cried or something like that. I mean, it was stressful but I never got to that point. And
physically, I went in and I was kind of on the more pudgy side. I wasn’t obese or anything like
that, but I was definitely kind of husky, or something like that. I don’t know. So, I was towards
the bottom third of my class, but before I went in I talked to a veteran and he told me [that] you
get out what you put in. So, I kind of took that to heart. I mean, instead of like–– as you go along
you learn ways to slack off–– to a degree. It’s kind of required because you can’t do push-ups for
three hours straight. You have to find ways [like] when the drill sergeant isn’t looking, you go

�down on your belly. But, I tried my best and did it as long as I possibly could. So, I started off at
a low point, but at the end of basic my platoon out of 53 or like 56 people–– it varied when
people went AWOL or went to a different platoon–– by that time we were done, I was like third
or fourth on the PT scale in my platoon. I think I graduated with a 296 PT score out of 300––
though, there are certain ways you can go above 300, but there were only three or four people
that got a better score than me. So, I did very well in that aspect. (15:33).
Interviewer: “And did you understand why they were doing the things they were doing,
especially with messing with your head and just trying to get you to automatically follow
orders? They talked about breaking down and building back up. I mean, did you have any
sense that that’s what they were doing, or were you just trying to survive?”
I think it’s more, at that point, you’re just trying to survive. I wasn’t standing there going, “Why
are they doing this to me?” But, I wasn’t trying to philosophically get inside their heads at that
point in time and dissect their motives. It was just I gotta do this, this way, or we’re all gonna
pay for it.
Interviewer: “And that whole business with making the whole unit responsible is a way of
enforcing discipline without them directly doing it. If there’s some guy who screws up all of
the time, was the idea that the rest of you would make him clean up his act?”
Not necessarily that, I think it’s more of a guilt-trip than anything else because it was never––
yeah, it was just a guilt trip at that point in time. I mean, there were points in time where it did
fall on everyone. For example, we had this one kid that right off the bat said, “I don’t wanna be
here. I’m going to go AWOL.” He tried to go AWOL–– twice. And after that, we had to have
like six people around him at any given time–– like no more than three feet away. The problem
with that is, when it comes to nighttime, you have fireguard. You have two guys on fireguard,
and then you might have two guys on CQ, and then you might have another two guys on staff
duty. And you kind of have to rotate those people in-and-out every hour–– the guard. The more
people you have out there, the more people you have losing their sleep and so, to have six extra
people out there, it falls on this kid. At this point in time, he’s refusing to train and everything
like that, but they’re not sending him home yet. Unfortunately, his bunk was right next to mine
so I would go to sleep and there were people with chairs sitting around him. I mean, he’d like cry
at night and like they would–– I mean, people were pissed at this kid, understandably, I think.
But, they’d whisper to him the whole night, “You piece of shit” and everything–– and like spit
on him or something like that. No one ever beat him or anything like that. There was only one
time where they actually came to blows. (18:15). There was this one kid, apparently he was
causing trouble in another platoon, and my drill sergeant–– I don’t know if it’s because he’s
senior or had a Special Forces tab or what–– but they’re like, “We’ll send him to this platoon.
Maybe they’ll shape him up.” Well, he was literally there for a day. At some point in time, he

�decided, “I’m not doing this. This is bullshit” or whatever. He thought he was some kind of
gangster and hard kind of guy. [He’s] like, “I’ve seen some stuff.” My drill sergeant was like,
“Shut up.” But, during that day he said, “I’m not training anymore. I’m done with this.” My drill
sergeant was like, “Fine. Whatever.” And we’re going through chow and he’s in the line and the
drill sergeant is like, “Oh no. You go to the back of the line. These guys have been training all
day. You don’t get your food until everyone else has.” And he’s like, “Screw you” and throws
his tray down at the drill sergeants feet and by the time we get back to the barracks, everyone is
towing the line around the bay area of our barracks room and the drill sergeant is yelling like,
“You’re going to watch this motherfucker get his stuff. He’s gonna walk out of here and never be
seen again” or something like that. And he starts walking towards the back door of the barracks–
– we’re not really allowed to go out the front, that’s where the drill sergeants come in–– and he’s
like, “Yeah. You better use that back door” for some reason. As soon as he says that, the kid
stops and turns around and tries to go out the front door. And our drill sergeant is like, “Second
Platoon, are you going to let this guy walk out the front door of your barracks?” And we are like,
“What does he want us to do?” Because the drill sergeants were very insistent from the start, like
“You guys better not fight on my watch. I don’t want to deal with that paperwork. You better not
go AWOL on my watch. I don’t want to deal with that paperwork.” So, they always told us not
to fuck with each other because they didn’t want to do the paperwork and get in trouble. But the
drill sergeant–– this kid keeps walking–– [like], “Second Platoon, are you going to let him walk
out?” So we all start moseying into the kill zone–– the center of our bay–– and we’re like,
“Come on man, go back out the back door.” And I actually stepped in front of him and I’m like,
“Hey man, go that way.” (20:40). And as soon as I say that, he begins to raise his fist and as soon
as that happens, ten guys just jump him. It’s like this giant pig pile in the center of the room.
Eventually, the drill sergeant comes in and starts pulling people off and he gets him in this weird
leg-lock thing and starts applying a little bit of pressure and the guy is just screaming, “Drill
Sergeant. You’re going to break my leg.” He’s like, “You wanna fuck with me and everything
like that? You wanna disrespect all of us here?” He’s like, “Drill sergeant, let me go.” He’s like,
“Just say you’re a bitch” or whatever and he’s like, “I’m a bitch drill sergeant.” This guy who’s
acting all hard. Eventually, they let him go and he was gone the next day. (21:37).
Interviewer: “The other fella who didn’t want to be there–– did they eventually move him
out of the unit?”
Not while I was there. He was there throughout the whole time.
Interviewer: “So, that’s an adventure so far. Now, how long did basic training last?”
I believe day one or zero was August 30th–– I remember that because I was disappointed it
wasn’t September 1st because I thought it would be kind of cool that the anniversary of when

�World War II started [unintelligible]. And then we graduated on–– but I was satisfied because I
got to graduate on December 7th. So, three months, give or take a little bit.
Interviewer: “What did they do with you after that?”
After that we got to go home for hometown recruiting and Christmas exodus, so it was like three
weeks off where we got to go work for the recruiter for a week or two–– because we were doing
that it wouldn’t count against our leave [or] when we could be home or anything like that. At that
point in time, we’d just show up and the recruiter would be like, “Go hand out these flyers. See if
you can put up these flyers” in local businesses or wherever. We’d knock that out in an hour and
we’d just blow it off for the rest of the day. It was recruiters, I mean. They understood. They
were like, “We don’t really care that much about these guys. Just let them do their thing.” Then
after that, I think it was the first week of January I had to report to my first unit. (23:19).
Interviewer: “And where was that based?”
Fort Lewis, Washington.
Interviewer: “And what unit were you joining?”
A Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd ID.
Interviewer: “So that's Second Infantry Division?”
Yes.
Interviewer: “The acronyms, we wanna make sure people are following. The person who is
writing the outline for you.”
Yeah. Alpha Troop and that whole mix of acronyms and stuff.
Interviewer: “So, you’re with the unit. Now, the Cavalry units had certainly changed a lot
over time in terms of how they’re equipped and what their missions are. At times, they’re
more like an Armored Division, sometimes like Infantry. Other times, they’ve been
airborne. How was the division set up? Or, were you just in a regular line Infantry unit––
or did they have special equipment or jobs?”
Washington is a Stryker base, so we were Stryker vehicles. At this point in time, Cav Scouts,
they’re just doing–– I would never tell them, they’re just doing the Infantry’s job. They would
deny it vehemently because there’s this kind of rivalry, but, in a sense, they’re doing that same

�thing. I won’t say that they’re as good as Infantry and everything like that, which I don’t think
they’re as disciplined enough. But, they’re pretty much doing that thing. And then they do
practice–– like the Strykers, they do have some big, old optical thing that they have mounted on
top that can do their scouting and zoom in like a million times, or something like that. But, for
the most part, they’re just doing, kind of, Infantry stuff. However, [it’s] just that their units are
smaller and organized a little different. (25:06).
Interviewer: “And then the Stryker vehicles themselves, describe those. What are you using
them for?”
Like, an actual, physical description of them?
Interviewer: “Yeah.”
Oh. I guess, if you want to picture it, it’s a giant, green brick with six/eight wheels or something
like that. Then, the very front is sloped. Then the back drops down which let’s everyone go in
and out. The Infantry model and the Scout model are pretty much, almost the exact same. I think
there’s some slight differences. Then there’s like one with an actual 105 cannon mounted on top,
and I think there are a couple other ones. But I–– being a mortarman–– we had the mortar
variant. I forget the acronym for it, but you have an actual mortar mounted in the back of that.
And at the top of it, it springs open–– it pushes open–– and it goes pretty much like this and the
cannon raises out of the back and it’s on a turntable and you can rotate it all the way around. I
believe the acronym for the actual cannon is RMS6-L. It’s a 120 millimeter mortar system and it
can reach out and touch 6,700 meters, which is slightly less than the ground mounted system.
You don’t get quite as much bang for your buck because it has a recoil system on it.
Interviewer: “Well, 120 is still a good sized mortar and it can shoot a couple of miles.”
Yeah.
Interviewer: “So, that’s a really substantial weapon in and of itself. So, you get to Fort
Lewis. At this point, was the unit preparing to go anyplace or had they been anywhere? Or
were you just all in the base?”
When I arrived, the 5th Brigade had just been stood up. I don’t know how long, but maybe a year
or so ago. It is still pretty new. Like the deployment is not on the horizon at this point in time. I
mean, we know we’re going somewhere eventually. That’s the reality of the Army–– everyone
knows that you’re going to go somewhere. I think we eventually got word that we were going to
Iraq and each platoon had to send off one guy to Arabic school, and you just kind of disappeared
from the platoon completely for the next year. (27:54). We didn’t actually learn that we were

�going to Afghanistan until we reached the National Training Center–– NTC. Like every combat
brigade, before they deploy, they have to go to JRTC which is in Louisiana–– Fort Polk–– or
NTC which is in Fort Irwin in California–– whatever geography they use [to] break it down.
Pretty much, you just go to this place for a month and you run through some training and then
you get done and they’re like, “You’re certified. You can go deploy.” Well, we thought we were
going to Iraq this whole time, we finally got there and they’re like, “Oh no, you’re going to
Afghanistan.” So, what you’ve been training for is not quite right. And like, “Oh yeah. That guy
we took away from your platoon, who now knows Arabic, he can’t use that in Afghanistan. They
speak Pashto.”
Interviewer: “How long did you spend at Fort Lewis?”
So, I got there–– I guess that would’ve been–– January of ‘08 and we finally deployed in July of
‘09. Then, we spent a year there, came back in July of the following year, and I left in October.
(29:22).
Interviewer: “How did you spend your time when you were based at Fort Lewis?”
Well, my first year there–– at one point in time–– calculated it out and figured out that my first
year in, we spent five months out of that year in the field. I don’t remember if NTC was a part of
that equation or not, but that might’ve came to mind the following year. But, yeah. I couldn’t
believe it. I calculated it out with all these trips up to the Yakima Training Center, which is like
three hours by car, five hours by Stryker–– up in Washington. And it’s just wide open desert.
Units from Fort Lewis will often go to train. It has a lot more room, whereas Fort Lewis is a lot
more congested. Sometimes we’d just go out for a weekend on Fort Lewis for a border shoot or
whatever, like that. But then we’d have troop, squadron, brigade level exercises, in which case
we’d go out to Yakima for a week, two weeks at a time. Eventually, that adds up. That first year,
I think, was the most I’d ever spent in the field at one point in time. I think it’s probably safe to
say, on average, you’re looking at a minimum of two months out of the year doing some kind of
field problem. Then if you have NCT or JRTC that’s another month on top of that. Of course, it
varies between units and you can spend a lot more time. But, we’d go out there. Our First
Sergeant had some weird grudge against [unintelligible] mortars or whatever. So, a lot of the
time we’d get some of the shittier, heavier details and stuff like that. Most of the guys in the unit
had been to Iraq and they really hadn’t used mortars to the extent that the guys that had been to
Afghanistan had. Like my platoon’s Sergeant, he had been an Afghan vet so he was there. They
shot a ton and everything like that. He was like, “These guys don’t know how to use us.” I don’t
know. There was some kind of resentment there. (31:56).
Interviewer: “How did they treat new people coming into the unit?”

�It varies between platoon and platoon. My first platoon, it was great and everything like that. I
didn’t have any problems with anyone–– maybe one of my sergeants. I think it was like a group
of 12 or 15 guys. More platoon–– at least in the Cav world–– are a lot smaller. So, I mean, there
was a little bit of hazing–– made me do push-ups for no reason or something like that. But, at the
same time, there was my platoon sergeant, who, when he first got to the units–– like everyone
else, slightly before us–– he came in and was only a Specialist at the time. And, in order to, like,
fill out the whole–– they needed more NCOs in our little tiny platoon. So, they gave him
Corporal and they tried to fast track him to E5, then E6 and everything like that–– so there’s that.
(33:05). Everyone else is just Privates who got to the unit two/three months before me. And I
think there was one other Specialist. There wasn’t like a ton of people to haze you. And our
platoon sergeant really took on a father-figure persona and since all the other Cavs treated us
shitty, there was a lot more camaraderie in our little crew–– who I remember trying to look out
for each other. I think I was naturally a nice, young, naive guy, not hardened and resentful like I
am now after everything. So, I got along with everyone and our platoon Sergeant was very much
into platoon activities. We would go bowling together and stuff, like watch UFC fights. So, there
wasn’t really anyone there to mess with me that much. (34:10).
Interviewer: “You don’t really have a big divide between the experienced guys and the new
guys because so many people were new.”
Exactly.
Interviewer: “Also, you’re talking here about Scouts versus mortars. Now, was the company
a Scout company or the whole battalion? What does it actually mean to be a Cavalry
Scout?”
Well, I mean the brigade–– it seems the way that most brigades are organized, you have two or
three infantry battalions in a brigade. Then, you’ll have a fuel artillery–– a battery is a company
for them.
Interviewer: “So a battalion would be standard.”
Yeah. You would have like a few battalions of infantry, a battalion of artillery, and then you’d
have a support battalion, and then a Scout squadron which is roughly the size of a battalion–– a
little bit smaller. And then that breaks down into troops–– platoons–– so pretty much, we worked
with me being part of a Cav squadron, we’re just infantry in the whole Cav world. Like, 11Charlie’s are always like the red-headed step-child of the Army because you’re in an infantry
battalion. Your company is broken down into three platoons of regular 11-Bravo’s and then
you’re going to have one platoon of 11-Charlie. They are always just that “add on.” It’s the same
thing in the Cav world, except you’re one more step removed because you’re infantry and you’re

�not Cav. I mean, you don’t even have that kind of thing. So, yeah. You kind of have a little bit of
rivalry and disconnect from them. I mean, not to say that it’s some complete animosity where
you’re butting heads all the time, but, you know, friendly kind of rivalries. You do, kind of, get
to know and make friends outside of your platoon. (36:16).
Interviewer: “Now, when you were on the base–– so the time you’re not in the field, you’re
on the base at Fort Lewis–– are there other kinds of exercises or routine jobs you have?
What happens there?”
I mean, you have your daily things. You start your day, you do PT and everything for an
hour/hour-and-a-half. I think when I first got there it was 6:30 to 7:30 and then they extended it
to 8:00. Then, depending on what’s going on–– if you’re just coming back from the field, you’re
just cleaning weapons all day. If it’s Monday, you’re going down to the motor pool and doing
maintenance on your Strykers and everything like that. And then that can extend into other days
of the week too, depending on if something needs to be done or whatever is going on. Or, some
days you might be doing inventory. It all depends on what needs to be done right now. I
wouldn’t say there’s a routine, but certain things you can expect to do. You’re going to be doing
lots of layouts and inventory. You’re going to be spending lots of time in the motor pool cleaning
weapons. Then, at the end of every day you have a certain area to clean. And that was kind of
your day. And then, throughout that process–– I mean, some days you spend the entire time
down in the motor pool or you spend the entire day doing inventory, but then a lot of the times
you would do an hour or so of that, or maybe none at all that day. In which case, your leadership
will try and teach you something whether it be land navigation, or have a class on doing the
radio, or set up a glass house where you take some–– they call it engineer tape–– which is kind
of a cloth and you make an outline of a room and you practice clearing rooms and everything
like that. Sometimes we’d go down to the motor pool and we would throw up the back of our
Stryker and practice manual gunning where, instead of using the digital system, you slap on an
actual, legit mortar site and you actually try–– and were able to, depending on the position of the
Stryker–– line up and actually run out poles, which with the mortar you’re supposed to adjust off
of when you’re aiming and everything like that. But, most of the time, Strykers aren’t in the
position so you’re trying to adjust off of the metal fences in the distance or stuff like that. So, the
leaders just find different classes you can teach and everything like that. (39:15).
Interviewer: “Okay, they keep you busy. Now, do you get time to go off base?”
Well, yeah. It’s one of the things that people don’t really understand about soldiers. Like, every
time I would come home my family was like, “So do you ever get any time to go do things on
your own?” I’m like, “Yeah.” We’d get done with work at five o’clock or whatever it would be,
and you’d be free. Unless you had CQ or staff duty or you have some kind of extra detail–– or
you’re out in the field, of course–– but most of the time, as soon as you get off work, you’re “off

�work.” You can have a car, you can go to town [and] do whatever you want, go to the bar. At
that point in time, I really kept myself on base. I was a shy guy and I didn’t drink at that point in
time. So, but yeah. You can go and do whatever you want.
Interviewer: “So, you’re there for over a year basically and eventually, you are kind of
gearing up with the idea that sooner or later you are going to go to Iraq. And then they
send you off to the training center. Which one did you go to?”
[I] went to the National Training Center which is in Fort Irwin. I forgot what JRTC stands for––
Joint Training Center or something like that which is in Fort Polk. I went there after my second
unit. (40:45).
Interviewer: “What do they do in that month of preparation?”
I think for the first week you get down there and you're spending most of the time trying to
unpack all your gear that you originally had to load up onto conexes and put on trains and stuff
like that–– along with your Strykers. Which, that’s one thing that is different from NTC to
JRTC–– which I think might be one of the reasons we went there actually. Now that I think
about it, NTC, Fort Irwin out in the middle of the desert in California. JRTC you’re kind of in the
middle of swamps, so you can’t really have Strykers rolling around. So, you had to unload that
pretty much for the first week. You have to draw a “mod” of equipment which is kind of the
“laser-tag” crap that you put all your weapons and vehicles and everything that never works. But,
you put all of that on, you go out into “the Box” for two weeks in which case, each unit,
depending on what your job is, you might have a battalion occupying this area and a troop
occupying a FOB here. They have the unit that actually is stationed at Fort Irwin designated as
the OPFOR–– the opposing force–– in which case they run around and they attack you and
everything like that. So, just that kind of training. (42:18). For most of my time there they just
kind of disregarded all the 11-Charlie’s and everything. We pretty much sat there, pulling guard
in the middle of nowhere. But, I think that it might also be a reflection on NTC. I hear the
experiences that people get there–– people I have talked to–– they’re usually a lot worse. A lot
less useful than the JRTC in Fort Polk. There’s a lot more sitting around and doing nothing and
everything like that. I don’t know. I personally think the whole thing is a waste of money. The
Army could probably organize it better, or just have some other unit out in Fort Lewis play
opposing force for a couple of weeks or something like that. Yeah, it was kind of pointless. I
think I heard that it cost 25 million to send our brigade down there–– or 50 million, or something
like that. Which, I mean, could be completely hearsay and everything like that. I heard just
because they have to have extra engines lying around in case our Strykers breakdown and stuff
like that. And then we did have one day–– a couple days–– where we did mortar shoot. I think
my platoon, if I remember correctly, went down a week before everyone else because we were
supposed to take this class about how to search houses and everything like that–– which is

�actually kind of fun. You go into a house and as soon as you get an inkling that they’re hiding
something, you throw everything and just take their drawers and chuck them everywhere. It was
actually pretty cool because they had actual Middle Eastern actors there and they had a mock-up
village that was pretty decently realistic and everything like that. It was a nice little fun game
trying to find their hiding holes. I ended up falling into a hole in one of the houses–– twice. Same
hole, same house, same time. (44:27).
Interviewer: “Aside from that, was there anything else that was cleared geared for
Afghanistan?”
Our whole training was kind of focused on the idea that we’re going to the Middle East and
focusing [on] we’re going to be finding an insurgent guerilla force who is going to be using
ambush and IED tactics. So, I mean, there are big differences between the two countries, but at
the same time, the tactics are kind of the same. If I was an actual higher-up and looking at the
thing, I would not take that approach of like, “Oh, they’re the same thing.” But, I mean, it’s the
same legit training and everything like that. I don’t know exactly what they could’ve done
differently that much–– at least on my level as a lowly Private. Eventually, one of my last days at
NTC I got promoted to Specialist, but besides that I don’t know what more they could’ve done.
Interviewer: “Now, after this though, how do they get you out to Afghanistan?”
Well, we come back and we have a couple weeks of block leave beforehand–– a couple of
months beforehand. You start packing everything up, put them on the railroad cars, you send
them off. They ship all the Strykers over on boat. I believe they originally shipped them from the
States to Diego Garcia, and we actually had to have some guys volunteer to go out to Diego
Garcia and Afghanistan–– the AVANT Force to help unload the Strykers at Diego Garcia. Put
them on planes, get them to Afghanistan, and unload them. So, send all that out beforehand
(46:45).. We started doing some processing like paperwork, medical screenings, and testing your
hearing beforehand. You get your smallpox, anthrax vaccinations. I remember the hearing thing
because later on my hearing got destroyed by that. So, I think they established a baseline of
where you are generally, so when you come back they can see if there’s something different–– I
think that’s the logic behind that. You fill out your will and everything like that. Just basic
paperwork stuff. Then, they start sending out flights of guys at a time. I think usually they have
seven different sorties going out–– seven different parties. I shipped out July 20th and finally
landed at Manas, an Air Force base in Kyrgyzstan. We sit there and you wait to get a flight to go
to Afghanistan. (48:05). Then we were there for about a week, or something like that. In which
case, you get there–– I remember when we first got there, I remember it being really hot there.
So, we would try spending the most part of our day–– the hot part of our day–– trying to sleep
and then we’d be awake during the night when it was cooler out. Plus, we had that jet lag going
on. So, we’d spend about a week there admiring the wonderful Air Force defect with it’s

�amazing–– just looking at all the Air Force women who are just amazing compared to the Army
women. I’m just speaking the truth, okay. And then, I think it was the 28th or the 30th when we
finally touched down in Afghanistan in Kandahar Airfield. I remember when I first touched
down there and I got there and I stepped off the plane and I’m hearing all this time leading up,
“It’s hot as hell in Afghanistan” and everything. I get off the plane and I’m like, it’s kind of
warm out here, but it’s not too bad. My buddy is like, “Dude. It’s 8:30 in the morning.” I’m like,
“Oh my god.” And it just got warmer and hotter from there. To the point where what stuck out at
me was you’d exit our giant circus tent, where it has our entire troop or something in–– a couple
of troops, actually. And you would walk out and you could immediately feel the moisture on
your eyes just start evaporating and everything like that. It was just hell. July and August in
Kandahar is not fun. (50:06).
Interviewer: “Did they move you off to a base or did you operate out of Kandahar, or what
happened?”
At first, I don’t think they knew where the hell they were going to put us when we first got there
and everything like that. The first few weeks, trying to unpack things, long-hours and hot days,
really crappy and everything like that. All of our AC units in our Strykers, since we were in
Washington it never got used so when we got to Afghanistan, they didn’t work. So, we had to get
those fixed. And then, at some point in time, they decide to send my troop out to help out one of
our sister battalions from the brigade who is out in Arghandab River Valley at this FOB called
[sounds like “fraughtnack”] They had apparently been catching crazy shit out there. I think they
hold the record for the battalion with the most casualties or something like that. They went in
there and did some–– they went in there with the wrong perspective and just pissed people off
and kind of made things worse, or something like that. I mean, I think it was already a pretty bad
area, but we went in there to help them with–– there was an election going on I don’t know if it
was presidential or parliamentary–– but we went to go help them. We showed up and whatever
and on our way out there we picked up some Afghan security forces and were supposed to escort
them to some election sites or whatever. And this was supposed to take like five hours or
something that turns into some giant shit-show and we’re just rolling around, doing God knows
what, and eventually, it’s the end of the day, we finally get to [Fraughtnack], and it was like
we’re going to have to stay here. So, we sleep there for a few hours and grab the Afghan Army
guys and we have to go escort them to a polling place or something like that. (52:34). I
remember he said, “We take two routes here.” I don’t remember the name but it’s something like
Happy Magical Valley Forest Trail, or something like that. Or, we could take this one other route
called Route Monkey. To which all the Afghan guys were like, “No, no, no. The Taliban is all
there. We don’t want to go down there.” We’re like, “We’re gonna go down there.” So, once
again, we were getting lost and it’s a real narrow, rocky road and everything. We’re rolling down
there with Strykers and it’s the middle of the night and we’re just switching people out of the
gunter–– who was pulling security. I think at one point in time, when we were stopped, my

�platoon sergeant actually hopped up and led our driver. We’re just trying to stay awake and
everything like that. I remember we were stopped at one point in time, this is our first mission
out, and it’s already not going too well. We’re just on this narrow road with walls on each side
and trees hanging over us like, “This is hell. I’m so tired,” and all of the sudden I’m listening to
the radio and I hear my platoon sergeant say, “IED. IED.” I’m like, “What? Are you serious? I
didn’t hear [anything].” I’m like, “Are you joking? I didn’t hear anything.” Apparently, some of
the Afghan guys, further up, they–– I don’t know if they hit an IED or someone set off an IED––
but they got blown up. They have little Toyota Highlander’s that they’re in. I think a couple of
guys died and some guys in the back lost their legs. I remember driving alongside the vehicle and
it was like, you had the engine block and then the cab is just completely gone. It’s like someone
just took that part out. Then you have the actual bed of the truck or whatever. So, it didn’t take
cheese to figure out where the guys were sitting who got blown up. Me and my buddies are
sitting in the back like, “Oh my god. This is not good. This is our first mission. There’s now way
we are getting through this deployment.” Eventually we get back to [Fraughtnack] and we
scrapped the rest of the mission of escorting these guys back. (55:07). We went back to
Kandahar. And I guess we’re going in there right at the time of the surge of Afghanistan starting
up. I guess my perspective of that unique kind of thing is–– we were only gone a few days and
we get back and our parking spaces are already filled in by connexes and shit like that. So, we
get back, we’re driving around, trying to find a place to park our vehicles–– yeah. I think we
stuck around there for another week or so and then we got called out to [Fraughtnack] to help out
our sister battalion again. We go out there and they’re planning on some big sweep of the village
area there. The whole idea is they’re going to go in there [and] we’re going to be sitting here
blocking forces and they’re going to push all of the bad guys towards us, or something like that.
Great plan, except these are guerilla fighters who can just throw down their arm and blend in
with the population. So, the whole idea that you can just push them our way–– it doesn’t
necessarily work. So, we pretty much sat on the side of this river for a week or so. Had Afghan
kids coming up to us, begging for MRE goods the whole time. And those kids are worse than
homeless people at Christmastime. You give them one thing and they will never leave you alone.
Then, after a week there, [we] moved to a different spot, and I don’t even remember what we
were doing there, but we sat there for another week. I mean, there was some fighting because at
night you hear grenade blasts going off and then you hear mortars firing–– most of those, I
believe, were just illumination rounds–– but you hear stuff going on–– firefight stuff–– at night.
We’re just bored as hell where we’re at. (57:23). At one point in time, I remember, a part of our
troop went out to some village to meet with some Afghan guys. They come back and they have
this kid with them. I remember his face was all puffed out and my platoon sergeant went over to
see what was going on, and the kid went down to the river near us and some of the soldiers were
helping him wash up. Apparently the kid was up from Kabul or something like that, and he was
going down south to go study, or something like that. Apparently this Afghan police chief
kidnapped him–– or stole him–– and was keeping him as a sex slave. Apparently, they said his
shins were busted and everything like that. When our guys went to visit them, they saw this kid,

