448 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6e3671ddf0ea0210c64590964b85e320.mp4 090504505ac28afef8a20247253df0e5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/896c2fa6ba71fd93a429b9e2f2fc760e.pdf 6be1479a76387a3e8850d98993ec8baf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Maurice Lehmann World War II 1 hour 12 minutes 57 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on March 23, 1924 in Englewood Hospital on the south side of Chicago -Lived on the south side of Chicago -Moved to Villa Park, Illinois in 1929 -Father worked for Lorenz Publishing -Publishing sheet music for churches and schools -Had steady work during the Great Depression, but had his hours cut -Worked a side job selling AAA Insurance door to door -After the war Lorenz sent him a check for the money lost in the depression -Father worked for Lorenz for forty five years -Graduated from Wheaton Academy in 1942 -Attended Wheaton College after high school -Stayed there until March 1943 when he got drafted into the Army (00:02:27) Start of the War -Didn't pay much attention to the fighting happening in Europe and Asia in the late 1930s -On the afternoon of December 7, 1941 he listened to the radio with some of his friends -Heard the news from Washington D.C. and heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Shocked to hear about the attack -Didn't realize the gravity of the attack until later -Rationing went into effect -Gas was rationed which made travel difficult -Food was rationed -Mostly coffee, sugar, and meats -Tried to enlist in the Navy Air Corps because his brother was in the Navy Air Corps -Couldn't get in, so he decided to wait to get drafted and go to college in the interim (00:05:27) Training (Basic Training, ASTP, and Infantry Training) -Reported for duty on March 20, 1943 -Reported to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for processing -Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky -Didn't know it was an armor base -Received basic training and tank training at Fort Knox -Did a lot of marching -First time in a tank learned that it wasn't for him -Saw a notice asking for volunteers for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) -He applied for it and got accepted -Sent to Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio for ASTP �-Thought it was a good school -Spent nine months there -Studied with 400 other GIs -Went to classes from 7 AM to 8 PM -Got two years of college credit in nine months -At the end of ASTP the men were supposed to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS) -Their commencement speech was to be given by Senator Robert Taft -Told they weren't going to OCS -A lot of the men were audibly upset about the change -Sent to Camp Swift, Texas -D-Day was coming and the Army needed more infantrymen for the new front -During ASTP they went to classes for the entire day then studied at night -Very comprehensive education -Good professors from all over Ohio teaching them -Spent three to four weeks at Ohio State University before going to Muskingum College -GIs were kept separate from the female students at Muksingum and Ohio State -Got to get the speech from Senator Taft -Sent to Camp Swift in early 1944 -Received infantry training there -Learned how to shoot rifles and march -In very good physical condition -Did physical training during ASTP -Muskingum College was famous for John Glenn studying there after the war -Went by train from Ohio to Texas -Traveled in coach cars -At Camp Swift some men were placed in artillery or medical -Most of the men from ASTP wound up in the infantry -He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division -His company commander was Jimmy Corner, a Hollywood actor -Trained at Camp Swift for three months -Learned how to crawl under barbed wire and dig foxholes and trenches at Camp Swift -Assigned to be a rifleman and the first scout for A Company -His duty was to go 400 yards ahead of the unit and signal if there were Germans -Didn't ask for it, just got assigned it -Many of the men from ASTP were disappointed they weren't going to become officers -He just accepted it and understood the Army needed more infantrymen -Completed training at Camp Swift in June, or July, 1944 (00:19:20) Deployment to the European Theatre -Received orders to go to the European Theatre -Went by train to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and the division assembled there -Spent two or three weeks there -Received more vaccinations -Went to New York Harbor at night -Boarded the the troop transport at night -2000-3000 men aboard the ship �-Sailed over on a repurposed Swedish ship -Part of a convoy of more than 50 ships -Doesn't remember seeing one other ship the whole way across -Ships launched from all over the East Coast and assembled in the Atlantic Ocean -Heard depth charges dropped to scare off U-Boats -Zig-zagged across the Atlantic Ocean to help avoid U-Boats -Took nine days to cross the Atlantic Ocean -Pulled into Cherbourg, France in the middle of the night on September 23, 1944 -Voyage over was calm (00:22:05) Arrival in the European Theatre -Boarded a large, flat top barge and sailed to the docks in Cherbourg -Walked through the outskirts of Cherbourg -Got to a spot and was allowed to stop and sleep -Got to a town named Valognes and trained there (00:24:09) Battle of the Bulge -Moved through Belgium and Holland to the northern German border -South of Arnhem and near the Roer River -On the western edge of the "bulge" (the German offensive) -Immediately after the Germans attacked they were shuffled into General Montgomery's 9th Army -As a scout he had to go out at night and see where the Germans were and report their position -The American artillery fired all day and all night into the bulge -The 102nd entered combat in early November 1944 relieving the 84th Infantry Division -Battle of the Bulge began mid-December 1944 -First night on the line a German plane flew over and dropped flares -Trying to see where the American troops were positioned -Learned quickly to keep their heads down because the Germans randomly shot at their lines -Within a few days began scouting -First time out he found a whole unit of German tanks -Snuck back to his position and reported his find -Learned that if you took fire you dug in immediately -On one occasion a piece of shrapnel stuck his helmet only an inch above the rim -It was cold and the ground was frozen -Still had to dig in anyway -Some of his closest friends were killed right next to him -Out of his platoon only he and his lieutenant survived or avoided getting wounded -Advanced when they could -Remembers one lieutenant lost his mind and charged the German lines with a shovel -Killed almost immediately after getting out of his foxhole -Advanced, dug in, and defended their new position from German counter-attacks -On one occasion got so close to the Germans they could hear the Germans talking -Encountered German tanks -Had to rely on artillery because small arms were worthless -American tanks were sometimes able to back them up �-Remembers encountering one burning tank -Heard the men inside screaming as the ammunition exploded -Regularly in action from November 1944 to May 1945 -On December 23, 1944 heard American bombers fly over to bomb German positions -Swarms of bombers -Couldn't believe the sight -Germans bolted and retreated at the sight of the Germans -Got promoted to the rank of sergeant because so many other sergeants were killed -Saw an American plane get shot down on Christmas Day 1944 -Saw no parachutes and realized the men on board had been killed -Saw some German aircraft -Once in a while saw dogfights happen -Only got strafed once by a German plane when they were on a road (00:40:51) Advancing into Germany -Stayed in the countryside on the march into Germany -Most German towns were abandoned -Saw the bombing of Cologne -Didn't see any German civilians -Walked across the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge in April 1945 -Off in the distance saw the Germans launch a V2 Rocket -Remembers it was unlike anything he had ever seen -Fought their way up to the Elbe River -Found an abandoned town and got to sleep in houses (00:44:40) End of the War in Europe -At the end of the war there was a wounded American soldier in Berlin -He volunteered to get the American -Rode up to Berlin on a Soviet truck -Found the American being cared for in a Soviet field hospital -Brought him back to the American line -Got to meet some Soviet troops -Took pictures with them -Wasn't able to converse with them though -Soviets stayed on their side of the Elbe River -In Tangermunde, Germany at the end of the war -Quartered in an abandoned candy factory -Waiting to receive word that the war was over -Encountered German prisoners crossing into Allied-occupied Germany -Wanted to surrender to Americans -Came over by the hundreds -Happy to drop their guns and be done with the war -Many of them were young men, like himself -Didn't see any displaced persons at the end of the war -Discovered a war crime in Gardelegen on April 15, 1945 -Place where 1200 people were herded into a barn and burned by the Germans -Will never forget his company commander's reaction after going into the barn -He saw a pile of ashes and bones eight feet high �-Had no idea how extensive the Holocaust really was -Heard more about the concentration camps after the war (00:53:20) Post-War Duty and End of the War in the Pacific -With the war in Europe over they received orders to train for the invasion of Japan -Trained in Tangermunde -Marched more and received more weapons training -Sent to Camp Chesterfield, France -The atomic bombs were dropped and orders for the Pacific Theatre got cancelled -Had to wait to have enough points -Needed 85 points to be sent home -Points awarded based on combat, length of service, rank, and dependents -Played sports and occupied their time -Got to go to Shrivenham American University in England for three months -Went there in the fall and winter of 1945 -Enjoyed his time in England -Got to visit Westminster Abbey -Returned to Camp Chesterfield (00:58:04) Coming Home & End of Service -Went to Le Havre, France and boarded a ship -Took eight or nine days to get back to the U.S. -Rough voyage -Got seasick -It was great to see the New York Harbor -Sailed back to the U.S. in February or March 1946 -Sent to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in March 1946 and got discharged there -Went right from New York to Camp McCoy (01:00:24) Life after the War -Went home and wanted to rest a while -Went to Maranatha, Michigan and worked there for the summer of 1946 -Helped his father in the fall and winter working for Lorenz Publishing -Went back to Maranatha in the summer of 1947 to work -Went to Grand Rapids School of the Bible with his future-wife in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Got married and got a job with Lorenz Publishing -Went to Memphis, Tennessee in 1949 and set up a Lorenz Publishing branch -Sold sheet music to schools and churches -Did that for ten years -Moved back to Grand Rapids and worked for Zondervan Publishing -Did that for 25 years -Remembers the rise of Elvis Presley in Memphis -Saw him drive by in a car -Had two children born in Memphis -Remembers the early beginnings of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (01:05:30) Reflections on Service -Had a profound impact on his religious beliefs -Army made him disciplined, thrifty, and patient �(01:07:47) Living Conditions -In combat they had K Rations -Meager clothing and supplies when they were on the frontline -Had to get resupplied at night -On one occasion they were dug in for a few days in a turnip field -Had to eat raw turnips while they were dug in -Field kitchens were in the rear -Didn't have a hot meal for a long time -Enjoyed the K Rations, because he had to -K Rations were made up of Spam, cheese, chocolate, and crackers -Wanted to make the chocolate last for as long as possible -Chocolate was also an energy bar � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_LehmannM1872V Title A name given to the resource Lehmann, Maurice (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-25 Description An account of the resource Maurice Lehmann was born on March 23, 1924 in Chicago. In March 1943 he was drafted and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois then went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. He was accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program and went to Ohio State University and Muskingum College for ASTP. After graduating from ASTP he was reassigned to the infantry and received infantry training at Camp Swift, Texas. He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division to serve as a rifleman and a scout. In September 1944 he sailed out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and arrived in Cherbourg, France on September 23, 1944. After further training in France they entered combat in early November 1944. He saw fighting during the Battle of the Bulge then advanced into Germany. He crossed the Rhine River in April 1945 and fought with the 102nd Infantry Division up to the Elbe River and made contact with Soviet troops. At the end of the war he was present for the discovery of the atrocity at Gardelegen. After the war he trained for the invasion of Japan in Tangermunde, then with Japan's surrender he was stationed at Camp Chesterfield, France and studied at Shrivenham American University in England. In March 1946 he returned to the U.S. and was discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lehmann, Maurice Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c70fa7c654e5541a02501493e83e90c0.mp4 da348d1792c8cf24364a4a8d11a1c639 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5d44256ead1c04c77a83f1c61729eec8.pdf cee2cde81ea931297648616b70541c22 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW BOB LEIBECKE Born: Cincinnati, Ohio Resides: Dayton, Ohio Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, October 6, 2012 Interviewer: Bob, can you start off with some background on yourself? To begin with, where and when were you born? I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, my father was a WWII vet, and we lived there briefly when I was very young. He was recalled to active duty for the Korean War and from that point forward he went back in and stayed back in after having served in WWII, so although I was born in Cincinnati, I never really spent any time there, so it’s a series of military posts and overseas assignments for my father. Interviewer: Where did you wind up during high school? All over the place--in Paris, France, and Prince George County, Virginia, are the two places I went to high school. Interviewer: When you were in Paris were you in an American school? Yes, it was run for the Department of Defense. 1:01 Interviewer: What year did you graduate from high school then? 1965 Interviewer: Upon graduation what did you do? Well, I had applied to the Citadel and VMI, and VMI was my first choice. I was accepted there, so I entered VMI in 1965 and graduated in May of 1969 with a degree in history. 1 �Interviewer: Now, talk a little bit about what kind of military training you were getting at VMI, or how does that work into your curriculum? Well, in those days VMI was considered a branch materiel school, so it was Army ROTC, although you had a choice of Air Force and Marine Corps in those days. My chosen branch was armor, I thought I was going to be assigned to armor, and we trained in armor. When I say branch materiel we actually trained in that particular branch, so we had tanks and stuff like that. 2:06 Commissioning in those days was mandatory, so I believe ninety-five percent of my class was commissioned. Today that’s not true, but we got commissioned and I believe about seventy percent of my class ended up in Vietnam at some point. The military life—it’s a military college, but the actual U.S. Army part of it was pretty much integrated into barracks life, the ROTC instructors, which were regular Army and Air Force, were part of the tactical staff within the barracks, so in—one of my historian roommates reflected in those days, it operated very much like a service academy because everything was fused together. Not so much the case today, because people don’t have to serve in the military after that. Interviewer: So, did you have kind of that tightly regulated daily schedule in the manner that you have in a service academy, like when you get up? 3:05 Certainly, no difference, no difference, I mean, uniforms, regulation, can’t wear civilian clothes, I mean it was really like being in the army. Interviewer: What sort of backgrounds did the students being with them and what portion were army brats? 2 �There was a pretty good number of them, and I would say maybe half of the people there were from Virginia, but half were from other states, and you find a pretty good portion of people who were acquainted, one way or the other, with the military. Interviewer: Was it relatively easy for you to adjust to that militarized life because that was the world you lived in? No, no, VMI is a very tough, harsh environment as would be any service academy or the Citadel. You can’t say because my father was in the military it was going to make it any easier for me. 4:01 It’s a—I don’t know how to describe the experience, either you get it or you don’t, and there’s nothing that really prepares you for that. Interviewer: There’s no mom at VMI. No Interviewer: Now, this is probably kind of an interesting time to be in, what is essentially a service academy, 1965 to 1969. Vietnam ramps up significantly, you get the Tet Offensive; you get the anti-war movement going on in the country, and all this sort of stuff. What level of awareness did you have of what was going with Vietnam or responses to Vietnam in those years? Oh, there’s a high awareness of Vietnam, but not such a high awareness of what went on in the rest of the country, because VMI is its own community. We’re within our own post compound. Interviewer: And it was not going to be a home for anti-war protests or things like that. No, not at all 3 �Interviewer: Not that group—so, did you have people who would come in, VMI people who served in Vietnam and were telling stories about what it was like? 5:07 Oh, absolutely, the tactical staff there, they had all been in Vietnam. Alumni would come back and talk to us and say, “Man, I was with the 82nd”, and whatever. We got some stories, you know, and then through ROTC, it was being taught how to survive and it was integrated into military science as the topic. Interviewer: As you’re going through, are you pretty much expecting to wind up in Vietnam? Oh, absolutely, in fact, I made sure it happened. Interviewer: You were determined? You actually wanted to go? Yeah, because at the very end, before you graduate, you sign what’s called the “dream sheet” of your assignments, and it was so simple, I just wrote down RVN, that’s all I had to do, I didn’t even have to spell it out. Interviewer: What motivated you and why did you want to do there? 6:04 I don’t know a sense of adventure perhaps, I don’t know. Interviewer: I guess if there was a job to be done for the army it was primarily there. Yeah Interviewer: So, you graduate in 1969, what happens then? A week—in May, I forget the exact date in May, mid-May I’m going to say, a week later I’m at Fort Benning signing in to the Officer Infantry Basic Course, and while I’m there they say, “Do you want to sign-up for Airborne school and Ranger school?” “Oh yeah, sure”, so I spent the first half, most of the summer in Infantry Officer Basic and there 4 �upon I signed up for Airborne school, and then when it came up for my Ranger class assignment, that wasn’t going to be until February, the following February. Now this is August that I’m finishing up Airborne school, so I end up going to Fort Ord, California. 7:06 I thought I was going to an infantry battalion at Fort Ord. I got out there and they just do whatever they want to even though I was an Infantry Officer. They said, “Oh, eventually you’re going to be in the transportation corps, go over to this truck company”, out in the middle of nowhere, which is at camp—where was it? Oh, Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, which is in the middle of nowhere. I ended up spending a couple of months in a truck company. You’re supposed to be doing platoon work, you’re supposed to be working with troops getting ready to go overseas, so that was there idea, so it was working with troops, but it wasn’t infantry. Interviewer: To back up a little bit, what sort of a curriculum did they have for your officer school in the first place, the first school you go to? It’s all basic infantry tactics, defense, familiarization with a number of different weapons, a lot of map reading, basic soldiering skills. 8:09 Now, we already had that because we were from ROTC, but they’re just taking it a step further. Interviewer: Are you being now trained by people who have been to Vietnam and come back? Yeah, I would say just about—yeah, really Interviewer: Were you learning things that you hadn’t learned at a previous level, things that might be useful later? Yes and no, some of it was repetitive Interviewer: Then with jump school how did they run that? 5 �It lasted three weeks, physical conditioning, jumping out of a thirty-four foot tower, eventually you get these big, high towers where they pull you up, 250 feet up—I think they call it a 250 foot tower, and then release the parachute, and eventually you load up on an airplane and you go and jump. Interviewer: At this point, were they doing anything with helicopters, or just airplanes? It was just airplanes. 9:06 Interviewer: So, you’ve done that infantry training, you go to the truck unit, now was that just a temporary layover? Yeah, I think the wisdom of the army, in those days, they wanted you to serve in a troop unit before going to Vietnam, and you’re supposed to do that. A buddy of mine, now in Dayton, that owns a place, he was a little ahead of me, and they sent him to the 82nd Airborne. I said, “Hey man that’s great, you actually go to go with an airborne unit before you went”, because we were both in the 101st, and he said, “Man, they put me on courts and borts”, they gave him a staff job before he was supposed to go and lead troops, you know, so, you just don’t know what the army’s going to do. Interviewer: You knew at this point that you were going to the 101st? No, you don’t find that out until you get in country. Interviewer: Now, is there a point where—you said there was a wish list where you would go, and are you also able to sort of pick what unit you get assigned to or any other options? 10:01 Do you mean as far as getting in the 101st? Interviewer: Yeah 6 �No, in fact there’s a picture of a guy in the Ripcord book, his name is Smith, he was not in my battalion, but he and I came into country together. We were down at Bien Hoa waiting for out orders and we just lounged around there for a couple of days. There was this big bulletin board and they would put the orders up, and Smith came running in the door and said, “You guys saddle up, I think we’re going to the 101s”, and I think there was kind of a groan. These were officers that were billeted together, and yeah, Smith's in—his pictures in the book there. Interviewer: So, why was there a groan for the 101st? What did the groan represent? Because of Hamburger Hill, and there were—I guess we’d been reading the press reports and stuff and the 101st was kind of where the action was. Bear in mind, the Cav [1st Cavalry Division]—we came in the first of May, the Cav was in Cambodia on that incursion, so there was a whole lot of stuff going there, but I think we were seeing that the casualties were coming out of the 101st. 11:05 Maybe there was a lot of shock and awe going on in Cambodia, but we knew there was some nasty stuff going on with the 101st, which turned out to be true. Interviewer: You are kind of learning bit by bit more about what is going on in Vietnam? Back up a little bit again. How long did you spend with the truck unit? I was there through the end of 1969 and then I packed up and headed back up to Fort Benning to go to Ranger school. I was in Ranger school, I think, from around the first of February through the end of April. I graduated from Ranger school, went back to Virginia, packed, unpacked, drove down to Charleston Air Force Base, got on a plane and went down to Panama for two weeks to jungle school, came back, packed, unpacked, and 7 �then went to Washington, caught a flight to the west coast to head on out to Vietnam. 