�and they were like, “We’re taking this guy.” They were like, “No.” They’re like, “No. Fuck you.
We’re taking him.” So, he was really happy to see us. I think I heard that they gave him some
money and put him in a cab and sent him up north–– something like that. So, hopefully he got to
where he was going. So, besides that, we just sat in our one spot for a week and had some
Afghan kids throw pomegranates at me–– that’s pretty much the gist of it. Meanwhile, I don’t
remember what the battalion's acronym was, but apparently they’re getting messed up left and
right. Like, one of their Strykers hit an IED and killed everyone in the back. Seven people gone,
just like that. So, yeah. They didn’t have a good time. (59:14). We go back to [Fraughtnack] and
we stay there for another couple of days, then we go out to help them search a village. We’re
pulling overwatch–– security–– while their guys go through and search it. At one point in time,
they go through the house and apparently some dude had put artillery rounds from the original
Soviet invasion built into the foundation of his house. I didn’t see it, but from what they were
saying on the radio, they were like, “These are all kind of spent rounds and they’re just built into
the walls.” I don’t know if it was a structural thing or whatever, but then they’re like, “But this
one here is alive.” Then there was this cool discussion like, “We’re just going to blow it up in
place.” And the guy is like, “No, no, no. Don’t blow up my house. I’ll bring it out into the field
and you guys can do whatever you want with it.” “He says he’ll bring it out into the field for us.”
They’re like, “I don’t know…let him do it.” So, he brings it out into the field and they put some
demo on it and they blow it up. Then you hear on the radio, “We’re going to need to take this
guy into custody as soon as we take care of this.” Which, I guess, is a reasonable thing if you
find some kind of bomb in there–– regardless if his house is made up of a bunch of spent bombs,
you still probably want to question the guy. But, the problem was–– so we’re sitting a few meters
away and looking down at this guy and this open field where they just blew up the thing. They
walk up and as soon as they get to him–– one of our guys–– he grabs him and just hip-tosses him
to the ground and just smashes the guy and then they put him inside the back of the Stryker and
then they bring him back to [Fraughtnack]. (1:01:22). What I hear later on is–– once again, this
could’ve just been rumors I heard–– right after that day, we went back to Kaf. I heard later on,
that one of the reasons we got sent back there is because one of our lieutenants–– one of the guys
from our actual troop–– went and complained to some of the leadership of this battalion saying,
“You guys are being a little rough on this guy.” “Okay, we hear you. Leave.” Once again, I could
be completely wrong. And the thing that–– another time when we were out there during this
whole escapade, we were just sitting there at one point in time, during the night, and they saw
some guys planting an IED on the side of the road. My platoon sergeant had a running bet with
our XO–– our XO, who I, for some reason, hated with a passion–– and he said [that] he’d bet us
that, “We will never use you guys. We’ll never fire one mortar the entire time we’re in
Afghanistan.” The guy’s cruel. (1:02:26).
Interviewer: “We were talking about your first deployment in Afghanistan and we were
talking about the Executive Officer of your unit, who, for some reason, didn’t like you guys

�and didn’t like mortars and wasn’t going to let mortars shoot. So, kind of pick up the story
with that.”
Yeah. It was kind of weird because how it worked, originally, he was–– when we were in our
troop back in garrison, he was the Lieutenant in charge of the actual support headquarters
section–– which included the mortars. Initially, we liked him. He was a good guy and
everything. But then he got promoted to XO, and I don’t know if he got indoctrinated into the
Cav “way” or whatever, but he ended up completely hating us and our platoon sergeant hated
him and our whole platoon hated him–– he hated us. But he bet our platoon–– my platoon
sergeant and he had a bet that we would never fire any mortars in Afghanistan, and if we did, we
would never fire any highly explosive mortars in Afghanistan, and if he lost he had to buy us all
pizza. I don’t remember what he got if he won. But, we were out some night, sitting around
doing nothing of course, and apparently they see some guys planting an IED on the side of the
road and we’re just like, “Come on. Call us, call us, call us.” But instead, this guy elects to call in
air support and they have a couple Kiowas–– helicopters–– come in and they break these guys
and kill them. From our perspective, we could only see the rockets and the machine gun rounds
coming down or whatever the heck they were using–– 30 cal. All we could see was the rounds
coming down from where we were at. (1:04:41). I think later on there was a video circulated of
the actual infrared of them getting blown away–– at least that’s what they said it was a video of. I
mean, at this point in time, after all the different Facebook videos and everything, they could’ve
just gotten it from anywhere. But back in ‘09 or whatever, there probably weren't quite as many
of those going around. I think that it was a legit video of them–– it could’ve been any other
firefight, but I believe it was this one. Then, we went back to Kandahar. We still don’t have a
solid, “Where are troops going to go?” We don’t have a home yet and everything like that,
whereas all of these other guys, they’re set up on their own FOBs and they have their own
quarters where they have their stuff. We’re just still backpacking our way around the country like
a bunch of gypsies, as we would say. Once again, we come back and all of our parking spots are
gone–– there’s all these new units and we have to find a new spot. But, eventually they get to the
point where it’s the end of September and they’re like, “We’re going to send these guys to this
place called FOB Ramrod. We’re going to attach [the] Alpha troop to 2/1 Infantry. They’re not
going to be with 3/61 anymore. And, we’re going to take a company from 2/1 Infantry and we’re
going to attach them to––” Did I say 3/61? I meant 8/1, at this point in time. “We’re going to
take a troop from 8/1 and give it to 2/1 Infantry Battalion. Take a company from them and give it
to 8/1. And then from there, we’re going to take two platoons from the Cav’s of Alpha troop and
give one each to a company of 2/1, and then give two platoons from each of these companies to
Alpha troop because…” I don’t know [why] the fuck. Because it’s the Army and nothing has to
make sense. I don’t know. Maybe they thought there would be some kind of cross-collaboration
where Infantry 11-Bravos mixed with Scouts–– I don’t know. Maybe they thought they would
kind of complement each other. (1:07:02).

�Interviewer: “Did the Infantry have vehicles other than Strykers? Would adding Strykers to
a particular unit give it any advantage or benefit?”
Well, all of our brigades had Strykers. I mean, you do have some support vehicles, LMTVs––
which are just big trucks–– supply trucks.
Interviewer: “But the different units had essentially the same equipment?”
I believe the Infantry varied its Stryker. It’s slightly different than the Scout one, where the Scout
one has something on it where you can attach–– I believe it’s called an LRAD–– [an] imaging
system or whatever. I think the Infantry vehicles had slightly more room in the back to
accommodate carrying personnel and everything like that. But it’s still negligible, I guess.
Interviewer: “So, they’re mixing all of these units up. Now, what happens with that?”
So, we’re assigned to our particular sections and whatever. Once we got to Ramrod we pretty
much, for the most part, we kind of stopped moving around and everything like that–– like the
mortars. Everyone else–– I mean, the other guys still did patrols and everything like that. I
believe one of the companies was stationed at another FOB or COP down the road–– and
apparently they got attacked quite a bit, but where we were at–– if you know anything about the
landscape of Kandahar, for the most part, it’s nothing but desert. Like a flat desert and there was
one mountain in the distance and then you have villages here, here, and here–– just random, it
seems like. But where our FOB was, it was just [the] middle of nowhere. When we first got
there, my platoon was tasked with pulling hot gun, where you set up [the] Stryker and you have
24/7 just listening to the radio for them to call us for support whether it be HE–– high explosive–
– or illumination. 99 percent of the time they would just call us for illumination at night for the
patrols that were out. (1:09:30). We had our own tent right now–– they called it GP medium. We
had like 13/15 guys in there–– it was pretty crowded. We just had our bunks and all of our stuff
shoved underneath. We used some empty illumination round boxes to house some of our stuff.
And we had about that much room between bunks and everything like that–– that’s it. Once
again, reflecting–– there’s empty tents on the other side and all of the Cav platoons, they’re split
up like eight guys each in their tents and we’re housing 13/15 guys in here. We’re just like,
“Why can’t we stay in these?” Our First Sergeant was like, “I think I might want to turn it into a
gym or something eventually.” But, once again, they all hated us for some reason. We hated all
of them too. So, we’re stuck in these tents and we pull 12-hour shifts between us, so you split the
platoon in half [for] 12-hour shifts. My squad, with our platoon sergeant, had midnight to noon
and then our other squad with our Staff Sergeant would take over with his guys. There was no
tent or anything set up at that point in time. It was just our Strykers sitting there, a couple of cots
right outside. Then, we’d hang out and talk for a couple of hours and fire off some rounds when
they called us, and then a couple guys would rotate out and they would go catch a little bit of

�sleep in the cots outside of the Stryker. (1:11:21). If any missions got called, we’d yell out and
they would come in–– we attempted to yell out and they would come in. It was actually kind of
cool how we had it set up because we had two radios going–– one listening to the talk [of] the
actual headquarters, talking out to the guys. We’re listening to the fire control talk on one radio–
– who calls in the fire missions to us–– and then we also have the radio going listening to the
guys out on patrol. We hear them call up for fire support–– not fire support, but “illumination”––
and we’d hear them calling up the fire request–– the fire mission–– to the talk. Meanwhile, we’re
inputting all of our data and getting our gun up and then the talk calls back down to us, gives us
all of the data, and as soon as they get done we’re like, “Shot over” and they’re like, “Oh, yeah.
Shot out.” I mean, it was literally like that. It was like how were [we] set already? Also, where
the whole fire support area is, there’s also a battery of 155s like 50 meters away or 25 meters
away. They would also call for illumination rounds. And those things–– they’re just so loud and
they just make you jump every time they fire. It’s kind of funny, this one time me and my
platoon sergeant were sitting up late, doing our guard, and then like two or three other guys, they
were sleeping on the side of the Stryker. (1:13:08). We get a call for an illumination mission. We
started yelling to them, but they’re not coming and we need to get stuff up and going. My
platoon sergeant is putting the information into the computer and he’s trying to pull out rounds at
the same time and prep them while I’m trying to get the gun up. I’m getting the gun up–– which
is supposed to be just my job–– then there’s supposed to be a guy prepping the rounds and
there’s supposed to be a guy hanging the rounds, and then there’s supposed to be the platoon
sergeant putting it all into the computer. But, it’s just me and my platoon sergeant doing all of
this and we’re like, “Where the fuck is everyone?” Like, he’s prepping it, I’m actually adjusting
the gun and I’m grabbing the round and running it over and dropping it back, and just doing this
circle. Eventually we get done [and] we walk to the side of the Stryker and they’re still sleeping
there even though we’re firing a 120mm mortar five feet away from their heads. [We’re] like,
“Really? You guys didn’t wake up?” I guess [it’s] something you just get used to over time. And
we stayed down there for like a month or so and guys started rotating out on leave and
everything like that. At one point–– I think it was like October–– we had just gotten off shift, so
it was about 12 o’clock, and my platoon sergeant went straight to the phone bank to call home.
The rest of us went back to the tent to go to sleep. And they way it’s set up is you have your FOB
and the walls out there, and then we had our mortar point right here and then you had another
wall of HESCO barriers and then you just have a hole in the wall–– a gap–– and then you just
walk out and go over there. (1:15:03). I had just walked around the corner when all of the sudden
I heard the “thunk” and I’m like, “Huh. They’re firing already?” It kind of sounded different–– I
mean, if you know what explosions sound like, outgoing and incoming sound different, where
the actual explosion has this kind of “thunk” to it, whereas the outgoing is just this loud bang. I
walk around the corner and I’m like, “That’s kind of weird.” I see all this dust coming in and I’m
like looking around. I kind of walk–– our tent is like right here, then a wall, mortar point right
here, and the explosion happened right here–– I walk out [and] I look around like, “Huh.” I walk
a little bit further so I can see the mortar point around the corner and I can see our guys come

�running out and I’m like, “Oh, shit.” And they’re like, “Get the guys. Get the guys.” So, I
immediately ran in and I got the guys and said we got incoming and I ran to the phone bank and
grabbed our platoon sergeant. Apparently, they fired a couple rounds at us and then I heard also
that we had like the Battalion Commander and some guys [that] were outside the FOB
somewhere and like they started taking incoming also–– at least that’s what I heard. So, we get
up on the guns and we’re listening to the radio and the way it works is that they have some kind
of radar system that, when a round comes in, it can give you where it came from. Not exactly the
most accurate thing in the world, because on time we had a mortar incoming and it came back to
us like, “The grid is blah, blah blah.” My platoon sergeant is like, “Wait a minute.” He starts
plotting that out and is like, “That’s 12 miles away. We can’t reach that and neither can they.”
So, it’s not foolproof, but they gave us a grid and we fired back at them and at least–– they
stopped firing after that. I heard a rumor that someone went out and found a destroyed mortar or
something after that. Once again, that could’ve been a rumor. Looking back, it’s hard to say.
That was enough for us to earn our Combat Infantry Badge. We were all really excited about
that. (1:17:45).
Interviewer: “So, you actually got to fire an explosive round out of the mortar too.”
Yeah. Yeah–– which was nice. Occasionally–– one other time–– we got some incoming and we
returned it and don’t know if we hit anything or not because the initial reading that they gave us
for the grid was completely off, so who knows if the second one was anywhere near it. But, we
got to fire and then a few other times they called us in for high explosive rounds just so they
could blow up a suspected IED site or something like that. We were really excited about that. A
couple of our guys that were out on leave were pissed because they missed it and everything like
that. One thing I forgot to say [was] when we first got to Kaf and before we went on that first
mission, like the night before, we were ordered to go to the ammo-supply point and collect our
mortar rounds and everything, because obviously we didn’t ship them over there with our
Strykers. And we were sitting out there for, gosh, I don’t know, a few hours. We didn’t know
what was taking so long. I didn’t think we were drawing that many. And we’re sitting there, back
hatch down of our Stryker, and all of the sudden–– throughout the rest of the day–– we kept
hearing the Air Force had the A-10s going over and firing. And they have a distinct sound of
their gun, the rrr. So, I kind of had that in my mind the whole time. (1:19:22). And we’re sitting
out there and all of the sudden all of the sudden I hear, “shhp” or something like that, and for that
brief second it flashed through my mind like, “What the hell is the Air Force doing now?” But
then, all the sudden it was like “boom” and we heard the explosion. We were sitting on the side
of this berm and the inside is the actual ammo-point. The round goes in and they explode inside
there–– kind of cool. We all got inside of our Strykers and closed the door and that was it. It was
kind of cool, I mean, the round flew right over our heads. Kaf and everything regularly get some
kind of rockets or mortars that come in. Most of the time it’s kind of pointless to even respond,
because the way that they do it is they have time-delay fuses where they don’t even have to be

�anywhere nearby. I mean Kaf, it’s kind of striking to me. It’s like an entire city just built out of
the middle of nowhere. So, a lot of the time you would hear the air-raid sirens go off but the
rounds land so far away, you can’t even hear it go off. No sign that anything even happened
except for the siren going off and everyone having to go into the bunkers. By the time you get
done with the deployment–– when you first get there you’re like, “Oh, cool. It’s an air-raid.” By
the time you get done with the deployment you’re like, “I bet I can get to the Burger King on the
boardwalk right now” while everyone is hiding out. I tried to do that, but I got caught by some
douchebag Colonel. (1:21:11). So, there was that. But, back on Ramrod, after we fired like that,
we spent some more time on hot gun. But, then we rotated off and other platoons rotated in. We
got put on what was called [sounds like “mare so”] once again we kind of got stuck with the shit
jobs where we had to go around and empty the trash bins or–– I escorted the Afghan workers
around who emptied the porta potties everywhere, and stuff like that. The best job was the trash
detail because you got to drive around in an LMTV and the Afghan guys would throw the stuff
in the back and then when they were done, we would drive outside of the FOB. Once again,
we’re in the middle of nowhere–– we didn’t really need any kind of security. We’d just roll out
and dump it all out in some hole–– we had a giant, massive garbage hole–– and pour a bunch of
gasoline onto it and light it on fire. A big old fire would go and everything like that. Though,
apparently now people are saying burn pits like that give people cancer or something. I haven’t
had any adverse effects, so I don’t know. Actually, I think at first they didn’t have Afghan guys
and we had to pick up our trash ourselves, but eventually we got some Afghan workers and all
we would do is just follow them around in our truck. I mean, it wasn’t a bad job. Well, it was a
bad job but compared to some of the other ones, it didn’t require that much work. We did that
on-and-off for a few months. Go back to “mares” back onto hot gun. We got lucky because the
mortar platoon that relieved us, they were more motivated than us and they built a whole big
tent/hut that had bunks and desks and everything. As soon as they got it up, we came in, kicked
them out and we were like, “Awesome. We have a tent now.” (1:23:18). So, we had a good set
up there. We had power–– you’d go down there and plug-in your laptop [and] watch movies or
whatever all night. Or play Risk or something like that. It was just funny because I would always
win, and we had this one kid who–– somehow–– I could always talk him into teaming up with
me and then as soon as we’d conquer everyone else, I would betray him every single time. But,
somehow he still kept on teaming up with me. But, that’s kind of here or there.
Interviewer: “Now while you’re out there, do you have much opportunity to communicate
with anybody back home?”
We could communicate [with] back home. This is back in like ‘09 and ‘10, so the whole age of
Skype and everything was not really quite there yet. Also, they were putting in the internet for us
to get on the FOB–– like half of the FOB had internet, but of course, being the mortars, we’re off
in the middle of nowhere where people don’t give a shit about us so we don’t have internet. But,
they did have a phone bank–– an MWR station–– where we had four or five phones and then

�there were some computers. You could call home. When we were on hot guns–– 12-hour shifts–
– especially in the middle of the night, when most people were sleeping, there usually wasn’t a
huge need. We had enough guys that we could spare someone if they wanted to, we could rotate
and they could go put their laundry in or go use the phone real quick. (1:25:32). But, the problem
was, as time went on, I think two of the phones broke and then also we had an entire battalion
and I think we had some other guys on there, so this is a pretty decent size FOB so we had
probably 700 people on this FOB, and we had like three phones. So, there’s always some giant
line out the door and there’s a time limit of like ten minutes on the phone–– max. It was not a
good set up. It’s funny, I would call my parents and we’re talking–– and I guess it’s a testament
to deployment and Army people’s bad choice in women–– and you would just be sitting there
and the guy next to you would start screaming into the phone at his wife or girlfriend [like],
“Why am I checking the credit card balance [and] why the fuck are you at the club at two
o’clock in the morning? Spending all of my money and I’m over here. I know you’re not out
there with just your friends every single night.” I’d just be sitting there like, “Everything is going
good here mom.” You’re just trying to ignore the fact that this guy is cursing out his wife.
Actually, out of our platoon, I think we had four or five guys that got married within three
months of deploying. I think three of those guys–– all but one–– got married two weeks before
they deployed. Within a year of getting back, I think, all but one was divorced. I think one of
them ended up spending the guy’s money on things like casinos and drugs, too. I don’t know if
anyone actually cheated or not–– maybe. I know a couple of guys on my next deployment, they
got cheated on by their wives. It’s amazing how common it is. I mean, you hear the stereotype,
but it’s 100 percent true that there’s an infidelity problem in the military. (1:27:53).
Interviewer: “There’s also a stereotype–– at least around some different bases–– that
women are interested in marrying guys basically so they can get benefits or whatever else it
is while they’re off someplace else.”
Oh, yeah. I mean, that’s a lot of the idea. I think they’re definitely dependent hounds out there or
whatever, but a lot of these guys–– a few of them–– they had been in a relationship for a while. I
think at least two of them–– the one that lasted and another one–– they had known the girls
before the Army and everything like that, and the other ones met them around the base. So, I
don’t know if there were extra benefits or what. But, there’s an actual financial benefit––
supposedly–– for getting married because then you get your BAH, which you don’t get if you’re
a single soldier living in the barracks. You also get BAS–– which is supposed to provide for food
and everything–– which is a few hundred bucks a month. BAH, depending on where you’re at,
is 1,000/2,000 bucks a month. And then, on top of that, you get separation pay for when you’re
overseas which–– I don’t know–– is like three to six hundred bucks a month, or something like
that. That’s of course, on top of all of your combat pay and everything like that. So, there is a
benefit. And these guys think, “If we get married, we’ll get all of this extra money. We’re
already dating, why not? I’m in love with you, we’re going to last.” And some of them are like

�[they’ll] set up an allotment where it’s just like the bare minimum. The Army says [they] are
only required to give her 800 bucks of my paycheck, so [they’ll] set up an allotment for that and
[they’ll] be able to pocket all of this other money. And it never, never works out that way. Ever.
(1:29:54). Because even if they set up an allotment where they only get this, eventually, they get
ahold of the bank account number or they end up calling the unit saying, “I’m a wife of [this]
soldier. I can’t support myself” or something like that. Then the Commander has to come in like,
“You have to give your wife more money.” It never worked. I think my platoon sergeant had it
down-pat. He went in and was like, “I know [if] I’m going overseas, I have to accept the fact that
I’m not going to be making that much extra money. I know I’m not coming back to a big
paycheck.” It really pisses off the married guys when they’re saying they are looking at their
bank account. Like us single soldiers, we’re looking at our bank accounts, [and] our money is
piling up, we have the extra pay, we don’t have anywhere to spend that pay while it’s piling up.
While theirs is just sitting there and they know they’re getting paid more, but somehow they’re
losing money, and everything like that. It’s ended a lot of marriages. (1:31:00).
Interviewer: “Are there other phases of your deployment after the kind of the activities
you’ve been talking about or do you just move around to different bases doing the same
kinds of things for the rest of that time?”
Well, we pretty much stayed on Ramrod for the rest of the deployment. We rotated between
“maresell” and hot gun and everything like that. At one point in time I got leave to go home. It
originally landed on Christmas, [but] I traded to go home on Thanksgiving because I didn’t want
to go through the hassle of Christmas and everything like that. But then when I was home on
leave, my guys got tasked to go back out to Arghandab to help out with that whole battalion.
While they were there and I was back home, my mom’s telling me the FRG stuff. One day I
woke up and she’s telling me, “Apparently your unit had some casualties.” Immediately, I’m
like, “Oh, shit. Who is it?” She was like, “[Do] you know Joseph Lewis?” I’m like, “Joseph? Oh,
shit. Lewis?” [It] was this guy in one of our platoons–– they were going through Arghandab and
they hit an IED. He was driving and [it] killed him and everything like that. I mean, he wasn’t in
my platoon, but I worked with the guy quite a bit. He was–– I think anyone in the company
would hands down say he was kind of like the “joker”–– [the] funniest guy there. There’s kind of
this stereotype–– I don’t know if it’s a stereotype–– I guess I can say it’s a stereotype, like when
you first get to the unit they say to the virgins, “Oh, you better get laid” or whatever. My last
unit–– the virgin, he always gets killed or something like that. He had this idea that it’s like the
virgin who gets killed. It’s that weird, creepy guy–– naturally, it’s going to be them. But now,
it’s always the ones who have the most. (1:33:24). Apparently he had a wife [and] a newborn kid
and he told me that apparently he didn’t need to be in the Army anymore–– that he had made a
bunch of money in the stock market. Enough that the Army gave him the option to leave, or
something like that. Which, it could’ve been bullshit, or not, but either way, I knew he had a wife
and kid. Yeah. It’s kind of that. One of the guys in my platoon, he was the guy's best friend. It

�really hit him really hard. Yeah. That was a shocker and everything like that. I don’t know.
Maybe it’s unique to me, but one experience I had was I liked the idea of war. I mean, I never
immediately kind of feared for my life at any point in time, but there were some moments like
that first mission–– or the few that we actually got to go on after that–– where it was like the
night before, or a few hours before, and you’re just sitting there–– and maybe it’s just me–– but
it’s like, “Wow. I could lose my life tomorrow” or something like that, or, “I could die
tomorrow.” It’s a weird kind of awareness of your mortality, I guess you could say. I mean,
eventually that goes away with boredom–– at least on my part because nothing exciting ever
really happens, so complacency happens. (1:35:11). They warn you constantly about
complacency, “Don’t become complacent.” But, it happens to everyone, eventually, to a degree,
and you do things to minimize it. That’s where the discipline comes in [and] you can’t drone off
too far. But, yeah. That was kind of a unique feeling and everything like that. But, for the most
part, the rest of the deployment is very boring–– just illumination missions. Eventually we
moved out of the tent and into CHUs or whatever–– the little housing units that they had where
it’s like a box or an empty connex that they have renovated into housing. Eventually we got
some internet–– I mean, it was slow as hell and it cost way too much–– but it was better than
what we had. Eventually, it was just me and one other guy in a room as opposed to 13, so it was
nice. (1:36:15).
Interviewer: “Did you have any feel of how large your mission is going, or were you
accomplishing anything? Or, do you have no idea?”
I can’t believe I almost forgot. I sensed the surge or whatever outside when we were in Kaf, just
because of the build up and everything. But, when we were out where we were at–– I guess I
sensed it out there because they kept on building up the FOB and everything. Like, at one point
in time we were trying to expand out the FOB to where we could actually have a 1,000 meter
shooting range, or something like that. There was also talk that they might eventually make a
landing strip just big enough for C-130s to land. Nothing ever came of it, like when we set up all
these HESCO barriers for the shooting range, but we didn’t get around filling them and then
winds came in and blew them all over. That was a couple good weeks of work gone down the
drain, but I guess since that. And then there was also [that] my unit had a unique role in the fact
that–– okay. So, at one point in time, while we were on hot gun, we’re listening to the radio and
we heard on the radio, “Hey, CID is here and they’re going through second platoon’s Stryker
right now.” CID–– the Criminal Investigation Division–– the cops, not the MPs, but the actual
detectives of the Army, “They’re going through second platoon’s Stryker.” I’m listening to that
radio like, “Huh.” We just assumed that they probably got some tip from the Afghans–– there
were poppy and weed fields everywhere–– so we assumed they got a tip that someone was
hoarding some weed, or something like that. (1:38:19). Then, a few days later CID came down
and questioned us, and we each took a turn going in and talking to the guy. They’re like, “So,
have you heard anything about anything illegal going on? Do you know why we’re here?” We’re

�like, “I haven’t heard anything. We heard on the radio that you guys were going through second
platoon’s Stryker’s.” At that point, they laugh and they’re like, “Really? They put that on the
radio?” I don’t know. They kind of laughed that we heard about it. He was like, “Could you
suspect why we’re here?” I’m like, “I don’t know–– just a wild guess, nothing to back it up––
maybe drugs or something?” And they’re like, “Okay. Whatever.” Then they leave. A little while
goes by and we’re in the CHUs and we have the internet–– I’m still trying to stay informed––
and go onto FoxNews.com and see a thing like “Cavalry Unit Stryker Brigade Accused of War
Crimes in Afghanistan.” And I’m like, “Oh, shit. I know why CID was here.” And apparently,
one of our platoons–– like one of the infantry platoons that was attached to our troop–– they had
gone out and they had murdered a couple of civilians and they had staged it to make it look like
they had taken contact. Actually, one of our guys actually thought he had his chance to get his
CIB through this. He was one of the guys that was initially gone on leave and he was going on a
convoy with this platoon coming back from Kaf–– a supply run or something. Apparently, these
guys shot a couple of guys and threw a hand grenade out and said it was an IED–– or they tried
to fire an RPG–– and my guy, I don’t know, like they were somewhere else in the convoy and
they didn’t know what was going on. But, they just knew an explosion went off, so he kind of
had this hope that he was going to get CIB, but no, they had killed a couple guys. (1:40:49). One
of them actually cut off a finger and hid it or something like that. So, I think a couple of guys are
in Leavenworth right now because of that. One more experience, I guess, that kind of stands out
is towards the end of our deployment. We were firing HE like the “fisters,” the forward
observers. They were doing some training calling in fire missions and where the mortar point is,
it’s on the far side of the FOB at the very end and then the FOB goes for 600 meters or
something like that–– maybe longer. And we’re shooting over the FOB and if you know how a
mortar works, you have the mortar and then you have the tail and on the tail you have what they
call cheese charges, whereas there’s four of these little donut looking things that slip over it
which are made up of like nitroglycerin and gunpowder. Depending on how far you want the
round to go, it depends on how many of these cheese charges you lay on. If you only wanted to
go 1,000 meters, you may only leave one of these charges on. We’re shooting charge one. So,
one charge on [and] we’re shooting over the FOB. (1:42:30). At this point in time, I’m prepping
the rounds–– I’m the ammo bearer. I’m taking out the rounds, I’m handing it to the guy. I’m
taking off the cheese charges–– that’s what I mean by prepping. I’m taking it out of the tube, I’m
taking the cheese charges off, I’m handing it to the assistant gunner who then drops the round.
One guy is actually pointing the gun and the squad leader is putting the information into the
computer. Some of these things, I mean–– cheese charges are not like a solid block. Some of
them are a little more firm on it than others because they have to be easy enough to pull off. And
I took them off. Apparently the charge that was left on it was not as firm around there as others.
When I handed it to the guy–– I’m making it clear–– it was on the round. But our HE is this
giant, six foot six, 260/300 pound guy, and he loves his job. He’s just swinging those rounds out
there and dropping them–– he was having a good time. He takes this round–– and we’re just
getting done with our fire for effect for about five rounds, just quick, off in a row like that–– and

�I think it was the last round, I handed it to him and he takes it up and flings it up and drops it. But
when he flung it up, the charge flew off [and] hit my squad leader–– who was putting the
information in the computer–– in the face and dropped the round. As soon as that happens our
squad leader holds up the charge like, “Dude. This flew off.” We’re like, “Oh shit.” Because we
know–– we’re shooting over the entire FOB on charge one and that charge just flew off.
(1:44:25). So, we’re immediately just looking over like, “Come on. Just make it over the FOB.”
The round lands and we’re all the way on the other side. We see the dust or the dirt come up,
[but] we can’t tell if it’s inside or outside the FOB. And we immediately started hearing on the
radio, “Hey, we just had a round land inside the FOB.” It didn’t–– it landed right outside. But
either way, we’re hearing this on the radio and we’re like, “Oh my god. We’re going to jail,” and
stuff like that. And then there’s–– none of us are saying this, but personally, I’m thinking, “Oh
my god. What if we killed someone,” an Afghan or especially if it was an American. I mean,
how do you live with that? Eventually, the battalion Commander comes down to do a little
investigation and at first we have a little issue with one of the rounds, when we first took it out of
the tube, it was already missing some charges. So, the original ammo bearer, he was first
prepping the rounds. He was doing all of this and he made note of that. I wasn’t doing the ammo
bearing at that point in time, but halfway through the shoot he had to go catch a flight
somewhere. So, initially when we did the count, we came up short on the cheese charges and
they were just like, “What the hell is going on here?” It was like we’re hiding something, but
then we’re like, “Remember that first round? It didn’t have all of the charges on there.” He’s
like, “Okay.” So we get the charge, we get the numbers right, [and] we explain to them, “This is
what happened, It was naturally loose. It came off. Shit happens.” They’re like, “Okay. We
understand.” (1:46:40). But even still, the Sergeant Major took us out to where the round landed.
It landed right outside a watchtower, which, during the day, is manned by Afghan Security
Forces. We had to go in and apologize to the Afghans there. And the guard tower, it had
bulletproof glass so you could see that some shrapnel had hit it, and up above on the top where it
was wood you could see where a couple things were going in. It was bad because my squad
leader, he’s kind of–– he was one of the guys who was first coming up with us. He was one of
the Privates who came in before me. He got promoted, once again, kind of with us. We had a
need for NCOs to fill some ranks, and he got promoted. But the problem was, he’s this guy that
has this natural sarcastic grin on his face. So we go in to apologize to the Afghans and we’re like,
“I’m sorry man,” and he just has this big grin on his face the whole time and the guys are just
glaring at us–– that was awkward. But yeah, that was our first deployment and we rotated back, I
guess. (1:48:09).
Interviewer: “As you get close to the end of it, do you have a scheduled departure date or do
you know approximately? Does anything change before you go?”
Well, we had a general idea that was like we’ll be leaving in July, which you could kind of
automatically figure out because you know deployments are a year-long at this point in time. As

�you get closer to it, they eventually start making up a chalk list of what flight you’re on. I mean,
naturally they don’t just pull the whole unit out all at once. The new unit slowly goes in as you
slowly go out. Eventually you get word [of] what truck number you’re on and eventually your
number comes up and you drag all of your stuff out to the airfield, get on a helicopter, fly back to
Kaf, wait there for a couple of weeks or something, catch a flight back to Manas, wait a little bit
there, catch a flight back home.
Interviewer: “Now, when you get back to the States, do they do any kind of debriefing or
other kinds of things to help you adjust to being back home again, or do you just get sent
home?”
Well, we had to inprocess and then there was some more paperwork, do some medical
screenings, and do my hearing test again because firing 60 millimeter mortars, except for this
particular one, where I fired and didn’t have my earplugs in at the time and it like blew out my
hearing. I couldn’t hear for about three weeks–– well, it slowly came back–– but for at least a
week or so all I heard was “beeeer.” I thought I might’ve lost my hearing at that point. (1:50:06).
I still do have some hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA gives me a little bit of money for that, so I
think it’s worth it. But yeah, you do some screenings. I think at one point in time one of the
stations you go through–– you had to fill out some form on the computer or whatever. I
remember one of the questions was like, “How many drinks do you have per month?” Or like,
“On average, how much do you drink?” And, “How often do you have six or more alcoholic
beverages?” At this point in time, I wasn’t even really drinking then. But, there were some times
where you would go out and you would go into a bar or you would go into your buddies place,
and you drink that night. I’m like, “Maybe once a month I have six or more beers at one
particular time.” Which is very mild for the Army. So you go through and this lady was looking
at your file like, “Okay. According to this, you have six or more beers once a month. Do you
wanna talk to someone and get some help with that?” I’m like, “What? Why?” “This says that
you’re getting falling-down-drunk at least once a month.” I’m like, “No I don’t want any help.
This is fine. I’m 21 years old right now. I’m in the Army. Trust me, this is not a big deal.” Then,
yeah. You come home [and] you go on block leave. I think at one point in time during the inprocessing someone asked us if there was anything we wanted to talk about or something like
that. I don’t know if anyone took them up on that, I think most guys just said flat out, “Nah. I’m
good.” (1:52:03).
Interviewer: “So there’s not really much of any kind of effort to provide education about
what kinds of stuff to watch out for in terms of behavior or anything else, or different
things to be aware of when you go back to being a civilian–– not a civilian, but back in the
States because you still have time left on your enlistment?”

�I don’t remember if we had–– I mean, they warned us not to go out and get DUIs and stuff, [but]
I don’t remember if we actually had any classes the first time around. We probably did–– I don’t
exactly remember. I know we had some stuff [after] my second deployment where they went
through and were like, “This is going to be a big adjustment for you married guys. It’s going to
be like living with a stranger.” I think at one point in time they had something about interacting
with civilians or something. I’m just thinking back to my second deployment. I just remember
because I had one of the funniest–– inappropriate–– pick-up lines. Hopefully no one that’s
eventually going to interview me or admit me to grad school or something like that sees this, but
there were these civilian ladies and they’re asking us, “Tell us a good pick-up line” or something
like that. They were like, “It can be the most raunchy thing. Tell us a funny pick-up line.” I don’t
remember where it was going into, I think it was interacting with civilians at the park. One guy
raises his hand and is like, “Hey. You know how I know we’re going to have sex tonight?”
“How?” “Because I’m stronger than you.” So, it was kind of one of those things that was funny.
So we had some reintegration training, at least the second time around. I’m pretty sure the first
time too, I just don’t recall totally. (1:53:56).
Interviewer: “So you do come back, you get some leave home or whatever because you have
been overseas, and then do you go back to Fort Lewis? Or, what do you do next?”
First you in-process at Lewis and then I think we got pretty much most of August–– you have an
opportunity to take leave. I mean, you’ve been saving up [for] leave. They charge you for your
leave when you’re overseas, so you have the option to take a month of leave. I think I took three
weeks because I wanted to have a little bit of leave in the bank and also I was PCSing to
Colorado soon, so I wanted to make sure that I had some extra travel days if I needed them. So I
think I spent three weeks in August on leave. Came home, did some out-processing from the
unit, and then I went out to Colorado.
Interviewer: “So you have a new unit you’re being assigned to out there?”
Yep.
Interviewer: “What unit is that?”
3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
Interviewer: “Is this a unit that is recently back from somewhere, or planning to deploy?
Or, kind of, where are they in their sequence?”
They deployed in roughly the same timeframe as us. I want to say they got back like a month
before we did. They were in Afghanistan also. They were up in the Kunar area, and they actually

�saw some real shit up there. One of their troops actually got into a big, massive engagement
where a couple of guys actually walked away with medals of honor and everything like that. So,
in a war where there has only been a couple dozen medal of honors, two of them came from this
one action. So, yeah–– they had just gotten back. I in-processed with them and everything like
that. (1:56:04).
Interviewer: “Now, why were you changing units? Was that a standard procedure or did
you request to move?”
No. When I was deployed–– when I originally enlisted, I enlisted for three years. When I was
deployed–– I said earlier–– I absolutely loved my platoon and everything like that, despite the
way that castouts cheated us and our shitty unit. I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed my job and
everything like that–– the people I worked with–– so I wanted to reenlist. So, I reenlisted
overseas and part of that was that I got to choose from a select group of options of places I could
PCS to. It’s one of the enticements or benefits of reenlisting. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but
you get some choice of where you get to go. Not every single place, but depending on what units
need–– troops–– and what units don’t.
Interviewer: “And you said ‘PCS’ too. What does that mean?”
Oh PCS–– oh gosh, what does it stand for? I don’t remember actually what the acronym stands
for, but it’s when you move from one unit to another. I remember I had a choice between Hawaii
or Colorado. I heard good things about Colorado–– people loved it. Hawaii, of course–– it’s
Hawaii, so that’s also a thing. The problem is that I had been living in Washington for a few
years. Where it is–– if you’ve ever been to Washington, especially the Fort Lewis area–– you
know that nine months out of those years it is raining and you don’t see the sun. And then I go to
Afghanistan where it is hot all year round, except for like December where it gets down to 50/60
degrees–– minimum. So, at this point in time, I’m like Hawaii sounds nice, but I come from
Michigan. I want seasons and everything like that. I want a Summer and a Winter and everything
like that–– I was an idiot, I could’ve gone to Hawaii but I chose Colorado. (1:58:26).
Interviewer: “Was it not an option to stay with your original unit?”
It was definitely an option, but at this point in time I was thinking I wanted to stay in for 20
years. From talking to my NCOs and everything like that, you need to move around, at least a
little bit, to get experiences or whatever. I mean, not just stick with just Strykers. You should go
to MAC, infantry, airborne, to show that you’ve moved around. Also, you want to experience
different things and everything like that. To get away from Washington where it’s–– apparently
everyone wants to go to Fort Lewis, until you actually get to Fort Lewis–– at least if you’re an
infantry guy who actually has to work outside quite a bit, whereas, I don’t know, if you’re an

�office person it’s great. Because it is absolutely beautiful most of the time, but it rains so much.
If you’re working outside that’s not great.
Interviewer: “So, you’re going to Colorado now. This is a unit that has got a lot of people
who are themselves veterans who have been over, deployed, and back. How do they treat
you coming in? Do they pay attention to whether or not you’ve been anywhere?”
I mean, you’re not viewed as a Private at this point in time. They see that you’re a Specialist, that
you have CIB and a combat patch on your shoulder–– they give you some credit or whatever. I
mean, you have Specialists that are in a similar situation. They have experience and they’re not a
day one guy. Even the NCOs–– like the E-5s or whatever–– they know that they were just
recently Specialists themselves, so they show you quite a bit of respect. Even the higher-up
NCOs, they expect that you know stuff. There’s no real reason to haze you and everything like
that. (2:00:28). So, when we first got to the unit–– when you get back from deployment, no one
really wants to do anything. No one. The higher-ups or anyone. Because you just spent your
whole year–– I mean, you don’t have a deployment on the horizon. Things are still slow and
you’re still waiting for all of your gear to get back–– which takes a few months. So, not a lot of
need to immediately jump into things. A lot of the times you could skip PT–– even when we did
do PT, all of our E-6s and above in our platoon, the mortar platoon, which was consolidated into
the headquarters troop of our squadron, all the E-6s and above were broken in someway––
which, by the time you get higher up, lots of guys end up having some kind of leg, knee, back
problem. They are eliminated in PT in some different way. They’re not doing PT, so they just
delegate it to the E-5s. But I mean, everyone is just in this platoon fully relaxed and everything––
and they just got back from deployment. So they’re like, “Go do PT.” “Roger that.” We’d walk
off behind some barracks to start doing our stretches. We’d stretch for 15 minutes and we’d just
go back to our barracks for the rest of PT. Even then, our troop was pretty much located right
across from the barracks–– especially where the mortars were located. They were in a separate
building, kind out of the way with no one looking in on us. Our leaders–– I mean, you hear about
these different units. Some units where their leaders are like, “No. Everyone stays till five
regardless of if you have anything going on.” Our platoon, at this point in time, was like, “We
don’t have anything going on? Well, then we’re going to have you guys sit here and do nothing
at this point in time. If we have a class plan, and we can pull the mortars out of the arms room, or
we can get our hands on some maps, [then] we can do some training. But, if we don’t have
anything going on, go back to your rooms.” It’d be like [you’d] come in at 9:30, stay till 11:30.
Then they’d be like, “Go to lunch. [At] 13:00 we’ll have ‘room inspections.’” And as long as
your room was squared away–– your NCO might come by like, “Yeah, you’re good.” Or, they
might not even come by at all. Then you’d be off. Or they’d be like “13:00. Go to the gym.” We
showed up to the gym in case anyone stopped by–– they never did–– and you’d just kind of
hangout, then you’d go off. That lasted for a few months. It was great, but eventually things
changed. (2:03:13).

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                  <text>Smither, James&#13;
Boring, Frank</text>
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                  <text>&lt;a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455"&gt;Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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                <text>Grace, Matthew</text>
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                <text>Grace, Matthew (Interview transcript and video, part 1), 2016</text>
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                <text>After leaving his first unit after his first deployment in the Fall of 2010, Matthew Grace moved to Fort Carson, Colorado where he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. At this point, Grace was a Specialist and was quickly back to his normal routine by January of 2011. As a Specialist, Grace took an interest in helping to train his unit’s new group of Privates, specifically through PT and weaponry. Grace found out that he was leaving for his second deployment in the Summer of 2011 and left for Afghanistan in April of 2012. Grace left later than the rest of his unit to go to dog handling training, but eventually flunked out and returned to his unit in Afghanistan. Once in Afghanistan, Grace’s platoon had the job of specifically ensuring the safety of their Battalion Commander and getting him to wherever he needed to go. This was his platoon’s main task throughout the entire deployment. Grace’s tour was over at the end of November/the beginning of December of 2012. Upon finishing his deployment, Grace returned home to the States and took his block-leave, returning back to work for the remainder of his time with the Army. Grace’s ETS date was January 26, 2014. Grace encountered minimal amounts of reintegration training once resuming life as a civilian. One thing Grace was required to do, was to create a plan for life after reentering society. Grace applied to a couple universities and eventually ended up attending Grand Valley State University where he studied history to eventually get his PhD and become a professor. As a whole, Grace believes that his time in the Army plays a big role in his life and states that he would not be as successful as he is without it.</text>
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                    <text>Grace, Matthew
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Name of War: Afghanistan War
Interviewee’s Name: Matthew Grace
Length of Interview: (1:32:43)
Interviewed by: Taylor Lewis
Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo
Interview: “Alright, we’re here today again with Matthew Grace. Matt, I think we left off
[when] you had just come back from your first deployment in Afghanistan, and you had
been assigned to a new unit. Can you give us an idea of when that was again, and remind us
what unit that was?”
I got to my new unit–– I left my old one [at] the end of September/beginning of October in 2010.
I moved to Fort Carson, Colorado where I was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment,
4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
Interviewer: “And what kind of training were you doing? Were you gearing up to go to
Afghanistan again? Give us an idea of what you were doing.”
Well when I got to this unit, they had just similarly gotten back from a deployment in
Afghanistan. I believe they got back roughly a month or so before my unit got back, which was
in July, so probably June or something. I don’t know exactly when they got back–– pretty much
the same time that we did. So, they were in kind of the same phase where no one was really
motivated to do any work and everything like that. I mean, you’re in the Army–– you know
you’re going to deploy again. But when you get back, you know it’s not gonna be for a while.
And, you still haven't gotten all of your conexes back, or in some cases vehicles if you send them
over, or whatever it may be. So, anytime you get back from deployment there’s some kind of
chill period for a couple months and everything like that. I believe last time we talked about how,
pretty much, anyone Staff Sergeant–– E-6 and above–– in my platoon errored some kind of
physical profile where they couldn’t do PT with us. Or, I don’t know. I’m sure some of them
probably didn’t want to do PT. (2:17). So, they kind of left it to the NCOs in the unit–– the E-5
Sergeants–– to do it. But pretty much, it’s all these E-5 Sergeants who are just coming back from
deployment who have themselves been recently promoted to Sergeant from E-4. Then you have
a bunch of other E-4s who were either with these guys when they were in Afghanistan, or
incoming guys like me who just got back from Afghanistan themselves. Pretty much when you
in-process, you usually in-process with a bunch of other replacement kinds of guys. One of the

�guys who went to the same platoon with me was in my previous platoon from my first unit, so I
mean we’re all good buddies and then everyone else, they’re all from similar circumstances. So,
you have guys who are leading you, who are not that much more experienced than you. Though,
I mean, I’m not taking anything away from them–– they are more experienced than you. But at
the same time, it’s not like you’re a new Private–– there’s a level of respect there and everything.
So, we get there [and] they don’t really want to do PT, we don’t want to do PT either. [The]
leaders tell us to go do PT and we just kind of blow that off and everything like that. (3:34).
Interviewer: “So are you accepted in this new unit? Was there any sense of, ‘He’s a new guy,
we don’t want to talk to him.’ Or, were you given a certain level of respect because you had
been deployed already?”
Yeah. I mean, pretty much if you’re a Specialist in the Army, you have a combat badge on–– a
CIB on–– I mean, most leaders aren’t gonna mess with you too much or anything like that. I
mean, they’re going to come down on you if you don’t know the right thing and everything like
that, but you’re beyond the hazing phase. No one’s gonna come up to you and just tell you to do
push-ups for no reason or anything like that–– they recognize that. Basically, we were in this
chill period for the first few months until probably–– I mean, you slowly start moving out of it.
Slowly training starts coming around. And then some days, you can’t just blow off everyday.
Slowly, you have vehicles and mortar police that you need to take care of. There’s still
inventories and layouts to do, and slowly you start getting field problems–– maybe just like a
mortar shoot for a couple of days–– just to certify and everything like that. When you’re a
mortar, you’re required to shoot so many rounds a year or something like that–– do one mortar
certification a year, or something like that–– or six months. (5:07). [It’s] the same thing with
marksmanship. Every soldier has to go to the range at least once a year–– but us being combat
arms, that’s maybe expected a little bit more than just once a year since your weapon is your job.
So, I mean, you start coming down with more ranges and everything–– just basic things. At first
it’s just like we are going to the range just to recertify your weapon since you’ve gotten back
from deployment or everything like that. But then, I mean, towards January when we started
coming back up for mortar certification we’re outside, we’re pulling our mortars out of the arms
room and signing them up and running drills and everything like that. So pretty much by January
we were starting to get back into things. (6:01).
Interviewer: “Of 2011?”
Yeah. January of 2011 I kind of remember starting to get back to things. I mainly remember it
because it was so fucking cold that first winter there in Colorado. There was a field problem
where it was like one day–– I think it was probably 50/55 degrees or something like that, not too
bad. I mean, enough that we were able to like take off our tops when in the field and just have
our tan t-shirts on. Then, in like 36 hours the temperature goes down to like negative 30.

�Needless to say, no one can really let that kind of shut down that field problem because when it’s
that cold–– unless you’re like out in Alaska or you’re training for that–– it’s like, you can’t have
people outside. They’re going to get hypothermia and have toes start falling off. So, that got
canceled. But pretty much that entire January it was really cold. But, I mean, more or less, it
continued for a few months after January, continuing to ease our way back into things. More and
more field problems and everything like that. Still, it’s still a group of–– you have a bunch of
Specialists, like myself [and] my buddy from my old unit and a bunch of other guys, and you
have NCOs, and there’s still this kind of level of respect. It was until, I think, about May/June
period–– May, I want to say–– we got an actual fresh batch of Privates straight from basic
training and everything like that. Anytime that happens you kind of get a little excited because––
I mean especially being first Specialist–– like this is your first group of soldiers to help train up
and you kind of have authority over and everything like that–– do some of the hazing yourself.
(8:06).
Interviewer: “So to pull it back a little bit, you’re kind of in this period where you come
back and things aren't as strict, I guess, as they once were. You’re kind of in that period of
limbo. Did you have time to go out and explore the local area? Did you spend more time
with your family? Describe that–– what you did outside of your military duties during that
time.”
I was seeing soldiers that didn't have any family. I mean, I don’t get–– you know, my family is
the same way–– they don’t understand that if you’re not out in the field or you don’t have CQ or
staff duty where you have to man a phone for 24-hours, or you have some weird detail that
comes down where they say, “Hey. You need to go guard this ammo supplier or these vehicles
for a day” or something like that. I mean, on the average day, you go from 6:30 to 4:00 or 5:00 at
night and then you get off and you’re done. I mean, it’s a 6:30 to 5:00 job, with some rather
lengthy breaks in between, between PT and during lunch and everything like that. But, I mean,
it’s kind of like a normal job in that aspect or whatever. I mean, in my case, I lived in the
barracks, so you go to the barracks. I had my truck or whatever, I can drive off post all I want. I
can go to the bars and everything like that. I mean, I wasn’t that big into the bar scene, but I did
go out with my platoon and everything like that. I mean, my platoon drank a lot–– which is
pretty typical for any kind of infantry unit, but yeah, they drank a lot. And we’re still kind of in
that same kind of boat where there’s still that kind of no one is fucking with each other or
anything like that, and that kind of respect. So, I mean, it didn’t matter if it was a work night or
not, I mean, you–– guys in my unit, I mean, they were always–– every single night–– out at the
bar and in the barracks drinking and everything. You would show up the next morning [to] PT
still drunk or hungover, formation reeking of booze and stuff like that. And that’s just kind of the
way of combat arms or anything like that. Especially when you’re fresh off of a deployment.
There’s definitely excessive drinking and everything like that. I remember one night I was drunk
where my buddy had to take me home, another guy in my platoon got a DUI. Now there’s a

�couple of my buddies that got lost trying to find their car and eventually the cops pulled over and
started talking to them and one of my buddies threw up on the cops shoes. So, I mean, yeah––
pretty standard stuff. I mean, when you’re outside of work, you’re free to do whatever you want.
(11:15).
Interviewer: “So when you get this new batch of Privates in, what sort of role did you play
in kind of getting them up to shape within your unit?”
Well, I mean, PT of course. That’s where it all starts and everything like that. Especially in
Colorado when you are going to that kind of elevation. No matter where you are, you’re sucking.
I mean, the best guys in PT will show up and usually one of the first things we would do is we
take them on–– they call it “The Roller Coaster”–– where right in the back of my units in Fort
Carson, there are all these rolling hills where people would go out and run PT and everything
like that. Their nickname for that was like “The Roller Coaster” or whatever. Anytime you first
get people in, you take them on a ruck march back there and everything like that–– or just any
kind of thing. You’re running up and down these hills, your body is not acclimated to it, you
can’t breathe. Pretty much everyone–– their first time–– pukes or something like that. So, I
mean, you sort of start them off there. Then, I mean, they’re fresh Privates. Basic training
doesn’t really teach you very much. I mean, it teaches you like–– it familiarizes you with it. I
mean, they teach you stuff, but you’re not sure of it. Then you don’t remember certain parts. I
mean, they teach you how to take apart a 240 Bravo machine gun and everything in basic
training, but for most Privates, you get to your unit [and] you don’t remember that stuff and
everything like that. (13:02). So, you have to retrain them on all of that stuff. They–– like the
mortars, you only get a week's worth of training on the mortars in basic and that’s like what it is–
– it’s just very basic and very familiar and everything like that. You don’t know anything. I
mean, just working the actual sites and the guns–– different mortars have a little different finesse
to them and everything like that. Between the 120, 81, and the 60 millimeter mortars–– just [the]
different feel of them. I mean, pretty much when you’re in basic, all you do is kind of just learn
the very minimum of getting your gun up on the poles and everything like that–– the aiming
poles for the mortar. But, I mean, there’s so much more to being a mortar than that–– knowing
each one of the jobs and everything like that. Knowing how to declinate and all those kinds of
things. Then there’s just all kinds of things–– map-reading–– no one knows how to read a map
when they get out. They don’t remember how to do any kind of first aid–– pretty much anything.
You just have to teach them everything. And, I mean, you just had to hammer and hammer [it]
into them. All of the Army skills, what they call them are perishable skills, where if you don’t
use them, you lose them. So, I mean, there’s a constant kind of redrilling, and even once you
teach them, you have to drill and drill and drill them on that. Once again, you’re kind of teaching
them a level of discipline and everything like that, whereas [when] you first get into the Army,
you still have that individual mentality and you’re still not used to the hierarchy–– and let’s just
face it, the bullshit and illogical kind of decisions that you see. (15:10). Whereas when you’re a