12:05 Interviewer: How does Ranger school compare to the other schools you had been to? Ranger school is bad, I mean it’s awful, there’s no sleep, it’s just one constant—there’s a certain amount of schooling, but it becomes one continuous patrol where you just never stop, you know. You don’t get any sleep—there’s three phases, there’s three week at Fort Benning, three weeks in the mountains in Georgia, and then three weeks in the swamp in Florida, and Florida was probably the worst. You just—you’re in swamps all the time. You’re supposed to do three jumps down there, but I only got to do two because out mountain jump was cancelled because of high winds. Interviewer: Was Florida ultimately good preparation for Vietnam or was it not for your part of Vietnam? Well, Florida’s not a jungle and it was still pretty chilly, we were winter Rangers, so it was pretty cool down there. 13:04 Interviewer: What proportions of the people that start Ranger school finish it? You know, I don’t know. I saw a recent movie and they showed all these people getting washed out. I mean, I’m not sure—a lot, and they get a lot of people right in the beginning where you have to be able to swim. Water, I mean you walk off the diving board with a full pack of gear into a swimming pool blind folded and that panics people. You know, like walking the plank on a pirate ship, full gear and all that. But at VMI I had been drown proofed. In those days you could not graduate from VMI unless you passed RAT swimming, and that was just one of the most brutal swimming classes, I 8 �mean, they made sure. So, in Ranger school I just walked off, plopped into the water and swam to the side. It was like being back at VMI. 14:05 Interviewer: When you do that, do you keep your pack and your gear when you’re swimming? Yeah, because the idea is you would sink to the bottom. I didn’t sink; I went down a little ways, popped up and started swimming sideways. I knew I’d hit the side of the pool sometime. So, VMI was great for getting me ready for swimming—you didn’t graduate, there were first classmen at VMI still struggling to try to get through RAT swimming, and that’s the first year you’re there. Interviewer: Now, how physically do they get you out to Vietnam? You ship out to California; do you fly out of there? I fattened up in California--that was a cushy job, so I started running. I thought, “Man you better start getting in shape for Ranger school”. I was porked up a little bit. I remember looking at myself when we got back from the mountains. You know, you only get one ration a day in Ranger school, except in the winter, in the mountains, they let you have two because you’re burning up all this energy. 15:04 I looked and my stomach was gone. Whatever fat I gained in California was gone. Interviewer: From Ranger school, do you get any leave time before they ship you off to Vietnam or do you go straight out? In this particular—some people maybe, but in my case no, everything just hit—into Ranger school, two weeks in Panama, off to Vietnam, just bang, bang, bang. Interviewer: What was the Panama experience like? 9 �Kind of worthless, I mean I had a really bad attitude in Panama, I just came out of Ranger school and I don’t know if I had even asked for this school or not. The only good thing about it, it took two weeks off of your tour in Vietnam, they dropped it. When you started your two weeks in Panama it was like starting in Vietnam, so. Interviewer: You were overseas at that point. Yeah, I just came back to the states, basically, to just change planes, that’s what it amounted to. Panama, it was just more of the same thing only in the jungle, and I thought, “Oh god, how many more map reading courses am I going to go on?” 16:06 Interviewer: Did the jungle there bear any resemblance to what you were in in Vietnam? Yeah, pretty much with the usual nasty animals out there, yeah, jungle’s jungle. Interviewer: So, at some level it might have had some value? Yeah, probably acclimatization, and getting use to hot weather, yeah, that part of it would have been. Interviewer: But because you had Ranger school, and the rest of you, would they do things like dump you in the middle of the jungle and say, “Get out, find your way out”? No, it was a lot of classroom and the final thing was some kind of map reading course at night. I just–it was one more map course. Interviewer: And you had done that already. You go back to the states; they put you on plane and send you to Vietnam? Yes, Interviewer: Did you fly a commercial plane or a military one? 10 �It was commercial—I mean it was a charter flight. 17:01 Interviewer: What was the mood on the plane like going over? I don’t remember. I got a roommate that was a FAC and he wrote a book. He made a whole book out of just flying to Vietnam. I mean, how he remembers everything is beyond me because the whole mood of the airplane—I just remember being on it and that’s it. Interviewer: Where did you land in Vietnam? I think it was at Bien Hoa. Interviewer: And what was your impression of Vietnam when you got there? Interesting because I mentioned the Cav being on the Cambodian Incursion and the Cav’s headquarters was right on the—the air force was on one side of the runway and the Cav’s on the other side of it. We literally got off the airplane, and there’s guys right out of the Boonies with either Cambodian or North Vietnamese, and they got them there with handcuffs behind them, and stuff like that. These guys are right out of the jungle and that’s quite an experience to see this just stepping right off the airplane. 18:06 That’s because the Cavs were right there and they flew out of Bien Hoa. Interviewer: What do they do with you when you land? Do they just park you someplace? There again, bad memory. You’re stuck; it’s in processing just like any military in processing. You’re in a barracks, there you wait until the orders are posted, and like I mentioned this Tory Smith, who’s picture’s in the book there, you know, he was on my flight in and in the barracks there a couple of days and he said, “Hey, we got orders, 11 �we’re going to the 101st”, so that’s—the next thing you know you’re packing you stuff, getting on a C130 and heading for Phu Bai. Interviewer: Physically, where in Vietnam is this Phu Bai if someone is looking at a map? Is it way north? Have you seen a map? Interviewer: I have, but we’re doing this, in part, for a broader audience. Ok. Phu Bai, I think it’s in the province—the northern most province in South Vietnam is Quang Tri Province. 19:03 Then the second most northern province is, it will come to me----Phu Bai is right next to Hue, So picture Hue, the old imperial city—it will come to me, that province, when I see a map and I have maps. Interviewer: That’s ok, that can be looked up. Outside of Hue is good enough. It’s outside of Hue, and that is the main landing field for the 101st. They had a runway that would take C130’s and that’s where everybody in process. Interviewer: You in process there and then what do they do with you? They send you off and I went to Camp Evans to the Screaming Eagle Replacement Training Center, also known as "serts", have you heard that one? A week in "serts" was just a little vacation to get use to the jungle and all that. There was—this is where my memory lets me down, I think I ended up with some people that were in my Ranger class. 20:07 They were showing us rappelling and we were almost laughing at the rappelling because we were doing other types, you know, Australian front forward rappelling, which was advanced techniques, but you know, it was just more of the same stuff. They tried to give us a little bit of the sense of history of the 101st and they did a miserable job of that because today I know so much more about the 101st. Had I realized the historic value of 12 �the unit I went to and I just took it for granted, I had no idea who these guys were and you know, we’re famous today, 506 Infantry, but you know they just didn’t do a very— we were at Bastogne and all that, well I knew that, big whoop. Interviewer: Now, that class did it have enlisted as well as officers together? Yeah, it was everybody thrown together. 21:00 Interviewer: So, you have some guys with no exposure to this kind of training and other people who have. Yeah, I’m just saying the people I was with, especially us guys—I’m almost sure there were guys from my Ranger class and we were all there together. For the life of me I can’t remember—if I could find Smith and say, “Were you in my Ranger class?” I’m not real sure, but I know he was there when we in processed. He ended up going to 1/506 and I went to 2/506. Interviewer: So, what was the specific assignment then that you got, what unit did you go to? The platoon leader, 1st platoon, in C Company of 2/506 Interviewer: When did you actually join them? Well, now this gets hazy, I’ve gotten the dates screwed up, but as near as I can tell it must have been about mid-May of 1970, because I had a week—there was four or five days of SERTS and I remember ending Ranger school sometime in April and then you got jungle school and everything just runs together and I got the dates mixed up sometimes, but I would say about mid-May. 22:02 Interviewer: Was the platoon in the field when you joined it? 13 �Yeah, they took—they put me in a Loach, took me out to the middle of nowhere and said, “That’s where you’re going pal”, and there was this little bald knob and it was a LZ blown on top of a mountain and they were—that was to insert me and have me take over the platoon, and I join the company in the field. Interviewer: Now, were you replacing someone who was rotating out or someone who had been hit? I was told I was replacing Bob Wallace. I never knew this until I came to the Ripcord reunion last year and I met Bob and we were joking. He had apparently left before I got there, so there was a gap of time, but it was all under Captain Vazquez. Interviewer: So, you’re joining the company in the field, and what kind of a reception do you get? You land there and get off the helicopter and now what? I don’t remember, I mean I got put to work right away. I had a platoon sergeant and I can't remember if the whole company was together at the time, but it wasn’t long before I met Vazquez. 23:08 He put my platoon on point to go—we had two platoons together and company CP and maybe a third, I can’t remember. Interviewer: He liked to keep them separate, he said. Huh? Interviewer: He said he liked to keep the platoons separate. Did you talk to Vazquez? Interviewer: Yes We operated a lot separately, but I’m the new guy, so Vazquez is there and he said, “I want you take point”, and point, that means the platoon leaders running the map and the compass, and he said, “This is where we’re going to go”, okay. As time turned out 14 �Vazquez was a fast mover, he liked to move really fast. Now I don’t know whether I move fast or slow, but you know, we were heading for the point and he said, “Ok, we’ve been moving for the better part of the day, I’m going to have the other platoon come up and take over, but they’re experienced and they know what they’re doing, and all that” and within an hour we were right at the point that I had picked out. 24:05 We could see this hilltop and once you start heading for there you can’t see anything but jungle, and we ended up right where we were supposed to be and all that. I thought, “Ok, good”, I mean—so, Vazquez came over, I’m not sure if he remembers this, but everyone says that he has a phenomenal memory, and he said, “You did good, that was okay”, and coming from Vazquez, I thought, “Ok”, even though he may have thought I was moving too slowly, or maybe wasn’t sure that I was on the right track, but we did get to where he wanted us to be, so I thought, “Ok, fine”. I truly regret—I only had two weeks with Vazquez before we had to “stand down” , and I could have learned so much from that man, you know, but I’m thankful for the two weeks I had before he was replaced. Interviewer: Now, when he had you moving were you going on trails or off? Yeah—well, I can’t say, we were on trails a lot and I’ve read the literature and thought about it, it’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t. 25:08 If you stay on a trail you can get from point A to point B pretty quick, but if you do that you run the risk of ambushes. If you cut across country, which we did, then it’s going to take longer, or you might run into some stuff and it’s machete time you know, if the area had been defoliated and things have grown up then you can’t move with any speed at all. Vasquez liked to move fast you know. 15 �Interviewer: How quickly did you get into contact with the enemy then, once you were out there? I didn’t really see anything until there was a stand down. Well this again—my memory is terrible because—have you interviewed Jim Campbell the other platoon leader? Interviewer: No, I would like to, but I haven’t seen him yet. Oh, you need to--I mean he was the old hand. I looked up to that guy. He had been in country forever and I had first platoon and he had second platoon and we did operate some together. 26:06 We had operated together and had split up to go our separate ways, because as you pointed out, the norm was to operate in platoon strength, which is really pretty cool. I mean, that being with the CP is kind of drab, you know. We walked into a mechanical ambush and I came to Ripcord last year and I talked to a guy and he said, “Yeah, I was in your platoon”, and I couldn’t remember him. He said, “Remember we walked into a mechanical ambush”, and I said, “I can’t remember”. You would think I could remember, but I couldn’t. I talked to Campbell later and he said, “Yeah, you guys walked into that mechanical ambush because we had to come back up the trail and get medivac”, and it’s gone from my memory, just gone. Interviewer: Can you explain what a mechanical ambush is? That would be probably a captured claymore [mine] or something set up as a booby trap, so you it trips up. 27:05 I mean in today’s world it would probably be an IED or something like that because that’s a vehicle borne ambush, but it’s an ambush without people there. Interviewer: What would differentiate from just calling it a booby trap? Is it size? 16 �I don’t know, I don’t know, the term mechanical ambush—I mean I hadn’t heard that term in years. I would have called it a booby trap. I mean, we even tried our own traps sometimes. As far as enemy contact, it was really next to nothing. I think we found a trail watcher one time and fired him up, but no major stuff. Between it and the stand down—did anybody talk about the stand down that happened in early June of 1970? It really, I’d only been in the field for two weeks, but that was important in the sense that I knew nobody else in 2/506. All the officers were back together and there were three or four days there where you actually got to see people from other companies and know who the other CO’s were. 28:08 There’s the famous officers photo of all of us lined up in front of the control tower and you know, that type of thing. I didn’t even know that picture existed until last year when I came. Interviewer: So, did you meet with the battalion commander at that point? I saw a lot of—Spade was there a lot of the time, I mean they would send in his helicopter and yeah, I saw a lot of him. Sometimes I think I saw more of him than I did my CO, eventually after Vazquez was replaced by Hewitt. Interviewer: You had the stand down, so does Vazquez leave at that point? No, he became S4 of the battalion, and Hewitt took over. Interviewer: That’s right, and how did Hewett’s command style compare to Vazquez’s? Oh, completely different, Vazquez was an old Special Forces guy and I mean, whoever wrote the book on him, they broke mold on Vazquez. 29:06 There was just no better company commander. I mean, this guy’s sly, cunning, he knew how to deal with things. Hewitt , he was—he looked like a kid. He was what? Twenty –four years old, ROTC 17 �grad from the University of Kansas, and he extended his tour a year. He had been down south, I don’t know, down by Saigon maybe, and the word was that he had been with the “Ruff Puffs”, which is regional forces/popular forces, and life wasn’t so bad down there. It was Vietcong contact, a totally war, he might as well be fighting in some other country, and he just didn’t have the experience. He slept in a hammock and that was crazy, you know, but he was a decent guy. Interviewer: So, then does he—he comes in while you’re on that stand down is that when he comes in and joins you? 30:00 Yes, he took over Interviewer: What happens after that? Well, eventually after the stand down we head back out to the field and start working. During the whole month of June we worked that area around Ripcord. Not much in the way of contact, just an occasional trail watch or something, but nothing really bad. I mean, there’s—I got some pictures—we fired up a trail watcher and somebody was telling me, “Remember that time we got that pay officer? And the guy must have been a pay guy because we got souvenirs—I got a piece of North Vietnamese money out of it, propaganda leaflets saying “GI Go Home”, and some pictures of everybody gathered around this dead body, but that was right, things were warming up, things were getting ready to hit because that was the end of June, 1970. Interviewer: Now, you’re in the area, were you the first unit sent into Ripcord or you’re at a place where your company gets hit pretty hard? 31:06 You’re talking about hill 902? Interviewer: Where does that fit into the sequence? 18 �July 2nd, 1970 Interviewer: Tell us what was going on at that point. Still working the AO—did anybody talk to you about an incident with Charlie Company right at the end of June? We were working a ridgeline and came to a stop. We looked over to an adjacent ridgeline and there was a gap in there where there was no foliation. We could see a North Vietnamese unit along that ridgeline. Too far for us to shoot at and we counted maybe over a hundred and fifty people. I think that was sobering because I think we realized there were more of them than there were of us. Companies were operating at a very depleted strength. Platoon strength was—I was supposed to have fifty men in a platoon and I had twenty-five. Interviewer: How strong was the company at that point, as far as you can tell? 32:01 Well, we had been good under Vazquez, I don’t know if we had slacked up any under Hewitt, I mean I was pretty new at this, so I knew Vazquez was good, but I couldn’t say that Hewitt was bad, you know. Interviewer: How about numbers? How large was the company at that point? Well, there’s three platoons and let’s say that each platoon is reduced in strength to twenty-five men, so you get seventy-five men in a platoon, if that and maybe five guys in a company CP. CO, FO, from the 2nd of the 319 [2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery, which had a battery on Ripcord], a couple of RTO’s because he had to secure set, so you got five people—and a medic, so you got five people in the CP. 19 �Interviewer: So, about eighty or so? So you’re out there and you’ve seen all these guys out there, North Vietnamese and realize there are a lot of them out there. 33:03 Yes, I mean everything’s after the fact, we’re up against something up a regiment, but we didn’t know that at the time. Interviewer: You didn’t know that at the time. Now, is it on the same patrol then that you get draw second or go back? It was all one continuous thing in and out of Ripcord because the company would either put a company, or part of a company on Ripcord for security, so we had been on Ripcord before Ripcord got bad. We were ordered on July 1st; we went up on hill 902 and spent the night there. It was a well-used place; there were foxholes there and all that. Apparently was quite a little hotel between us and the North Vietnamese, and I did not know that at the time, you know. It was just another denuded hill and you could see Ripcord in the background, so we were a couple of clicks away from Ripcord. We’re there on night, nothing special, and somebody ordered us to stay there a second night, and I’ve had discussions with Frank Bort, who rode over with me. 34:10 Under Vazquez we never stayed in the same place two nights in a row. In either under Vazquez or Hewitt, this time I’ve got pushing, maybe, two months in the field, ok, this is May, June, I’ve never stayed the same place two nights in a row and was told to stay here. Interviewer: In those previous two months you’re working, had you ever been probed to a task by enemy sappers or ground troops? No, the company had, but me personally, no. Just trail watchers, just little tiny stuff, you know. 20 �Interviewer: But, it was the kind of thing where you could set up your perimeter at night and they were not attacking you? Yeah, right Interviewer: So, what is going to happen then is going to be new? For me, maybe not for the old hands, but for me it was new. 35:03 Interviewer: So, basically you’re there a second night. What had happened it turns out is that’s when the big attack started on Ripcord, right there. Apparently there was something magical in July 1st I’m guessing. Ben Harrison can tell you better from the North Vietnamese. July 1st must have been the start of all the action because that’s when Ripcord—so, we’re on 902, down low we could hear mortar tubes going off and we know that they’re mortaring ripcord. So, somebody, it’s always they, you know S3, somebody on battalion staff. Okay, we’re ordered to stay there for the second night. Somebody gets this great idea that they’re going to drop in a pallet. They slung low a pallet of LAW’s in, which is a light anti- tank weapon. It’s a direct fire weapon and they say, “Ok, if you can hear the sound shoot at the sound with the LAWs”, so we’re sitting up there shooting at wherever we think the sound is. 36:07 And, of course that irritated them because then we started receiving incoming mortar rounds that are cs gas. I’ve got pictures here of 902. A picture of me on 902 and some of the guys on 902 and you can see the gas going off and you can see Ripcord in the back, so they know we’re there. What we did is we dug in—there were positions already there and so, we dug in the positions that were already there and strung up some wire that had tin cans and stuff. Because we figured this is inviting disaster by being here and so forth. Then shortly, at 4:00 in the morning that was the big attack on 902. 21 �Interviewer: Did you have as much security set up as your resources allowed you to have? 37:02 Yeah, but could we have done it better? Yeah, way better, I mean yeah, that’s a whole sore subject to me because I—because before going to this reunion in my own isolation because I did nothing until Jeff Wilcox and people encouraged me to do this. I fought that because I was one of the few officers up there and I was responsible, and there were a lot of people killed up there, so I have to take responsibility for a lot of that. So, that condemns one to fight and refight the battle in your head over and over again. What if I had done this? What if we had not dug into the same holes? Interviewer: So, basically from what you recall, what do you remember about what happened then that night the attack started? The attack started at 4:00 in the morning. 38:03 We heard movement, my platoon— there was two platoons in the company CP. The third platoon was back on Ripcord pulling security. They had just pulled them off that afternoon to go back to Ripcord security, so they watched the whole thing from ripcord. Got hit with a North Vietnamese Sapper Company, a good number of men, I don’t know, there could have been a hundred men in that attack, I don’t know, and they just—we were well dug in and I was dug into a foxhole this deep. It had wood in front, dirt, it had everything lined up, but the place just erupted in total explosion. Between satchel charges and RPG’s we just got raked over pretty good. If you did any shooting—shooting back wasn’t such a good thing because that showed your position and they just—they were right on top of us with satchel charges, so throwing grenades back at them was probably more effective. 