�brand new Private–– these new Privates come in and you get a job and it’s like, “Why do we
have to do this?” “We have too. That’s why.” It’s like every Monday, you have to go down to the
mortar pool and you have to do maintenance on your vehicle and check it–– regardless if you
even started that vehicle in the past week. You still have to do it. So, they’ll come down like,
“Why do we have to do this?” or, “Why do we have to do this layout for the third time this
week?” I mean, a lot of the time it’s, “You don’t have to worry about it. That is for someone else
who is higher up, who has a bigger picture of the circumstances, who [it] makes sense too.”
Where you’re at, it seems stupid and everything like that, but I’ll say that half of the time there’s
a reason. The other half of the time, it’s just busy work or someone’s just trying to cover their ass
or they don’t know what the hell is going on [and] they’re just telling you to do something
stupid. So, you’re trying to get them into the right mindset of just “do your job, recognize your
role, and go on.” I mean, you’re not telling them–– you’re not making them into robots or you’re
telling them not to think, but you’re getting them used to not questioning every single little order.
You have to have a little bit of trust, and you might not understand your circumstances, but if
you’re out there in combat, you can’t be questioning, “Why are we moving like this? Why did
we fly through them like that?” “It’s because I fucking told you too.” It’s kind of like that.
(17:00).
Interviewer: “So at what point did you find out that you were going to be deployed again?”
I don’t remember exactly when we figured that one out, but it was always there. I mean, we
knew it. I don’t know exactly when word came down that, “You’re going to Afghanistan” in
2012, but I mean, it came down. I’m probably gonna say around sometime mid-summer in 2011.
We had just moved into this new area. Our entire brigade moved to this other part of the post and
everything. [I’m] pretty sure that’s when we kind of figured it out. Yeah, because pretty much at
that point in time we knew we were going because in November, I believe, we went to JRTC
down in Fort Polk. We had to get some kind of a heads-up to that, yeah.
Interviewer: “So, were you doing any type of training to get yourself ready again to
refresh?”
Oh, yeah. I mean, you’re always training–– maybe not every single day. Sometimes you’re down
in the mortar pool doing layouts, but like I said, depending on what your leaders decide––
depending on how much free time you have–– one day you’ll do a class on map-reading.
Another day you’ll trial your mortars at the arms room and you’ll set them up in the back of your
troop and you’ll run out some poles and you’ll do some drills. You’re going to the ranges and
stuff. Then, of course, we have field problems mixed in where we would go out to the field for a
week and you might do traditional 11-Bravo industry tactics–– like convoy tactics–– or you
might just be out there doing mortar stuff, which is usually the case. (19:15). Usually we go out
and do–– we spend part of the day doing mortar stuff and we’ll have another part of the day

�where we’ll go out and do battle drills and squad movement and platoon movement techniques
and everything like that. I guess I’ll say that one of the benefits of being a mortarman is since
you’re just kind of attached to whatever unit you’re on, you’re never a part of the majority. You
know, a lot of the time people kind of let you go off and do your own thing. And since none of
your leaders–– like above your platoon level–– are mortarmen, they usually don’t take too much
interest to come down and look too closely at you. They’ll stop by one time during the entire
field problem and besides that, the rest of the time, it’s pretty much up to just your leaders
discretion how exactly you’re going to be training and everything like that. (20:19).
Interviewer: “What was your mindset knowing that you were going to go back to
Afghanistan? You had already been there once. What were you thinking? How did you feel
about the fact that you had to go back?”
I was excited. I joined my first deployment or whatever, [but] this time I had a fresh group of
Privates taking underneath my wing and everything like that so that was fun. I was looking
forward to that. I hadn’t experienced anything too horrific or anything like that during my first
deployment, so I still wanted to go over there and do my job, kill some Taliban or whatever.
Interviewer: “So when did you leave?”
Well, I guess, I personally left in April of 2012–– late April–– whereas the rest of my unit left in
the beginning of March. Before we deployed or whatever, after JRTC and all of that stuff, each
platoon or unit was asked to give up a guy to go to this dog handling for a couple months
beforehand, where we would work with bomb sniffing dogs and they trained us up on that. Then
they would send us out and we had a dog we were supposed to go–– when our platoons would go
out. (22:19). So, I went through that. We spent some time in Indiana then Arizona. It was like the
Ranger School of bomb sniffing dog course–– not like it was some real physical challenge or
anything like that. I mean, it was just the fact that the attrition rate was like 50 percent and I
eventually ended up flunking out because you have to have a certain–– you have to be able to
read your dog and I just wasn’t able to get my dog to respond to me. I guess I didn’t read him
very well but, nevertheless, I didn’t make it through that. Then they send me back to a unit and
they had all deployed, so now it was just kind of waiting–– I’m sitting there with a bunch of kind
of like broken guys doing rear admin stuff–– rear administrations of who couldn’t deploy and
other guys who either just got into the unit or for some reason they couldn’t deploy when
everyone else left and we’re kind of just sitting there waiting for a flight. So, we sat around for
two/three weeks or whatever. Then we shipped out to Afghanistan, once again. [We] went the
same route pretty much. I think we ended up stopping in Manas for a few days and then, instead
of flying into Kandahar, we flew into Bagram. And once again we kind of just disseminated out
into different units once we were there, and tried to get our flights to our respective FOBs where
all of our guys were out at that time. (24:19). This time around my unit was in Nangarhar

�province which is further north. My platoon was actually stationed at a FOB called Finley
Shields, which is kind of right in the heart of Jalalabad–– which is the capital of that province.
So, I mean, that was kind of a nice change of pace from Kandahar, where you were out in the
middle of nowhere, in the middle of the fucking desert. Jalalabad is a lot more green–– I mean,
still a rather arid environment, but still we’re in a city. Then the area outside of the city, it’s still
kind of built up with villages and they have irrigation going and everything like that, so we
actually had some kind of farmland to look at occasionally. But, it was still mostly desert once
you got further out and everything like that. My platoon this time around, instead of doing the
whole mortar thing, what my unit did was they took the mortar platoon–– which was originally
assigned to the headquarters troop in our squadron–– and we probably had 20 some odd guys in
it, and right before deployment they–– well not right before–– but a certain time before
deployment–– probably around JRTC–– they split the mortar platoon up and five guys went to
alpha troop, bravo troop, charlie troop. Then, my section–– it was probably about 12/13 guys––
we stayed in headquarters and we were tasked as the personal security detachment for our
squadron commander when we were in Afghanistan. So, when we were in JRTC, we weren’t
actually doing the training of an actual mortarman–– we were doing convoy tactics and
everything like that, and kind of training to escort this guy around. So, that’s what we did when
we got to Afghanistan. (26:40).
Interviewer: “Was that similar to your first mission in your first deployment?”
No. I mean, the first mission in the first deployment was we were just supposed to take some
ANA, Afghan Army guys, to some polling stations or something like that. I mean, we weren’t
tasked with watching after our squadron commander ever. I mean, the first deployment, that first
mission was just these guys were tagging along with us–– we’re driving through these places,
they got off–– whereas my platoon in this particular mission, our job was to specifically ensure
the safety of our battalion commander and get him to wherever he was going. So, I mean,
typically we had a select few places where we went. I mean, as battalion commander or squadron
commander, he’s not going out on patrols and everything like that. But, we’re escorting him
pretty much everyday to whatever FOB that alpha troop is on, or the FOB that charlie troop is on
and bravo troop is on. Then there was just the other main bottom area, which was literally right
across the row where he might occasionally go and everything like that. Even just across the
street, you can’t go outside of the gate without an escort. So, we had to get in our vehicles and
drive over there. (28:07).
Interviewer: “So were you driving these vehicles? What was your specific role?”
I was a gunner on–– I forgot the system–– but pretty much we had four vehicles. They were
MATVs, which, if you know what an MRAP is, they’re smaller, they’re four-seaters, and then
you have the gunner standing up out the top. I was in the lead vehicle, but instead of having one

�standing at the top of the system, we had one of the automated turret systems, where I would be
sitting in the seat behind the driver [and] I have a video screen right here, and I have pretty much
a joystick, [so] I just worked the gun from there. A really cool system and everything like that.
So, yeah. That was my job. Then occasionally, a lot of times we’d have like one guy who
couldn’t do such-and-such. He couldn’t go on the mission for some reason, in which case
another guy might take my spot and I would rotate out into another gunner’s position where I
would be standing up top in a different vehicle. I don’t know. It’s kind of weird. I’ll say about a
third of the time I went out, I had to switch out with someone else’s spot. Usually I’d go into––
I’d actually be in the vehicle with our squadron commander standing up top. That guy was kind
of a douche. (30:06). Like, he was the kind of guy who really, really got off on the whole Army
thing–– like in a bad way. Like, way to gung-ho and everything–– and not in a good sense. I
mean, he was kind of pudgy and everything like that, so he’s not like some kind of super Ranger
guy–– though he did have his Ranger tab, which is another funny story–– but he’s the kind of
guy that would smoke cigars inside the MATV when we were going around. He actually named
his son Patton and everything like that, so yeah. He’s striving to be the next Douglas MacArthur
and everything like that. But, we were escorting him around. We would escort him to–– in
addition to the various FOBs out there–– we would escort him also to the governor’s palace in
the middle of the city and everything. He would usually go there once a week and he would talk
to the Afghani governor there about–– I don’t know what. (31:17).
Interviewer: “Did you have any contact with the enemy in any of these missions that you
were on?”
No. I didn’t. I mean, one thing that kind of puts in perspective how these–– how do I say this?
You kind of got a sense of the Taliban’s actual ability to perceive things in the fact that we didn’t
get attacked. This is 2012. The Afghan Army is more–– I mean, they’re running patrols out
there. They’re all over the province. You go out and you see them everywhere. And the Taliban
knows that our time is kind of winding down. When we would go out, we would roll through an
area. It’d be like–– maybe we would get to a FOB and then we’d hear like that ten minutes after
we passed through that area that the Afghan Army came through and they hit an IED or
something like that. Or, it was like either right before or right after. I mean, we’d roll through
these areas every single day, so you kind of got the sense that they knew that they didn’t want to
provoke us too much to get more involved than we already were. Well, I don’t think we were
that active, I mean, even with the patrols and everything at that point in time. And also, I think
this might be kind of an economic kind of thing where as we’re driving these giant MATVs,
whereas the Afghan Army is driving Toyota Hilux’s. It takes a much bigger bomb to blow us up
and even if they start firing at us, we’re in a giant armored vehicle. It would be very hard to
actually kill one of us and not the Afghans. (33:37).

�Interviewer: “Do you think they purposely avoided your convoys because they couldn’t do
much to you?”
Yeah I do, because, I mean, there were many times where the Afghan Army got hit right after we
came through an area. So, that meant they would have had to watch us go through–– and there
were points in time where we had to stop and wait at a certain area, so if they really did want to
hit us, they could have. I mean, there’s one main road. There’s not a lot of alternate routes you
can take or anything like that, so we’re going to like four different places and we’re rolling out
every single day. They know we’re going through there everyday–– if they wanted to hit us, they
could have hit us. I mean, I don’t know if it was also the fact that–– they probably knew that also
it was our squadron Commander out there so, I don’t know, maybe an idea that [if] you take out
this guy, a whole shit-storm would come down on you. But again, a province up in Kunar–– our
brigade Sergeant Major or whoever, they were out doing some key leader engagement and a
suicide bomber took him out. So, I mean, it’s not like the Taliban is everywhere laying off–– and
it all depends on the area and everything like that. I mean, Kunar has always been kind of a shitstorm in certain areas of Kandahar. Like I said, it’s always been kind of a bad place. But, where
we were at, nothing much. (35:10). Like a couple of weeks before I arrived, they attacked our
FOB and everything like that. They blew up [a] big old hole in the wall of our FOB, and a couple
Taliban guys came storming in and there was a big firefight and our guys ended up just
completely waxing those guys and everything like that. They threw grenades and ended up
burning down a couple barracks and there were holes through other barracks walls and
everything like that. Like, they blew a hole in the wall right here and then there's a line right here
of CHUs where our guys were staying. One of my NCOs, he was on the first floor and his
room’s like right on the very end and there–– he wasn’t there at the time–– but he came back to
his room and there are bullet holes all through his place. Our guys took him out. A few guys got
wounded, but no one seriously or anything like that–– just flesh wounds and ankles or something
like that. Guys got Purple Hearts, but these Taliban guys got destroyed real quick. I wasn’t there
for any of that, but besides that nothing much happened. One time we were on patrol–– one time
we were escorting a guy–– [and] another one of our platoon’s were out and they got into a little
firefight with the Taliban. We were right by their area and we just stepped on the gas and
literally, as soon as we pulled up, the firing stopped. I don’t know if they saw us pulling up or
what. Or maybe they were more likely to attack this other platoon because they recognized that
my platoon was the one with the squadron Commander. Or, for all I know, it could have been
just completely dumb-luck. You don’t know. You can’t really sit down and talk with the Taliban.
As far as we know, our interpreter wasn’t Taliban and he couldn’t tell us that. (37:39).
Interviewer: “Now you had talked before, when I asked you about how you felt about going
back to Afghanistan, that you wanted to go and you wanted to essentially–– you said
something on the grounds of you wanted to get contact with the enemy–– or you were, in a
way, looking forward to it. Was there any frustration that you weren’t getting contact with
the enemy? Did you want that, in a way? Or, were you happy that you were––”

�Yeah. I wanted the firefight and everything–– and do all of the cool guy shit you see in the
movies, but I mean at the same time, you go out on patrol every single day and it just gets
monotonous where it’s like, you’re just done with it. You’re like, “This is just bullshit” and
everything like that. My first deployment–– anytime they ever needed any mortar to go out on
some kind of mission, I wanted to go. By the second deployment I’m like, “I don’t want to go
out today. I want to stay in my room and watch movies.” [Like], I didn’t want to get my gear on
in 110/120 degree weather, so I can drive down the same road I’ve driven down for the past three
months and everything like that. So my desire for combat was definitely dulled in my second
time around and everything like that. (39:17).
Interviewer: “Just kind of serve your time and go home at that point?”
Yeah, pretty much. I mean, the whole time I continued to desire [it], but it is also this counter
desire that I don’t want to go out and do this bullshit right now. I’ve escorted this commander to
FOB Toracom 30 fucking times–– it’s going to be the same thing. Though, at the same time,
certain FOBs have certain benefits, whereas Toracom and–– I don’t remember the couple of
other FOBs–– it was FOB Torkham which was right on the border of Pakistan where the actual
border crossing is. So, it was kind of cool where it was kind of all of the bounds up and around.
You could actually run up a couple of them and see Pakistan. They had really good food, so that
was always a benefit if you went there. Then there was FOB Shinwar, which was a shithole.
They didn’t have any good food. Then there was one other one where our Bravo Troop was at
and they had good food, so we would go there. A lot of the time, we’d steal a bunch of sodas and
Gatorades from their mess facility and keep them for our platoon. We couldn’t do that at our
FOB. I mean, there were some benefits to that, but yeah. (40:58).
Interviewer: “Now, did you have any sort of experience or, not contact, but relationship––
or did you come across any members of the Afghan Army?”
Yeah. Like I said, being 2012 there’s this increasing emphasis on getting the Afghans involved
and everything like that. When we first got there, anytime our commander wanted to go out––
which was damn near everyday–– there was our facility and then there was a compound that was
attached to it. When I say compound, it was another kind of bricked-up, walled-in area and
everything like that. But, there was a gate in between and they couldn’t cross over into our area–
– we had to go over there. Just to go over there, we needed to escort our Commander over there
just because there was this–– we didn’t trust the Afghanis at this time. There were a lot of
Afghan Army/Afghan Police attacks on soldiers, so we couldn’t just allow him to walk over
there. So any time he had to go over there and meet someone, one of our guys had to come. But
then any time we rolled out, we had to go over there and tell them, “Hey, we want some of your
guys to go escort us.” We’d go there and tell them we’d have to wait for them to show up.

�They’d usually be late or something like that. Eventually, it just got to be too much of a hassle so
we just said, “Fuck it.” (42:49). One time, we did have some of these guys come over–– I think
they were Afghan Police and Afghan Army–– and you spent the day trying to give them some
training–– like marksmanship training, working with weapons and everything like that. We told
them how to promptly hold and then get down behind your weapon and have a sturdy shooting
position. Then we took them out to this little 25 meter range we had built up on our FOB, and we
set up some targets and we had them shoot at it, and they were pretty much the worst fucking
marksmans I have ever seen in my life. I didn’t expect them to be getting bullseyes or anything
like one after another, but I assumed [that] when you have a target that is three feet, three-and-ahalf feet by two-and-a-half feet wide, only 25 meters away, and you have an AK-47, you should
be able to hit the paper at least. I mean, you don’t even have to aim out of your sights for that––
you can just point and shoot. I could give a gun to my kid sister or something and she could do
that, but these guys–– I mean, it’s remarkable how they were completely incompetent at this and
they couldn’t hit the paper. I mean, they didn’t know how to just aim down their sights at all. It
was shocking. (44:30).
Interviewer: “Were they using any sort of American weaponry?”
Yeah. There were–– I believe the Afghan Police, they tend to have the whole, kind of, leftover
AK-47s, whereas the actual Afghan Army, they have M-16s that they got from us somehow. So
yeah, they had two different weapons mainly, but they were pretty fucking incompetent. Pretty
much after the first few months, we just stopped worrying about them.
Interviewer: “Talking to some other veterans, a lot of them had talked about how marijuana
usage was common, at least in their experience with the Afghan soldiers. A lot of them
would get high while they were on duty. Did you see anything like that?”
No. Like I said, pretty much our interactions with them was [to] go grab them, tell them we’re
going out on a trip to escort our Commander somewhere, tell them, they show up, our
Commander shows up, begin the vehicles, we rollout. So no, I didn’t actually see any of them
getting high and everything. But, I mean, I’ve heard stories from other guys. My first
deployment, our unit ran some kind of training program for the Afghan Army on our FOB, and I
remember hearing one of the Afghan guys in the training program–– I don’t know if they failed
out–– I don’t remember exactly what was going on–– but he was going through like withdrawals
during the training program. They needed to miss [for] some medical treatment or something like
that. I don’t know. Then you hear other things like that the Afghan security forces in the towers
smoke weed or something like that. But, I didn’t see it. (46:41).
Interviewer: “So you were talking about–– we were talking earlier that it was known that,
especially like within, you guys knew [that] the Taliban had a sense that the Americans

�were in the process of pulling out, you know. Give control to the Afghan people. How did
you feel that was going? Did you feel like that was going well or not?”
From my perspective, it seemed fine. I would say yeah, these guys–– the Afghan Army and
everything like that–– they were incompetent. I mean, they showed up late and they couldn’t
shoot and everything like that. But at the same time, I think they do have some NCO–– some
guys who have been in it. Occasionally, you’ll see a guy who actually looks squared away and
everything like that. Like I said earlier, when you go out, they are doing patrols and everything
like that. When you see them, I mean, you’re bound to pick up something. You can only hit so
many bombs before you start realizing [that] we need to start looking for bombs and how to look
for them. So, these guys did know things. There’s times where I remember one time going out
and we would drive up and we had to stop because the Afghan Army guys were in a row because
they just found an IED and they were waiting for Explosive Ordnance Disposal–– EOD–– to
show up. So they are able to find these bombs. They have some competence to them, so there’s
that, and there weren't too many attacks in the whole Nangarhar region. So in that area, it did
seem pretty squared away. And not every Afghan is a pot-smoking, loser or whatever. (48:48).
Our interpreter, he was actually from Jamabad and at the end of the day he would go home to his
family and stuff like that. He was the same age as me at the time and everything like that. I
mean, he had his head on his shoulders. He was a smart guy and everything like that, pretty cool.
He wasn’t any kind of radicalized or anything like that. He had some pretty liberal, enlightened
views. Though, I mean, there was one funny time where one of the guys in my truck–– another
one of the Privates that came in, but by this time, now that we’re deployed, he’s actually very
competent. He was one of the more successful soldiers, but he was one of the guys who just
always liked to talk shit and get underneath people’s skin. I guess you could take it as a
compliment at the fact that he felt comfortable enough to mess with our interpreter and
everything like that. [Had] a big debate about–– at one point in time–– about the Quran and
everything which is normally a big no-no. [It’s like] just don’t bring up religion around the
Afghans. But, I mean, the guy’s pretty cool. (50:11). It was just funny for the fact that at one
point in time he was saying, “No. It’s been proven all the stuff in the Quran,”–– I’m not a
theological expert by any means, but according to his claims, at some point in time Muhammad
or Allah like split the moon in two and then put it back together. He said that NASA went up and
actually verified that. My buddy is just like making fun of this and I [had] just had [it]. I’m like,
“No. No. No. That is not true. We are NASA. NASA is our program. They did not find any of
this. We would have heard about this.” But, yeah, besides that he was a really good guy and
competent. So not all Afghans were all radical, kind of extremists or incompetent drug addicts. I
mean overall, there wasn’t too much action going on in the region. I mean, you did see them out
there and some of them hit IEDs, but they also found quite a bit. I doubt the Taliban is any more
competent than the Afghan Army. (51:30).

�Interviewer: “So, your main job was to run these convoys. Were you doing anything else
during this deployment?”
No, not really. That was our main task, just to escort our Commander around. And, like I said, he
was a rather gung-ho guy. He wanted to actually get into contact more than anyone else I think. I
remember one time the Taliban had detonated a huge bomb in the road or whatever. There was a
massive crater–– I mean, looking at this room, [it] was probably about the width of this room or
something like that. So I mean looking at the room, I don’t know–– ten feet wide or something
like that. So, it was a pretty big crater and it was in the middle of the actual paved street on the
way to one of our FOBs. So as soon as they detonated that, all of the sudden, for the next like
two weeks–– we went to that FOB every single day–– and like the day after this happened we
went there [and] we went to FOB Shinwar. We were there and we were going to roll back and as
soon as we pulled out of the gate, our Commander came over the radio, “Let’s go and stop by
that crater and actually stop and get out so I can take some pictures of that. As soon as that came
over the radio everyone in my truck goes “Ah. You idiot.” Because, I mean, just come out and
say it. We know you want to stop and try to draw fire or something like that. You want to stop by
an IED site to take pictures? I mean, come on man. I want to get into contact too, but don’t do it
in a way that is actually willingly exposing us to contact. If it happens, it happens but yeah, no
one really liked him. (53:48).
Interviewer: “What was your opinion on the general status of the war in Afghanistan at this
time? It’s kind of a general question, but did you have a sense of how things were going in a
broader sense when you were there?”
I don’t know. I would say [during] my first deployment–– and maybe it was just for the fact that
more people got actually killed out of our brigade than in the second time around, and I think we
were also a little more consolidated whereas the second time around–– my first deployment,
most of our brigades were within the Kandahar province, whereas this time around–– I meant
most of our battalions within our brigade were in Kandahar–– but the second time around it was
only like 361 in Nangarhar. I think another battalion was up in Kunar, and I don’t even know
where everyone else was. So I think it was a little bit harder to get a sense of how things were––
we weren’t getting attacked, so. But I mean, you hear some attacks. Then also people–– it kind
of seemed like we weren’t going out on patrols as much and everything like that. So it’s really
hard to say. (55:24). I don’t know, I mean Afghanistan, it’s never going to be like a westernized
nation or anything like that. But I mean, at the same time, when we go out to the Governor’s
palace and you can see schoolgirls out–– depending on the time of the year–– that kind of stops
in the summer. But I mean, you actually see schoolgirls out going to school, so that’s one
positive sign that the Taliban isn’t too influenced or anything like that and there’s some kind of
success there. I guess you could kind of get a sense that–– when you roll down the road, you can
get a sense that some areas are more friendly to the Afghan government–– the U.S.–– than

�others. Sometimes you go down the road [and] kids and people would wave at you and you
would wave back. Other times you roll through an area and people are just mean mugging you
and fucking little kids are throwing rocks at you and everything like that. So, I mean, you kind of
get the sense that–– I mean, judge by the kids. If the kids are nice to you, the area is probably
pretty good. [If] you roll through an area where kids are throwing rocks at you or something like
that, you probably can get a sense that their daddies don’t like you too much, but yeah, I don’t
know. Nangarhar, most of the time, seemed pretty well put together in the sense that as well as
an Afghan province could be put together and everything like that. (57:04).
Interviewer: “Now is there anything else in your second deployment that sticks out to you
that maybe we didn’t cover? I know you mentioned that–– I think it was Combat Outpost
Keating–– The Outpost book that was written.”
Yeah.
Interviewer: “You had some men in your unit that were involved in that? Or you were
somehow––”
Well just for the fact that–– like going back to when I first got to the unit. Like I said, these guys
had just gotten back from Afghanistan–– or they had just gotten back from Keating and the rest
in the Kunar/Nuristan area. Our bravo troop who was up at Keating–– my platoon Sergeant at the
time, I don’t know if he got wounded there or not, but I mean, at one point in time he got
wounded or whatever. But he was at Keating when it all went down. They lost one of their
mortars there. Another one of my guys, he was at Keating when it went down. He earned a Silver
Star. Like you said, the book The Outpost, a few times he got excused for the day to go interview
with the actual guy who was writing the book. When we first got there, there were these guys
that were at Keating, who were now in my platoon working with the guys who got the Medal of
Honor, [and] guys that also died and everything like that. Then the rest of the guys–– even if they
were at Keating–– they pretty much experienced contact on like a constant basis. They fired a
shitton of mortars. My first Sergeant when I got there and my roommate when I first got there,
they had both been wounded when they were up during that previous deployment. They weren’t
at Keating. Actually, the first Sergeant and my roommate got wounded at the same time and they
were together. So I mean, they had a pretty tough deployment and everything like that. Now it’s
kind of interesting that these guys were at Keating and everything like that. (59:38).
Interviewer: “So when was your tour over? You said you got there in late April, when did
you finally end up leaving?”

�At the end of November. I don’t know if we made it to December. If we did it would have been
the first couple of days of December. I know we did miss Thanksgiving, so it was definitely at
the end of November that we finally left there.
Interviewer: “Now was there any type of award ceremony? You’ve been on quite a few
combat missions. What was that whole process [like]? Was there any type of award?”
Yeah. Well traditionally, the way it has become–– which is kind of messed up–– is everyone
kind of gets an end-of-tour award, where your platoon Commander writes up a recommendation
and they submit it. Typically Specialists like myself and Privates below and even–– I’ll say
typically E-6 and below, they get Army Commendation medals, unless you actually saw combat
or you did something valorous, in which case you might get an ARCOM with a V device–– V
for valor–– or a Bronze Star with a V device or just a Bronze Star. Of course, if you do
something more extraordinary, you get something more. But yeah, standard procedure [is] just
ARCOM. (1:01:38). Though my first deployment, I got fucked out of that because there was
some weird guidelines my first unit about like–– I don’t know, it was weird. Like all of the
Scouts got awards, but all of our guys got kind of fucked over. Whereas my PCS award–– that’s
another thing–– it’s like anytime you leave your unit, you’re just getting an award also. So, I got
an Army Achievement Medal for my first unit deployment and transferring out of my first unit.
But my second time around, I got ARCOM for that. But the whole system is just fucked up and it
pisses a lot of vets off because it’s just an automatic thing. And it doesn’t matter what you do
really. I mean, it matters what you do–– if you do something valorous, you are going to get
something more, but it’s fucked up because I–– who went out on patrol everyday–– am getting
the same award as someone who sat inside the wire, just inside the talk all day. I personally don’t
think anyone should get an award for just going over there. I mean, guys in World War II–– you
go through Hiroshima, Okinawa–– it’s like you have a campaign ribbon or something like that.
Now, it’s like I put on my Class A uniform and I’m looking like a South American dictator and
everything with all of my ribbons and cords and everything like that. So I mean, that’s kind of
fucked up because, in a way, it seems like you’re implying those guys didn’t last which is
obviously not true. (1:03:21). But even so, I know guys that have gotten into combat and
everything like that and they still come out with just ARCOM, whereas anyone who is E-7 or
above, they automatically get a Bronze Star which is completely fucked up. You can have an E-7
or a First Lieutenant or something who sat on their ass in a talk, or just coordinating the base
defense–– and I’m not saying they don’t work, but they’re never putting their ass on the line. I’m
not saying I did either. I’m not saying I deserve anything, but I’m just saying that I know guys
who did do this and you’re saying that this guy who did nothing–– just because of his rank––
deserves more than this Private, or whatever, who’s been working his butt off and putting his ass
on the line. You’re giving him something more? I’ve heard the argument made, “Well when
you’re higher up…When you’re an E-7 you’re a Lieutenant, Captain, you have more
responsibility. You are responsible for all of this.” Which, okay, yeah that’s true. You have more

�in your scope of focus, but you’re telling me that a Private who goes out every single day, sweats
his ass off, watching his buddies back and everything like that, gets into contact and everything
like that. Maybe he loses friends and everything like that. He’s putting himself on the line. I
mean, he’s working physically harder–– maybe his job isn’t as mentally toughest. When I say
mentally tough I mean like intelligently engaging, like maybe his job doesn’t use as much critical
thinking, but you’re telling me that he’s not working as hard as this person who’s sitting on their
butt all day. He’s probably working harder. He’s putting his ass on the line. And still, this E-7––
this Lieutenant–– is getting more than this Private. That is just fucked up to the ultimate level.
(1:05:34). Like I think I mentioned on the earlier tape, the guy from our troop that got blown-up
and killed, I’d worked with him closely on a number of occasions. I really liked the guy and
everything. I never hung out with him outside of work, but I mean [a] real funny guy–– awesome
person–– and he got blown-up and killed. His wife and his kid are never going to see him again,
and he gets a Bronze Star for that. The same award as this fucker who’s sitting in a talk doing
nothing. He gives his life, and according to the Army, he gets the same award? It is the biggest
fucking injustice in the world. (1:06:18).
Interviewer: “It’s kind of like insufficiently awarding people for what they’re doing.”
Yeah. I don’t want to say insignificant, which would imply that some people deserve more–– I’m
saying people deserve less. Go ahead and give that Private in our comp, but don’t give that First
Lieutenant, who’s in the talk, any award. Don’t give him shit. You don’t need it, who cares? I
mean, there’s this thing where it’s like now in the Army, if you want to get promoted, you need
awards and everything like that. Well, change that system and everything like that. You don’t
have to give away all of these awards. I mean, I think it does an injustice to soldiers in the past
who didn’t get awards like they do now, and it definitely does an injustice to lower-ranking
soldiers who do more and risk more [who] get something awarded than someone who possibly
had a “cake job” their entire deployment.
Interviewer: “Do you think that can affect their performance or their performance of their
duty? Or do you think that doesn’t really come in?”
I don’t think it comes in because when you’re out on patrol you’re not thinking “I want an
award. I want an award.” I mean some guys–– I’m sure–– do want to get some kind of award or
recognition. I mean, I never really gave a shit that much about that, except for when it came to
the idea of promotion points. Since it is a part of the game, you do need promotion points–– it
shouldn’t be a part of it, but you do. So I just wanted those promotion points. But overall, and
even if you do want an award, I would say for probably about 99 percent of people it’s not like a
constant thing where you are thinking about it and it’s motivating you or not. I mean, you’re
there to do your job–– that’s what you care about–– whether you do your job and are fulfilling
your obligations to the guys around you and your unit. (1:08:28).

�Interviewer: “So you finished your deployment, where did you go?”
Well [I] finished the deployment, went back home to the States, same kind of thing with my first
unit around. You get back, it’s the beginning of December, you’re waiting for everyone else to
get back, you’re finally going to take your post-deployment block-leave during Christmastime––
when you would normally take block leave. But, we had a few weeks to go. We’re waiting for
people to get back. Pretty much, we’re going into work at nine o’clock [and] they’re telling us to
go home at 9:30.
Interviewer: “Where were you at this time?”
We’re back in Colorado–– Fort Carson. I mean, we’re still waiting for guys to get back. There’s
nothing to do. There’s absolutely nothing to do. And the rear detachment guys who didn’t
deploy, they can stay at whatever details or CQ staff duty that’s going on–– any kind of
maintenance–– they just leave that to those guys. The guys who just got back, they’re not going
to make you do anything like that. So me and my buddies, everyday–– coming back from
deployment, especially the second time around, it was just awesome because all this money and
everything like that. Nothing but free time. And some guys completely blow it all, but I mean,
mainly, it’s just the fact that me and my buddies would get off of work at 9:30 and would
immediately go to the shop at the little convenience stores on post. They sell alcohol there, and
we would just get three cases of beer and we’d just sit at our barracks room all day playing Call
of Duty until five o’clock–– drinking the whole time until we got bored–– and then we’d order
pizza and then we’d start playing drinking games and everything like that. Then we’d go back to
playing Call of Duty–– this was all at two o’clock in the morning. Get up, go into work, and
repeat the same process again. It was so fun and [we] drank so much, but it was so chill and we
had no worries. (1:10:43).
Interviewer: “How much time did you have left in the military when you got back from your
second deployment?”
About a year. My ETS date was January 26, 2014. We got back in December of 2012, but I had
saved up enough leave that I was going to be able to start my terminal leave pretty much the last
two months or so–– two-and-a-half months. I had enough leave saved up that I could leave the
Army early, and for the last two-and-a-half months of my time. I was home and everything like
that. I was just using my leave days up. So yeah, about a year left. So I quickly got into the “I’m
checked out” kind of mindset. I mean, I still did my job and everything like that. I continued to
train the new batch of Privates that came in afterwards and the Privates from the past
deployments who are now turning Specialists. That’s always kind of a nice little feeling of
accomplishment, seeing how far they’ve progressed and everything. Especially considering like–
– I’m sure my NCOs would disagree–– but considering that I would say I spend probably, like

�me and some of the other Specialists, we probably spent 75 percent more time with these guys,
teaching them stuff more than you would see any of our NCOs. They did teach them, but kind of,
like, some of the–– it was really me and a few other Specialists that really hammered into these
guys. (1:12:36). Most of the time the way it kind of worked was our NCOs were going to spend
most of their day inside the office and everything like that–– the mortar office. They would tell
us to go out and do something. They would tell us Specialists and we would go out and make
sure the Privates did it and we would help them along the way and teach them things. Like,
working with the Humvees and everything like that. Then, of course, there would be other times
where the NCOs would ask us to lead classes–– and they would teach classes too and everything
like that–– and whether we’re leading the class or the NCO’s leading the class, we’re there
teaching them the whole time. What the NCO might run through–– like taking apart and putting
together a 240–– as soon as they’re done, we split off behind weapons and it would be like me on
one weapon, supervising a bunch of Privates and everything. I don’t need the training, they know
I can do it, so they tell me to make sure that they do it. You kind of slowly teach these guys how
to be soldiers. It’s kind of like a good accomplishment seeing how far they go and everything
like that. (1:13:51).
Interviewer: “Did you spend the entirety of your 12 months training this new batch of guys
then? Or did you have other duties as well?”
Well the Privates didn’t get there until like May, June, July–– kind of like when the first batch of
Privates got in. Maybe a later bit later, actually. Maybe it was like June/July we got the new
Privates in. But at this point in time–– well, one part–– I was checked out. So the NCOs aren’t
going to ask too much of me when it comes to this new batch of Privates. I worked with both, but
at this point in time, the Privates from the first deployment, they’re Specialists now. It’s their job
to take care of these new Privates. So anytime a job would come down, they’re not going to ask
me–– well, they’re still going to ask me–– but at the same time, they’re going to ask these other
Privates–– or these new Specialists–– to take care of these Privates because they’re going to be
the next leaders and everything like that. It’s their job to teach these guys up. At this time, I’m
three levels up the hierarchy of Privates, new Specialists, “I’m getting out, I don’t give a fuck.”
So I was just kind of at the point where I’m kind of senior [to] all of these guys–– it’s kind of just
more supervising them. Though, it’s hard to supervise and not give input or anything like that. I
mainly tried to take a step back. Any time any of my old Privates/new Specialists would come up
to me and a lot of the time I would say, “It’s your job. Figure it out.” and everything like that.
(1:15:58).
Interviewer: “Does anything particularly stick out to you during this time, or is it kind of
waiting till that clock runs out?

�I was mainly waiting till the clock runs out. We had to go through a bunch of classes that you
have to do when you’re exiting.
Interviewer: “Describe those.”
I don’t remember. We had to go through some finance class. Teaching us [how] to write
resumes. You need to go around and make sure you have all of these different paperwork
stamped off from finance. You need to make sure you turn in all your gear, which is the biggest
pain in the ass of all because they want it looking better than you actually got it–– and that’s not
an exaggeration at all. I don’t know. There’s so many different [things]–– it takes like three
months to get it all done and stuff.
Interviewer: “Do they try to give you some guidance as to how civilian life is going to be
different than what you’re used to in the military? Since the fact that you had been on two
deployments–– like was there an effort to try to help you decompress and to get you back
into civilian life as smoothly as possible or do they kind of let you do that on your own?”
Well when you first come back from deployment, they did give us a couple of classes on that––
or something like that–– like how things are going to be different. And when you’re exiting our
military again, they kind of go through the same kind of classes where it’s like, “Things are
different” and everything like that. I mean, like you go to college [and] these little 19 year-olds
are going to frustrate the hell out of you and people are not going to be disciplined. I mean, they
tell you all of this stuff–– I don’t know how well it works. I don’t know how well they can
prepare anyone for that. It’s just–– I think–– individual level. (1:18:00). Some guys handle it
more than others. I mean, some people are just charismatic and can just jump right back into
civilian life, and then others have a hard time reconnecting. There’s like such a divide between
the civilian mindset and the military mindset of priorities, personal responsibility. Civilians, of
course, are going to complain about things that soldiers are going to find trivial and you don’t
have the connection between you and civilians that you had in your unit and stuff. Some people
handle it better than others, and of course some people have other demons that they might have
held onto from their deployment or whatever. They can’t reintegrate as well, and I don’t know,
the Army just messes up your life in a lot of different ways and everything like that, and then
you’re starting completely over with your life. [You] get out and depending on how long you
spent in–– I spent six years in–– so I go to college and I remember being in this Spanish class
and saying what years we were born in in Spanish, I was born in ‘88 and the closest person to my
age was like 1994 or something. I mean, there’s this big kind of divide and these kids are just
getting out of high school and you’ve been on two combat deployments–– and of course if you
stay in longer, it’s even worse. I don’t know. It depends on the person, like I said. My squad
leader for my second deployment–– I don’t know exactly what happened–– when I was
transferring out of the unit, I thought he was staying in [and] he was going to PCSing–– moving

�to Hawaii and everything–– but I found out that shortly after I got out, apparently he did not PCS
and for some reason, he got out of the Army. I thought he reenlisted or whatever, but I don’t
know exactly what happened. I don’t know if he got in trouble–– I don’t think he did–– or I don’t
know if there’s some kind of program that let him opt out, but he got out and for some reason he
killed himself. I don’t know if that was Army related or not. (1:20:51).
Interviewer: “Before we paused here you were talking about dealing with different people
that you’ve known dealing with being out of the military and kind of decompressing [and]
readjusting into civilian life. I wanted to pull it back just a little bit and just talk about
when you got out of the service, did you have an idea of where you wanted to go, what you
wanted to do, did you have a plan?”
They require you to have a plan before you get out. Like, you have to show them that you have
employment and some kind of housing setup before you get out or something like that. I don’t
know what happens if you don’t show them that–– I mean, they can't just keep you in forever,
but that’s a part of it. You have to do that, so before I got out I started applying around–– I knew
I wanted to go back to school, so I started applying around. I applied to Western and I applied to
Grand Valley. (1:22:04).
Interviewer: “What did you want to study?”
Well, I wanted to study history and I originally went in as a Social Studies major, with the whole
other teaching major thing, but I quickly decided that I wanted to go beyond just high school or
whatever. I wanted to eventually go on and go to grad school and get a PhD and become a
history professor, so I quickly switched over to actually just a straightforward history major.
Interviewer: “So you did choose Grand Valley–– just to make that clear.”
Yes, I did choose Grand Valley. My grades were okay in high school. I think I had a 3.4 or a 3.3
GPA. I didn’t think I could have gotten into Michigan, though now that I’ve talked to some
veterans I probably could have because as long as you have that GI Bill–– a guaranteed paycheck
for the school–– they lower their standards somewhat for you. I’ve heard of people getting into
Michigan with lower GPAs than mine, but I could be wrong. But yes, I chose Grand Valley. Like
I said, at the time I thought that I was going to possibly go into a high school history teacher. I
remember going through school and I knew a number of my teachers went to Grand Valley, so I
was like it’s only an hour away from my hometown. I spent all this time away, teachers went
there. It seemed like a good fit. (1:23:44).

�Interviewer: “Is there anything that you would like to mention before we end this interview
here? How would you say that the military–– being in the military–– and your deployments
affected your life overall?”
I don’t know if there’s anything else to add for my military experience at this point, but overall
how it impacted my life, I guess I’d say I would definitely not be as successful as I am now. Like
I said, in high school I wasn’t the worst kid, I wasn’t the best kid ever. Right in the middle of my
class–– 3.3 GPA so I was like, so it was like a B+ average. But, I mean, my parents rode my ass
the whole time. I probably shouldn’t have even gotten that GPA and stuff. But now that I’ve
been at Grand Valley, I’ve done very, very well. Like, I think my GPA is a 3.9 right now and I
hold that to the military. One, I mean, it’s given me the discipline to do work–– I mean I still
struggle to get myself to do work and stuff instead of playing video games sometimes, but it’s
helped me somewhat there and it’s given me kind of fear of failing, and also this overall lull that
I recognize–– I guess I can recognize–– how do I say this? I know what I am capable of. So the
Army has given me the ability to strive to that level of what I know what I am able to do.
(1:26:04). I’m not saying that I’m a complete perfectionist or whatever, but I know I can be right
up there and everything like that. And when I fall short of that, I get on myself and everything
like that. That’s thanks to my Army training. You’re expected to be able to perform at this high
level and if you’re not there, your leaders get on your ass about it. Also, I think it’s just being in
the military and I think I’ve also always had an inquisitive mindset and having worked with
people from every different kind of background–– being over in Afghanistan kind of late in the
war when people are kind of asking questions about its validity and everything like that. Or,
being in the Army, getting these orders that I didn’t understand and working with leaders that
would give me jobs and telling me to go tell these Privates to do these jobs, at the time it seems
like they’re unfair or they don’t make sense, and that kind of helped me get into the mindset
where I am able to stepback and kind of look at the whole picture and trying way different sides
of the argument and try and put myself in the mindset of leaders [and] put myself in the mindset
of the Privates and everything like that. So, I mean, I think that’s helped me, especially being a
historian, where you have to kind of put yourself in different positions and different motives and
stuff like that. I mean, and the Army just gives you–– it teaches you to think in a different way
whereas a lot of the times, just working with Privates that are fresh out of high school and
everything, there’s just kind of this thing where the answer is just not there, civilians tend to not
know exactly where to look–– or it’s like you look one other place, then you just kind of give up.
(1:28:21). An example, we’re tasked with doing some layouts. We get all of our stuff out at the
convex we’re at and we have done and we put it back in. The Privates go to shut the door, and
the door doesn’t latch or whatever and they just keep on going back and forth with the lever. And
it never occurs to them to look around and [see] how to troubleshoot the situation and everything
like that. Where they’re like, “Specialist Grace, the door’s broken.” And I have to go up there
and instead of trying to force it or whatever, you just have to take a step back and I’m teaching
them to take a step back and look around at all the different kinds of parts of that situation where

�you had to diagnose the problem. And I just look up and the top of the way it latches, they have
these hooks that go in and kind of secure themselves, and I’m like, “The hooks aren’t lined up”
or something like that. It’s just–– civilians, in my experience, don’t know how to take that step
back and look and think. Like anytime you’re in the military, you should know that chances are
when you’re out on patrol, your radio is going to go down for some God knows reason because
that’s how radios work. And initially, when you first get in, the radio doesn’t work. It’s like,
“Okay. Is it plugged in?” “It’s plugged in.” “Is it on the right channel?” “It’s on the right
channel.” “Why isn’t it working?” And then you just stop right there, whereas when you get
more experience you learn to take a step back like, “It’s plugged in. It’s on the right channel.
Okay. Is the dagger working?” No not the dagger–– is the time right in it? (1:30:18). The way
encryption works–– the way the radios work–– you put in the encryption or whatever and all the
radios are synchronized with a different time and the way the encryptions works is, the radios are
bouncing around different frequencies all at the same time. So, you put a time into all of the
radios and then everyone’s radios are in sync, so then when your radio’s frequency bounces up to
this different frequency, it’s going to be on the same frequency as someone else's radio which is
bouncing up at the same time. Whereas if you’re not in and don’t have that encryption and
you’re not on that right time, you’re not going to be bouncing around at the same frequencies at
the same time. And also, at the same time, it’s like, you take your step back to correctly input it,
and ask “Is the encryption filled? Is that input?” Perhaps the cable is frayed that the rack is in.
The connection where the actual radios go in and connect, perhaps the little metal things that
insert into the back of the radio mount–– maybe one of those is busted. Maybe the antenna is not
working. I mean there’s just so many different things that as you’ve been in for a while, you’re
able to take a step back and look at the situation and kind of look at each individual part of the
process, whereas a lot of the time, I think civilians are just kind of one and done. If it doesn’t
work, it doesn’t work and instead of trying to figure it out, they just go and immediately ask for
help. So that’s how like in the civilian world and academia, being able to step back and look at a
problem from different angles and everything like that. And as a historian, kind of look at, once
again, being able to look at different points of view and see what’s wrong and why it’s wrong.
Interviewer: “Matt, thanks for coming in and sharing your story with us.” (1:32:23).

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                  <text>Smither, James&#13;
Boring, Frank</text>
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                <text>Grace, Matthew</text>
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                <text>Grace, Matthew (Interview transcript and video, part 2), 2016</text>
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                <text>After leaving his first unit after his first deployment in the Fall of 2010, Matthew Grace moved to Fort Carson, Colorado where he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. At this point, Grace was a Specialist and was quickly back to his normal routine by January of 2011. As a Specialist, Grace took an interest in helping to train his unit’s new group of Privates, specifically through PT and weaponry. Grace found out that he was leaving for his second deployment in the Summer of 2011 and left for Afghanistan in April of 2012. Grace left later than the rest of his unit to go to dog handling training, but eventually flunked out and returned to his unit in Afghanistan. Once in Afghanistan, Grace’s platoon had the job of specifically ensuring the safety of their Battalion Commander and getting him to wherever he needed to go. This was his platoon’s main task throughout the entire deployment. Grace’s tour was over at the end of November/the beginning of December of 2012. Upon finishing his deployment, Grace returned home to the States and took his block-leave, returning back to work for the remainder of his time with the Army. Grace’s ETS date was January 26, 2014. Grace encountered minimal amounts of reintegration training once resuming life as a civilian. One thing Grace was required to do, was to create a plan for life after reentering society. Grace applied to a couple universities and eventually ended up attending Grand Valley State University where he studied history to eventually get his PhD and become a professor. As a whole, Grace believes that his time in the Army plays a big role in his life and states that he would not be as successful as he is without it.</text>
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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project
Marion Graff
(1:11:06)
Background information (00:49)
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Born in Ironwood Michigan in August of 1922. (00:53)
In 1924 he and his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spent most of his life.
(1:05)
His mother and father were immigrants from Europe. (1:20)
His father worked in an iron ore mine, but his mother wanted to move to Grand Rapids in order
to be closer to her sisters who resided there. (1:25)
In Grand Rapids his father worked making furniture. He lost this job during the Depression.
(1:49)
His father than worked on his brother’s farm where he got paid with food. (2:10)
There were 6 children in his family. (2:31)
The family also had a gardens, chickens and rabbits. (2:40)
He attended school at St. Adalbert church. (3:12)
He graduated from high school in 1940. (3:46)
He attended Aquinas College for several semesters after high school. (3:50)
He recalled hearing about Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 on the radio. He knew very little
about Pearl Harbor’s location. (4:32)
He paid little attention to the conflicts occurring in Europe. (5:10)
His parents emigrated to the U.S. from Poland. His parents paid close attention when Poland
was invaded. (5:20)
He hoped the U.S. would stay out of the war but knew that the nation would probably get
involved. (5:50)
He enlisted in the Navy because he had a brother who was in the Army who told him to stay
away from the Army. (6:04)
Before enlisting he studied drafting at Aquinas College. He had completed three semesters
before entering the Navy. (6:40)
He enlisted in the Navy near the end of 1942 and attended boot camp in March 1943. (7:17)
He had boot camp at Camp Perry, Virginia. (7:23)

Basic training (7:30)
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From Detroit he took a day and a half train trip to Camp Perry. (7:48)
The camp had barracks with 30-50 men per unit. (8:22)
When receiving training the men used broom sticks to train as if they were a rifle. The men
never fired a rifle in boot camp. Most of the work was marching. (8:42)
The men were educated with films. (9:10)
A lot of emphasis was placed on discipline. (9:26)
It did take some time for him to adjust to life in the Navy. (9:44)
Boot camp lasted approx. 14 weeks or 3 months. (10:00)

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After completing boot camp he was given liberty. During this time, he went to Washington, D.C.
(10:13)
All of boot camp was on shore. (10:46)
After completing boot camp he was sent on a train from Virginia to Tiburon California in May of
1943.(11:00)
In Tiburon he was put on as a striker (or a laborer) through September of 1943. Here he cared
for several patience that the base had. (11:35)
The base had a dry dock. Basic training was also carried out for men who worked on dry docks.
(12:30)

Specialized Medical training (13:00)
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He was then sent to Balboa Park in San Diego, California. (13:35)
Here he attended medical corps school for 14 weeks. (13:42)
He was trained to give shots using oranges. Most everything else was learned through a book in
a classroom.(14:00)
He was given liberties here where he went to Los Angeles however the freedom was similar to
boot camp. (14:50)
At one of the U.S.O.s he saw Bob Hope. (16:16)
In Balboa Park he lived in tents. Many men fell ill with colds.(16:50)
The Red Cross charged the soldiers for coffee and cigarettes. Other places would commonly give
service men goods or food. (18:11)
He was then sent to Treasure Island for three days and then went to Bremerton, Washington,
where he lived in a converted YMCA. These men were all medical corp. men. (19:14)
He was assigned to the BB 48, the USS West Virginia. He was sent to Bremerton because that is
where the ship was in dry dock. (20:05)
The West Virginia was sunk at Pearl Harbor. It arrived in Bremerton after being raised (20:10)
The West Virginia was then stripped and rebuilt. The ship was also given “Blisters” to protect
from torpedoes. (21:02)
He was at Bremerton from January to September of 1944. (22:00)

Service aboard the West Virginia in the Pacific (22:10)
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The ship's crew started with some experienced crew members aboard assigned to train the new
members. (22:48)
The Ship docked briefly in Pearl Harbor but did not stay there long. (23:37)
On approx. the 15 of October 1944 he sailed to Leyte and the Surigao Straits where the West
Virginia engaged the Japanese. (25:17)
The ship was engaged by Japanese aircraft. However he did not have any encounters with
kamikaze pilots until he sailed to Okinawa. (25:04)
His battle station was on the top deck where he worked in a first aid unit. There was however a
hospital room located on the ship below deck. (25:33)
The room was noisy due to its proximity to the heavy guns. (26:15)
He saw several Japanese planes. One he believed hit the bulkhead of the ship. (26:40)

�The Battle of Surigao Straits (20:15)
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The West Virginia was involved in this battle for about 15 minutes. (27:27)
The ship fired 90 rounds in 15 minutes. The ship started out 42,000 yards away from the enemy.
(28:05)
The captain of the West Virginia was very experienced and gave the sailors a lot of freedom.
(28:40)
He saw the officers frequently because he was with them often in the medical compartment.
(29:30)
The ship did cross the date line. This involved an initiation into the deep sea. The ceremony
lasted 2 days. (30:16)
As part of the initiation the new sailors were hazed. (31:20)
Before crossing the equator the men were pollywogs. After words they were shellbacks. (31:50)
The only news he got after the battle at Surigao Straits was that the Japanese had dispersed.
(32:50)

Combat n the Pacific (33:00)
 After the battle of Surigao Straits the ship went back to Leyte. Here he provided support for
troops who were on the ground or storming the beach. (33:20)
 The shell's warhead was 16 inches by 2.5 feet. (34:22)
 From Leyte the men traveled to several other locations where they would be called for to
provide support for soldiers on land. (35:20)
 The ship ran aground and damaged 3 props. In November of 1944 the ship went into dry dock.
The repair took 3 weeks. (35:40)
 During this time the men were given liberty to go on shore. Here the men swam and drank beer.
(36:15)
 After the ship was repaired the men traveled back to the Philippines and stayed stationed there
until February 1945. (36:51)
 In February 1945 they where stationed off Iwo Jima. Before this the men were supposed to be
given liberty but they weren’t able to have it due to this battle. (36:00)]
 Iwo Jima was invaded at 6:00 AM . The ship began firing at 12:00 noon. (37:45)
 He recalls being at Iwo Jima for about a week. (38:35)
 The men were given some rest after Iwo Jima but it was cut short to be sent to Okinawa. (39:25)
 For R and R the men were sent to a small island. The men called it Mog Mog. (39:38)

The Battle at Okinawa. (40:00)
 In Okinawa the ship encountered Kamikaze pilots. (40:15)
 The sailors were told that theses pilots were trained how to land and take off. They were given
sake and enough gasoline to his a carrier or battle ship. (40:30)
 For a long time the West Virginia was called the “ghost ship” because in spite begin involved in
so many battles the ship was not hit until April 1st 1945. (41:40)
 At 5:00 in the afternoon, several Japanese planes were spotted and shot at. One aircraft struck
the nose of the ship but didn’t damage it. Another, carrying a 500 pound bomb, struck the ship

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and ruptured several levels. The bomb did not detonate. 4 sailors were killed while 7 were
injured. (42:00)
He does not know for sure if the aircraft that struck his ship were an actual Kamikaze or not.
(45:00)
The ship was not struck after this instance. (45:20)

Life aboard ship (45:30)
 While on the ship he did conduct surgery. (45:50)
 Some of the naval doctors were not as good as others. (46:20)
 For 8 hours a day the men were in “sick bay” or the hospital room. Though he did not enjoy it,
many men gambled on ship. (47:35)
 Some time he would read his medical book just because it was something to do. There were also
films showed on the ship. (48:09)
 The ship was in Okinawa from April through August of 1945 when he learned that the Missouri,
New Jersey and West Virginia were going to go into Tokyo Bay. (48:55)
The Japanese Surrender (50:20)
 He got to see parts of the ceremony from the crow’s nest on the West Virginia. (50:33)
 He thought there were about 100 naval ships in Tokyo Bay during the ceremony. (51:12)
 The men stayed in Tokyo Bay and then were sent to Yokohama where they had liberty. (52:02)
 There were very little rules for men who went ashore in Japan. The men traded chocolate and
sugar for goods. (52:54)
 He thought that the Japanese people were frightened of the American soldiers. (54:01)
 One of the books he got by trading goods was a book documenting the Japanese Chinese war.
(55:28)
 After being stationed in Japan, the ship went back to Pear Harbor and took on 2,000 servicemen
to take them back to the U.S. (56:50)
 The ship stopped in San Diego. The weather on the way to the U.S. was not the best. (58:12)
 The West Virginia made about 4 “ferry trips”, carrying approx 12,000 men. For a couple of
months. (59:22)
Life After Service (59:30)
 He was discharged in February 1946. (59:54)
 He was discharged along with a bunch of other men form the ship. He was provided
transportation to Great Lakes Naval Base where he was discharged. (1:00:10)
 He graduated from college in 1949 with a BA in accounting. (1:01:23)
 After college he worked in the insurance business and even had his own agency until he sold it.
He has been working all the way until 2010. (1:01:35)
 While on the West Virginia the crew never changed. (1:02:32)
 He has stayed in touch with his fellow service men. (1:02:52)
 He learned a lot and saw a lot in the Navy. He would not want to do it again though. He served
in 6 major engagements and was rewarded 6 bronze stars. (1:03:19)
 He witnessed many ships being hit. This was very frightening. (1:05:04)
 One of his friends had the keys to a refrigerator which meant he could take some food when he
wanted. He was also put in charge of the supply closet that housed any alcohol on the ship. He
often stole these shipments of alcohol. (1:06:41)
 One man on ship made wine from the fruit that was on board. (1:09:00)

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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Name of War: World War II
Interviewee name: John Graham
Length of Time: 12 minutes
Pre-Enlistment (00:15)
•