39:05 So, Hewitt was killed apparently-- after the fact I realized immediately. What I 22 �thought—I was alert in my hole and on radio with battalion trying to get air in and artillery. Artillery was pre planned and all that and we had an FO from the 2nd of 319 and he was a 1st Lieutenant more senior than me. He had been in the field a while and I never heard Hewitt, but I heard the FO so, sometime into it I figured out that something happened to Hewitt and I debated, should I go to the CP or what? But, the FO seemed, from what I could hear, had things under control. This was only by radio traffic; I don’t know what’s going on because Hewitt’s CP, he was twenty-five meters behind mine. We were set up in a perimeter and I had a machine gun right in front of me. 40:03 I was back a little ways, 1st platoon facing one way, 2nd platoon on the back, CP, let’s say kind of at the crest of the hill. I knew things were are not good at the CP, I thought we were in danger of being overrun, but then at daybreak I thought, “Ok, we held”, and we didn’t get overrun because I don’t know if anybody came through my part of the line, but when I got back to the CP I found Hewitt dead and dead North Vietnamese all over the place, and I realized they had come through the 2nd platoon and just decimated them. Interviewer: Your own platoon, what kind of condition was it in? A bunch of people wounded, but I had one man killed. The machine gunner was killed and he was the only guy. He must have taken a RPG or something. Interviewer: Did you have a sense that maybe the enemy had figured out or knew what the foxholes were when they went in? Yeah, but this was all after the fact, but reading the book and all that—the book says we weren’t dug in, but that’s not true, we were dug in. 41:05 But then, tactically speaking, it was, it turns out, okay, 902, the hotel, everybody in the world had been there. Not only had we been there, but they had been there, so they knew where everything was, so—and 23 �this is part of replaying the battle, “Okay, we should have forgot those, moved further in and dug new holes”, and it just goes on infinitely, what could we have done better? Interviewer: Ultimately, in the morning the enemy’s gone. Were there enemy bodies there too? Oh, everywhere, all over the place, and unexploded satchel charges. I would bet—I don’t know how many were thrown, but there were a bunch of them laying there that had not exploded. One of them actually landed in my hole, in my foxhole, and me and my platoon sergeant, and we realized they had actually gotten it into the hole, and then it’s like those dreams where you’re trying to crawl out of something and you can’t move. 42:05 That’s exactly—it seemed like it took five or ten seconds to get out of the hole, and all the while I’m thinking, “This thing’s going to go off. Okay, it goes off, this thing's going to go off. I’m halfway out of the hole now and it’s going to blow my legs off or something like that”. So, then we actually get out of the hole and we wait and we wait. How long do you wait, waiting for it to go off? In the meanwhile the place is getting raked, because the hole, the foxhole saved our life, so we jump back in the hole, find it and throw it out, and go on. That’s what I mean the place was a dud and the place was littered with ones that didn’t go off, but there was a lot that did. Interviewer: The next morning comes and what do you do at that point? Well, we regroup, see what’s going on. There were choppers in from Ripcord immediately, and this is where my memory is terrible, horrible. I would have told you that Jeff Wilcox was on the 1st chopper and took over the company. 43:02 He did take over the company because Hewitt—I helped carry Hewitt’s body to the helicopter, what was left of him, and I saw Jeff last year and he said, “No, I was not, it was somebody 24 �else. I took over the company; the company regrouped and went back to Ripcord”. The wounded went to Evans, I went back to Ripcord and I thought Jeff had taken the company over at 902, but he didn’t. I was having severe hearing problems; I knew something was badly wrong with my ears. I was deaf at that point and couldn’t hear. Somebody said, “Go see the surgeon and see what’s going on here”, and I did, I went to see the surgeon and he looked at my ear and said, “Okay, you’re bleeding from your ear drum. Something’s happened and we’ll send you back to Charlie med and have you checked out”, so I left the company at that point, went back to Evans, went to the—there were a whole bunch of guys from 902 in there at that point. 44:02 They looked at my ears and the said, “Well, we’re going to send you, we’re going to send you back for further recovery to Cam Ranh Bay”, and that’s a sore spot for me now because it accomplished nothing. All it did was bring back some of my hearing. Hearing is pretty much toast; I have a history from my family of hearing problems, and I’ve learned in recent years that there’s a hereditary aspect. Once you damage it, it just multiplies, some people can withstand it and recover, but it’s been a horrible downhill slope with my hearing. Being in Cam Ranh Bay accomplished nothing, I missed the whole time that Jeff Wilcox was the commander of the company. They subsequently ended up on Hill 1000; I don’t know if you heard some stories of that? Interviewer: Yeah I feel horrible about not being there with them on Hill 1000 and I was out of it for about eight, nine days. 45:05 I was able to get back to them at Firebase O’Reilly, but I joke with Jeff saying, “You must have stepped on the helicopter I stepped off of”, because 25 �Lucas had relieved Jeff of the company, and then I heard all the stories about it, so I rejoined the company and then Lamb took over. Interviewer: All right, then basically what does the company do and what are you doing once you rejoin the company? Well, we spend some time at O’Reilly, and then went back into the bush. There was never anything—there was some firing here and there, but nothing on the magnitude of 902, nothing that some of the other companies ran into, and the last major engagement of Ripcord—there’s people who can tell you the dates, but there was an incident where, I think it was C [actually D] Company 1st of the 506 which was operating under the control of the 2nd Battalion of the 506. 46:09 The CO of that company was a guy named Workman, Captain Workman, and they ran I to some horrible—they just got decimated, and they were trying to get all those guys out, and they shot down a helicopter on the pad and there were a bunch of guys killed. Workman, the blade came through and cut Workman in half and those guys, they had been messed up pretty bad. We got order to go in—that LZ was finished because it was littered with helicopters and stuff, so they were going to pull them out and put us in. Now it turns out—I thought we were replacing them, but there was another company from the 501st, and I didn’t even realize that, but we went in, I didn’t know if it was a hot CA, everybody was shooting, door guns were going off, I don’t know if it was a hot one or not, but we got there and the whole world was on this LZ. 47:08 The guys-- Workman’s company were being pulled out on the ones that we went in on, and I don’t know the date, but this was one of the last things for Ripcord, and they just started pulling people out of there. They pulled out 1st, C Company of the 1st of the 506, and it turns out there were some 501 guys running around 26 �there, they pulled them out, and I thought we were under—my impression was we were to begin working the area. They’re going out, we’re there, and all I could think of is, “This is really a bad place to be”. We were on an adjacent hill and I was thinking it was a couple hundred meters away and Campbell said we were a thousand meters away. Those guys, you could tell they were pretty badly torn up. There wasn’t a whole bunch of us; we weren’t fully recovered from 902. 48:03 Interviewer: How many men are in your company at that point? I don’t know, we had to be down to about nobody at that point. So, they pulled all these guys out and there we were. We thought we should be walking off and starting patrols, at least that’s what I thought the deal was, and then Lamb came back and said, “No, it’s a fairy tail, it’s a fairy tale, we’re supposed to be fooling the enemy into thinking they’re going to pull us out too”, so we waited and waited—those guys—two companies are already gone, so we’re there and then they start pulling us out, but they could only get one ship at a time in and I’m thinking, “this is probably one of the worst AO’s ever because we’re going out six people at a time”, because all you can get is like six guys in a slick because they can’t carry any more than that. I was on the last bird out and this is where my memory totally broke down. I was on the last bird out, and I had asked if I could set a couple claymores. My idea was to blow some claymores as the bird came in. 49:09 I imagined they were just waiting out here just to finish us off, you know, that’s what I thought would probably happen, but they said, “No, no, don’t blow the claymores, you’ll get the birds all spooked, the helicopters, you know, so we didn’t blow any. I was among the last—we were on the—I was on the last bird out, just me and a couple guys. See, this is where my memory totally broke down. I thought it was still daylight and 27 �Campbell said, “No, no, it was dark when we pulled out”, you know—horrible memory, because I was thinking it was still daylight when we, getting dusk, but it was after dark. Then there was a big discussion, well we had strobe lights, they had left us a strobe light and all that, but it’s like not even remembering the mechanical ambush. I could not remember that sucker for my life, you know. Interviewer: How long then did you stay with the company after that? 50:04 Well, Ripcord ended Interviewer: July 23rd or something? Yeah, I was out there until mid-August, Lamb was the CO and he called me up and said, “Hey, you’re going back to the rear, you got a rear job”, and I was happy. At that point I didn’t know what was going on. Lamb could have been mad at me, or we had been getting—we had gotten some fresh Lieutenants. There was a West Point class that sent some in, that was right before Ripcord. Some officers started showing up and what happened to Jim Campbell, he went all those months in the field and there was no officers showing up. He was good so they left him in the field, you know, six months in the field, six months rear job, but some of those guys got left out. The poor enlisted guys, they were out there the whole twelve months, you know. So, I went back to brigade headquarters as liaison office. 51:04 And hadn’t been one of the best jobs ever for a rear job, because I was the representative to the division of the 3rd Brigade. My job, for the rest of my tour--and Jeff was back there, and he was Harrison’s briefer or something, but I worked out of the S-3 shop, the S-2 and the S-3, but mainly the S-3. Every morning I would jump in a Loach, and I would fly to every firebase both 101st and the 1st ARVN Division in Thua Thien-Hue Province, that’s the name of it, Thus Thien Province. In our 28 �area of operation, going all the way up towards the north, I would go in, I was the currier, I would take documents, I had a brief case, I carried tracing paper and I would trace the unit positions. 52:03 In the TOC you got a big topographical map and there would be all the unit location. I would take tracing paper, trace all the units, put it in my brief case, get back to brigade around noon, go down into brigade talk, post all the 2/506 and whoever else was there, plus the ARVN’s, brigade talk, map, and then towards the end of the afternoon I would go down to the division to Camp Eagle and attend the dog and pony show down there with the commanding General briefing. Where you had a G-2 and a G-3 briefer in spit shined boots and starched fatigues briefing the commanding General and all the brass of the 101st. If there was ever a question to be asked about the 3rd Brigade I had to be able to answer the questions, but I also ended up posting to the division talk all these 3rd Brigade locations. Then each brigade, each of the three brigades had their own liaison officer, and then go back to Evans in the evening. 53:04 That was the rest of my tour, and that’s where Lam Son 719 came in Because it got interesting, because I flew to all these different places, and since the 101st was kind of running Lam Son 719, even though it was an ARVN show, that took me up to Quang Tri, I mean I even saw the Rock Pile and even saw Khe Sanh off in the distance one time. Interviewer: Explain a little bit what was going on Lam Son 719. That was an incursion into Laos in the spring of 1970. The 1st ARVN Division sent troops into Laos. Interviewer: The spring of 1971. 1971, yes, 71, 71, April or something like that, General Sidney Berry, I believe, he was the assistant division commander. But he ran—he was the assistant division commander, 29 �but he was detached and there was a forward headquarters at Quang Tri of the 101st. 54:05 The 1st ARVN Division actually sent their assets into Laos, there was air support from the 101st , Cobras and all that kind of stuff, no 101st units went into Laos, but Khe Sanh was opened back up again and then, additionally, they brought the 1st of the 1st Cav [an armored cavalry battalion, not to be confused with the 1st Cavalry Division] from the Americal Division from south, from Chu Lai, they put them on LST’s brought them up to—there was a ramp at Tam Ky, which there was an inlet there not far from Hue and all that. This was a mechanized unit, so they had ACAVs, they had M-113’s, Sheridan tanks and all that and then they sent them up to Highway 9 and they ran from Highway one to Highway 9, which runs past the Rock Pile, Khe Sanh, all the way over to and goes on into Laos. 55:07 Then you have the 5th Mech, was up on the DMZ. Now were talking like next door right at the DMZ. The 5th Mech has already been there and that’s a brigade of the 5th Infantry Division, which is a mechanized unit. They had 113’s and they had M-48 tanks. Interviewer: So, basically you’re having to kind of—were you keeping track of various parts of that? Well, it’s the same mission except I got more places to go. I mentioned going to ARVN and 101st firebases, but now you’ve got another TOC up at Quang Tri, which was a forward operating TOC of the 101st, I ended up at Camp Carroll and there were some other locations where it became necessary for me to go in. It’s basically doing the same thing. 56:03 Taking documents back and forth, map overlays, noting troop locations and what we would do by e-mail today. I was thinking about that—the 2nd of the 506 in Afghanistan, and what I was carrying papers around and doing—when they were in 30 �Afghanistan, they were e-mailing each. I mean, I saw some correspondence I wasn’t supposed be where somebody turned up missing in the 2/506 and there was a S-1 chewing somebody out by e-mail asking, “Where is this man, he’s in a combat zone”, and that’s today, you know. Interviewer: What impression did you have of the ARVN forces that you were working with? The 1st ARVN Division was pretty good. They were really good, they could move and I didn’t see that they were bad soldiers. They did do a legionary Hoc Bau, which is organic, which would be like a Ranger company that belonged to the 1st. They operated on their own, and they were a bunch of wild men. 57:02 I remember a division briefing at—General Berry loved the Hoc Bau, that was like his own personal Ranger company, and they got involved in a shoot-out with the national police in Hue, and the next thing you know, they’re showing up over on the Laos ion border somewhere. They got sent out there because they were bad boys in Hue, but they were good. Interviewer: Did you have much contact with the Vietnamese, either military or civilian, aside from the ones that you saw? The rumor was, the whole country was off limits to the 101st. I never really saw much in the way of civilians except when we went to Eagle Beach and we drove through some countryside. I got to see Hue one time because I had to go by Jeep from Eagle back to Evans. One time Hewitt sent me on a mission. He sent me back and said, “Look, we got a prisoner down in Da Nang”. 58:01 The Marines ran the jail in Da Nang and I had to go and take some papers to some guy we had in the hoosegow in Da Nang. So, he sent me back, I picked up a driver, maybe it was Lamb, I forget who it was, I picked up a 31 �driver back at Evans, strapped on a 45, and we drove down Highway 1, over the Hai Van Pass and down to Da Nang to go see this guy and serve papers on him and go back. But, I was amazed at the beauty of the beaches and stuff because Highway 1 followed right along the coastline, but that’s the only time I got to see anything. Interviewer: Now, when you were out and about the bases and so forth, in the second half of your tour, were there Vietnamese and things working there? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re right—the barber, there was an officer’s club and an NCO club, and the bar maid might be Vietnamese, but that was about the extent of the Vietnamese. I mean, really, I had, unfortunately, no contact with any. 59:06 Interviewer: Now, when you were out in the field, how would you characterize the morale or the attitude of the soldiers you were serving with? It could be discouraging at times. Nobody wanted to be the last man dead, killed. We knew the war was winding down and it’s kind of like the whole idea was to stay alive. I wish I could tell you that we were a bunch of warriors that just lived for the moment, you know, but a lot of them were draftees, you know. Even my attitude, I started seeing the futility of it and I—looking back on it I have a totally different—I would go about it differently, but at the time I had this sense of futility, almost like what’s the point now after so many people have been killed. I walked off Ripcord and nothing left and it was hard to see what we were trying to accomplish. 00:06 Interviewer: How well do you think the soldiers performed individually, at least the ones you were working with, were they doing their job? Yes they were, they were—there was the usual trying to keep a guy from falling asleep on guard duty. That happens to this day, even in Afghanistan. There’s that when you 32 �pull your watch, skill, some were better than others, but these were pretty good troops for a lot—well, they were all draftees you know. Interviewer: You were with them at a certain point when they got cut up pretty badly, when that happens to a unit that can affect them for a while, and you weren’t with them too long after that. When you first joined the unit, with Vazquez, was there a different quality to than it had later? I’m, not sure, I’m not sure; I don’t think my memory is good enough to say, “Yeah, we were beter then than we were then”. 1:06 Interviewer: Now when you were out in the field, one of the stereotypes is that everybody is doing drugs and that kind of thing. I never saw it Interviewer: You never saw it At Evans maybe, but not in the field Interviewer: This tape is about up here. 33 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LeibeckeB1275V Title A name given to the resource Leibecke, Robert (Interview transcript and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leibecke, Robert Description An account of the resource Bob Leibecke was born into a military family and attended VMI, graduating in 1969. Commissioned in the Army, he attended Infantry Basic School at Ft. Benning, went to Jump School, put in a few months with a transportation unit at the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation for some leadership experience, and then went to Ranger School, and then to Jungle Training in Panama before going to Vietnam. In May, 1970, he was given command of the 1st Platoon in C Company, 2/506, in the 101st Airborne Division. His company participated in the campaign around Firebase Ripcord. They suffered badly in an attack on their position on Hill 902 on July 2, and later helped to rescue another company, D/1/506, on July 23. In August, he was reassigned to be his brigade's liaison officer to the division headquarters, and also served as a liaison with the ARVN 1st Division during their invasion of Laos in early 1971. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-10-07 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3945975e2ec80a7ed344581a9d015431.mp4 14ea60466305ff6f1ee64124489c4754 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f76f78191b095f85b4697bd3d6d8def.pdf 70d564da28f395e98a0410a8690c5f00 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Name of Interviewee: Ronald Leistra Name of War: Korean War Length of Interview: (00:08:50) Pre-Enlistment Enlisted because he knew he probably would be drafted (0:40) Enlisted in the Navy because it was a better route than the Army (1:00) Training Boot camp was the toughest part of his time in the Navy (1:40) Marching, classes, testing, rolling clothes to fit into sea bags (2:30) Commander would let them practice rolling clothes in the latrine at night (3:15) Enlistment Was sent to a naval air station in Barbers Point, HI for two years (4:10) Went to the beach, played tennis, went to Honolulu for fun (4:35) Worked in a special unit that handled maps, and delivered them to aircraft carriers headed to Korea (5:00) Because it was a special unit, they did not have to stand watch or have inspections (5:00) Eight hour days, free weekends (5:10) Once a week, one person had to stay in the safe where they housed the top secret maps, in case of spies (5:50) Reassigned to Whidbey Island, another naval air station in Washington state (7:15) Post-Enlistment Went to Washington State College and the University of Washington on the GI Bill (7:20) Became a teacher at Portland Community College (7:30) Taught for 41 years (7:55) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LeistraR Title A name given to the resource Leistra, Ronald M. (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leistra, Ronald M. Description An account of the resource Ronald Leistra served in the US Navy during the Korean War. He enlisted in the Navy because he knew he had a very good chance of being drafted. During his time in the service, Ronald served at Barbers Point in Hawaii, and at Whidbey Island in Washington. His units handled maps and made sure they were secure. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Brinks, Isaac (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-05-22 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/65295e76c89f83be2672a483c15f76f3.pdf 4b87df22d5b285d57a2ef4a75ccf1fb0 PDF Text Text Leland Township Master Plan Planning Commission Adopted: May 27, 2008 Township Board Adopted: July 14, 2008 Prepared by: Leland Township Planning Commission with input from the Leland Township Master Plan Steering Committee With Planning Assistance Provided By: M. C. Planning & Design, 504 Liberty Street, Petoskey, MI 49770 (231) 487-0745 �Leland Township Master Plan Leelanau County, Michigan Prepared by: Leland Township Planning Commission Keith Ashley, Chair Stephen Clem, Past Chair Members Gary Bardenhagen Kimberly Brant Vince Fleck Jane Keen Skip Telgard Past members: Nick Lederlee Charles McCarthy Richard Plamondon With Assistance from: Leland Township Master Plan Steering Committee Adopted Planning Commission: May 27, 2008 Township Board: July 14, 2008 With Professional Planning Assistance Provided By: M.C. Planning & Design 504 Liberty St. Petoskey, MI 49770 (231) 487-0745 i �Leland Township Master Plan Update Table of Contents Title Page i Table of Contents ii Chapters: 1. Introduction 1-1 2. Township Social and Economic Characteristics 2-1 3. Natural Resources 3-1 4. Existing Land Use 4-1 5. Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation 5-1 6. Significant Land Use Issues 6-1 7. Community Goals and Policies 7-1 8. Future Land Use Recommendations 8-1 9. Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption 9-1 Appendix A A-1 Citizen Survey Findings Appendix B B-1 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Draft General Management Plan Appendix C C-1 Master Plan Steering Committee Table of Contents Leland Township Master Plan – Update page ii �Chapter 1: Introduction This Master Plan for Leland Township takes into account and expands upon the Comprehensive Development Plan of 1994 which it replaces. It is prepared according to the provisions of the Township Planning Act, Act 168 of 1959, as amended. This plan describes in a comprehensive and careful manner, the current land use patterns of Leland Township, the changes that are taking place, and the means to manage these patterns of change so that the future of Leland Township reflects the desires and goals of the residents of the Township. The plan provides long range comprehensive guidelines for public and private decision making. This plan provides the basis for the adoption of Zoning Ordinances to implement the plan and may also provide the basis for capital improvement expenditures and other governmental decisions as well as decisions by private citizens. Existing ordinances will be revised as required to reflect the guidelines of this plan. Leland Township participated in the county-wide process to create and more recently update the Leelanau General Plan. This process is aimed at maximum public participation in developing growth management policy guidelines and to assist local governments in their planning efforts. Thus the information gathered and compiled for the county-wide process was considered and utilized as appropriate in the development of this Leland Township Master Plan. 1.1 Plan Development Process The Leland Township Planning Commission prepared this Master Plan, with assistance from an ad hoc steering committee and a planning consultant. Public input was sought throughout the process, through a photo tour, citizen survey, a build-out study, steering committee meetings and a series of public information sessions. The public input efforts aided in establishing the land use goals and objectives of citizens and property owners in the Township. Additional public meetings were held to identify and review proposed land use policies promoted in this plan before the adoption process began. Many of the data and technical concepts in this plan are derived from county and state sources. While care has been taken to honor Township prerogatives, the consideration of the county planning umbrella has the added advantage of linking all local governments in coordinated planning for the Leelanau Peninsula. After describing the Township as it is today, the plan covers trends and citizen inputs providing the basis for revised development policies, new goals and objectives, and growth management techniques. This plan is intended to be a guide for years to come; however, it will be reviewed at least every five years and updated as necessary. Chapter 1: Introduction Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 1-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �1.2 Regional Context The Leelanau Peninsula is located in northwestern lower Michigan and is sometimes referred to as the "little finger" of the state. It is bordered on the north and west by Lake Michigan and on the east by Grand Traverse Bay. Leelanau County is formed by the Leelanau Peninsula and is bordered on the south by Benzie County and Grand Traverse County. Leland Township is located in the west central area of the Leelanau Peninsula. Leland Township consists of the mainland area and North Manitou Island which is federally owned and part of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Due to the protected status of the North Manitou Island portion of the Township, this Master Plan primarily focuses on the Mainland portion of the Township. Leland village, located in Leland Township, is expected to continue serving as the county seat until early 2008 and is 235 miles from Detroit, 145 miles from Grand Rapids, 170 miles from Lansing, and 125 miles from Sault Ste. Marie. Traverse City, adjacent to the southeastern corner of Leelanau County, is the nearest urban area approximately 25 miles from the Township border. The county is about three-fourths open land or woodland with agricultural and low density rural residential areas. Over ten percent of the county is occupied by the Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore. Figure 1-1 provides a location map of Leelanau County and Leland Township. 1.3 General Character Leland Township surrounds north Lake Leelanau and borders the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, while many townships surround south Lake Leelanau. The topography consists of rolling hills, orchards, and woodlands with spectacular views of lakes and islands. This is a rural Township where the majority of land consists of wooded or vacant fields. There are large acreages planted in fruit trees and other crops which provide a pastoral character to the Township and contribute significantly to the local economy. Working farms, with primarily cherry and apple orchards, but also strawberry and other row crops, cover major areas of the east and south. In recent years, vineyards have replaced some cherry orchards. Agricultural uses are dictated by generally poor soil types, but the unique geography of the region provides nationally noted "mini environments" which support fruit growing. Development is largely residential, with a preponderance of single-family homes in the villages and on the shores of Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. Very little waterfront property remains undeveloped. Many miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau make Leland Township a very desirable place to live and a substantial number of people come to visit on a seasonal basis. Winter sports activities, hunting and fishing, fall colors, cherry blossoms, wine tasting and other attractions bring people to this Township the year around. Tourism is the Township's primary economic anchor. The unincorporated villages of Leland and Lake Leelanau provide many attractions and small businesses that result in a large amount of tourist trade. (Note: These unincorporated villages are under the jurisdiction of Leland Township and this Master Plan. However, in order to easily distinguish between the Township, the village of Leland, the village of Lake Leelanau and Lake Leelanau- the body of water, this document refers to the unincorporated village of Leland as Chapter 1: Introduction Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 1-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland village, and the unincorporated village of Lake Leelanau as Lake Leelanau village.) Leland village has a harbor of refuge which is usually filled with watercraft during the summer months. Lake Leelanau village, located on the narrows between north and south Lake Leelanau, is the primary entrance to Leland Township from the east on highway M-204. Maps of the villages are provided in Figure 1-2 and Figure 1-3. Location Map, Leland Township Fi gure 1- 1 1 L ",\ ~ ~ ~ .. -~ _, ) !• . r ~.... ' ,.J", -""', - ' Leland Townehip Leelanau County Chapter 1: Introduction Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 1-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �See Figures 1-2 and 1-3 for details of Leland and Lake Leelanau Villages VIiia~ of Leland Zoning District,;; as of March 2008 Q!c Agticultu~I Con~rvation U RLow • Den&it:y Agricultural f1.egldential C-1 Villa~ Commercial C-2 General Commercial M-1 Ll9h1; Manuftocturln9 R-1A Med Den&llly u,i:e,,hore Re&idcnt:ia l □R-2 Med Deneilly Vlllae,, 11.e&ldontlal R-3 1-11(#1 Deneilly Reeldontia l 0 .1 .2 ,3 Mllee NoctoScd,, Fleure H3 Vllla~of Laki, wlanau Zon lne Dlgtrlct" '"' of March 2008 - -1 ~ C Awicultura l Con&etV.b:!tion Q i: . Law Donoify Ai,-icuft&Jrnl R.eoidenti.ol Yulall" Commercial -2 G~nier-& I Commercia I -1 Li9ht Manubcturine 11.-!A M«l Donoity L.ouohore R.eoidennal 8 1<· 2 Mod Donoity Villaeo R.eoidontial NoctoScd<> 11.-3 l-1i3h Donoill,, 11eoidenn.ol 0 .1 .2 .3 Mil,o Chapter 1: Introduction Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 1-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �1.4 History of Leland Township As the only Township in Leelanau County with two villages, its history can be found in these two waterfront communities. Leland village finds its origins in settlers who crossed from North Manitou Island during the early 1850's. The settlers came to take advantage of water transport for use in the logging industry. A dam was built on the Leland River which raised the level of Lake Leelanau (north and south lakes). This in turn made the narrows navigable for future steamboat use. Docks and sawmills were built in Leland village and by 1860 the population had grown to 200 people. Stores, hotels, and shops were added near the present location of the county buildings. In 1870 an iron furnace was built on the waterfront and used to refine ore from the upper peninsula. Leland's substantial population growth and size enabled the village to become the county seat. By 1884 the Township population had grown to 839, with 370 persons living in Leland village. Almost a century later, the village's permanent population remains nearly the same. Many of the buildings in both Leland and Lake Leelanau villages were built before the turn of the century and remain as historical evidence of past endeavors. Commercial fishing has been a Leland industry since 1880 and although diminished continues today, with sport fishing added along the way. Fishermen's demands for a better harbor resulted in improvements in 1937. In 1965 the State of Michigan designated the harbor a “Harbor of Refuge”, and installed a breakwall and marina. An upgrade and expansion of the harbor is planned for 2008. As the lumber industry ran its course and the iron business yielded to major cities, Leland Township was saved from financial failure by the blossoming tourist business. Travelers arrived by rail to Traverse City and again by rail to Fouch on the southeastern corner of south Lake Leelanau. Here travelers boarded lake steamers for transport to both Leland and Lake Leelanau villages. Hotels were built at Fountain Point south of the narrows in 1890 and in Leland village in 1901 and 1909. Summer visitors also began to arrive in Leland village by steamer directly from Chicago. The Township has been a tourist destination ever since and tourism is its primary economic anchor. The first store building was built in Lake Leelanau village in 1881 by Noel Couturier. At that time the village was called Provemont, where the Schaub brothers had farmed since mid-century. The narrows were first bridged in 1864, and again in 1895 and 1935. Lake Leelanau village provided wood for the steamers from a lumberyard erected in 1884. In 1903 the village became the terminus of a railroad from Traverse City which provided service until 1944. A Catholic missionary founded a church at Provemont that developed into today's church, and school. (Source: Edmund M. Littell, 100 Years in Leelanau, 1965.) Chapter 1: Introduction Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 1-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 2: Township Social and Economic Characteristics 2.1 Population Characteristics of the population of Leland Township, including size, age, and education, are described in the following paragraphs. In 1940 Leland Township was the largest population center in the Leelanau County with over 14 percent (1,212) of the people. By 2000 the population had grown to 2,033, representing 9.6 percent of the county. The Township population increased by 101 people between 2000 and 2006 based on the Census Bureau estimates, for an estimated total Township population of 2,134. However, due to the unreliability of population estimates the statistics from the 2000 Census data are used in this plan. Although one of the smaller townships in land area, Leland Township ranks fifth in permanent population among Leelanau County's eleven townships and three villages, with 9.6% of the County’s population. However, previous county estimates indicate that the seasonal and day visitor tourist population (June through August) is seven times larger than the permanent population. Therefore, since Leland Township is one of the most popular destinations, the total number of people in the Township could total as much as 12,000 persons on any summer day. Table 2-1 Population Change Leland Township and Leelanau County 1970 I I I Leland Township 1,219 Leelanau County 10,872 Percent Change 1980 I 18.6 I 28.8 I 1,446 I 14,007 Percent Change 1990 I 13.6 I 18.0 I 1,642 I 16,527 Percent Change 2000 I 23.8 I 27.8 I 2,033 I 21,119 I Source: Northwest Michigan Council of Governments 2.1.1 The Villages The Township contains two unincorporated villages that began as lumber, fishing, trading, and agricultural centers more than a century ago. Each village has developed its own special character, and the goals and objectives of each may be different. 2.1.2 Lake Leelanau Village Lake Leelanau village has a permanent population of about 200, with room for expansion. Current business includes tourist shops, restaurants, and a grocery store. Government offices include the Township offices, Soil Conservation District Office, and Drain Commissioner office. The largest employer and center of village activity is the St. Mary's Catholic School. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �The village provides two public access sites on the Lake Leelanau narrows for swimming and boating. 2.1.3 Leland Village Leland village has a permanent population of about 350 with a market center to support winter residents. In 1988 a New England-style village green was established on the last open space in the village center. During the summer tourist season, over fifty businesses may function in the village. Leland Harbor is a prominent feature, attracting large numbers of tourists and fishing enthusiasts. Leland village provides visitor access by boat to the Manitou Islands, ten miles offshore, now part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Tourists arrive daily to board the ferry, while others arrive by boat to visit Leland. Leland Harbor provides a marina and access sites where fishing enthusiasts launch and recover boats. Other public access sites provide for swimming and boating on Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau. Fishtown, a historically-designated area in Leland Harbor, was a former fishing village converted to shops and restaurants during the 1960's. There are commercial and several charter fishing enterprises which operate out of Fishtown, which is the only full service marina operating on Lake Michigan in Leland Township. Leland village also hosts most of the county government offices, which are in the process of being moved to Suttons Bay Township with a target date of spring 2008. The recently renovated K-12 Public School is also found in Leland Village. There is a light-industry sector in the center of the village. 2.2 Age Distribution and Racial Make-up The median age of the Township's population is 44.9 years, up from 1990’s nearly 40 years of age. The population is evenly distributed between the sexes with slightly more females than males. Of the total population, 21.9 percent are 65 years and older and 24.4 percent are 19 or younger. Registered voters as of May 2004 totaled 1,731. The age distribution of the Township is provided in Table 2-2. Based on 2000 Census the racial composition of Leland Township is primarily white (91.3%), followed next by Hispanic or Latino (of any race) at 6.1%, then Black or African American at 0.7%, Native American at 0.6%, and Asian at 0.2%, with the remaining balance, a combination of other races. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-2 Age Distribution Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan – 1990 and 2000 Leland Township Age Group 1990 Census Leelanau County 2000 Census 1990 2000 State 1990 2000 Total Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 0-4 years 116 7.1% 86 4.2% 7.5% 5.1% 7.6% 6.8% 5-17 years 282 17.2% 372 18.3% 19.6% 19.3% 26.5% 26.1% 18-24 years 114 6.9% 125 6.1% 5.7% 5.7% 3.2% 2.6% 25-44 years 440 26.8% 437 21.5% 31.5% 24.2% 32.1% 29.8% 45-64 years 372 22.7% 569 28.0% 20.7% 28.3% 18.7% 22.4% 65 + years 318 19.4% 444 21.9% 14.9% 17.4% 11.9% 12.3% Total 1,642 100.1% 2,033 100% 99.9% 100% 100% 100% Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100 percent. Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 2.3 Income and Employment The beauty and bounty of the region's natural resources afford much of the economic opportunity within Leland Township. The characteristics of the local economy including occupations, income, and enterprise are described in the following paragraphs. 2.3.1 Occupations There is a diversity in the occupations of the 880 employed Township residents. Tourism and the resource industries provide the basis for the majority of occupations. Table 2-3 depicts the Leland Township occupations as reported in the 2000 census. Services such as repairs, sales, professional specialties, and administration employ the majority of the populace. When viewed by industry category, the education, health and social services is the largest group with 159 persons, followed by retail trade at 127 persons. Resource industries (e.g., agriculture and lumbering), construction, and education are other large employment groups. Major employers in the Township include Leland Public Schools, St. Mary’s School and a number of other businesses. Not all of the 880 employed residents work within the Township. However a mean commute time of 20.5 minutes, suggests nearby employment. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-3 Occupations Leland Township and Leelanau County – 2000 Leland Township Occupation Number Leelanau County Percent Number Percent Management, professional, and related occupations 304 34.5 3,488 35.1 Service occupations 132 15.0 1,557 15.7 Sales and office occupations 253 28.8 2,449 24.6 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 9 1.0 144 1.4 Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations 102 11.6 1,218 12.2 80 9.1 1,089 11.0 880 100 9,945 100 Unlisted Total Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 2.3.2 Income and Poverty Levels Income and poverty levels for Township residents are provided in Table 2-4 and Table 2-5. According to the 2000 Census, the median household income of $46,629 is very close to the county average of $47,062, while the State median household income was $44,667 (all figures in 1999 dollars). In 1999 dollars, the adjusted median household income in 1989 was $35,429. The Township median age and income levels increased significantly between 1990 and 2000, while the number of people living in poverty in the Township has decreased. The decrease in poverty rates may be due to the increased cost of housing, and many of the lower income individuals and families being essentially priced out of Leland Township. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-4 Income Level Distribution Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Leland Township Income Level 1990 Census I 2000 Census Leelanau County State of Michigan 2000 Census 2000 Census Number Percent Number Percent Number I I I I Percent Number Percent less than $10,000 86 13.4 29 3.5 397 4.7 313,905 8.3 $10,000 to $14,999 68 10.6 41 5.0 425 5.0 219,133 5.8 $15,000 to $24,999 139 21.6 75 9.2 957 11.3 469,100 12.4 $25,000 to $34,999 130 20.2 135 16.5 1,097 12.9 470,419 12.4 $35,000 to $49,999 88 13.7 157 19.2 1,671 19.8 624,326 16.5 $50,000 to $74,999 88 13.7 189 23.1 2,115 25.0 778,755 20.6 $75,000 to $99,999 24 3.7 76 9.3 798 9.4 432,681 11.4 $100,000 to $149,999 12 1.9 77 9.4 624 7.4 324,966 8.6 $150,000 to $199,999 NA NA 14 1.7 161 1.9 79,291 2.1 $200,000 or more NA NA 26 3.2 219 2.6 76,204 2.0 Total 643 98.8 819 100.1 8,458 100.0 3,788,780 100.1 Median household income (1999 dollars) $27,298 ($35,429) $46,629 $47,062 $44,667 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 Note: Due to rounding percentages may not sum to 100 percent. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-5 Families and Individuals Living in Poverty Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Leland Township Poverty Categories 1990 Census 2000 Census Number Percent Number Percent Families living in poverty status Leelanau County State of Michigan 2000 2000 Percent Percent 23 4.6 10 1.7 3.3 7.4 With related children under 18 years 14 7.0 6 2.9 5.9 11.3 With related children under 5 years 12 13.0 2 3.4 9.6 14.7 Families with female householder, no husband present 10 20.4 8 14.0 13.5 24.0 With related children under 18 years 10 26.3 6 21.4 18.5 31.5 With related children under 5 years 8 80.0 2 50.0 26.5 44.2 124 7.6 61 3.2 5.4 10.5 18 years and older 100 8.0 48 3.2 5.0 9.3 65 years and over 42 13.1 10 2.4 4.5 8.2 Related children under 18 years 24 6.2 11 2.7 6.4 13.4 Related children 5 to 17 years 12 4.3 9 2.7 5.4 12.7 Unrelated individuals 15 years and over 60 30.3 35 12.7 14.9 21.8 Individuals Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 2.3.3 Commercial and Industrial Enterprise Leland Township accommodates a number of business establishments and various types of enterprise which contribute significantly to the tax base and local economy. These are described in the following paragraphs. The steady growth in the number of building permits demonstrates that local construction is a significant economic factor. This construction growth indicates that real estate and the associated employment in financing, marketing, servicing, and construction rank with tourism as one of the fastest growing industries in the Township. Agricultural enterprise consists mainly of family-operated, fruit-growing farms in east and south Leland Township producing sweet and tart cherries, apples, strawberries, and grapes for local and national markets. Good Harbor Vineyards on highway M-22, south of Leland village, is one of the increasing number of wine producers on the Leelanau Peninsula. In Leland village, a large marina provides boat repair services. Located nearby is a metal shop. Carlson Fisheries, a retail and wholesale fishing business, is located at the Leland Harbor. A thriving sport fishing industry also operates in this harbor. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �In Lake Leelanau village near the Fire Station, a construction business, and hardware store form a sector of light industry. Nearby, an excavating business contributes to the industrial surroundings. In both villages there are restaurants, retail shops, cottage industries, and professional offices that provide goods and services. To accommodate tourists, there are a variety of overnight facilities within the Township including bed and breakfast establishments, lodges, rental homes, and cottages. 2.4 Education Statistics show that 439 persons are enrolled in schools. Enrollment in Leland Public Schools has varied between 300 and 439 during the past 30 years. The Township has a relatively high level of educational attainment with 92.4 percent of adults 25 years and older graduated from high school compared to 84 percent in 1990, while over 68 percent have some college up to and including graduate level degrees. Educational statistics are provided in Table 2-6. Table 2-6 Educational Achievement of Population 25 years and Older Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Leland Township Educational Attainment 1990 Census 2000 Census Leelanau County State of Michigan 2000 2000 Number Percent Number Percent Percent Percent 1,156 100.0 1,409 100.0 100.0 100.0 82 7.1 19 1.3 2.7 4.7 9th to 12th grade, no diploma 103 8.9 88 6.2 6.5 11.9 High School graduate (includes equivalency) 357 30.9 337 23.9 26.5 31.3 Some college, no degree 212 18.3 304 21.6 23.9 23.3 Associate degree 99 8.6 113 8.0 9.0 7.0 Bachelor’s degree 198 17.1 351 24.9 19.7 13.7 Graduate or professional degree 105 9.1 197 14.0 11.7 8.1 Population 25 years and over Less than 9th grade Percent high school graduate or higher 84.0 92.4 90.7 83.4 Percent bachelor’s degree or higher 26.2 38.9 31.4 21.8 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �2.5 Housing Stock and Property Values 2.5.1 Housing A large summer population with multi-generational standing has built summer homes in the Township during the past century. These summer homes are often expensive, creating a unique situation for the Township by impacting property values and the tax base. Over 46 percent of the housing units in the Township (676 out of 1,550) are seasonal. The age of housing units is provided in Table 2-7 and indicates that 30.4 percent were built before 1939. Table 2-8 depicts the housing and occupancy information for households in Leland Township and Table 2-9 depicts the types of households. Table 2-7 Age of Housing Units Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Year Structure Built Leland Township Number Percent 1999 to March 2000 29 1995 to 1998 Leelanau County State of Michigan Percent Percent 1.8 3.1 2.2 96 5.9 10.3 6.4 1990 to 1994 160 9.9 10.5 6.1 1980 to 1989 229 14.1 18.1 10.5 1970 to 1979 226 14.0 19.7 17.1 1960 to 1969 98 6.1 8.5 14.2 1940 to 1959 289 17.9 12.0 26.5 1939 or earlier 492 30.4 17.9 16.9 Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-8 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-8 Housing and Occupancy Information - 2000 Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Leland Township Housing/Occupancy Leelanau County State of Michigan Number Percent Percent Percent 1,550 100.0 100.0 100.0 Occupied housing units 818 52.8 63.4 89.4 Vacant housing units 732 47.2 36.6 10.6 676 43.6 30.9 5.5 Homeowner vacancy rate NA 0.9 1.1 1.6 Rental vacancy rate NA 14.0 21.8 6.8 Occupied housing units 818 100.0 100.0 100.0 Owner-occupied housing units 695 85.0 84.6 73.8 Renter-occupied housing units 123 15.0 15.4 26.2 Total Housing Units For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 In order to understand the recent residential development in the Township, and get a more accurate number of housing units, recent land use permits for new homes were reviewed and are summarized below. Dwelling Units in as of 2000 Census New Homes Built during 2000 New Homes Built during 2001 New Homes Built during 2002 New Homes Built during 2003 New Homes Built during 2004 New Homes Built during 2005 New Homes Built during 2006 Multi Family Dwelling Units 2003 Multi Family Dwelling Units 2005 Total Units as of 12/06 1,550 35 29 23 25 24 28 17 2 + 1 1,734 1,734 dwelling units multiplied year-round occupancy rate (52.8 percent) indicates an estimated 915 year-round homes as of December 31, 2006. The estimated 915 year-round homes multiplied by 2.40 persons per household indicates an estimated population of 2,196 persons as of December 31, 2006. As of May 2008, approximately 547 of the homes within Leland Township are located on Lake Leelanau and approximately 290 of the homes are located on Lake Michigan. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-9 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 2-9 Types of Households Leland Township, Leelanau County, State of Michigan Leelanau County State of Michigan 2000 2000 Percent Percent Percent Leland Township Household Types 1990 Census Number Percent 2000 Census Number Total households 639 100.0 818 100.0 100.0 100.0 Family households 478 74.8 590 72.1 73.7 68.0 With own children under 18 years 202 31.6 199 24.3 29.9 32.7 Married-couple family 413 64.6 523 63.9 63.6 51.4 With own children under 18 years 155 24.3 160 19.6 23.5 23.1 Female householder, no husband present 47 7.4 52 6.4 7.1 12.5 With own children under 18 years 38 5.9 31 3.8 4.6 7.5 Nonfamily households 161 25.2 228 27.9 26.3 32.0 Householder living alone 145 22.7 197 24.1 22.3 26.2 64 10.0 93 11.4 8.8 9.4 Householder 65 years and over Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census 2000 2.6 Household Size According to the 2000 Census data, the average household size in Leland Township is 2.40 persons, while the average family size is 2.81. These numbers are very similar to the average for Leelanau County (2.48 and 2.89), while somewhat lower than those for the State of Michigan, (2.56 and 3.10). 2.7 Ownership In Leland Township, 85 percent of housing is owner-occupied, compared to 84.6 percent for Leelanau County and 73.8 percent for the state of Michigan. Renter-occupied housing accounts for 15 percent of all housing in Leland Township, with a median rent of $535. Leelanau County’s renter-occupied housing is 15.4 percent, with a median rent of $565, while renteroccupied housing represents 26.2 percent of the entire State, with a median rent of $546. 2.8 Property Values and Tax Base The many, often expensive, summer homes in Leland Township result in a larger tax base than comparable townships. The 2007 state equalized value (SEV) of Leland Township real property totaled $681,877,850 resulting in an estimated market value of $1,363,755,700. Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-10 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Residential property is by far the largest tax category within total real property, comprising nearly 90 percent of the SEV and 88 percent of total number of parcels. Table 2-10 provides the Leland Township SEV data from 1999 to 2007. Table 2-11 depicts the 2007 SEV data from both Leland Township and Leelanau County. Leland Township's millage rate is one of the lowest in the county. The 2006 millage rate for Leland Township was 29.5570 which resulted in tax revenue totaling $8,198,663. Most tax revenue is allocated to the public schools, (approximately 12.5513 mills). Approximately 5.73 mills are allocated to the county for services, 6 mills to state education, approximately 2.93 mills to the intermediate schools district, approximately 1.4 mills for fire and rescue and approximately 0.94 mills ($298,060) allocated to the Township. Table 2-10 State Equalized Value Leland Township Property Class 1999 SEV Change 2001 SEV Change 2003 SEV Change 2005 SEV Change 2007 SEV Agriculture 13,649,200 27.1% 17,353,400 29.0% 22,393,300 22.4% 27,407,700 -8.9% 24,956,300 Commercial 12,553,140 6.4% 13,368,630 41.4% 18,908,800 27.3% 24,073,700 -18.7% 19,571,500 188,300 15.4% 217,312 30.4% 283,412 6.8% Industrial 302,700 -2.5% 295,200 Residential 233,123,194 19.4% 278,450,420 55.2% 432,228,112 7.7% 465,554,000 36.8% 637,054,850 Total Real Property 19.2% 309,389,762 53.1% 473,813,624 9.2% 517,338,100 31.8% 681,877,850 259,513,834 Source: Leelanau County Equalization Department Table 2-11 Distribution of the State Equalized Value Leland Township and Leelanau County - 2007 Leland Township Real Property: I Agricultural I Amount I % of total I % of total I 2.9% 191,561,784 5.1% 295,200 .04% 6,059,410 .2% Residential 637,054,850 92.8% 3,364,114,688 88.9% Total Real Property 681,877,850 99.3% 3,743,558,094 99% 4,491,214 0.7% 40,852,322 1.1% 686,369,064 100% 3,784,410,416 100.1% Personal Property Total SEV 19,571,500 Amount 4.8% Industrial 3.6% I 181,822,212 Commercial 24,956,300 Leelanau County Source: Leelanau County Equalization Department Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100 percent Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-11 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 2: Social and Economic Characteristics Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 2-12 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 3: Natural Resources 3.1 Physical Description The mainland portion of Leland Township is a triangular-shaped area about five miles across its base (east to west) and nine miles across its length (north to south). The Township contains 19,000 acres, of which about one fifth are water. There are approximately 17 miles of shoreline on Lake Leelanau and another 12 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan, the western boundary of the Township. Lake Leelanau village is located at the narrows between north and south Lake Leelanau. Leland village is located where the Leland (Carp) River flows into Lake Michigan after a one mile run from Lake Leelanau. The river falls over a control dam just prior to forming the Leland Harbor. The isthmus between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau is largely residential and wooded. Eastern Leland Township consists of fruit-growing farms and woodlands on well-drained, nearly level-to-very steep, loamy soils on moraines and till plains. South of highway M-204, woodlands and mixed farm use prevail on similar but sandier soils. There are about 2,000 acres of agricultural land in eastern Leland Township and another 2,000 in southern Leland Township. There are 2,400 acres classified as orchard; 2,200 acres classified as cropland; and 2,000 acres classified as open land. Approximately 600 acres of wetlands (very poorly drained, nearly level, mucky soils) exist at the northeast corner of Lake Leelanau. Another 250 acres of wetlands exist north of the narrows. Approximately 89 acres of state-designated critical dune areas exist at the north end and the southwest corner of the Township. Over one third of the Township (6,000 acres) is covered with forest land, primarily the northern hardwoods association (sugar maple, beech, basswood, white ash, black cherry, and hemlock) and white pine. Red oak, lowland hardwoods (birch and elm), and conifers are also present. Some aspen are present north of Lake Leelanau, as are swamp conifers (cedar, balsam fir, spruce, and tamarack) in the wetlands. A summary of Leland Township land use/land cover including acreages and percentages is discussed in detail in Chapter 4 of this plan. 3.2 Climate Leelanau Peninsula's climate is tempered by the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan so that recent temperature charts compare it to the climate of the mid-Atlantic region, especially along the lakeshores. Leland village may be ten degrees cooler in summer and warmer in winter than inland areas. These conditions create a micro climate favorable to fruit growing. Leelanau County ranks as one of the Michigan counties with the smallest amount of precipitation. Temperature and precipitation averages are provided in Table 3-1. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 3-1 Climate Data Leelanau County Average Daily Maximum Degree (F) Average Daily Minimum Degree (F) Average Total Precip. Inches January 30º 17º 1.9 February 30º 15º 1.3 March 38º 21º 1.6 April 52º 32º 2.0 May 65º 41º 3.0 June 76º 53º 2.6 July 82º 59º 2.6 August 79º 58º 2.6 September 71º 51º 3.7 October 59º 41º 2.9 November 44º 30º 3.0 December 33º 22º 1.7 Year 55º 37º 29.1 Month Source: Soil Survey of Leelanau County, Michigan. 3.3 Geology The bedrock underlying Leland Township was laid down during the Middle and Late Devonian ages of the Paleozoic Era. The bedrock under the Township consists of Traverse Group and Antrim Shale, see figure 3-1. The surface geology of the Township developed 10,000 to 12,000 years ago through glacial activity. Numerous advances and retreats by the glaciers resulted in the locally complex pattern of erosion and deposition. Leland Township is dominated by coarse-textured glacial till. Till is composed of unsorted sands and gravels left by the glacier, see figure 3-2. Along much of Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau the geological composition is primarily lacustrine (lake related) sand and gravel. In Leland Township, lacustrine sand and gravel occurs typically as former beach and near shore deposits of the glacial Great Lakes. The abandoned shorelines of glacial Lake Michigan are still visible in Leland Township as the terraces along the lake shore, see figure 3-2. Another visible indication of glacial history is the series of drumlins which extend southeast from the northwest portion of the Township. Drumlins are streamlined hills of glacial till shaped by the moving ice sheet, whose line of axis indicates the direction of local ice movement. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township 13eelrock GeoloeY Flgure3-1 North Manitou ll!lland 0 5.000 10.000 15.000 MAP LEGEND - \\IArER FEATURES SECTIONS ROADS - - -UIII MPRMD ROIIDS -----HIGHWIIYS BEDROCK GEOLOGY Nl"RIMSHAL DRIIVERSE GROl!P 0 WOO 4,000 GPOO Feet P~ /\RED flY MCP&O Souru! QunMrnaty Geology of Soutl,en, Michienti . Depa~nt af Geoloaic S.Cle.nc:en. Ut1iver5~ of Michiei,11. t9a2. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Glacial Geolo«f Figure 3-2 Nortl, Manitou 1.,1an.,1 0 G.000 12.000 18.000 MAP LEGEND - SECTIONS - ROADS -- -UfllMPROVED RO,',.DS - / -IIGHWAYS - WMER FEATURES GLAOA L GEOLOGY - oa,,0•1"><t<Jrod ~~c:ia till ne e,,nd . .... Lacuotnno o,nd md gravd 0 2,000 4.000 6,000 6ourct!': Qu.i:item.Aty Gc!'oloBY of 6outhen1MichiWl11 , Dep~rtment ofGeolo{jc 5cie11u&. U11iver&icy" of Michie-~m. 19&2 Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �3.4 Topography Slope is an important development consideration associated with topographic features. Steep roadway grades, septic field failures, soil erosion, and excavation costs are some of the difficulties associated with severe grades. The topographic map, provided as figure 3-3, depicts the areas of steep slopes where the contour lines are close together and other areas of the township with more rolling topography. The areas of moderate and extreme slope may be a constraint for potential development. Development in areas with severe slopes and ravines should be regulated. Where development is permitted on steep slopes, sensitive site planning should be required along these steep slopes to prevent soil erosion. A portion of the dune areas are state classified as Critical Sand Dune Areas, and as such any development in this area must be in compliance with the provisions of the state statute and receive state approval in addition to local land use and zoning approvals. Figure 3-4, shows the general areas of Critical Sand Dunes within the Township. 3.5 Soils One important determinant of land use is the soil's suitability for development. Land uses must correspond to the capacity of the soils on which they occur, and soil suitability for each use should be determined before development occurs. The soils found on the mainland portion of Leland Township are in one of the following four general soil associations. Those soil associations are: Deer Park Dune land association: Well-drained, strongly sloping to very steep, sandy soils on dunes. East Lake-Eastport-Lupton association: Well-drained and moderately well drained, nearly level to gently sloping, sandy soils and very poorly drained, nearly level mucky soils; on lake terraces and beach ridges. Emmet-Omena association: Well-drained, nearly level to very steep, loamy soils on moraines. Emmet-Leelanau association: well-drained, nearly level to steep, loamy and sandy soils on moraines and till plains. Often associated with particular topographic and soil characteristics, the development and septic limitations are either related to slope, hydric soils, or both. These limitations do not preclude the development of specific sites. The developer should realize, however, that construction on some soils may be more costly in time and money. A more detailed analysis of the soils by the District Health Department will determine suitability for siting a septic system. Health Department approval is required by State law. Soils and topography also determine which areas are classified as prime, unique and locally important farmland. The prime farmland classification indicates soils which are ideally suited for agricultural or timber production. Unique farmland is land other than prime that is used for the production of specific high value food and fiber crops. Locally important farmland includes soils which are nearly prime, but are located on slightly steeper grades. These soils can produce high Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Towns hip Topoeraphlc Map Figure 3 -3 I \ Nori;t, Manitou lol.and o 5000 10000 Feet A I. o--■3■.====6=,oo-o-Feet Source: U.S. Geological Survey Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Critical Dune Areas Figure 3-4 ~ + +&. + -=-~ + + /ct + l,»,t.•r< •+ -· + + i i 11-,-,,;,,.;,--.1---1-----+- - i ih!E~AOOD VO'lllf0081ill!' CRITICAL DUE MEAS l'Ql.lllt'"I..IUUW>!CTl~'\C ~.!:?.~=-"ROPOS!O Cflfl(CAI. OUN£ <!::2 ~~-! -.C£1111)to,1(1 34 -· \ b T30N,R12W ~ Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �yields when treated and managed according to modern farming methods. With good management these soils may produce yields equal to that of prime soils. Hydric soils (wetland soils) are found primarily in the vicinity of Lake Leelanau. Figure 3-5 show the wetland areas according to the National Wetland Inventory. This wetland mapping is based on general information, and does not indicate whether the mapped areas qualify as regulated wetlands. The wetland definition used by the National Wetland Inventory is “WETLANDS are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. For purposes of this classification wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: (1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes; (2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and (3) the substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of the year.” 3.6 Water Resources One of the most valuable natural resources of Leland Township is water. The Township is located within two watersheds: the Lake Michigan watershed and the subwatershed of Lake Leelanau. The waters of both Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan contribute to recreational activities such as fishing, boating and swimming. Both groundwater and surface water are vital resources within Leland Township. Because there is no central water distribution system, residents must rely upon individual wells for drinking water. The vulnerability of drinking water aquifers to surface contamination is high in the Township due to the highly permeable soils. Surface waters in lakes and creeks of the Township are an important resource for scenic, recreational and groundwater recharge amenities. It is therefore important that water resources be protected and managed in a manner which would ensure their quality. 3.6.1 Groundwater Important factors in the evaluation of groundwater are the quantity and quality of the water. The geologic and hydrologic features of the Township provide residents with sufficient water quantities. Water availability will not likely be a factor in limiting growth. In Leland Township, water quality is more of a limiting factor than water supply. A concern is the potential contamination of wells by septic fields, for the areas not served by the sewer systems. Although the Health Department record has no documented occurrences of contamination to date, the possibility for such pollution exists. Another possible groundwater contamination problem is nitrate pollution. Common sources of nitrates include animal feed lots, septic systems and runoff or leachate from manure or fertilized agricultural lands. 3.6.2 Surface Water The two major surface water resources in Leland Township are Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau. The Township's boundaries include 12 miles of Lake Michigan frontage and approximately 17 miles of Lake Leelanau frontage. These lakes and their associated tributary streams and creeks offer scenic and recreational amenities to Township residents and visitors. It is extremely important that the quality of these surface waters be protected from the negative impacts of overdevelopment, such as pollution and loss of scenic views to open water. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-8 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township National Wetlande Inventory Figure 3 -5 f / » 1- / \ \ ,·· I I ,,_...,...• •• '---,~.....-._ J. -" --.,- ~---.., I '\ :--.. North Manttou l&l.ana 6,000 0 / • ✓--✓• • •• _l __.., ~- ✓~ 12,000 18,000 Feet MAP LEGEND ---WAfER FEATURES - SECTIONS ROADS - - -UNIMPROVED ROADS - HIGHWAYS NA ilONAL WEilll\ND5 INYENTORY rttcr"9ent orosi,,~ on Wat<:r/Unknown 6ot,u,m ~ llllf;,:rob-Shrob . D Uncaioalldated 6o1;tam pl•mc:I Ares6 2/JOO 4 /)00 6/)00 0 F""1Pf<EPMED l)Y, MCP&D Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-9 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Lakes, creeks and wetlands are important for surface drainage, groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat. Alterations to the water features can contribute to flooding, poor water quality, insufficient water supply and loss of valuable wildlife habitat. While the current quality of surface waters in Leland Township is considered good to excellent, the threat of potential water pollution from point and non-point sources is a concern. Proper land use management can help control water quality conditions in Leland Township. Some methods to curb pollution include runoff control measures, septic field corrections, proper treatment of sanitary wastes, and fertilizer application restrictions. 3.7 Sites of Environmental Contamination Part 201 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) 1994, PA451, as amended, provides for the identification, evaluation and risk assessment of sites of environmental contamination in the State. The Remediation and Redevelopment Divisions (RRD) of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is charged with administering this law. A site of environmental contamination, as defined by RRD, is "a location at which contamination of soil, ground water, surface water, air or other environmental resource is confirmed, or where there is potential for contamination of resources due to site conditions, site use or management practices." The agency provides an updated list (via the MDEQ website) of environmentally contaminated sites by county, showing the sites by name, Site Assessment Model score, pollutant(s), and site status. The Michigan Sites of Environmental Contamination identifies 36 sites within Leelanau County, five of which are in Leland Township. Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUSTs). These are sites where underground tanks, often for storing gasoline or diesel fuel, are leaking and cleanup is required. In some cases this involves removing the tank, excavating the contaminated soil, and in some cases installing new tanks. Leelanau County has 36 closed LUSTs sites, where the work has been completed, five of which are in Leland Township. There are currently 25 open sites in Leelanau County, with three in Leland Township, where work is ongoing. 3.7.1 Surface Water Discharge Permits All point source discharges into surface waters are required to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit which is issued by the DEQ Water Division. Permit requirements generally address discharge limitations, effluent characteristics, monitoring and reporting requirements, along with facility management requirements. There are nine point source permit holders in Leelanau County, with one in Leland Township for the sewer facility. 3.7.2 Air Quality Air Quality is monitored by the Air Quality Division of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Standards have been established as acceptable levels of discharge for any of the following air pollutants: particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and trace metals. These pollutants are monitored on a continuing basis at selected locations around the state. Monitoring in recent years has shown the level of pollutants in the region to be within the established acceptable standards. Air discharge permits are required for businesses unless otherwise exempted by law. There is currently one known renewable operating permit in Leelanau County (Maple City). There are none in Leland Township. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-10 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �3.8 Summary The review of the natural resources in Leland Township indicates the natural features and agricultural resources are relatively unimpaired at this time; however these resources are vulnerable. Residents highly value the natural resources and scenic features of the Township, as indicated in the community survey. The environmental features of the Township are an important asset to the community, and need continued protection. Chapter 3: Natural Resources Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 3-11 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 4: Existing Land Use 4.1 Pattern of Land Divisions As development occurs, larger tracts of land are generally broken down into smaller parcels. Therefore, studying the existing pattern of land divisions is one way to analyze the status of land use and development. Land division patterns for Leland Township are discussed below. The largest undivided parcels in Leland Township are typically agricultural and/or forested properties. Other land divisions are occurring as larger parcels along the roads are split into smaller parcels. In terms of land division patterns, it is worth noting that some of the newer residential developments in Leland Township are often being created as site condominiums rather than traditional subdivisions. A site condominium does not actually create lots by land division. Therefore, a site condominium project may continue to appear as a large, undivided tract when it has already been converted to relatively dense residential use. 4.2 Existing Land Use Statistics and Characteristics According to the 1990 Census, Leland Township's land area is 45.6 square miles. The mainland area of Leland Township is bordered on the west and north by Lake Michigan and on the northeast by Leelanau Township. The Township is bordered on the southeast by Sutton Bay Township and Centerville Township on the south. The land use mapping from the Leelanau County was utilized as a starting point for the Township mapping, and then updated using Michigan Department of Natural Resources 1998 aerial photographs, and supplemental field checking. The updated information was then computerized to produce the existing land use statistics. Table 4-1 presents the percentage of Leland Township currently in each land use category, from largest to smallest. Each of the land use categories is discussed in detail later in this chapter. Chapter 4: Existing Land Use Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 4-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Table 4-1: 2004 Existing Land Use Leland Township - Mainland Land Use Category Upland Forest Agricultural Water Residential Nonforest Lowland Forest Wetlands Beaches and Sand Dunes Recreation/Institutional Industrial/Extraction/Utilities Commercial Total Acreage Percentage 5,084.9 3,647.6 3,107.9 2,408.8 2,220.0 976.8 289.1 144.2 134.5 116.7 35.82 18,166.52 28.0% 20.1% 17.1% 13.3% 12.2% 5.4% 1.6% 0.8% 0.7% 0.6% 0.2% 100.0% Source: Michigan Resource Information System and MC P&D Field Verification and Map Updating. 