Background (00:17)
o John Graham mentions that he served with the Anti-Aircraft Corps as a private.
(00:19)
o Took basic training at El Paso, TX and Camp Higgins, VA. Was discharged out
of Baltimore Maryland. (00:35)

•

Childhood (00:41)
o Was born in Newell, South Dakota some place. (00:44)

•

Education (00:48)
o Went to school at Catholic Central, and then [Davis Tech] in Caledonia. (00:49)

Enlistment/Training (01:15)
•

Why he joined (01:16)
o Graham was drafted and joined the service on Sept. 23rd 1944. (01:21)

•

Where he went and what company he served with (02:01)
o Describes the first couple of days of training while being shipped out from Grand
Rapids to Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command, IL. (02:10)
o

Relates how basic training was tough. (03:10)

o Kept in contact with family via the phone while he trained in Texas and Virginia.
(03:45)
o Doesn’t remember when his service time ended. (04:45)
o Graham reflects on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by mentioning that he was
helping to take care of a sick relative. Briefly describes his reaction of Pearl
Harbor being attacked. (05:10)

�Active Duty (05:26)
•

Background (05:27)
o All he really discusses about his active service is that he was sent home due to
breaking his ankle and was discharged at Baltimore, Maryland. (05:41)

After the Service (06:10)
•

Adjusting to Home (06:15)
o After being discharged, he went back home and returned working on cars and
jeeps. (06:27)
o Briefly mentions how he tried to qualify for a pension but because he was only
10% disabled he did not qualify. (07:36)
o Briefly discusses his other career pursuits in some detail. (07:44)
o Briefly discusses who he got to know in the service. Relates one brief story about
tracking down a buddy from Oklahoma City. (08:40)
o Briefly mentions what he is doing currently in retirement. (09:38)
o Wraps up by discussing what he learned in the armed services. (11:15)

 

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Boring, Frank</text>
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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
General
Mark Graham
Total Time (00:04:24)
Intro/Timeline (00:00:03)
• Mark Graham was born August 10th, 1971 in Douglas, Michigan. At 18, Mark joined the Air
Force right out of high school. He went to Lackland Air Force Base in September 1989
(00:00:18)
• After basic training, Mark went to Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois to work on cruise missiles;
his first station was Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana (00:00:33)
• He worked at Chanute for four and a half years and cross trained to work with C-130 transport
aircrafts (00:00:40)
• Mark was transferred to Pope Air Force Base in 1994 and served there for an additional seven
years totaling his time served at 11 years (00:00:55)
Training/Air Force (00:01:44)
• Basic training and technical training were pretty easy for Mark; the tough part was waking up
early in the morning (00:01:59)
• One of Mark's favorite missions was in Arizona where he performed as part of a mock mission
for the C-130 aircraft as they tried to dodge F-16's and their simulation missiles- it was Mark's
duty to locate the F-16's (00:03:01)
Post Air Force (00:03:37)
• Mark got out in 2000 after eleven years in the Air Force; Mark and his wife wanted a life-style
change due to his strange hours and being gone quite a bit as they were ready to settle down and
have a family (00:03:53)
• Although Mark didn't notice much of a change from his time in the Air Force, his friends and
family noted he was more structured; Mark comments that the military teaches people how to
be more polite and teaches good work ethic (00:04:18)

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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
World War II
Walter “Red” Graham

Total Time – (02:11:00)
Background
· His father was born in Lowell, Michigan to English parents and his mother was
born in Ohio (00:03:20)
o His mothers family is supposedly related to Jimmy Carter’s family
· His grandfather had a farm in Lowell Township on Cascade Road (00:04:35)
o It was 160 acres
· He was born January 1917 in Lowell, Michigan (00:05:23)
· He had a relative named Robert Graham that was a well known architect
o His relative was the architect for 14 buildings in the Chicago Expo in 1893
(00:12:10)
· On the farm, they had a rotation of oats, wheat, corn, and hay (00:15:15)
o Wheat was their main crop
o They sometimes grew potatoes as well
· They raised short horn cattle, sheep, and pigs (00:16:02)
o They farmed with horses
· He spent a lot of time working on the farm
o He took care of the chickens (00:16:38)
· His brothers were named Elmer and John – he had an older sister as well
o They were all 18 months apart
· His sister died from diabetes when she was 17 years old (00:19:12)
· He went to school at Merriman School (00:20:23)
o It was a country school
o Got there at 8 in the morning and got done at 3 in the afternoon
· He walked to school every day (00:20:51)
· During school, for recreation, they enjoyed playing games – hide and seek, red
rover, etc
· The school had roughly 20 students (00:23:49)
· After going to Merriman, he went to Lowell High School where he graduated in
1935 (00:25:42)
· They drove their parents cars to school
o They drove a Chevy
· His future wife went to Lowell High School as well (00:26:39)

�· He did not have much of a social life
o Living on a farm, there is always work to do (00:28:03)
· He ran track in school and played football for 1 year
o They played Belding, Grandville, Allegan, Ionia, East Grand Rapids, and
many others (00:29:55)
· In high school, he studied Agriculture, Math, English, Algebra, Physics, etc.
(00:31:15)
· He was 18 years old when he graduated from high school
· After graduation, he began working at a service station
· He was allowed to use a field that the community made a baseball diamond out of
(00:32:31)
o He pitched for nearly five years (00:32:50)
o They named their team “Hot Points” (00:33:32)
o They played all around the area
· Besides the station, he worked with trucks as well (00:37:39)
Enlistment/Training – (00:41:02)
· The draft began in 1941 (00:41:14)
· He was number 38 in the Kent County draft (00:41:21)
· When he received his draft notice, he knew that he had to go (00:41:38)
o He got a postcard in the mail that told him he had to report
· He went to Lowell, Michigan for his physical
o Went to your local doctor (00:42:09)
· He then received a date to appear at Fort Custer (00:42:26)
· After signing up, you had 48 hours before you had to leave
· He was at Fort Custer for 3 days (00:43:11)
· The draft was supposed to only be a 1 year obligation
· He was then sent from Fort Custer to Seattle, Washington (00:44:25)
o Went on a train – it took five days (00:45:14)
· There were nearly 200 men in the train
· Once they arrived in Seattle, Washington, there was a ship waiting to take them to
Whidbey Island (00:45:55)
· The majority of the men were from Chicago, Illinois
· His girlfriend did not want him to go, but she realized that it was what had to be
done (00:48:14)
o She went out to Seattle to visit two times
o She traveled by herself on a train (00:49:27)
o She stayed nearly two weeks
· At this point, he was at the very bottom of the ranks (00:50:34)
· On the island his job was to clean guns, pick up cigarettes – they trained on antiaircraft guns, 3in guns, and he became a certified power operator (00:50:57)
· He then applied for a fireman job

�·
·
·
·
·
·
·

o Had that for nearly a week (00:51:58)
He spent nearly a year on the island
His girlfriend Dorothy came out the second time in September, 1942 (00:52:46)
o They got married September 27, 1942
He wrote her and told her that they should get married (00:53:19)
Dorothy stayed out there and ended up doing office work for the Navy (00:53:34)
He was one of the few soldiers that had a car – he rented out his car $.10 a mile
(00:54:57)
o Someone wrecked and damaged his car
He earned 400-500 extra dollars a month from his side business
In Seattle, he worked on anti-aircraft guns, 3-inch defense guns, and then on
machine guns (00:59:58)
o He was working to protect the harbors of the United States

Active Duty - (01:01:10)
· He was then transferred to Alaska (01:01:19)
· They went up to Alaska in the ship “Cordoba” – it was an old wooden ship
(01:01:43)
o It took a week to get there
· He was stationed at Kodiak, Alaska (01:02:29)
· The Japanese were within gun range of Dutch Harbor, Alaska (01:03:25)
· He never actually saw any Japanese ships
· At one point, he saw a floating dead seal – he skinned it and kept it to take home
(01:05:36)
o Made cigarette pouches for his comrades
· He was a Private First Class (01:09:00)
· He only saw one accident with a gun when he was in the service (01:10:30)
· In Alaska, he was part of the 14th Coastal Artillery (01:10:57)
· After Alaska, he went to Fort Lewis, Washington - 1944
· From Washington, he was sent to Oklahoma where he was retrained before being
shipped out again (01:11:47)
o This training was essentially the same thing as previous training
§ Everyone had to be able to read weather, learn to walk, hike, care
for different weapons, etc. (01:12:32)
· He then shipped out of Oklahoma to Newport News, Virginia (01:13:07)
· They shipped on a brand new luxury ship set up for troop movements (01:13:28)
o It took roughly a week to get to Italy
o They went across the Atlantic and through Gibraltar
o They stopped somewhere in Africa for refueling (01:14:24)
§ Probably Algiers
o They landed in Naples, Italy
· Once he arrived in Naples, he headed up through the mountains in Italy

�·

·
·

·
·
·
·

·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·

(01:16:29)
o Eisenhower’s philosophy was to take the route, regardless of manpower
(01:16:52)
He traveled through the Po River Valley in Italy (01:17:32)
o The valley compares to the Mississippi River – it is large and navigable
o There is a lot of agriculture and food raising
o The soldiers were warned to go in doubles or more
They sometimes divided their food with the local children (01:19:14)
One night, there was 4 inches of snow at night and they went into town where
there was a building with a hole in the roof – the snow had fallen in on everyone
inside (01:20:00
o There were around 32 people inside
o When the soldiers got their food the next day, they divided it with those in
the house (01:20:35)
The local people were very good to the soldiers
o There were not many soldiers that could speak Italian (01:21:07)
He had contact with Germans – “if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you”
o There were Germans and Americans in the bars together (01:22:37)
Never had any wish to kill anyone, and he never did
They had 10,000 German prisoners – Rommel’s soldiers [some may have fought
in North Africa--Rommel was not in Italy] (01:23:39)
o He was manned on a 50 caliber machine gun to keep them ordered up
§ They let them play soccer in the daytime for exercise
§ The prisoners never gave them any trouble
§ They were brought sea rations once a day (01:25:08)
o One day, one of the Americans shot one of the prisoners
As he was going farther north in Italy, they were protected by the mountains
(01:28:03)
The British were ahead of them with 10 pounders – it was an infantry gun
They never faced any aircraft activity
The Germans had dug into the mountains, but they were all gone by the time the
Americans got there (01:28:50)
They ended up being 20 miles from France
o They stopped because there was no activity for periods of time
They had to be careful when traveling on rural roads because the roads were not
built for heavy vehicles (01:30:04)
o If a bridge was destroyed, they had to fix it
When he heard the war was over, he was in northern Italy (01:30:59)
They were going to be shipped to Japan but they had too many points - 1945
He and his wife were able to correspond through letters
o He wrote to Dorothy every day (01:32:51)
When he returned to America, he landed in Newport News, Virginia (01:34:47)
He came back to America on a Liberty Ship (01:35:30)
o They were cheap, steel ships

�· He then traveled by train to Camp Grant, Illinois (01:35:59)
· After going to Camp Grant, he was shipped out to Camp Carson, Colorado where
he was discharged (01:36:10)
After the Service – (01:36:12)
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·

·

Once he was back, he was met by his wife at Camp Grant (01:36:41)
They traveled back to Michigan in late 1945
They stayed at Dorothy’s parents when they came home (01:37:43)
He began working while he built their first home
o He worked there for 8 months (01:38:45)
In 1946 he began working building homes in the local area
o Starting to build brick houses – it was a symbol of status (01:41:14)
He and Dorothy began raising a family (01:44:48)
o They raised their children and their grandkids for many years
In 1967, he built [4th showboat] (01:47:00)
He never really retired – has always had something to do and stayed busy
(01:52:38)
After the service, he enjoyed fishing (01:53:59)
o Looked for property to fish on
o Paid 6,000 dollars for a plot of land where they built a cottage (01:55:08)
He also enjoyed hunting in Colorado and Canada (01:56:10)
o He got two moose

Memories of Lowell, Michigan – (01:57:22)
· The horses that hauled product would trot on the gravel roads but slow down on
the dirt roads
· The town had a blacksmith shop in it (01:59:34)
· There were buildings where people could store their horses while they were in
town
· There were fairgrounds where they would have horse races (02:00:50)
· The city had an airplane factory (02:02:29)
o There was an airplane-helicopter aircraft that was shown in a parade
· He believes that times are much better now then they were when he was growing
up (02:06:19)
o Nearly everyone has a car, people vacation, and the medical industry has
increased the average lifespan

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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veteran’s History Project
Bob Grahl
World War II
Length of Interview (01:13:50)
Background (00:01:10)
Robert J. Grahl, Sr.
Born May 21, 1923; Taylor Township, MI (now lives in Polk City, Florida)
Was drafted into the Army, was living in Wyandotte, Michigan
Working at Ford Motor Company, on a four year scholarship in dye making


Went to school on his off hours

Was married at this time February 18, 1943; Mary, born in Richmond, VA
Basic Training (00:04:20)
Took a train to Detroit and was inducted in Fort Wayne, Detroit
Went to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan; there for a couple of days
Put onto a train, didn’t know where he was heading; arrived in Fort Butner, North Carolina
Didn’t have too much to debate because Grahl wasn’t sure what was going on
Given a uniform in Fort Custer and not much else
Took basic training in Field Artillery in Fort Butner; 3 months


Learned to operate all the weapons of his unit: 105 Howitzer, 50 caliber machine gun,
M1 Carbine, 45 caliber Pistol



Learned different firing positions: ammunition bearer, position, firing

Can’t clearly recall any of his instructors, were reasonable people (00:07:40)
Lived in a two story barracks
Stayed in the camp after graduation as he was a part of the artillery unit; more training


307th Field Artillery Battalion, M Company, 78th Infantry Division

�Stayed in the camp for 16 months all together, working with other units of the division
Overseas (England, Italy) (00:10:50)
Taken from the unit and sent to another camp closer to the coast
In Virginia a couple of days for shots, sent to Maryland
Boarded a ship to be transferred overseas to Scotland
Ship called the Aquitania (a cruise ship converted into a transport)
Landed in Scotland; ship was able to outrun U-boats, so no convoy
Would often watch the zigzag wake from the back of the ship
Glasgow, Scotland (00:12:50)
Got on a troop train in southern England (100 miles from London)
Visited London after getting a pass for finishing training; visited the bombed areas
Spent about 6 weeks training in Infantry Tactics
July/August 1944, travelled to Italy (00:15:15)


Went to the coast of England and took the same transports as those used for D-day;
landed on the beach of Omaha



Stayed at the top of the hill for a couple of days, trucks eventually took them to
Cherbourg, France



Took a C-47 to Italy (hadn’t known where he was going at the time)

Plane landed in an airport near the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) (00:17:36)


A camp was nearby where they received their latest equipment; issued a .45 pistol, was in
the machine gun squad



Went to a city called Florence (by truck) and travelled north to the center of the state

Met by officers to be assigned, then went to the M Company camp as replacements


M Company, heavy weapons company; facing a part of the Gothic Line



Didn’t have any artillery pieces in the M Company

�

363rd Infantry, not in an artillery unit yet

Would go up to the Gothic Line to protect from German infiltrators


Two week cycles between R&amp;R and going up to the Line



Would protect different areas every cycle



Terrain was mountainous, but would be in the valleys most of the time



Didn’t encounter any infiltrators; saw no action during this time

The third time being at the front, Grahl became ill; had hepatitis (00:24:18)


Sent to an Aid Station in Florence then flown to a hospital in Naples



Spent three months in hospital; no medication, just bed rest and balanced diet



Took physical training to get back in shape

Flown back to Florence to the same company (M Company)
Continued the two week cycles
Heading North (00:27:40)
Spring Offensive


Gothic Line, coast to coast of Italy (north of Florence)

After the initial contact, started attacking the German positions (heading north)
May 6 (Germans surrendered), made it up to Trieste, on the border with Yugoslavia
Stayed there for a couple of months
First casualty in the unit was a man setting up a machine gun; the bullet had hit the steel liner and
injured the man’s neck


Was with a corporal (a radio operator), had dug a foxhole (three feet deep) and Grahl was
sitting on the edge of it



As Grahl was about to settle down in the fox hole, heard someone holler, ‘Medic!’ the
corporal next to him had been shot (German sniper from an adjoining hill- very accurate)



May have been aiming at Grahl because the radio was near him (April 1945)

�

Infantrymen formed a squad and brought the German soldier back on the hill; German
was eliminated before he made it up the hill

Drew back from the position and was taken over by a different squad; began heading north
(00:33:45)


Kept chasing the Germans and would engage those they found



Moved daily to follow

Kept this up until the Germans surrendered
VE Day (00:35:34)
Near Trieste, , near the coast of the Adriatic Sea
Grahl and a group were given passes to Venice, Italy for a day
His unit stayed in Trieste for a couple of months


Didn’t do much but guard (perimeter security)

Rode in boxcars and stopped in Rome (returning to the United States)
Got to Naples where a ship was ready to take them to the States
Two weeks later, arrived in Norfolk, Virginia (their ship was near the Rock of Gibraltar when the
Japanese surrendered – VJ Day) (00:37:40)
Scheduled to go to the South Pacific but given a referral
Stayed in the camp in Newport until his papers were organized; went to Camp Grant, Illinois to
get a 45 day referral
A friend of his (combat engineer) had just been married and both he and Grahl’s wife
were sharing an apartment together
Discharge (00:40:30)
Got a second pass for 30 days, eventually went back to Camp Grant
Didn’t have enough points and had to wait until the points were lowered
Discharged January 8, 1946; went back to Wyandotte, Michigan to reunite with his wife
Returned to Ford Motor Company to continue his education
Graduated from the Tool-and-Die class

�A recession was happening at the time, so Grahl was laid off
Took a job with a relative
Life in the Military (00:42:45)
Had his faith to get him through the War


Carried the New Testament Bible in a plastic cover over his heart

On the Line, ate K-rations; R&amp;R given hot food, able to take showers


No problem with supplies

Stress was their lifestyle
No particular games for entertainment; no USO Shows, played softball during R&amp;R (00:46:53)
In England, was given a pass to London, made a trip to the bombed areas (00:48:15)


Spent a couple of days there

During training (Camp Butner, North Carolina), made to fire a 50 caliber machine guns at
moving targets (00:50:45)


25 or 30 machine guns set up; Grahl in the first row to fire



Given the order to fire, Grahl pulled the trigger and the gun promptly exploded



Wearing leggings (made of heavy canvas, laced up the sides) at the time; unlaced them
before the medics arrived



Had been in a seated position, legs stretched out in front of him; pieces of the metal from
the cartridges injured his legs during the explosion



Taken to the camp hospital; found powder burn, some bleeding (from the metal)

After the Military (00:55:20)
Retired from active work after 30 years of working with a company (May 6, 1983); a machinist
Didn’t establish any close friendships during his military years (00:56:50)
Didn’t join any Veteran’s groups, sends donations to Disabled Veterans of America
Afterthoughts (01:03:00)
The wars we have been in recently have been difficult; hard to fight people so set in their ways

� The enemy was more clearly defined in World War II
After the military, tried to maintain the same standard and style of living he had before the War
Shows and explains documents and pictures from his time in the military (discharge papers,
military pictures, patches, V-mail) (01:07:20)

�</text>
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                <text>Robert Grahl was drafted in 1943 and trained as an artillery gunner. He was shipped to England in 1944 and initially assigned to the 78th Division in Normandy, but before he saw action there, he was reassigned to the 363rd Infantry Regiment north of Florence.  He spent several stints in the front lines confronting the German Gothic Line defenses during the winter of 1944-45, but this was interrupted by a bout of hepatitis. He returned to his unit in time to participate in the spring offensive in 1945, and his unit had reached Trieste on the Yugoslavian border by the end of the war.</text>
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                    <text>Speaking Out
Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories
Grand Valley State University Special Collections
Interviewee: Helen Grahuis
Interviewers: Alissa Cohen, Hannah Frazer, Bryce Byker and Eli Bale
Supervising Faculty: Melanie Shell-Weiss
Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections
Date: 3/16/2012

Biography and Description
Helen Grahius was born and raised in Haren, Groningen, Netherlands. Later in life, she moved to
West Michigan to be with her siblings. She discusses her life in the Netherlands and in the United
States.

Transcript
INTERVIEWER: Okay, so we’re recording it now the first thing I gotta do is read you this oral release
form. So it’s “I, Helen Grashuis. hereby agree to participate in aninterview in connection with the oral
history project known as “Speaking Out: WesternMichigan’s Civil Rights Histories” at Grand Valley State
University. I understand thatthe purpose of this project is to collect audio-recorded oral histories, as well
as selectedrelated documentary materials such as photographs and manuscripts, from
thoseknowledgeable about civil rights and civil rights activism in Western Michigan with thegoal of
preserving these materials and making them available for teaching and research.This may include
publication in print, multimedia programs such as radio or television. and the WWW, among others.” So,
basically we can use the interview you’re giving us. We can like write a paper about it and we can maybe
put some of it on the The internet and ... which we probably won’t because it’s just a small thing, but
that would be pretty cool (Everyone laughs)
GRAHUIS: Now, do I have to have experience?
INTERVIEWER: No. You don’t have to have experience!
GRAHUIS: Okay! ‘Cause I don’t! (Everyone laughs)
INTERVIEWER: (Laughing) Neither do we! Okay number two: I understand that I may be identified by
name, subject to my consent. I may also be identified by name in any transcript (whether verbatim or
edited) of such interview, subject to my consent. If I choose to remain anonymous, which you can, I
know that audio-recordings of my interview will be closed to use, and my name will not appear in the
transcript or reference to any material contained in the interview. I know that in the case of choosing to
remain anonymous, my interview will only be identified by an internal ‘Speaking Out” project tracking
number. So, you’ll just have a number.

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�GRAHUIS: Oh.
INTERVIEWER: And you won’t have a name I understand that the interview will take approximately two
hours ... or one hour —
GRAHUIS: Yeah! ‘Cause I have to go to bible study!
INTERVIEWER: ... yeah, (oral release form continued) and that I can withdraw from the project without
prejudice prior to the execution and delivery of this release form. So you can still back out at any time. In
the event —
GRAHUIS: Oh! Let’s go Monique!
(Everyone laughs)
INTERVIEWER: In the event that I withdraw from the interview, any recordings make of the interview
will be either given to me or destroyed, and no transcript will be made of the interview. I understand
that a photograph of me may be taken or borrowed for duplication, and that if I withdraw from the
project, the photograph will be given to me and any copies made by the project destroyed. Number
four: I understand that, upon completion of the interview, and subject to all the other terms and
conditions of this agreement, GVSU shall own the copyright to this work and will be able to use it in any
manner it chooses including but not limited to use by researchers and students in presentations and
publications, but that I shall be given a perpetual permissive license to use my contribution in any
manner or any medium as long as I notify GVSU prior to such use. Wow. Number five, there’s only a few
more
GRAHUIS: Oh, okay.
INTERVIEWER: I understand that any restrictions as to use of portions of the interview indicated by me
will be edited out of the final copy of the transcript. So, you can tell us to leave parts out if you want
number six: I understand that upon the completion of this interview and signing this release, the
recordings, photographs, and one copy of the transcript will be kept in Grand Valley State University
Libraries’ Special Collections in Allendale, Michigan. So, all of these interviews, we’re keeping them all in
one place. So, all the students in our class and other classes are interviewing people also like professors
and other people they know and it will all be kept in one place — all those different interviews.
GRAHUIS: Oh!
INTERVIEWER: Number seven: If I have questions about the research project or procedures, I know that I
can contact Dr. Melanie Shell-Weiss in the Department of Liberal Studies, and it tells all her contact
information. Okay, so now — do you guys have a pen? — we need you to sign this... are you okay with
us identifying you? Is that okay?
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Awesome. So ... you just need to sign right here.

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�GRAHUIS: My name?
INTERVIEWER: Your name, the address and the date, and your phone number.
GRAHUIS: The date today is 16, right?
INTERVIEWER: Yup, march 16.
GRAHUIS: 3, 16.
INTERVIEWER: 12.
Monique (Helen’s daughter): Yes, my dad really did wear these. (She pulls out a pair of old wooden
shoes)
INTERVIEWER: Oh my goodness, that’s so cool. Can I see this? What size are these? (Trying the shoes on)
GRAHUIS: I don’t know...
BALE: You’ll probably fit into them
INTERVIEWER: I don’t know...
BALE: Actually, they may be a little to big — small, I mean to big.
INTERVIEWER: To big?
BALE: Yeah, your feet are way to big.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Ouch. Aw man, I would have to get used to these. I bought a pair when I went
there... what size shoe do you wear? 13’s. And those are to big for you?
BALE: Do they fit you?
INTERVIEWER: No. Not even close. What, they’re way to big? Yeah.
BALE: Yeah, they’re to big.
INTERVIEWER: I wear 10’s.
BALE: Oh wow.
GRAHUIS: The interviewee’s me.
INTERVIEWER: Do you agree to be identified by name? Oh, and, you don’t wish to remain anonymous.
And Helen”...
BALE: These are speculaas (pulling out a box of cookies). Have you ever had these?
INTERVIEWER: Ooh!
GRAHUIS: (signing her name) Grashuis.

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�BALE: They’re like ginger cookies.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Help yourself. Do you want one, mom?
GRAHUIS: No thanks.
INTERVIEWER: Alright. I’m just going to write my name for the thing.
GRAHUIS: Speculaas.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you.
BALE: (Pulling out a picture frame) Oh, and this is my dad wearing his wooden shoes.
INTERVIEWER: Oh! (Everyone laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Wow, that’s awesome.
GRAHUIS: Yup. That’s my husband. He died three years ago.
INTERVIEWER: Oh really. Okay, so. Did you guys know how we want to start this? Or do we just want to
wing it? Well, we have to introduce ourselves. Okay. No that’s not me.
(Looking at a picture) I’m not that cute.
(Everyone laughs)
GRAHUIS: You are! You’ve changed since I’ve last seen you!
INTERVIEWER: Look at that... (looking at pictures).
GRAHUIS: For the better!
INTERVIEWER: Thank you! So we need to introduce ourselves. And say who we’re interviewing. Oh yeah,
that’s right! It’s in the sample question packet, I think you’ve got it. That’s right here. This is kind ofjust
an outline...
BALE: Here I’ll take that.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, sweet. I’ve got what we have to say right in here. So, I’m just going to follow what
this says may name is Eli Bale. And we have Bryce Byker, Hannah Frazier. Allisa Cohen. We are here on
Friday, March the third, at 3:16 — the 16th
GRAHUIS: 16 honey.
INTERVIEWER: At quarter after 3 pm with Mrs. Helen Grashuis in Kirkhoff on Grand Valley State
University’s campus in Allendale, Michigan. We are here about to talk about Mrs. Grashuis’s memories
of her childhood and anything else she can remember about her life in western Michigan. Okay. And we
also have Monique Bale, who’s here to help us conduct the interview.

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�BALE: Helen’s daughter.
GRAHUIS: Oldest daughter.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, so, how’d you guys want to start this? Okay, so where were you born exactly?
GRAHUIS: I was born in Haren, Groningen. Groningen is the northern part of Netherlands.
INTERVIEWER: Oh okay. Very cool.
GRAHUIS: And my husband was born in Amsterdam.
INTERVIEWER: Oh. How do you spell Groningen?
GRAHUIS: Groningen G-r-o-n-i-n-g-e-n. Groningen.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, very good. Thank you. Okay, so tell us a little about your family.
GRAHUIS: My family — my mom and dad there were nine children in my family. . five boys and four
girls. So yeah. Wonderful family.
INTERVIEWER: Wait a second for this to go by.
GRAHUIS: Okay.
INTERVIEWER: And how was that experience growing up with such a large family?
GRAHUIS: Real wonderful.
INTERVIEWER: You liked it?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, we had wonderful parents.
INTERVIEWER: Are you close — were you close with your siblings?
GRAHUIS: Yes. Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Was it typical in that area or time to have that amount of people in a family?
GRAHUIS: Yes, yeah. My dad had four brothers and they all had big families.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: We had nine kids. The other ones had, the other one had six girls —
INTERVIEWER: Oh my goodness.
GRAHUIS: (chucklesj and there were, was another one who had six boys. And so —
INTERVIEWER: Jeez.
GRAHUIS: Big! Yeah! Those — those times they all had big families.