4.2.1 Forests and Wetlands Forests, which include upland hardwoods and conifers, account for 28 percent of the Township land area. Heavily wooded areas are found throughout the Township, as can be seen in Figures 4-1. A decrease in forested land is directly attributable to development, primarily residential development. Wetlands include land that has sufficient water at, or near, the surface to support wetland or aquatic vegetation. These areas are commonly referred to as swamps, marshes, or bogs. Wetland areas may also include land that supports lowland hardwoods and conifers. Wetland information was not verified by field inspection when these maps were compiled. Thus, the areas shown as wetlands by the Michigan Resource Information System (MIRIS) may not meet State and Federal criteria for legally regulated wetlands. Lowland Forests (forested wetlands) and wetland areas comprise seven percent of the Township. As illustrated in Figure 4-1, the main wetland area in the Township is along the northern portion of Lake Leelanau. Chapter 4: Existing Land Use Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 4-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township 2004 Exletin0 Land Cover/Uee - Mainland Figure 4-1 MtipLeeend -leland All Road• 5ECnON5 - -River:,, and 5t.f'e.3m, L oo9,1 Land Ue;e/Cover Rt:•identisl - ommerc:ial lnduetriaVExtractive Rt:creation/ln•titutional ater 0 e.achee/Dut1e& 2,000 4poo 6,000 Feet Dau File Source&: Michi9"n Department of Nat.oral Rt:&ource& Leelanau County Planning Depart.m,nt- Land U.., Datll, Michi&0n F:e&ource Inventory Sy,,t,,m (M IR15) Leelanau Cou,rt;y Planning Department M.C. Planning & Dooiq, Field Upelaro A Chapter 4: Existing Land Use Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 4-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �4.2.2 Agricultural Agricultural use is the second most prominent land use in Leland Township. As shown in Table 41, agricultural lands occupied approximately 20 percent of Township land area in 2004. As is illustrated in Figure 4-1, the agricultural lands are well dispersed across the Township. The agricultural classification also includes agricultural lands that may be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. This program pays farmers to remove certain erodible lands from agricultural production. 4.2.3 Water Open water comprises over 17 percent of the Township area, due primarily to Lake Leelanau. Figure 4-1 illustrates the locations of the lakes and streams in the Township. 4.2.4 Residential As can be seen from Table 4-1, the amount of land being used for residential purposes is approximately 13 percent of the Township. The pattern of residential development within Leland Township is shown in Figure 4-1. Residential use has been primarily located along lakeshores and road frontage. Recent residential growth has primarily occurred in new subdivisions and site condominium developments. 4.2.5 Nonforested The nonforested land category consists of herbaceous open and shrub land. As shown in Table 41, the percent of nonforested land in the Township is approximately 12 percent, and are scattered throughout the Township, as shown in Figure 4-1. 4.2.6 Beaches and Sand Dunes The beaches and sand dune areas comprise nearly one percent of the Township and are shown in Figure 4-1. Additionally the State regulated Critical Dune Areas are shown in Figure 3-4 of the Natural Resources Chapter of this plan. 4.2.7 Recreation and Institutional Recreation and institutional lands in the Township comprise less than one percent of the mainland portion of the Township, as shown in Table 4-1. Detailed information regarding the individual recreation sites is presented in the Leland Township Recreation Plan. Leland Township with frontage on both Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau provides extensive water-related recreation opportunities. The largest recreation area is North Manitou Island which is part of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore; the other mainland recreation lands mapped in Leland Township are the Leland Country Club golf course, the Leland Township Harbor and the public access sites on Lake Leelanau. Figure 4-1 illustrates the locations of recreation and open space lands in the Township. Chapter 4: Existing Land Use Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 4-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �4.2.8 Industrial/Extractive/Utilities Based on the Michigan Resources Inventory System (MIRIS) mapping classification, industrial, extractive, transportation and utilities are grouped together. These properties are shown in Figure 4-1. Table 4-1 shows a combined percent for industrial, extractive, transportation and utility uses less than one percent. 4.2.9 Commercial Table 4-1 shows a limited amount of land in commercial use in Leland Township; approximately 0.2 percent of the land in the Township is in commercial use. As apparent in Figure 4-1, the commercially used properties are primarily concentrated in the Villages of Leland and Lake Leelanau, as well as east of Lake Leelanau along M-204. Chapter 4: Existing Land Use Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 4-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation 5.1 Utilities Service Electric service is provided to the Township by Consumers Energy and Cherryland Electric. Propane gas service is commonly used and is provided by several private businesses. There is natural gas service in the Villages of Lake Leelanau and Leland, also South of 204. A T & T provides communications service to Leland village and Lake Leelanau village. Century Telephone provides communications service to east Leland. Cell phone service is provided in portions of the township. Cable, broadband and DSL services are provided in portions of the Township by a variety of companies. 5.2 Sanitary Sewer System A public sanitary sewer system serves both villages. The sanitary sewer system was developed to protect the water quality of both groundwater and surface water in the area. This system collects effluent from septic tanks and pumps the effluent to a central effluent treatment facility. This facility is located in a portion of the Provemont Pond Natural Area between the villages. Individual septic tanks are pumped and maintained by the sewer system. The sewer facilities for the two villages are depicted in Figure 5-1and 5-2. The Leland Township sewer system currently serves over 500 users and was designed to serve existing buildings in the sewer district with only limited extra capacity for vacant lots or increased uses. The Sewer Commission has determined that there will not be enough capacity to serve all of the vacant lots within the sewer district and that the sewer system will be approaching capacity within a few years. The Sewer Commission has explored the possibility of expansion at the treatment plant, and preliminary approval from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has been received to increase the capacity of the system. The sewer system was installed between 1991 and 1993 after years of planning and controversy. A major grant covering half the cost of the project was obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency to aid in financing this project. Bonds issued by the County Board of Public Works provided additional financing. The Leland Township Board controls this system through the Leland Township Sewer Use Ordinance which established a Sewer District requiring mandatory use of public sewers. The Sewer Districts are shown in Figure 5-1 and Figure 5-2. Sewer district users pay operational and debt retirement fees in addition to installation fees. The Sewer Commission, appointed by the Township Board, serves in advisory capacity and makes recommendations to the Township Board. Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Sewer Dl5trlct - Leland VIiia¥ Figure 5 -1 Lake Michigan Lake Leelanau M"P o- 501m;<1=>: oar.. 11-1-01 Michigan Dopartmont of Nat,11ral li:o=>0urc:o=>, Lulanau County Planning D<1part-mont a1<:t l.ala,d Town=>hip Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-3 Leland Township s~er Dletrict - Lake ~lanau Villa~ figure 5-2 Lake Leelanau .------" Tmp St. I <fl ~ 11 ::i PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 l·IIH~ 11 1 I I l I I II I l .., I I I I [II] OJ I W. Meinrsd St, Lake Leelanau .._........., Louio • 51:. Map Dar~ 11·7--07 Data Gource1': Michl a,,n C,.,partmen-t of Na-tural R..!Sourcee, Loelanau Coun~ Plannine Dopart<nen-t """ L,,l..,d r.,..,,..t,;p �5.3 Township Schools Leland Public Schools in Leland village provide education for grades K-12 with a 2005/2006 enrollment of about 397 students. The Leland Public School District includes portions of adjacent townships and a small portion of Leland Township is served by the Suttons Bay Public School District, see Figure 5-3. St. Mary's School (parochial) in Lake Leelanau village provides education for grades K-12 with a 2005/2006 enrollment of about 240 students. Leland Township School Die;trlcte; Se.-vin0 Leland Towne;hlp Fig.irc5-3 ~• • IIO :11/~~-- - ~~~ l .,.._..,-.,, -\ ' ,., , "' ., . "~--....,.l ., )! • -~ North Msnlt<>u lsls.n.t Map Layer<!> . LAKES - WAl'EI?. FEAnJl?.ES SECTIONS - WADS ---UNIM PROVED WADS - Suttone; Bay Public Schoole; HIGHWAYS OWNSHIP OOUNDARY - 1,scHOOL D15fRJCf SCHOOL DISTRI Cf Selectlor, Seta Sutot<>n• ~~Y S.hool Di•t<i<t o ?>POO f>POO 9,000 Map Dm;, 11·7-07 D&ts Sauri:;ea: Mich ig,on ~plilrtmerrt-of NattJral ~oourcie&. and U:-elan.EILI County P1ainin9 Dcplr-tmcnt. Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �5.4 Emergency Services Fire, rescue, and ambulance services are provided by Leland Township Fire and Rescue from Leland village and Lake Leelanau village. The department currently has two full-time paid staff and as well as volunteer personnel under the supervision of the Fire and Rescue Board. These fire departments work closely together with two stations providing service. These volunteer services are augmented by the county 911 system. Mutual aid services agreements are in effect with all fire departments in the county. Advanced life support (ALS) services are provided by North Flight. Police protection is provided by the Leelanau County Sheriff's Department which also provides inland lake patrols. During the summer months, one deputy is dedicated to the township on a part time basis. Michigan State Police also serve the area. 5.5 Heath Services Health services are provided by local private clinics and an urgent care clinic in Lake Leelanau village, along with health care providers in Suttons Bay and a regional hospital in Traverse City. 5.6 Other Services Solid waste disposal service is provided by local contractors, currently Waste Management, Kalchick, Maple Disposal and American Waste provide residential service. A recycling drop off site is available for residents, behind the Township offices in Lake Leelanau. Television cable and internet service is provided by Charter Cable Systems of Michigan. PB Casting has an antenna located in the township which also provides high-speed internet service. 5.7 Leland Harbor Leland Harbor accommodates approximately 70 small vessels (more if "rafting up" is done). This is a harbor of refuge, allowing for short stays, and is a busy destination. The harbor provides fuel and sewage services, while local retail stores and a private marina offer a nearby source of supplies for boaters. Services include a boat launch ramp, a picnic area and playground, toilet and shower facilities, and boat trailer parking. A fleet of charter fishing boats and commercial fishing boats operate from the privately owned Fishtown complex on the Leland River adjacent to the harbor. The harbor also accommodates commercial excursion boats and the National Lakeshore ferry concession to the Manitou Islands. Maintenance of the channel entrance for the Leland Harbor is the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The daily operation of the Harbor is supervised by the Harbor Commission of Leland Township. The Harbor Commission is appointed by the Township Board. An upgrade and expansion has been planned for 2008. 5.8 Library The Leland Township Library was founded and funded through the private initiative of Township residents. Land for the library was donated to the Township by Wilber C. Munnecke in 1974. Once established, the library received support for part of its operations from Leland Township Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �through a millage (currently levied at 0.3 mills). The Library Board is appointed by the Township Board. The Library Board expanded the building in 1992, financing it with private funds. The library contains 40,000 volumes. It also has a large collection of videos and compact discs. Digital and interlibrary services are also available and are well utilized by Township residents and registered patrons from surrounding jurisdictions. 5.9 Museum and Public Meeting Room The Leelanau Historical Society operates a museum adjacent to the Leland Township Library which serves the entire county. The Munnecke Room, serves as a publicly available meeting room which separates the library from the museum and is frequently used for Township meetings. The museum board operates independently of the Township. 5.10 Transportation Network Leland Township is served by the Bay Area Transit Authority which provides daily bus service to Traverse City and throughout the county. However, the primary means of transportation is the automobile. A map depicting the roads within Leland Township is provided in Figure 5-4. The existing road network is described in the following paragraphs. 5.11 State Roads State highway M-22 (a designated scenic route) encircles the Leelanau Peninsula commencing north from Traverse City to Northport and continuing southwest, passes through Leland village near the west shore of Leelanau Peninsula. Highway M-22 includes ten miles from north to south within Leland Township. The portion of M-22 that runs through Leland Township is part of the M-22 Scenic Heritage Route. Two miles south of Leland village, highway M-22 intersects with highway M-204. Highway M204 progresses east for four miles to Lake Leelanau village and continues four miles east to Suttons Bay. 5.12 County Roads Twelve miles of primary county roads include route 645 and route 643 leading south from highway M-204, and route 641 which connects the narrows with highway M-22 along the east side of Lake Leelanau. Eagle Highway connects the Leelanau Narrows with highway M-22 north through the farmlands of east Leland Township. Twenty-two miles of secondary roads are also maintained by the county. 5.13 Other Transportation Routes Paved shoulders for non-motorized (bicycle) are located along M-204 from Lake Leelanau to Duck Lake Corner, M-22 from Duck Lake Corner to Northport and along Lake Leelanau Drive from M-204 to Bingham Rd. Sidewalk use for pedestrians is provided in the villages. Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Road Network Fl1JJ"' 5 -4 d North M3nltou lel3nJ Map Layen, - AKES - -W/ITERFEATURES SECllONS - -ROADS --- UNI MPROVED ROADS - STATE HIGHWAYS L _ 1TOWNS HIP BOUNDARY 0 3,000 6,000 9,000 Feet Map Date 11-7-oT Data 6ourc.,&, Michia,,n O..parT.mento of Nsr.ursl R,,..ource&. and u,elsnsu Count;y fl,.,n,n0 Deporun.,nt; Chapter 5: Community Services, Facilities, and Transportation Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 5-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 6: Significant Land Use Issues This chapter presents and discusses significant land use issues identified by the Leland Township Planning Commission and township residents. The issues include some specific facilities and land uses as well as some general development issues. 6.1 County Facilities in Leland In the fall of 2004, the Leelanau County residents voted to relocate the county facilities. As of spring 2008, the Leelanau County courthouse and county offices have been relocated outside of Leland Township, and the property will be sold for private development. Based upon the comments received from residents at a public forum, the general consensus of those present, was the area should be redeveloped as low density residential, primarily single family houses, with the possibility of park land/open space along the river. 6.2 Fishtown Fishtown is the area of Leland located on the water, at the marina, with small shops. This area has historic significance from the days when the economy of the area was heavily dependent on the fishing industry. In early 2007, a portion of the Fishtown area was purchased by the Fishtown Preservation Society, a non-profit organization formed to promote and preserve the historical and fishing heritage of Fishtown. The present uses in the Fishtown area are not accommodated with the standards of the current zoning ordinance. One option that is being considered is to provide a zoning district or overlay district to allow for the continuation of the current uses, that are well accepted and desired by the residents (per 2005 survey findings) and visitors. Fishtown is a significant landmark and serves as a major tourist attraction for visitors coming to the Leland area. 6.3 Septic and Sewer Issues Portions of Leland Township are served by a public sanitary sewer system. The areas served are primarily limited to parts of the two unincorporated villages, as depicted in Figure 8-1 Future Land Use Map. Issues were raised by survey respondents and the master plan steering committee regarding the expansion of the system to serve other portions of the Township, especially around Lake Leelanau in order to help protect water quality. At present, the Sewer Commission is pursuing the additional drain fields to increase the processing capacity in order to meet the anticipated demands of the existing districts. The Planning Commission and the Sewer Commission have begun a dialog to look at the issue of future growth and the impacts of sewer availability. At present, the primary areas of focus for providing sewer are the two villages, which is consistent with where the Township wishes to focus growth. Chapter 6: Significant Land Use Issues Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 6-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �6.4 Views and Ridgeline Development Views to and from the hills and water are an important component of the character of Leland Township (as re-iterated by survey respondents in January 2005, see Appendix A). The Township recognizes the importance of views to many residents and visitors as well as concerns regarding the rights of the property owners. The Township is exploring ways to provide for development options in the Zoning Ordinance to encourage the location of buildings off the ridgeline so that development occurs in a manner with less visual impact, such as by preserving existing vegetation to provide filtered views to and from the development site, and/or to require additional landscape screening. 6.5 Keyhole Development Keyhole or funnel development is the practice of providing shared lake access to lakefront and/or non-lakefront property owners through a commonly owned parcel of waterfront property. Leland Township with its extensive water frontage is faced with the decision on how this type of use should be managed in the future. Some of the issues associated with keyhole development pertain to the “use ratio”, ie how many property owners can use a parcel that meets the minimum district area and frontage requirements; how many docks are allowed; amount of parking; and buffering/screening requirements along adjacent parcels. In many instances a keyhole development site has a boat launch or dock which increases the traffic on the lake, this increase in boat traffic can negatively impact the water quality (due to spillage from boats, the mooring of boats and the loss of natural vegetation) and wildlife due to increased human activity. As described in this Master Plan, water quality is important to Leland Township in terms of economics, tourism, natural environment and quality of life. Keyhole development can also impact existing neighboring single-family homes due to excessive noise and traffic. Therefore the regulation of keyhole development is necessary to ensure such development occurs only in a manner compatible with the surrounding area. 6.6 Farmland and Open Space Preservation Agriculture and agriculture-related businesses are a critical part of the Township’s economy, rural heritage and, therefore, should be supported through zoning that fosters a healthy economic environment for farmers. Farmland and Open Space Preservation are very important to the property owners of Leland Township as evidenced by the finding from a Citizen Survey conducted in January 2005, see Appendix A. Over 82 percent of the responding property owners indicated that they either agree or strongly agree that “Leland Township should work to preserve open space”. Approximately 75 percent of the respondents indicated they agree or strongly agree that it is “Important to manage the conversion of farmland to residential or other developed uses”. Leland Township is very interested in making all options available for the preservation of farmland and open space, such as the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. The Township also clearly recognizes any farmer’s participation in a PDR or any other preservation type of program will be completely voluntary. Chapter 6: Significant Land Use Issues Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 6-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �The lands which are actively being farmed are shown on the Existing Land Use/Cover map, Figure 4-1 in Chapter 4 of this Master Plan. Of the existing active farmland a limited amount of land (less than 1200 acres) is enrolled in the Farmland and Open Space Preservation program, also known as PA 116, (see Figure 6-1). The combination of land on the Tart Cherry Inventory, areas with Prime and Unique farmland soils, active agricultural lands and areas designated for development are factors Leland Township considered in the designation of areas intended for preservation consideration, (see Figure 6-2). Leland Township Propertle0 wl"th Farmland D,:velopment Right,, Agrument6 Forn,i,rty kt10W11 89 PA 116 F111Jro 6-1 North Manitou Island 0 16.000 9/XX) 27.000 Foo< Mapl")'Or,, Q arG4!:I& - W.at-er-F~tl.Jrce -l(OAD& - - -UNIMPIWYED RO-'DS ---ttl(;HW-'YS .Prml~nd Dcvclopme-nt. Ri(Jhte (PA -6cct~onLJnc-it 0 2JXX) 4.000 G,000 Mop Dat61t·7-07 Chapter 6: Significant Land Use Issues Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 6-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township A~rlcultural Conelderatlon Areae Land In Actlve Agriculture, Prime or Unique Farmland Solis and Areas identified on the Tart Cherry Inventory Figure 6-2 Areas of Agricultural Importance Active Agricu~ural Soil Unique Farmland Prime Farmland Soils . Prime Farmland Tart Cherry Slteclass . Tart cherry - good e;itee; . Tart Cherry -low priority e;itee; Tart Cherry - mediocre e;itee; 0 .7 1.4 2.1 Milee; Lake Leelan N 1' Chapter 6: Significant Land Use Issues Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 6-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives This chapter sets forth the Township’s goals and objectives to guide future development. In analyzing the data compiled in the earlier chapters it is very clear that Leland Township faces a number of development pressures. The population is growing and development is occurring at an accelerated rate. It is unlikely that all of the new development will be occupied with yearround residences. However, if these residential properties were to be occupied year-round at the same average number of persons per household as the year round population for the Township, the overall Township population would increase significantly, and thus could dramatically alter the character of Leland Township. However, by encouraging new development to conform to community-based standards and guidelines, both the rural character and the natural resources of the Township can be protected to the fullest extent. 7.1 Physical Opportunities and Constraints As discussed in Chapter 3, Natural Resources, land in Leland Township is not uniformly suitable for development. The physical characteristics of Leland Township, including steep slopes, high risk erosion areas, critical dune areas, shoreline areas, wetlands, as well as active farmland, and open space are many of the features that contribute to the unique character of Leland Township and need to be considered as land use regulations are reviewed or revised to provide for development options. 7.2 Community Survey Results A Township citizen survey was conducted in 2005. A summary of the 2005 survey results are presented below. The survey and findings are provided in Appendix A. Leland Township mailed out 1,470 survey questionnaires to Township property owners. A total of 614 surveys were completed and returned, for a return rate of 41.8 percent. This is considered an excellent response rate for mailed surveys. Response Demographics: Forty-eight percent of the survey respondents are year-round Leland Township residents. The majority of the respondents, 54.9% indicated they have lived in the Township for more than 20 years. The vast majority of the survey respondents (72.1%) indicated preference for “planned and limited growth”. Regarding services, over 87% of the respondents consider the road maintenance to be adequate and over 65% consider the park facilities to adequate. The survey respondents were divided regarding the need for an expanded sewer district (41.2% in support, 32.1 % neutral, and 26.7% disagree). Additionally, the respondents were divided on the issue regarding how to finance a sewer expansion, if pursued. The survey respondents answered some open-ended questions and identified likes, dislikes and concerns. Respondents generally agree the township should work to preserve undeveloped shoreline, slow the conversion of farmland to residential or other developed uses and limit ridgeline development. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �When asked which best describes open space, the following terms were selected in order of importance, (1) scenic view, (2) Forest, (3) Pastures/Meadows, (4) Farmland, (5) Wetland, (6) Parks/Sports fields. One of the main areas of concern identified in the survey was the protection of open space to prevent overdevelopment. The survey also collected responses to questions covering a number of different topic areas. The general topics included natural resources, recreation, transportation, housing and economics. The response information is summarized by topic area and included as Appendix B to this Plan. 7.3 Land Use Goals and Objectives The 2005 survey discussed above identified some general concerns of the Township residents. A steering committee comprised of Township residents was appointed to work with the planning consultant and assist the Planning Commission in the preparation of the Township land use goals and participate in the application of these goals in the preparation of the Future Land Use plan included in this Township Master Plan. These identified issues are expressed here as general land use goals, objectives and action steps. More specific goals and objectives follow and are grouped by topic. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.1 Land Use Goal Retain the Township’s rural and scenic character, by preserving farmlands, forestland, open space and through encouraging growth/development in and around the villages of Leland and Lake Leelanau. Objectives and Action Steps A. Encourage retention of farmland, forestland and open space through coordinated land use plans and related regulations. B. Promote the health, safety and welfare of Township residents by coordinating the uses of land with the provision of efficient public services. C. Facilitate communication with adjacent Townships. D. Control density and location of new development, to discourage sprawl, by encouraging protection of open space and scenic views in the Township, including but not limited to the use of appropriate conservation easements, conservation development techniques, cluster development, purchase or transfer of development rights and special use permit zoning ordinance provisions. E. Provide multiple options for land development, while allowing continued agricultural use, protection of significant natural features and important views. F. Provide options that encourage new construction to be sited below the ridgeline and encourage the preservation of existing wooded areas or planting of trees to provide filtered views. G. Explore and pursue methods to preserve the rural character of road corridors, scenic heritage routes, and scenic vistas within view of these corridors. H. Work with the Heritage Route Committee to enhance the corridors through Leland Township. I. Identify and promote the preservation and enhancement of significant historic, archaeological, and scenic features. J. Continue to pursue junk or blight elimination regulations. K. Reduce light and noise pollution through ordinances. L. Provide sign regulations to protect the Township’s rural character and scenic beauty. M. Identify active agricultural areas for pursuit for Purchase Development Rights (PDR) program. N. Update zoning ordinance to encourage development consistent with the relevant guidelines of the New Designs for Growth Guidebook, potentially through the form based zoning. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.2 Agricultural Support Goal Encourage opportunity for innovative programs to support continued agricultural activities. Objectives and Action Steps A. Recognize that the presence of agricultural lands adds to the scenic and rural character of the Township, as well as its economic health. B. Allow for the pursuit of economically feasible options for continued agricultural use of active farmland, such as value-added agriculture, local agri-tourism, and agricultural support services. C. Allow for and encourage farmland protection, such as through the transfer of development rights, purchase or lease of development rights, conservation easements and the clustering of non-farm development. D. Encourage establishment of public and private local facilities through which local resource-based products can be sold. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.3 Natural Resource Goal Utilize guidelines that encourage the protection and preservation of water quality and environmentally sensitive areas. Objectives and Action Steps A. Identify and protect sensitive environmental areas to be preserved such as critical sand dunes areas, high risk erosion acres, woodlands, wetlands, steep slopes, and other environmentally sensitive areas; and identify land that may not be suitable for development because of natural limitations for the erection of structures or septic systems (such as hydric soils, flood plains, steep slopes, or areas at high risk of shoreline erosion). B. Encourage the acquisition of sensitive environmental areas by public agencies or nonprofit organizations for the purpose of permanent preservation. C. Establish regulations for land development in sensitive environments, which permit development in a manner which balances natural resource protection and the use of the property. Require new developments to mitigate negative impacts on the natural environment where appropriate. D. Encourage the continuation, coordination and areas of cooperation with watershed management programs for Leland Township and adjacent areas. E. Encourage Leland Township sewer system upgrades, and explore system expansions. Promote alternative systems and septic system inspections to protect water quality of lakes. Coordinate future sewer planning with the Sewer Commission, Planning Commission and the Land Use Plan. F. Explore and pursue the possible establishment of a Lake Leelanau sewer district jointly with other jurisdictions, to protect the water quality of the lake. G. Protect water quality through waterfront usage and development standards in the zoning ordinance. H. Preserve the natural vegetation of shoreline areas and encourage planting of native trees and shrubs through greenbelt regulations. I. Identify and protect the Lake Leelanau Narrows as a sensitive environment. J. Work cooperatively with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for the protection of North Manitou Island and continued designation and management as a “Wilderness” area. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.4 Residential Goal Provide for a broad range of housing opportunities, which respond to the varying economic, family, and lifestyle needs of area residents and tourists. Objective and Action Steps A. Discourage development in areas identified on the Agricultural Considerations Areas map (Figure 6-2) and direct higher density residential development to be located in and around the villages, through zoning regulations and incentives. B. Provide a range of development options in the zoning regulations, such as Conservation Design Subdivisions and Planned Unit Developments, to encourage a mix of housing types in a single development. C. Develop residential development options, to allow for clustering of new development within land parcels so as to encourage preservation of open space. D. Protect the residential neighborhoods from intrusion of incompatible uses. E. Due to aging population in Leland Township, provide zoning options to meet the needs of senior citizens, such as a senior citizen center, group facilities and accessory dwellings. F. Explore the possibility of an expedited zoning review process for Affordable Housing projects. G. Encourage exploration of affordable housing options. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.5 Economic Goals Strengthen the local economy through the development and retention of enterprises, which provide employment opportunities. Preserve Leland Township as a tourist-friendly community. Objectives and Action Steps A. Work cooperatively with local economic development groups to retain and attract business. B. Allow for a diversity of commercial and light industrial development, with year-around employment opportunities, including non-tourism based ventures. C. Direct intensive commercial development to the villages and encourage mixed-use land use patterns and character. D. Review both positive and negative impacts of the local tourism industry and work to resolve any identified issues, such as traffic, parking and the need for restroom facilities. E. Work with the Heritage Route Committee to enhance the corridors through Leland Township. F. Establish zoning provisions to allow for knowledge-based businesses in close proximity to the Villages where support services are more available. G. Revise the zoning to provide opportunities for the continuation of the current land uses and activities in Fishtown. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.6 Infrastructure & Public Service Goal Plan Township facilities and services consistent with the community needs. Objectives and Action Steps A. Encourage the pursuit of a Capital Improvements Planning process, (CIP) to aid implementation of this Master Plan. B. Compare and coordinate proposed plans for the expansion and improvement of public services and facilities with county and adjacent township plans. C. Promote safe pedestrian and bicycle travel by developing and designating nonmotorized pathways and routes. D. Encourage pedestrian oriented design and amenities in Villages, including review of service drives, curb cuts, and crosswalk location; additional sidewalks; public restroom facilities, way-finding signs, and site furniture such as benches and trash receptacles. E. Maintain zoning regulations to ensure adequate equipment access by emergency services (police, fire and EMS). F. Continue to support countywide recycling and solid waste management programs, and encourage commercial recycling. G. Explore the possibilities for coordinated planning, establishment and development of a multi-jurisdictional sewer district surrounding Lake Leelanau, (the lake, not just the Village). Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-8 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �7.3.7 Recreational Goal Provide and maintain recreational lands and facilities for residents and visitors. Objectives and Action Steps A. Support the development of community recreation and sports facilities for all age groups. B. Maintain, improve or expand Township parks to accommodate growing residential and tourist use. C. Continue to maintain public lake access and boat launch facilities. D. Promote the development or designation of non-motorized pathways and bike routes, to connect villages and recreational areas in the Township. E. Encourage designation/development of trails to direct snowmobile traffic off county road right-of-ways. F. Maintain an up-to-date Michigan DNR approvable Community Recreation Plan to specify current needs and be eligible for grant funding for recreation projects. 7.3.8 Community Institutions (Public facilities, churches) Maintain vital community centers by supporting the needs of existing and new community institutions in the Villages. Objectives and Action Steps A. Encourage shared parking for facilities that are primarily used during “off peak” business hours. Chapter 7: Community Goals and Objectives Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 7-9 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations At present, Leland Township is primarily a rural residential, agricultural, and tourist based community. Lakeshore living is available along the shores of Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. While active agricultural uses have declined from historic levels, the many active farms that remain are highly valued by the local residents, according to the 2005 Leland Township Survey. Through land use planning and land use controls, Leland Township intends to work to ensure that existing rural residential, agricultural, and recreational uses can continue, and reasonable growth can be directed towards Leland and Lake Leelanau Villages with minimal land use conflict or negative environmental impact. Based on the social, economic and environmental characteristics of the Township, eight general categories of land use have been identified to serve existing and future development needs. These categories are listed below: ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ Conservation and Park Land Farm-Forest Rural Residential General Residential Waterfront Residential Leland Village Mixed Use Lake Leelanau Village Mixed Use Manufacturing/Light Industry Conservation and Park Land The Conservation and Park Land category includes North Manitou Island, existing park land on the mainland, as well as land owned and protected by a land conservancy as preserves open to the public. Other lands are protected under conservation easements with a land conservancy, however such lands are not open to the public and thus not shown on the Future Land Use Map, Figure 8-1, or included in this Future Land Use category. The lands included in the Conservation and Park Land category are not subject to intense development pressures due to existing public or quasi-public ownership or easement status. Consequently only environmental preservation and low intensity recreation related development activities are anticipated on these properties. It is intended that these lands be designated for continued conservation and recreational uses. The distribution of the Conservation and Park Land designated land throughout the Township is shown on the Future Land Use Map, Figure 8-1. The entire area of North Manitou Island is part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. North Manitou Island is almost entirely managed as “Wilderness”, based on the 1981 recommendation, with only a small area surrounding the historic village/ranger station being managed to preserve the historical structures and resources. Based on current Federal legislation, areas of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore proposed in the 1981 “Wilderness Recommendation” must be managed to maintain existing wilderness character “until Congress determines otherwise.” Due to this law all lands included in the 1981 recommendation (including North Manitou Island), have been and will continue to be managed Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �as wilderness unless or until, Congress acts upon a recommendation. (Source: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Draft General Management Plan, Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement – April 2008). See Appendix B for excerpts pertaining to use and management of Wilderness areas. Uses proposed in the Conservation and Park Land area include public and private forestry, wildlife habitat, recreation, and similar open space uses. The Township encourages the establishment of conservation, park land and open space, including the preservation of wetlands and riverine habitats for scenic, recreation and wildlife protection such as the Lake Leelanau Narrows, as well as the preservation of prime, unique and valuable farmland. The tools to accomplish this include donations, acquisition, and cooperative efforts with other units of government and land owners, conservation easements and zoning ordinance provisions that support the use of conservation easements and sound conservation developments. Because parcel sizes vary significantly from small road end lake access sites to large forested tracts of land, no minimum parcel size is recommended. Farm-Forest The Farm-Forest category includes those lands within the Township where agricultural and/or forested land uses are encouraged to continue on a long term basis and are afforded opportunities and protections to do so. Agricultural lands included in the Farm-Forest area embody one or more characteristics which strongly support long term economically viable agricultural operations including comparatively large parcel sizes, limited encroachment by conflicting land uses, good agricultural soils and/or topographic conditions, and enrollment in the Farmland and Open Space Protection Program (part 361 of PA 451 of 1994, formerly known as PA 116). Based on the survey responses (2005), the Township residents encourage preservation methods that maintain farmlands, farming, open space, natural resources and rural character of the Township. Some of the methods include innovative zoning provisions that allow for the preservation or conservation of essential natural resources, farmland or open space. Other methods to help protect and preserve agricultural land while protecting a landowner’s economic investment include the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR), Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), clustering requirements for non-agricultural uses and tax breaks or incentives for continuing agricultural use. While agriculture is the primary intended use for this area, it is further recognized that the encroachment of conflicting land uses must be limited in order to protect the existing agricultural uses and the rural character of the Township. It is also the intent of the Farm-Forest area to protect the quantity and quality of the special natural resources included within this area, such as wetlands, farmlands and woodlands. In order to promote the preservation of the important local agricultural land, the areas identified and discussed in Chapter 6, and mapped in Figure 6-2 have been overlaid on the Farm-Forest future land use category and is presented in the Agricultural Preservation Priority Areas map, Figure 8-2. The priority agricultural preservation areas that are mapped as Farm-Forest on the Future Land Use map, Figure 8-1, are also included in one or more of the following categories: 1) active agricultural area; 2) areas with prime or unique farmland soils, and/or 3) areas which are included in the Tart Cherry Inventory. Due to the typically larger parcel sizes in this area and the lower density of existing development in the Farm-Forest designated areas, these potentially would be suitable for extractive operations provided such an operation meet the standards set forth in the zoning ordinance for such uses in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the Township as a Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �whole, and would create “No Very Serious Consequences”, as judicially formulated by the Michigan Supreme Court in 1982 Silva decision, (Silva v. Ada Township, 416 Mich. 153, 330 N.W.2d 663 (1982), as may be amended or revised by the Michigan Supreme Court.) Rural Residential The Rural Residential area is intended to accommodate a mixture of primarily agricultural and residential land uses. The Rural Residential area is intended to serve both as a means of accommodating future residential development within a low density open space setting and buffering more intensive agricultural operations from higher density residential growth areas. The Rural Residential area is intended to accommodate low density residential development with a strong emphasis upon protecting the area’s natural resources, sensitive environmental features, rural character, and open spaces, while also encouraging the continuation of viable farming operations. Recommended development densities should generally not exceed approximately one dwelling unit per 1 to 5 acres. Lower densities may be appropriate where special environmental conditions are present. The higher density range, approaching one dwelling unit per 1 acre, should be available only where the development project employs aggressive measures to protect the natural resources and rural character of the Township and the safety of the township’s thoroughfares, including the use of interior roads, the clustering of lots upon a parcel while designating the balance of the original parcel as permanent open space (such as through conservation design), and the effective screening of new dwellings from the county road network. General Residential The General Residential area is intended to accommodate primarily single family residential growth and development at a slightly greater density than provided for in the Rural Residential area, but not at densities as high as the Township’s Village areas. The General Residential category includes much of the existing residential development and provides opportunities for additional similar development as well as residential development along some peripheral regions of the Township’s lakeshores which have historically been magnets for residential development; these resources are fragile and vitally important to the economic and environmental well being of the Township. Development within these areas should be permitted only where the future quality and character of the surrounding waters and shoreline can be maintained. Development within the General Residential area should be discouraged where natural features present significant environmental constraints including shore erosion, degradation of wetland area, inadequate soils to accommodate septic systems, and other environmental constraints. Since public sewers are only available in a portion of the Township, and no central water system is available, the minimum lot and density standards must reflect the constraints presented by the lack of such services. Waterfront Residential To preserve the scenic beauty and environmental integrity of areas adjacent to Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan, a “Waterfront Residential” designation is recommended. With such a specialized designation it will be possible to develop residential standards specific to the unique environment found in waterfront areas, such as greenbelt provisions. The Waterfront Residential