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�INTERVIEWER: Yeah, wow. It sounds like it.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, yeah. We got along real well.
INTERVIEWER: What did your parents do for work? What did your dad do for work?
GRAHUIS: My dad had his own company, and he, with his brothers, and he selled cement and all that
building materials. Yeah, it went real well.
INTERVIEWER: What about your mother? Was she just a stay at home mom?
GRAHUIS: My mom, ach! Yeah, my mom was a stay at home mom.
INTERVIEWER: With that may kids!
GRAHUIS: Washing clothes and ... yup.
INTERVIEWER: What did a typical day look like for you guys? Like, in like the school year. Like, was it all
different grades? Like, in the Netherlands did they have, like, a middle school and a high school where
you guys were all separated up into?
GRAHUIS: the school I went to the distances were so small. So we walked to school there was one road
that go into, from where we were to the, the schools, the Christian school.
INTERVIEWER: So it was a pretty small town?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. Quite small, and *ahem*, excuse me. a lot of Dutch people. In that, time, there were a
lot of people that came from different countries. Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: And do you remember anything about your school.
GRAHUIS: Well, we had to work hard! (Laughter)
INTERVIEWER: Yuuuup, I can relate to that. You said there were people from a lot of different countries
so, would you say that everyone was excepting of all the different types of people that were there?
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, uh-huh. And I think mostly they came from the Netherlands.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. So,—
BALE: But mom, you said too, that your community was really tight-nit. You knew all the families.
GRAHUIS: Yes.

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�BALE: You had a milkman who came down the street with his horse-cart. those families. The Bucker the
Baker’s man.
GRAHUIS: He would go through the street with his little red
INTERVIEWER: - like cart?
GRAHUIS: Cart! Yup, that he pushed. Yeah, it was wonderful time we had, a wonderful time.
BALE: And because your family was so big, you didn’t have a whole lot of money.
GRAHUIS: Nope.
BALE: And it was a home — you slept with your sisters right?
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: Two sisters.
GRAHUIS: Yup.
BALE: And it was very, and in the winter time it was very cold. I remember you telling stories of when
you would wake up in the morning and ice would be on your sheets. That’s how cold it was.
GRAHUIS: Yup.
INTERVIEWER: Wow!
BALE: And you slept together to keep warm.
GRAHUIS: To keep warm.
BALE: And you didn’t have very many clothes.
GRAHUIS: That’s right.
BALE: And, I was just asking her on the way over here. Did you wear wooden shoes when you were
growing up? And she did. She wore wooden shoes all through elementary school. She said, I said, so
how do your feet keep warm. She said they had leather slippers that they would put inside their wooden
shoes and they would walk.
GRAHUIS: Socks of course.
BALE: And they would walk through the snow and snow would accumulate on their wooden shoes.
INTERVIEWER: Oh my gosh, wow. Kind of like ice skating. Exactly.
BALE: And she said when she got to be about, what? Maybe ten. You got your first pair of leather shoes.
That was a big deal.

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�GRAHUIS: Oh yeah! We were so proud! We could go to church with our leather shoes we would just
walk in the neighborhood and just look at it. Just look at it!
INTERVIEWER: Ah, that’s great. Yeah, what about —
GRAHUIS: I have such wonderful memories of my youth.
INTERVIEWER: Tell us some of those memories.
GRAHUIS: Huh?
INTERVIEWER: Tell us some of your favorite memories. If you have any.
GRAHUIS: (chuckles) Favorite — favorite memories! There was a lot of— there was a lot of land there.
So, grass and ditches and we would have a long pole and jump across those ditches and guess what? We
would fall in! So beautiful.
BALE: So when the canals froze over —
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. Skating!
BALE: Yeah, skating for miles and miles.
GRAHUIS: Oh yes, we skated for miles —
INTERVIEWER: So fun
GRAHUIS: That’s, oh that was wonderful. Wonderful. And we had, we had lanterns and we lived, my
family lived on, the haven ... haven ... how do you say haven?
BALE: Like a little lake. Like a little pond or a little lake.
GRAHUIS: Where the boats would come in.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, did you live —
BALE: Like a harbor!
GRAHUIS: Harbor.
INTERVIEWER: Did you live —
BALE: Like a harbor.
INTERVIEWER: - near the ocean?
GRAHUIS: Huh?
INTERVIEWER: Did you live near the ocean?
GRAHUIS: No, no.

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�INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Opa did. Opa is grandpa.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: And I’m oma.
INTERVIEWER: (chuckles) Yup, my oma. I’ve heard you call her that a couple times. Yeah, they were
confused when I said that the first time! They were like, What does that mean?” (Laughter)
GRAHUIS: (laughing) Yeah!
BALE: Yeah, so you lived on the harbor.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Yeah.
GRAHUIS: And then my dad, my dad would, put us on his back, and we would tie our skates on then we
could go on his back and he would drop us off on the harbor. There was ice — well, of course there was
ice, otherwise he wouldn’t throw us in! And then at night they would put the lights on these... we call it.
INTERVIEWER: Like the lamps?
GRAHUIS: Yeah! Yes, yes. Otherwise we would break our neck. But then we would skate from the harbor
to the canal. We would have to go under bridges.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever have races?
GRAHUIS: What?
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever have races on the canals? Like skating races?
GRAHUIS: Not that much on the canals. But there were also lakes and that is where they mostly had the
races
INTERVIEWER: Now I know Opa was quite a big sailor. Did you sail at all when you were growing up?
Like, did you go out on the water in boats?
GRAHUIS: My husband?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, I know Opa was a big sailor but did you do any sailing or fishing out on the water?
GRAHUIS: Fishing! Oh we did a lot of fishing.
INTERVIEWER: When did you meet your husband?
GRAHUIS: I met my husband in the sixties? No fifties

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�INTERVIEWER: Ok so quite a bit after your childhood. And did you meet him there or when you came to
the United States?
GRAHUIS: No I met him here.
INTERVIEWER: Oh wow!
GRAHUIS: Yeah, I met him in church. He saw me sitting in church. Because I had and aunt and uncle that
were in Kalamazoo, they immigrated to Kalamazoo, and they had ten kids. So I would go to church with
them. And then Hank, my husbands name is Hank, his, let me see, where am I? Oh Yes, they were
members of the same church. It was a Christian reformed church in Kalamazoo. I was living in the YWCA.
So he found that out and then that sunday night after church, I was in my room and somebody said,”
Somebody is here for you”. So I said “Okay”. I had no idea that it was him. So there was Hank
INTERVIEWER: Wow, was it love at first sight?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, so that is how we met.
BALE: But to put a big picture on it, my dad had a family often right?
GRAHUIS: Eight.
BALE: Yeah, eight kids. But ten all together. They immigrated when he was sixteen. He was sixteen.
GRAHUIS: Yes.
BALE: So they came over on a big boat, when he was sixteen. And then my mom immigrated when she
was twenty five and she came with her brother here to America.
GRAHUIS: Yes, my brother was a year younger than I am.
BALE: Right. So dad was here already in kalamazoo.
GRAHUIS: Yes but I also had uncle John, my brother John, was living here already. And my sister Evelin.
They were living here. So we came here from the Netherlands, visiting them. We could stay with them in
their home. It was quite something. I was a little homesick at first but thats it.
INTERVIEWER: What made up your mind about moving here? What was your motivation for moving
here?
GRAHUIS: I wanted to see what the United States was like.
INTERVIEWER: How old were you when you moved?
GRAHUIS: Twenty two.
INTERVIEWER: Twenty two?
GRAHUIS: I was twenty two years old when I came here.

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�INTERVIEWER: What did you imagine it would be like?
GRAHUIS: .
INTERVIEWER: Better than It actually was?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, I love this country. I am so glad I came here. Of coarse I met my husband here.
INTERVIEWER: Did you come over on a boat?
GRAHUIS: I flew.
INTERVIEWER: Okay cool.
GRAHUIS: And my dad paid for the ticket.
INTERVIEWER: Oh so You didn’t go with your family?
GRAHUIS: Yes my brother. I was twenty two.
BALE: Was that Clause?
GRAHUIS: Yes.
BALE: And John was here already.
GRAHUIS: Yes, John was here. John was married. And Eveline was here.
BALE: Okay, so two siblings were here and you came over with another brother.
GRAHUIS: Yep.
BALE: So thats four of the nine kids came over to the states.
GRAHUIS: And my mom was very sad that so many came to the united states.
BALE: Are the other five still there?
GRAHUIS: Yeah they have been here but they would rather stay in the Netherlands.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, so what else do you remember from the time you were ten years old to the time
you were twenty two? Like when exactly was the nazi occupation?
GRAHUIS: Oh I was afraid you were going to say something about that. It was in the forties.
INTERVIEWER: How old were you when that happened?
GRAHUIS: I was In my thirties. I was thirty eight when it was over.
BALE: No, how old where you when the war was going on? You were young.
GRAHUIS: Well I was born in 1937.

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�BALE: Ok so you were young. You were six.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember anything about that? Do you remember your lifestyle changing?
GRAHUIS: Yes, yes. Because we were living in a home and right next to us was a garage where all the
germans were in. And so when all the Americans or the English came over, they would shoot at that
garage. But also, we were also bombarded because our home was so close to that garage. So if my
brother had stayed that night, we were eating supper, my dad was in church work and so he was not
home, my mom was only there with all the kids, and if he would have stayed in that chair he would have
been killed. Because the bullet went right through the seat.
BALE: So did you here the sirens or did you hear the plans come in?
GRAHUIS: We heard the plans come in.
BALE: So what they did is they went down into the cellar. Everybody left the table and went into the
cellar.
GRAHUIS: Yes, I fell into the potato salad. Thats why I have such a potato head.
INTERVIEWER: So it seems that you were living in fear for a while then, right?
GRAHUIS: Yes, we were.
INTERVIEWER: And how long did that go on?
GRAHUIS: I think it started in forty two and in forty five it was over.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember your diet changing or your lifestyle changing because you didn’t have
enough money?
GRAHUIS: Well food was hard to get.
INTERVIEWER: I remember you saying something about rations. Did you guys have to do that at all?
GRAHUIS: Oh yes, definitely. And we had a big family so would have a lot of sugar and there were some
families that could not get it. So we would exchange sugar for what they had. Potatoes or whatever. So
that was quite a life.
INTERVIEWER: But it sounds like money wasn’t, I mean its a struggle without money, but it sounds like it
wasn’t really an issue. Like you say you still loved your memories of growing up and everything.
GRAHUIS: Yes, I did.
INTERVIEWER: So you still had fun even though the Nazis were around.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, and I heard how with the bikes they would take the tires. Did that happen to you
guys?
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�GRAHUIS: Oh yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Why did they do that?
GRAHUIS: because they could use the rubber. They were rubber tires and they could use it.
INTERVIEWER: So they took it right off your bikes to use it?
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Wow. So you had to clatter around on metal wheels for a while?
GRAHUIS: Yeah exactly.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember, I mean obviously there was a war going on, but were there any
tragedies that hit close to home or to you with friends or anything?
GRAHUIS: Yes. Friends, their fathers were transported someplace else. I had a friend and her father was
a doctor and he was killed. And of coarse the jews, we had jews in our town. They were picked up.
INTERVIEWER: Did you know anyone that was helping them at all?
GRAHUIS: Yes, Hanks father was a police man so he hid a lot ofjewish people.
INTERVIEWER: That’s really cool. Did he ever get caught?
GRAHUIS: No, he did not get caught. And Hank would, on his bike, go to the farmers and pick up milk for
the family.
INTERVIEWER: What were the nazi soldiers like? Where they mean or did they trouble you guys at all?
GRAHUIS: I can not remember much of that.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, what did you do for fun around that time? In your free time with your friends and
stuff? I know you had a tight knit community and stuff, what did you guys do for fun?
GRAHUIS: A lot of things. A lot of little things.
INTERVIEWER: Did you guys have any sports you liked to play? I know Opa enjoyed playing soccer.
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Did you guys have anything like that or did you guys just do little hangouts and stuff?
GRAHUIS: Bicycling, and of coarse in the winter skating.
INTERVIEWER: And did you guys, I don not know if this is like an American thing but did you guys have
like snowball fights and build snowmen?
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah.

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�INTERVIEWER: Okay, I guess a worldwide thing.
GRAHUIS: Yep when you have snow you make a snowman.
INTERVIEWER: What about Christmas time? Did you have any traditions you used to do? Like, I know
you used to put shoes by the door or something like that?
GRAHUIS: Yeah I put something in it. Yep we sure did.
INTERVIEWER: Now around Christmas time did you have your relatives come over or was it just your
family?
BALE: What was Christmas like? Christmas day.
GRAHUIS: Oh we would decorate the whole room and it was nice.
BALE: Did you exchange presents?
GRAHUIS: Yes we did. Little gifts. very little gifts because we did not have much money as kids because
we did not work.
INTERVIEWER: No ipods?
GRAHUIS: Nope.
INTERVIEWER: Where there any traditions you brought from to the United States from back in the
Netherlands?
GRAHUIS: Our Dutch cooking. Stumput.
INTERVIEWER: What is that? I have never heard of it.
GRAHUIS: You put potatoes, you cook potatoes and carrots and you mash them all up. The kids love it.
BALE: Potatoes, carrots, onions.
GRAHUIS: And onions.
INTERVIEWER: Where did that meal come from? Do you remember how it originated into the
Netherlands?
GRAHUIS: No, i think its more a dutch meal. Interviewer. Okay, because I remember someone, i do not
remember who it was, told me that, when they did not have a lot of ingredients and stuff during the war
and they had just potatoes, onions and carrots, they were like lets just throw it all into a pot, mash it up
and see what come out. And that was stumpot. And Tm glad they did. Its really good.
BALE: So your diet was mainly potatoes. very little meat because meat was expensive.
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah, we did not eat much meat at all. It as very expensive.
BALE: And then the fish.
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�GRAHUIS: fish yeah.
BALE: Yes, and dutch cheese.
INTERVIEWER: Now did you ever go on to college?
Helen: No I did not go to college. I went to high school.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, do you have any specific memories from your hight school?
GRAHUIS: Yeah we had some things that we did together as a class. We did everything on bicycles. We
would go swimming and it was quite a ways away. And we did a lot of biking. So one those days you did
not see very many people.
INTERVIEWER: And what about jobs? Did you get ajob when you graduated high school?
GRAHUIS: No. I did not work.
BALE: But you did say you had ajob in Haden that you had to bike to. And that was after hight school.
You were in your twenties. Didm’t you have a secretarial job?
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah. When I was older.
BALE: Before you immigrated over. What was that job?
GRAHUIS: Ill have to think, what did I do? I worked at an office.
INTERVIEWER: Okay
BALE: You worked there everyday. Haden was how far from Cronighan?
INTERVIEWER: What is that?
GRAHUIS: Stumput.
INTERVIEWER: I’ve never heard of that.
INTERVIEWER: Me Either.
GRAHUIS: You have potatoes. You cook potatoes, and carrots, and-uh then you mash them all up.
INTERVIEWER: Ooo
INTERVIEWER: That sounds good.
GRAHUIS: And- the kids love it.
BALE: And onions. Potatoes, carrots and onions.
GRAHUIS: And onions.

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�INTERVIEWER: And where did that meal come from, like, where did that meal come from? Do you
remember, like, how it originated in the Netherlands? (Pause)
INTERVIEWER: Okay
GRAHUIS: I think its more Dutch. The DutchINTERVIEWER: Okay because I remember someone, I don’t remember who it was, told me that they
didn’t, when they didn’t have, like a lot of ingredients and stuff during the war, like and they had just
potatoes, onions, and carrots, they were like lets throw it all into a pot, mash it up, and see what comes
out. (Laughs)
GRAHUIS: Uh-huh
INTERVIEWER: So they had stumput,
GRAHUIS: Uh-huh
BALE: Yeah
INTERVIEWER: And I’m glad they did. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: It’s really good!
GRAHUIS: Uh-huh
BALE: So your diet was mainly potatoes, very little meat because meat was expensive.
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah. We didn’t eat much meat at all. (Pause) It was very expensive.
INTERVIEWER: Um-hm
BALE: And the fish.
GRAHUIS: Fish. Yeah.
BALE: And cheese.
GRAHUIS: And cheese. That’s cheese.
INTERVIEWER: Um-hm. (Pause) Now did you go to college?
GRAHUIS: No. I did not go to college. I went to high school.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Uh-.huh.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have any specific memories from your high school?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. We had some things that we did together as a class.

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�INTERVIEWER: Mmm
GRAHUIS: we would We did everything on bicycles.
INTERVIEWER: Mmmmmm
GRAHUIS: . We would go to go swimming, andINTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: . It was quite a ways away, and, yeah. We did a lot of a lot of biking, biking.
INTERVIEWER: Mm
GRAHUIS: Yeah. So in those days you didn’t see very many big people.
BALE: (Laugh)
INTERVIEWER: Yeah! (Laugh) And what about jobs? Did you get a job when you graduated high school?
GRAHUIS: No. I did not work.
BALE: But you did say you had a job. In,
GRAHUIS: Holland.
BALE: that you had to bike to. When, that was after high school though. When you were in your
twenties. (Pause) Didn’t you have a secretarial job or ajob that you, I remember you saying that you
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah. When I was older.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Yeah. Before you immigrated over.
INTERVIEWER: Before you immigrated. Yeah. That’s, yeah.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: What was that job?
GRAHUIS: let me think what did I do? (Pause) I worked at an office.
INTERVIEWER: Okay
BALE: Yup. You’d bike there everyday.
GRAHUIS: Um-hm
BALE: Howden was how far from Kronian (32:14)?
GRAHUIS: five kilometers.

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�BALE: Okay.
INTERVIEWER: Hm, Okay.
GRAHUIS: And I would go there in the morning, and then for lunch I would come home, and then at one
o’clock I would go back.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, wow.
GRAHUIS: So, it’s a lot of biking.
INTERVIEWER: That is a lot. Yeah. A couple miles in everyday.
BALE: And you lived at home?
GRAHUIS: I lived at home. Yeah.
BALE: Okay.
INTERVIEWER: And your family got along pretty well together, all of you kids?
GRAHUIS: Eh, yeah. Hey, when you’re kids you have to fight once and a while. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. I know what that’s like.
BALE: I remember
GRAHUIS: We’re not perfect.
BALE: Yeah. I remember you recently telling me this too that your grandfather lived with you. Your
grandfather lived with you.
INTERVIEWER: Oh.
GRAHUIS: My Mom’s father.
BALE: Right, and he didn’t have his own room cuz there were no rooms left over. He would sleep in the,
on the couch.
GRAHUIS: Yeah on the couch.
BALE: On the couch in the dinning room, living room.
GRAHUIS: Yes.
BALE: Okay, and that just, he was part of the family.
GRAHUIS: Yeah. That’s where he died.
BALE: And that’s where he died.
GRAHUIS: Yup.

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�BALE: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Yup. Um-hm. That’s right. (Pause) Yup.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember anything about the churches in the Netherlands, like the church you
went to?
GRAHUIS: Well they’re not like here. Um, in those days we didn’t have our groups
INTERVIEWER: Like bible study and?
GRAHUIS: Yes. Exactly. Um-hm.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: So it was more for the older people.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Do they have an organ in the church?
GRAHUIS: Oh yeah. Beautiful organ.
BALE: Beautiful organ.
GRAHUIS: Um-hm.
BALE: Yup.
INTERVIEWER: That’s cool. Now about your immigration, do you guys have any other questions about
Holland?
INTERVIEWER: No. I think we’ve heard a lot.
INTERVIEWER: Okay was it uncommon for people to rnove to the United States in the Netherlands, or
was it pretty common for people to just head over here?
GRAHUIS: It was, yeah. There was a certain time period where a lot of people came to the United States.
Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Or Canada.
INTERVIEWER: Or Canada.
INTERVIEWER: And was it just because they wanted to, or was there a reason they were leaving the
Netherlands?

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�GRAHUIS: it was, (Pause) it was well, we have big families. You know? Like my aunt and uncle. They
immigrated because it wasn’t (Pause) they could feed them here.
INTERVIEWER: So a better life?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. A better life.
INTERVIEWER: Opportunities.
GRAHUIS: A much better life especially also going to school.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
GRAHUIS: . They would go to college here or- . So, (Pause) yup. A lot of big families immigrated. Yup.
This is a great country.
INTERVIEWER: Now, when you came to the U.S. so you boarded a plane from the Netherlands, and
where did you...
GRAHUIS: Amsterdam. Yup.
INTERVIEWER: From Amsterdam. Where did you arrive? Where was your destination in the U.S.? Did
you land in like New York or (Pause) where did you land on the flight?
GRAHUIS: I think we landed where did we go to?
BALE: Probably Chicago.
GRAHUIS: Oh! Oh no. Detroit yeah, Detroit.
INTERVIEWER: Was your intention always to come to Michigan?
GRAHUIS: Yeah because I had a sister and a brother here.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
GRAHUIS: Um-hm.
INTERVIEWER: So where did you go? Where did you start living When you got to the U.S.?
GRAHUIS: Michigan.
INTERVIEWER: Michigan. Like where
INTERVIEWER: What city?
INTERVIEWER: Like Kalamazoo or?
GRAHUIS: Kalamazoo.
INTERVIEWER: Okay, and that was, you lived with your brother then?

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�GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: John and Ida.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: What was that like?
GRAHUIS: John was my oldest brother.
INTERVIEWER: Like did you find ajob right away or did you just?
GRAHUIS: I also worked here in an office.
INTERVIEWER: Oh okay.
GRAHUIS: Uh-huh, and when did I start driving school bus?
BALE: That was way later.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah that was way later.
BALE: Didn’t you work at a department store?
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: In like, yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Didn’t you even model some cloths? Did you model some cloths or?
GRAHUIS: Yeah I did. I did.
BALE: We should have brought a picture of it.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah! I would have loved to see those!
BALE: You were very nice looking. (Laughs)
GRAHUIS: Yeah
BALE: Oh well. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: We don’t need to talk about that. (Laugh) Stop. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: So then, was it quite recent after you moved to the U.S. that you met Opa?
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�GRAHUIS: Yes. Uh-huh. Yup.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. So was that like a few years after afterwards or?
GRAHUIS: He was, oh gosh, he was in, he was in the military? (Pause) Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: I was, let’s see now. Opa was twenty-five when I, when we married, and I was twenty-four.
No. He was twenty-four; I was twenty-five.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: So
INTERVIEWER: Oh. So you met each other and you got married quite soon after that then.
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Uh-huh.
INTERVIEWER: So love at first sight kind of thing?
GRAHUIS: Yup. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Right when you walked up to the door? (Laughs)
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: so after you got married what did you guys do after that, like did you move somewhere,
or did you get a house.
GRAHUIS: Yeah. We got a house, and we had a house full of kids. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Okay. Tell us about that.
INTERVIEWER: How many kids do you have?
GRAHUIS: Three daughters.
INTERVIEWER: Three daughters?
GRAHUIS: -him. Monique is the oldest, and then we have Michelle, a year later, and then we have
Melissa.
BALE: A year later. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Wow!
GRAHUIS: So Melissa lives in Australia.

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�INTERVIEWER: Wow.
GRAHUIS: And she’s coming here with her husband and their two children in a couple weeks. Right?
INTERVIEWER: Mrnm. Yup. I’m looking forward to that.
GRAHUIS: Yup.
INTERVIEWER: To visit or to move?
GRAHUIS: To visit.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
INTERVIEWER: And what about that family experience? How did that differ from your family experience
in the Netherlands?
GRAHUIS: I don’t know. What do you mean with that?
INTERVIEWER: Well, I mean just, what was your family experience like here I guess? Did you
INTERVIEWER: With your husband and your children.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: How did it differ from how you grew up in the Netherlands?
INTERVIEWER: Did you have a better lifestyle here would you say or?
BALE: Did you have a better lifestyle here?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. Definitely.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah?
GRAHUIS: Oh definitely.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah?
GRAHUIS:huh. Yeah. Yup.
INTERVIEWER: And was it ever, I mean, hard with money and anything or?
GRAHUIS: No. My husband had a very good job. He went to the Kalamazoo college there.
INTERVIEWER: Oh. Yeah.
BALE: It’s Western Michigan.
INTERVIEWER: Uh-huh.

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�GRAHUIS: Yeah, and then he got his masters degree in Illinois, Northern Illinois University, and yeah. He
had a good job. We had a good life. Yeah, and then Melissa went to Calvin right?
INTERVIEWER: Calvin. Oh Yeah.
BALE: Um-hrn.
GRAHUIS: And you went to Calvin.
BALE: Um-hm.
GRAHUIS: And Michelle went to Farry, Farris. Farris!
BALE: Um-hm.
GRAHUIS: Yup.
INTERVIEWER: So, did you, so you got married, and you lived in Kalamazoo
GRAHUIS: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: For a few years. Did you live there, now how long did you live in Kalamazoo?
GRAHUIS: How long did we live in Kalamazoo
INTERVIEWER: Like was it a long time, like did you have all three of your daughters in Kalamazoo?
GRAHUIS: No. They were born in Chicago.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
INTERVIEWER: Oh really?
GRAHUIS: Yeah. Oh we moved all over the place.
INTERVIEWER: Oh wow.
INTERVIEWER: Tell us a little bit about that, like where did you guys, what were the different places you
guys lived?
GRAHUIS: Okay. That’s up to her. (Laughs)
GRAHUIS: She knows better.
BALE: So you lived in Michigan for a little bit after you were married.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: And then you moved down to Chicago, where Dad got his masters, and then you started having
us. We lived in Chicago for, I remember, about five years ‘cuz when I was kindergarten age we moved
back up to Grand Haven, Michigan.

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�INTERVIEWER: Oh. Okay.
BALE: And that’s where we settled for, probably until I was in junior high, high school.
GRAHUIS: -him
BALE: So that’s where we started school, all three of us, and lived in Grand Haven. Yeah, and then we we
lived in Grand Haven, and-uh we lived not too far from your sister, Evelyn, and another brother, Klaus,
and another brother, John. So all three of the families, all four of the families were in Grand Haven.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: And we were very close with the families. We all grew up together.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Lots of cousins.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: And that was good.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: That was a very good, good growing up.
INTERVIEWER: A good few years?
BALE: Yup, and when we got together we... everybody would be speaking Dutch. It was all, everything
was in Dutch, and our
INTERVIEWER: You too Mom?
INTERVIEWER: So yeah. You know Dutch as well?
BALE: Well I can understand it.
INTERVIEWER: Oh okay. I didn’t know that.
BALE: Yeah we can understand it.
GRAHUIS: Melissa’s good at it.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: We didn’t necessarily converse or speak, but it was all Dutch, and Dutch food. during the holidays,
our Christrnas especially, we would always look forward to... they make like a specialty. Yeah a Dutch
specialty is oliebollen. So it’s
INTERVIEWER: Oliebollen, mmrnmm.

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�BALE: Kind of a daylong process of making the dough and rising the the yeast rising it
GRAHUIS: Yup.
BALE: And it was all made out in the garage. It was
GRAHUIS: So you don’t get all that smell in your home.
BALE: Yup, and this is very traditional.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
BALE: So we would have oliebollen.
INTERVIEWER: That’s awesome. So you guys took home some traditions from back there?
BALE: Oh yeah!
GRAHUIS: You Dutch. You know that.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. I know a lot about the food and stuff, but, and I love the food, but I haven’t heard
of that before. I’ve never heard of that before, so.
BALE: Oh oliebollen?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. I’ve never heard of that.
BALE: Oh very traditional.
INTERVIEWER: It’s good. It’s good too.
GRAHUIS: Yeah. You fry them in oil. You have a pan full of oil, and you dump the stuff
INTERVIEWER: The dough.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, the dough.
INTERVIEWER: Oh okay.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Now did you, is that when you had your school bus job?
GRAHUIS: When did I start
INTERVIEWER: In Grand Haven.
BALE: You started driving school oh boy. That wasn’t in Georgia. I would say
GRAHUIS: No that was in Kalama, in- that was in Grand Haven.
BALE: In Grand Haven.

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�GRAHUIS: Yes.
BALE: Okay.
GRAHUIS:huh.
INTERVIEWER: When was
GRAHUIS: And I was the best bus driver. (Laughs)
GRAHUIS: In Grand Haven. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. The kids loved you.
INTERVIEWER: I’m sure.
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: That’s awesome.
GRAHUIS: Although, I could also be
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. I heard you had to like, I remember you telling us storied about some of the kids on
your bus, like some of them were very unruly, and
GRAHUIS: Oh yah. They can be.
INTERVIEWER: Oh yeah. So
GRAHUIS: Children are children.
INTERVIEWER: What age group did you, was it elementary, middle school?
GRAHUIS: All age.
INTERVIEWER: Oh all?
GRAHUIS: Yup. Kindergarteners I had a kindergarten run in the afternoon, at noon, so I liked it, and now
I get a little pension. (Laughs)
INTERVIEWER: So where did you, you said you moved to Georgia?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah where does Georgia fall into this?
BALE: -hrn.
INTERVIEWER: What other places did you move?
BALE: We were very sad about that.
INTERVIEWER: After Grand Haven? Okay.

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�BALE: We lived in Grand Haven for, after Chicago, five years, we lived in Grand Haven for up until I was
about, I would say, tenth grade, and Michelle ninth, and Melissa eighth, and then we, so it was very hard
to leave a tight nit family group.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
BALE: .
INTERVIEWER: That’s a tough time to leave.
BALE: Um-hm. I was pretty devastated. So Dad got ajob down in near Atlanta, which is Roswell, Georgia.
INTERVIEWER: Uh-huh.
BALE: And so we left the family up in Grand Haven. We moved down to Georgia where Dad worked for a
company. We were there for two years living in the south.
INTERVIEWER: Oh gees.
BALE: Yeah, and then
INTERVIEWER: So you graduated there.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
BALE: No. I didn’t.
INTERVIEWER: Oh no?
BALE: Two years later, actually a year... two years later. We lived down there for two years I think.
INTERVIEWER: -hm.
BALE: And then we moved up to New York.
INTERVIEWER: Oh wow. You guys have been all over.
BALE: And we moved up to New York, and we lived there on Long Island for a year.
GRAHUIS: Yup. Long Island. That’s right.
INTERVIEWER: Wow.
INTERVIEWER: Was this all for his work?
BALE: So back up. I think
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: Georgia was my ninth grade. I moved in ninth grade to Georgia.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.

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�BALE: Ninth and tenth.
GRAHUIS: Okay.
BALE: Moved up to Long Island for a year, and that was very different ‘cuz we were blonde Dutch
people.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah!
BALE: Living in
GRAHUIS: She had boyfriends all over. (Laughs)
BALE: We lived in an Italian; I mean it was all Italian.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
BALE: And, so those were our friends.
INTERVIEWER: Just for the interviews sake, did you guys appreciate all the diversity that was around you
or did you ever feel, or was there any sense of segregation ever? Like that’s just one of the questions we
were just wondering about with the interviews we’re doing.
GRAHUIS: No, no.
INTERVIEWER: No sense of segregation? Okay.
BALE: I don’t think so.
GRAHUIS: No, not at all.
INTERVIEWER: Because the U.S. was a very diverse time, very diverse time back then.
GRAHUIS: No, I never felt that.
INTERVIEWER: And your family, you’ve always been accepting of other races and stuff?
GRAHUIS: Yeah.
BALE: Yeah, I mean we grew up in a very, I mean it was a very Dutch, Western Michigan, so I don’t think.
INTERVIEWER: Still is.
BALE: We were among our own people. There was not much in Western Michigan diverse wise. In Grand
Haven, Kalamazoo, it was mainly Dutch.
INTERVIEWER: What about Chicago?
BALE: Chicago was a little different. I don’t, I was young so I don’t really remember. in the apartment
complex, I don’t remember a whole lot of diversity there. No.

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�INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: But now like Monique, for instance, adopted an American,
BALE: African American.
GRAHUIS: African American boy.
INTERVIEWER: Sean.
GRAHUIS: Sean. Sean is our, Eli’s brother.
INTERVIEWER: He’s my bro.
GRAHUIS: And now she’s adopting two children of Congo. And she’s getting those two children, they are
sisters. And she’s getting them in May.
INTERVIEWER: That’s great, that’s awesome. That’s really cool. That’s’ really exciting.
BALE: So here’s 100% Dutch, 100% Dutch.
GRAHUIS: The blondies and the blackies.
BALE: Lots of color, lots of color in our family. So yeah, we’ve never felt segregated.
INTERVIEWER: So is there any specific memories that either of you have in those three, those five places
that you lived? Like because you just told us about the history, Chicago, Georgia, New York, Netherlands,
and Grand Haven. Do you have any specific memories of just like, a story or anything? Can you wrap
your brain around?
GRAHUIS: You probably do being in school.
BALE: Specific stories?
GRAHUIS: Didn’t you have a little problem in the Netherlands in school?
BALE: yeah, I think some of my best memories were in the Netherlands.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
BALE: Some of my best memories were there because we were in a completely different culture. I mean
the Netherlands, but we were actually living in Holland. And we were old enough to travel around, so,
because I was eighteen we traveled, when you’re in the Netherlands and there’s countries all around
you, it’s like traveling to the next state or the next town, because I mean Belgium was, Germany was a
few hours, right across the way. We would vacation, we vacationed in Italy and we went to Germany
with our youth group. And for a class trip we went to London. And then
GRAHUIS: So you would, oh excuse me. Then you would live with other families, didn’t you?
BALE: No, not in the Netherlands, not in my high school years.

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�GRAHUIS: Oh okay, oh.
BALE: Yeah, so we had the freedom of travelling so it was wonderful, it was wonderful experiencing
different culture in my high school years. But yeah, I think those are some of the best memories. And for
a specific story, I don’t remember Eli, I’m sorry.
INTERVIEWER: Maybe later you can tell me.
BALE: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Okay so, you said you moved back to Grand Haven?
BALE: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: and then you went off to college and then I’m assuming Aunt Mitchie and Aunt Lizzie
went off to college several years after that. So then when then they all left, it was just you and Opa?
Now, is that about the time you got a bus driving job? Like I remember
BALE: I think during our college years you were bus driving.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: Mhm.
BALE: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: And you must have drove buses for a while then because I can still remember when you
GRAHUIS: I did, I did. I drove bus for twenty years.
INTERVIEWER: Oh my gosh. Wow, that’s a long time.
GRAHUIS: Get up at five o’clock in the morning and I pick all those kids up at home.
INTERVIEWER: Oh wow.
GRAHUIS: Oh, especially in the winter time.
INTERVIEWER: Was it a fun job though?
GRAHUIS: Oh, huh?
INTERVIEWER: Was it fun?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, I liked it, I enjoyed it.
BALE: I think that an important thing for this interview is I a very big thing about being Dutch, and a very
big thing that has, from the Dutch culture, I think ingrained in each one of the kids is being hard working
and being thrifty. I think both you and dad were very hard working and you instilled that in us. And also
spending wisely, being thrifty. This is all from the Dutch culture, because there was not much when you
were growing up, there was not much to go around. You just made do with what you had. And you also,
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�you all pulled together, you all had your chores. I remember you each having your chores. Because you
had to rely on each other to do the work that had to be done. So that kind of passes on to the
generations. Passing on down now to Eli. Your very hard working, aren’t you Eli?
INTERVIEWER: Of course I am. So now you live in Grand Haven?
GRAHUIS: I live in Grand Haven, yeah.
INTERVIEWER: So what do you do now in Grand Haven, how do you spend your days?
GRAHUIS: I lay on the couch.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Do you live by yourself?
GRAHUIS: I live by myself, yeah. Yeah, my husband died in November ‘08. So yeah. I have, of course, I
have three daughters and they moved away she lives in the U.P., Michelle lives in Saginaw, and Melissa
lives in Australia. And so I don’t have very much, I have a brother John that was the first one to come
here, and he lives in Kalamazoo. Then I have a brother Peter who lives in South Bend. And I have some
brothers, two sisters. Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: And down in Kalamazoo there’s a little community of, that’s branched out from there,
right?
GRAHUIS: Lot’s of Dutch.
INTERVIEWER: Lot’s of our family live down there still?
GRAHUIS: Yes.
BALE: And also, when we were growing up, we took two trips; we took two family trips to the
Netherlands. So we were, I think my first trip over to the Netherlands to visit Opa and Oma. which is her
folks, was when I was seven, eight? So we would, we would spend, I don’t know how many weeks we
were there, three weeks maybe, we would live in, we would vacation over in _____? and we would bike
around in Holland and we would get to know the Dutch cousins and get to know the Dutch aunts and
uncles. And it was only during those trips that we got to know our Dutch side. because otherwise we
didn’t grow know them at all.
INTERVIEWER: Except for the few Dutch family you had in Grand Haven?
BALE: Over here, right. But our other part of the family was over in the Netherlands.
INTERVIEWER: That was a major part of your family. You really got to experience a major part of your
roots.
BALE: Right, right.
INTERVIEWER: That’s awesome.

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�BALE: And our second trip, we took another trip, we took two trips, anyways those were wonderful,
precious memories.
INTERVIEWER: That’s really cool that you got to do that.
GRAHUIS: And I took her and my middle daughter, I took them to Australia.
INTERVIEWER: Oh yeah, that was recent.
GRAHUIS: Last year, January, yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah I can remember, just more recent years just all the times we would come to your
house, like especially when the Yates were living in Cincinnati. I remember going to your house for
Christmas and stuff and the whole family would be there. Go out to Penn Hill, camp in Big Rapids. Go
there and yeah, I just remember going to Thanksgiving at your house and just coming down and visiting,
going to church with you guys.
GRAHUIS: See, those are all wonderful memories, yeah.
INTERVIEWER: I remember mom, well I don’t remember you, I remember the video of you guys getting
married in the backyard. That’s really fun.
BALE: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: What about big events like, in the news and stuff when you were in, after you moved to
the U.S.. Do you remember, like, the Martin Luther King Jr. “I had a Dream” or do you remember all that
stuff?
GRAHUIS: No.
BALE: Do you remember Kennedy being shot?
GRAHUIS: Oh yes. Yes. I remember that one, because you were a baby, I was feeding you. And the radio,
it said that the president had been killed.
BALE: Any other big events?
INTERVIEWER: Vietnam War, or?
GRAHUIS: No I don’t remember much about that.
BALE: Do you remember much about civil rights, mom?
GRAHUIS: No.
BALE: What was going on in Detroit?
GRAHUIS: No.
BALE: African Americans?

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�GRAHUIS: I don’t, I’d have to think about it first.
BALE: What music?
GRAHUIS: Music?
BALE: What kind of music were you
INTERVIEWER: You love the organ music.
BALE: Yeah, Opa was big into organ music. That was also another thing.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, I love guitar music.
INTERVIEWER: That’s good.
GRAHUIS: That’s how he learned.
INTERVIEWER: That’s one of the reasons.
GRAHUIS: I have two guitars.
BALE: We had an old, and this is another part of growing up Dutch, is Dad played the organ, and we had
an old pump organ in our house, and he would, all the family would come over, he would pump the
organ and we would all sing hymns around the organ. And that’s what we would do when we would all
get together. Youd have coffee, or another big Dutch thing is drinks.
INTERVIEWER: Wine.
GRAHUIS: Glass of wine.
BALE: Little glass of wine.
GRAHUIS: Like we had last night. We don’t overdo it. Oh no, just a little bit.
BALE: We would play the pump organ and we would all sing around the pump organ. People don’t do
that anymore.
INTERVIEWER: It’s kind of like the American the American idea of singing around the campfire with a
guitar and stuff.
BALE: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah
GRAHUIS: Where’s my purse. I need to take my medication.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, my grandma really likes to do that, get around the piano or something and sing
songs and stuff.
BALE: Oh really?

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�INTERVIEWER: Is your grandma Dutch? Yeah she is. Yeah.
BALE: I think that was a big thing with the Dutch is that, and that’s what you did growing up, is that after
church, you would go to either your uncles or your aunts and you would all get together for coffee.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, we did.
BALE: And we’d always have we’d always talk and you’d have cookies and yeah, just gathering and
hanging out.
INTERVIEWER: Exactly.
BALE: And no computers.
GRAHUIS: No, no computers.
BALE: And the cousins would play together.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, that’s right. Yeah, good times.
INTERVIEWER: Good food and good company. I said good food and good company. That’s great.
GRAHUIS: Yeah. So, we should not forget that I have to go to my bible study.
BALE: Yeah, she has a gathering to get to.
INTERVIEWER: What time? It’s okay.
BALE: Six o’clock I have to be at a restaurant.
INTERVIEWER: Okay. We’ll make sure, we’ll make sure. Is there anything else you remember from,
anything else, anything you want to share, about anything? Anything you want to be written about? Like
we’re going to be writing a paper on this. Is there anything you want us to acknowledge?
GRAHUIS: .
BALE: Can I say something? I remember a very important event which I was able to go with you, was
when I was at Calvin, I think it was at Calvin. or I was living in Grand Rapids going to school and you
wanted to become a U.S. citizen. So I went down to, down to the courthouse, or I don’t remember, it
was in Grand Rapids somewhere, and we went into a big room with many other folks from all different
countries. We sat there, we went, we sat through an entire ceremony, and all the flags were
represented, and then you receive your American citizenship. That was a really cool time. And you had
to say the Pledge of Allegiance. It was really awesome.
INTERVIEWER: Did your dad do that too?
BALE: He did, but earlier.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.

Page
35

�BALE: I wasn’t around when dad became a citizen.
GRAHUIS: No, dad went into the military. That’s, automatically how you become a citizen.
INTERVIEWER: Oh okay, that makes sense.
BALE: I also remember you did not graduate from, you never received your diploma from the
Netherlands from high school.
GRAHUIS: I got it when I came here.
BALE: She went into America, you got your GED, you had to study, you had to take a test to get your
high school diploma. I don’t know why you never graduated.
INTERVIEWER: When did you get your diploma in high school? Were you alive, Mom? BALE: Oh yeah.
Oh, I remember mom, I was in, I think I was in junior high or high school. I was in, yeah, you were
studying for your GED because you wanted to graduate.
INTERVIEWER: But you still had jobs and everything, you know? The difference between now and then.
Now you have to go to college to get a job. It’s crazy. How was learning English? Was that difficult?
GRAHUIS: Yeah, well I learned that in high school. We take, we learned.
BALE: In the Netherlands.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, we take German, French, English. All those.
BALE: Italian?
GRAHUIS: No, not Italian.
BALE: Oh I thought you did.
INTERVIEWER: So you know them all?
GRAHUIS: Well French I don’t, I never kept up. I know German. I know of course English and Dutch. All
those languages I studied.
INTERVIEWER: That makes sense. So by the time you came to America, you were fluent in English?
GRAHUIS: Well, I can’t say fluent. I did my best.
INTERVIEWER: You could understand, Okay. Well that’s cool.
GRAHUIS: When I came to this country I was living with my sister, and they would they would listen to
the radio orthings I didn’t understand, hut you learn.
INTERVIEWER: You put yourself in the environment and you kind of learn how it is.
GRAHUIS: Yeah, yeah.

Page
36

�INTERVIEWER: That’s awesome. I think that’s good. Is there anything else you want to share?
GRAHUIS: Not that I know of.
INTERVIEWER: Okay.
GRAHUIS: We’ll have another meeting sometime.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much. That’s the interview.
END OF INTERVIEW

Page
37

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                    <text>Grand Valley State University
Veterans’ History Project
Leonhard Grams
World War II (Polish citizen; German soldier)
41 minutes 24 seconds
(00:00:12) Early Life Pt. 1
-Born on May 20, 1920, in Adamow, Poland
-Town 60 miles south of Russian border in eastern Poland
-Had four brothers and a sister
-He was the youngest
(00:01:19) Beginning of the War Pt. 1
-Not long after the war broke out, they moved to German-occupied Poland
-Left everything behind and lost everything
(00:01:39) Early Life Pt. 2
-His parents were farmers
-They were ethnic Germans living in Poland
(00:01:58) Moving to German-Occupied Poland Pt. 1
-Fled Russian-occupied Poland to move to German-occupied Poland
(00:02:21) Early Life Pt. 3
-Learned Polish and German in school
-Before the war, Polish and German relations were good
-After the war broke out, those relations deteriorated
-Some Polish people killed ethnic Germans
-Before the war, he worked on the family farm
-All of his siblings had gotten married, so he stayed behind to help on the farm
(00:03:28) Beginning of the War Pt. 2
-Didn’t expect there to be a war
-Had been living as a Polish citizen
-Witnessed the Red Army come into Poland
-They protected ethnic Germans
(00:04:48) Moving to German-Occupied Poland Pt. 2
-Family had to choose between living under Stalin’s rule, or Hitler’s rule
-They decided to move to German-occupied Poland
-Got another farm
-Smaller than their original farm
-Continued living with his parents
(00:07:24) Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field Pt. 1
-On February 2, 1941, he was drafted into the Luftwaffe (German air force)
-Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field in Berlin
-Received his training there after he reported for duty
-Part of an antiaircraft crew, but never shot down an enemy plane

�(00:08:30) Stationed on Russian Front Pt. 1
-Placed in boxcars and taken by train to the Russian front
-Tasked with catching saboteurs placing explosives on the train tracks
-Never found anyone
-Went to the Russian front in 1942
-Placed on the frontline and tasked with providing support to the frontline troops
-Part of a security team
-Went deep into Russian territory
-Remembers it being cold and snowy
-In 1943, the Russians began their counteroffensive against German forces
-The Russians began hitting positions with airstrikes
-During this time, he was on a machinegun
(00:11:30) Getting Wounded the First Time Pt. 1
-In one airstrike, bombs landed on both sides of him, and he took shrapnel in his shoulder
-Stretcher-bearers collected him, but fled because the Russian plane kept circling
-Once it left, the stretcher-bearers came back
-He was taken to a field hospital for initial treatment, but needed x-rays
-He was then moved to a more sophisticated hospital in Kiev
-Learned he had a broken arm
-Would have had it amputated if it had become infected
-Sent to an Austrian hospital, then sent to his parents’ farm for final recovery
(00:14:50) Re-Drafted into Wehrmacht
-Once he recovered, he was re-drafted into the Wehrmacht (German army)
-Worked with horses, but not on the frontline
-Stationed somewhere in Germany
(00:15:43) Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field Pt. 2
-Had subterranean barracks at Tempelhof to protect against air raids
-By permission, they were allowed to visit Berlin
-Spent most of their time training
-Received some basic infantry training with rifles and machineguns
(00:17:15) Stationed on the Russian Front Pt. 2
-On the Russian front, he slept on the ground
-The Russian civilians he met were friendly
-They worked as saboteurs, but nothing happened during his time on the front
-Formed new units in 1943 to defend against the Russian counteroffensive
-Russians attacked with their air force, and the Germans had no planes in Leonhard’s sector
(00:20:12) Getting Wounded the First Time Pt. 2
-While in the hospital, he was basically immobilized due to his casts
-Would’ve been allowed to walk around had he been mobile
-In a cast for about three months
(00:21:16) Getting Wounded Second Time Pt. 1, End of War &amp; Getting Captured
-At the end of the war, he was with a unit in Austria
-Got shot in the leg

�-Placed on a hospital train bound for a designated hospital city in Germany
-Combination of wounded Germans and prisoners-of-war in that city
-Kept on the train until May 20, 1944 (19450 when French forces took him prisoner
-Note: Means he was possibly in western Austria
-Brought to a Catholic church by the French forces
-Sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in southern Germany once he recovered
-Loaded onto trucks and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in France
-No food for three days
-French farmer eventually brought them some food
-Taken to a barracks and repaired them
-Tasked with digging up landmines
-After his third week of that work, he tripped a mine
-Sustained burns on his face and side, and temporarily lost his sight
-Taken to Germany and was treated by French and German doctors
-Regained his sight
-Treated in Heidelberg
-Granted a temporary discharge by the French
(00:27:00) Life after War – Living in Europe
-Didn’t know where his mother, or the rest of his family lived
-Later learned that his mother and one of his brothers lived in East Germany
-Met a farmer and worked for him for two years until he found his mother
-Granted permission to visit his mother in East Germany (once he located her)
-Moved to West Germany
-Had originally planned on getting married in 1944
-He got drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1944
-His girlfriend was placed in a prison camp in Poland in 1944
-Reconnected with his girlfriend in West Germany, and they got married in 1946
(00:29:11) Coming to America
-Came to the United States in 1959
-There was no steady work in Germany
-He took any job he could find, and most of it was temporary work in the summer
-Attended college to learn how to weld
-His uncle was living in Edmonton, Canada, and he encouraged Leonhard to move there
-Go to Canada first, then go to America
-One of his brothers lived in America
-He had migrated there in 1955
-Brother encouraged him to try the United States first before going straight to Canada
-Came to the United States without speaking English
-Found welding work with an owner that spoke German
-Worked as a welder for 31 years at Superior Steel
-Found work as a cabinet maker after the first job ended
(00:32:14) Air Raids in Berlin
-In Berlin, they were supposed to prepare for and retaliate against air raids

�-Remembers a dud bomb landing extremely close to him during a raid
-Picked it up and tossed it away
-During bombing runs at night, all he could see was smoke and flames
*Note: Air raids on Berlin had begun in August 1940
(00:33:18) Getting Wounded the Second Time Pt. 2
-Wounded in Austria during ground fighting
-Doesn’t know where the bullet came from, and thinks it may have been a stray round
(00:34:10) News on the War
-Given no information about the progress of the war
-The truth was wrapped in secrecy
-Constantly told they were making progress toward victory, even as Germany lost
(00:34:42) War Crimes &amp; Other Atrocities
-Knew nothing about the concentration camps or the Holocaust
-Older brother was beaten by some Polish boys after the war’s end
-A Russian officer intervened and saved the brother’s life
-Brought Leonhard’s brother to his unit
-Allowed to go to East Germany
-Polish government wouldn’t allow his family to leave
-Via the Red Cross, his family eventually moved to East Germany
-Future wife was held at a prison camp in Poland because she was an ethnic German
-Interned in 1944 near the end of the war with other ethnic German women
-They were stripped and whipped by Polish officers
-Some of the women were taken by the Polish soldiers
-He wasn’t very interested in politics, and on the farm, he didn’t pay attention to politics
-Focused on taking care of his parents and helping them
(00:39:22) Death of His Father
-His father died in 1941
-He was allowed to go to his parents’ farm in July 1941 to help with their harvest
-His father died shortly after he returned to his Luftwaffe unit in Berlin
-Most likely sometime in later 1941
(00:40:40) Wehrmacht &amp; Stationed on the Russian Front Pt. 3
-When he went to the Russian front, he was transferred into the Wehrmacht
-Issued a new uniform when he went

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            <description>An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context</description>
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                <text>RHC-54_Photographs-GRRC05</text>
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            <description>An entity primarily responsible for making the resource</description>
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                <text>Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club</text>
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            <description>A name given to the resource</description>
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                <text>4-man Crew Boat in Water</text>
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            <name>Description</name>
            <description>An account of the resource</description>
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                <text>4-man crew in the water with James Stewart at the bow, Herbert Heinrich in 2nd position, John T. Jans at 3rd, and John C. Spaulding on stroke.</text>
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            <name>Subject</name>
            <description>The topic of the resource</description>
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                <text>Grand Rapids (Mich.)</text>
              </elementText>
              <elementText elementTextId="884539">
                <text>Outdoor recreation</text>
              </elementText>
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                <text>Boats and boating</text>
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                <text>Racing shells</text>
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          <element elementId="48">
            <name>Source</name>
            <description>A related resource from which the described resource is derived</description>
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                <text>&lt;a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/481"&gt;Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club scrapbooks (RHC-54)&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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            <name>Rights</name>
            <description>Information about rights held in and over the resource</description>
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                <text>&lt;a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/"&gt;No Known Copyright&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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            <name>Language</name>
            <description>A language of the resource</description>
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                <text>eng</text>
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            <name>Publisher</name>
            <description>An entity responsible for making the resource available</description>
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                <text>Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives</text>
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                  <text>Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club collection</text>
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                  <text>Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club</text>
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            <element elementId="41">
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                  <text>Scrapbooks of newsclippings, photographs, postcards, and ephemera of the Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club. Photos were taken at regattas on Reeds Lake; the Grand River; Peoria, Illinois; and in Chicago of club members, and events. Historical articles, reports of regatta events, and articles featuring members Charles McQuewan and Jack Corbett are included. Programs include the First Grand Regatta on Great Salt Lake 1888, and Peoria Rowing Festival, and banquet and music programs and the GR Log, a publication of the Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club. Materials from the Central States Amater Rowing Association, and the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen are also included.</text>
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                  <text>circa 1980s to 1940s</text>
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              <description>A related resource from which the described resource is derived</description>
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                  <text>&lt;a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/481"&gt;Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club scrapbooks, (RHC-54)&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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                  <text>Grand Rapids (Mich.)</text>
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                  <text>Racing shells</text>
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                  <text>Grand Valley State University Libraries</text>
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                  <text>RHC-54</text>
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            <name>Identifier</name>
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                <text>RHC-54_Photographs-GRRC06</text>
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            <name>Creator</name>
            <description>An entity primarily responsible for making the resource</description>
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                <text>Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club</text>
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            <name>Date</name>
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                <text>no date</text>
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            <name>Title</name>
            <description>A name given to the resource</description>
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                <text>Cadillac Boat Club Junior Eight</text>
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            </elementTextContainer>
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          <element elementId="41">
            <name>Description</name>
            <description>An account of the resource</description>
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                <text>8-man crewboat with cox in the water before a dock with 3 spectator boats and a few spectators in the background. Herbert Heinrich at the bow, John Spaulding on 2nd, J. Walters on 3rd, E. Heinz on 4th, W. Garsztecki on 5th, John Jans (Captain) on 6th, E. Heinrich on 7th, James Stewart on stroke, and C. Randall as Cox.</text>
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          <element elementId="49">
            <name>Subject</name>
            <description>The topic of the resource</description>
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                <text>Grand Rapids (Mich.)</text>
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                <text>Boats and boating</text>
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                <text>Racing shells</text>
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          <element elementId="48">
            <name>Source</name>
            <description>A related resource from which the described resource is derived</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="884557">
                <text>&lt;a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/481"&gt;Grand Rapids Boat and Canoe Club scrapbooks (RHC-54)&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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          <element elementId="47">
            <name>Rights</name>
            <description>Information about rights held in and over the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
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                <text>&lt;a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/"&gt;No Known Copyright&lt;/a&gt;</text>
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            <description>The nature or genre of the resource</description>
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                <text>Image</text>
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            <name>Format</name>
            <description>The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource</description>
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                <text>image/jpeg</text>
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            <name>Language</name>
            <description>A language of the resource</description>
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                <text>eng</text>
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            <name>Publisher</name>
            <description>An entity responsible for making the resource available</description>
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                <text>Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives</text>
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