designation is utilized along Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan in areas of existing lakefront residential development. Development regulations within the waterfront residential area should be designed to address Township residents’ concerns regarding congestion of the Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �local roads, as well as concerns regarding water quality and shoreline protection, including but not limited to, wetlands and Critical Dune Areas. Leland Village Mixed-Use The Leland Village Mixed-Use category is intended to accommodate a mixture of residential and commercial land uses in the similar manner it has accommodated such uses to this point in time. It is the intent of this plan that Leland Village maintain its compact developed pattern and “small village” character and that all future development or redevelopment be of such character and design to continue the Village’s existing identity and current character. Specific recommendations regarding future land use in the Village of Leland include: A. Land devoted to commercial use should generally not be expanded within the Village beyond its current limits. Retail orientated establishments should be primarily limited to the rectangular area formed by Lake Street, William Street, First Street, and the Leland River, and extending along both sides of the river to include Fishtown area to the west and along the north side of the river to Chandler Street to the east, with the provision for transitional uses beyond the core. This Plan encourages the continuance of the commercial land uses located south of Leland River on the east side of M-22 between Pine and Thompson Streets but strongly discourages the expansion of commercial uses into other areas south of the Leland River. B. While Fishtown is within the commercial area discussed above, the Fishtown area is unique in character and design, and thus merits some special considerations. In the 2005 survey findings, the residents of Leland Township indicated a strong desire to see Fishtown continue “as is”. Since the present zoning ordinance does not adequately provide for Fishtown, this plan recommends the area be addressed with the development of an overlay district or separate zoning district to specifically accommodate the unique situation of the Fishtown, and allow for the continuation of this area which is a vital part of the unique charm of Leland. C. Uses which are not as retail orientated as the balance of the Village’s Core business district, or which do not benefit as greatly from being located within a central retail or business area or in close proximity to high levels of pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic, should continue to be located in that area of the Village defined by the Leland River, Oak Street, and Chandler St. D. The balance of the Leland Village area should be used primarily for accommodating existing and future single residential development. Development densities should be similar to development densities currently existing in the Village and measures should be taken to minimize the negative impacts of new developments and redevelopment projects upon surrounding properties. Developments of particularly high density, such as multiple family developments, should be limited to locations outside of the central village area where the village character is not as dominant, and where ease of access to M-22 is available. E. The redevelopment of the County courthouse and associated county-owned properties in Leland could have a significant impact on the character of Leland. Due to the location of these properties and the County’s plans to vacate them, a community input session was conducted. At this community meeting the future uses of the properties were discussed revealing significant support for this area being re-developed as residential. Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �The desire expressed was that such development be primarily single family residential at a density and scale consistent with the existing lot sizes and the surrounding neighborhood. The concept of a park along the river was also well received. As of summer 2007, the property has been optioned, and the relocation of county offices is expected to be complete by spring 2008. While final development plans have not yet been submitted, the prospective owners have expressed interest in developing the property consistent with community’s desire for residential uses of a scale desired by the community. F. The updating of the zoning provisions to encourage design that is consistent with the relevant guidelines in the New Designs for Growth Guidebook and the implementation of a zoning ordinance that incorporates form-based zoning principles, especially in the two village mixed use areas. Lake Leelanau Village Mixed-Use The Lake Leelanau Village Mixed-Use category is intended to accommodate a mixture of residential and nonresidential land uses within a village setting. In light of the geographic limitations associated with Leland Village, Lake Leelanau village is intended to play a particularly important role in accommodating urban oriented growth in the Township in the future including commercial and light industrial development. It is the intent of this plan that Lake Leelanau Village maintain its compact developed pattern and “small village” character and that all future development and redevelopment be of such character and design to further continue the Village’s existing identity and current character. Where residential development may be proposed in close proximity to commercial land uses, proper site planning and buffering measures should be taken to minimize potential negative impacts and facilitate a successful integration of differing land uses. Specific recommendations regarding future land use in Lake Leelanau village include: A. Land devoted to commercial retail use should be encouraged within the area generally located between Gertrude Street and the Lake Leelanau Narrows, extending south to Meinrad Street, and Louise Street east of St. Joseph’s Street, and north to Old M-204 across to Williams Street. B. Uses which are not as retail or service in nature as the balance of the village’s core business district is intended to be, or which do not particularly benefit from being situated within the primary village business district, should be encouraged along M-204 outside of the village’s central retail area, including west of Gertrude Street and east of Lake Leelanau Narrows. However, in order to more effectively protect the village’s existing character, new commercial uses are encouraged to locate within the existing commercial district. Land to the north of Old M-204 across to William Street could also address nonretail oriented commercial expansion, although this area could equally accommodate additional residential development. C. The balance of Lake Leelanau village should be used primarily for accommodating existing and future mix of residential development. Development densities should be generally similar to development densities currently existing in the village and measures should be taken to minimize the negative impacts of new developments and redevelopment projects upon surrounding stable neighborhoods. Uses of higher density, such as multiple family developments, should be located where access to M204 is convenient and the increased density will not conflict with the essential character Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �of the village and existing residential neighborhoods. Such areas include the areas immediately south and west of Anthony Street and/or north of Old M-204 across to William Street. Where residential development may be proposed in close proximity to commercial land uses, proper site planning and buffering measures should be taken to minimize potential negative impacts and facilitate a successful integration of differing land uses. D. The updating of the zoning provisions encourage design that is consistent with the relevant guidelines in the New Designs for Growth Guidebook and the implementation of a zoning ordinance that incorporates some form-based zoning principles, especially in the two village mixed use areas. Manufacturing/Light Industry Consistent with the Township's desire to provide for a diversity of commercial and light industrial businesses, an area is designated for manufacturing/light industrial. The designated location is on Schomberg Road in the southwest portion of the Township. The area is served by a class A road which can readily accommodate the truck traffic, but is removed from the “downtown” area of either of the Villages. Currently there is some existing industrial land use in this designated area, see Figure 8-1, Future Land Use Map. Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Town ship Future Land U6e Map Figure 8-1 Not- t-o Scale Future Land Use Name NSERVATION AND PARKLAND RM -FOREST ENERAL RESIDENTIAL ATERFRONT RESIDENTIAL LAND VILLAGE MIXED USE KE LEELANAU VILLAGE MIXED USE MANUFACTURING/LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ~ ATER 0 2,000 4,000 6 ,000 Feet ----- Sewer District Ba6e Map Source6: Michigan Department of Natural Re6ouce6 Leelanau County Plannin Department Map Prepared ~: M. C. Planning & Dealgn N 1' PC Adopt,,d: M..y 2008 f wp Bc,.,,t Adopod: July 2000 Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Agricultural Preservation Priority Areas Figure 8-2 Areas of Agricultural Importance Active Agricultural Future Land Use Name □Farm-Forest Future Land Use Category Soil Unique Farm land Prime Farmland Soils . Prime Farmland Siteclass Tart cherry - good sites Tart Cherry - low priority sites Tart Cherry - mediocre sites 0 .7 1.4 2.1 Miles Lake Leelanau Chapter 8: Future Land Use Recommendations Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 8-8 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Draft Plan Circulated for Comments The draft Leland Township Master Plan was transmitted to the Township Board for review and comment in May 2006. The Township Board approved the draft plan for distribution on June 12, 2006. Following the Board’s approval for distribution the proposed plan was distributed to the adjacent Townships (Leelanau, Suttons Bay, Bingham and Centerville) on March 21, 2007 as well as to the Leelanau County Planning Commissions on March 26, 2007 for review and comment. No comments were received from the adjacent townships. The comments received from the Leelanau Planning Commission and staff are included at the end of this chapter. Public Hearing A public hearing on the proposed Master Plan, for Leland Township as required by the Township Planning Act, Act 168 of 1959 as amended, was held on June 5, 2007. The Act requires that two notices of public hearing be given, the first to be published 20-30 days prior to the public hearing, and the second to be published not more than eight days prior to the public hearing. Notice of the public hearing was published in the Leelanau Enterprise on May 10, 2007 and May 31, 2007. A copy of the public hearing notice is reproduced at the end of this chapter. During the review period, the draft plan was available for review on the Township’s website, at the Leland Township Library, or by contacting the Leland Township Clerk. The purpose of the public hearing was to present the proposed Master Plan to accept comments from the public. In addition to the Planning Commission members, Township Board Members, and 17 Township residents and/or business owners of the township attended the public hearing. The public hearing began with a brief explanation of the planning process. Plan development included several Planning Commission and steering committee workshop meetings, and public input sessions. During the hearing, maps of existing land use, color coded resource, and proposed future land use recommendations were presented. The public hearing minutes are included at the end of this chapter. Plan Adoption At Planning Commission meetings on July 5 and August 1, 2007, following the June 5, 2007 public hearing, the Planning Commission discussed the comments received. The Planning Commission made minor plan modifications in response to the comments received and held an additional public hearing on February 20, 2008 on the revised plan. Additional comments were considered at subsequent meetings and minor revisions made. At the Planning Commission meeting on May 27, 2008 and took action to formally adopt the Leland Township Master Plan, including all the associated maps. Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-1 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Per the Township Planning Act (PA 168 of 1959, as amended), on June 9, 2008, the Township Board asserted the right to approve or reject the plan. The Township Board formally adopted the plan on July 14. 2008. Legal Transmittals Michigan planning law requires that the adopted Master Plan be transmitted to the Township Board, as well as to the adjacent Townships and the County Planning Commission. Copies of these transmittal letters appear at the end of this chapter. Plan Implementation A Master Plan is developed to provide a vision of the community's future. It is designed to serve as a tool for decision making on future development proposals. A Master Plan will also act as a guide for future public investment and service decisions, such as the local budget, grant applications, road standards development, community group activities, tax incentive decisions, and administration of utilities and services. According to the Township Zoning Act, comprehensive planning is the legal basis for the development of a zoning ordinance. Section Three of the Act states: "The zoning ordinance shall be based on a plan designed to promote the public health, safety and general welfare; to encourage the use of lands in accordance with their character and adaptability, and to limit the improper use of land; to conserve natural resources and energy; to meet the needs of the state's residents for food, fiber, and other natural resources, places to reside, recreation, industry, trade, service, and other uses of land; to insure that use of the land shall be situated in appropriate locations and relationships; to avoid the overcrowding of population; to provide adequate light and air; to lessen congestion of the public roads and streets; to reduce hazards to life and property; to facilitate adequate provision for a system of transportation, sewage disposal, safe and adequate water supply, education, recreation, and other public requirements; and to conserve the expenditure of funds for public improvements and services to conform with the most advantageous use of land resources, and properties." Zoning The Zoning Ordinance is the most important tool for implementing the Master Plan. Zoning is the authority to regulate the use of land by creating land use zones and applying development standards in various zoning districts. Leland Township is covered by the Leland Township Zoning Ordinance regulating land use activities. The first Zoning Ordinance was adopted in 1980. The current ordinance was last amended in 2004. The Zoning Ordinance should now be reviewed to ensure the Ordinance is consistent with the goals and the Future Land Use as presented in this Master Plan. Leland Township intends to update the Zoning Ordinance consistent with the Township’s vision for the future and promote the “village mixed use” areas, and provide development options to better meet the goals of this plan. Grants and Capital Improvement Plan The Master Plan and Recreation Plan can also be used as a guide for future public investment and service decisions, such as the local budget, grant applications and administration of utilities and services. Many communities find it beneficial to prioritize and budget for capital improvement projects, such as infrastructure improvements, park improvements, etc. A Capital Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Improvements Program (CIP) is one tool which is often used to establish a prioritized schedule for all anticipated capital improvement projects in the community. A CIP includes cost estimates and sources for financing for each project, therefore can serve as both a budgetary and policy document to aid in the implementation of a community's goals defined in the Master Plan. Comments received from Leelanau County Planning Commission. Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �· · MASTER:PLANREVIE\V·> · · ·• _PCl2-.07.0~_; I,,ela~~~Tri~1l~~~t\ - · ·:· 0 ·:- ~, '_\::,t::i:Ui~,~trr/fJ~1:/\.• .,'./::}}·'. Reviewing Entity: Leelanau County Planning Commission Datt:: of Review : May 22, 2007 ..., }S.tCTIO~ 1: . C.~NJ!:ib\L ~F:qRi~A'f;Iq;l'f·_: _; ·.· .. ,·. . - .. ,. -~ :· , .. • .. . . ·.·.,: ••,-• ., March 30, 2007 ! June I, 2007 Review and comment on the proposed Leland Township Master Plan. Mr. Stephen Clem, Chairman Leland Township Planning Commission 1800 N. Eagle Hwy. Lake Leelanau, Ml 49653 Date Request Received: Last Day of Review Period: Requested Action: Applicant: 2: TOWNSHIP SECTlON .... . ··. ·.-·.··. ,·, . :.. ·-:. . .. : ._ ......-...ACTION .. .. . COMMISSION . . .. . . . .. - -PLANNi:NG . . ... ··.· ( The Leland Township Board of Trustees approved distribution of the proposed Leland Township Master Plan on June 12, 2006. The Township Planning Commission will act on the proposed Plan after receiving comments from the County and adjacent municipalities. A public hearing is scheduled for June 5, 2007. SECTIP,N 3: BASIS FOR PLAN REVIEW; · •~· . ,. ·. . . .'.· ·-·: ' See Appendix A for enabling legislation (excerpt of Township Planning Act, Act 168 of 1959, as amended). The Leland Township Comprehensive Development Plan was adopted in 1994. The proposed Leland Township Master Plan would rcpluce the 1994 Comprehensive Development Plan. __sECTIQ~~: -~NALY_s is·,... . :·.,·.::'::'•:·:-:,._ .·,;".'·::•;/.,:- :.:_.,_ .... ~: ..-- · The Principal Goal of the leelana11 General Pla11 is to establish a strategy for mea11ingf11I growth that protects, a11d where possible, enhances the unique character and quality of life on the peninsula by focu .~ing 011 the bala11ce of environmemal protection, resource management und eccmomic development so as to provide a foumlation for a sustainable economy that permits Jong term prosperity for all presellt and future Leela11a11 Co1111ty re.fident.~. The proposed Master Plan has been reviewed for consi.ftency with these policies. Policy Guidelines of the Leelanau General Plan Yes No NA A. Intergovernmental and Regional Context A partnership founded on mutual respect and mutual support in achievement of the common goals of the General Plan should guide the development and implementation of new relationships between the County and local units ofgovernment in the County and between the County and adjoining counties in the region. -I- Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �1. Does the proposed plan strive for greater cooperation between neighboring units of government? X B. Preservation of Peninsula Character The interdependence of the natural and people-made features on the peninsula that make up its rural character, with the activities that comprise its economic base require that future land use change on the peninsula not undermine and where possible enhance the character of the area around it, and in so doing contribute to the unique rural character of the area around it, and to protection of the unique rural character of the entire Leelanau Peninsula. 1. Does the proposed plan include strategies for the preservation of rural and small-town character? See staff comments C. Working with Nature Extensive and diverse sensitive natural features found throughout the peninsula provide the foundation for the present and future quality of life on the peninsula and should be protected where pristine, restored where damaged and have access and use managed for long term sustainability eve,ywhere else. X l. Does the proposed plan include strategies for environmental protection, restoration, and management? D. Managed Growth Local land use or comprehensive plans and local development regulations should be updated and thereafter maintained to include goals, objectives, policies and strategies for managed future growth consistent with the Leelanau General Plan. Local plans should include more specific land use and density proposals at the parcel specific level. Local regulations should focus on design and other issues of local significance. Public facilities should all be constructed according to locat capital improvement programs that are coordinated at all governmental levels on the Peninsula. 1. Does the proposed plan include parcel-specific future land use recommendations (map)? 2. Does the proposed plan include design guidelines? X I See staff comments I This request is for comments from the County Planning Commission on the proposed Leland Township Master Plan. The proposed Plan was prepared by the Leland Township Planning Commission, with assistance from the Leland Township Master Plan Steering Committee, a group comprised of Township residents. M.C. Planning and Design provided technical assistance in the project. Leland Township has been working on the Plan since 2005. The Township conducted extensive research, for both public opinion and factual information, in the preparation of the Plan. Throughout the process, the Township sought public input in establishing goals and objectives, through a public survey, formation of the steering committee, public information sessions, and a "photo tour." The Township obtained additional information and background by updating land use data and conducting a buildout study. Public input and a solid infonnation base are both crucial in developing a relevant plan, and the Township has Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �taken significant steps to reflect existing conditions and the concerns of Township residents. Staff would like to compliment the Township on their plan update. Leland Township has met all statutory requirements in the creation of the Plan. Staff has some comments on the text, as follows. Chapter 6, Significant Land Use Issues This chapter identifies the major areas of concern as identified by the Planning Commission and Township residents. Staff feels that some of these issues need some additional explanation or background in order to serve as a foundation for the goals and objectives in the following chapter. For instance, Section 6.3, Septic and Sewer Issues, states "Issues continue to come up regarding the expansion of the system to serve other portions of the Township, especially around Lake Leelanau in order to help protect water quality." What specific issues have come up that would warrant the expansion of the sewer? Are septic systems failing around Lake Leelanau, has development in the area intensified, has water quality deteriorated, etc. If at some point the Township does pursue expansion of the sewer, it would be helpful to have documentation, in an adopted Plan, of the need for such a project. Section 6.6, Keyhole Development, identifies issues with keyholing pertaining to parcel size, number of docks, etc., but doesn't mention why the use is regulated to begin with - in order to protect water quality and property values, prevent nuisance conditions, etc. Economic issues are not identified in this chapter, although zoning recommendations are made in Chapter 7 that pertain to economic issues. Staff feels it would be beneficial to the Township to include language in the Plan documenting the need for its recommendations - especially if the Township's zoning is ever called into question. Because PA 110 of 2006, the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (see Appendix B), strengthens the relationship between plans and zoning ordinances, it becomes especially important to document needs and explain the rationale behind the zoning recommendations made by the Plan. Chapter 7, Community Goals and Objectives Pages 7-3 through 7-9 identify land use goals, followed by objectives and action steps specific to each land use goal. Most objectives and action steps are clear and fairly specific; but some left questions as to the responsible agency or implementation strategy. Staff had questions on the following objectives/action steps: Page 7-5: "Identify and protect sensitive environmental areas to be preserved such as critical sand dunes areas, woodlands, wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive areas; and identify land that may not be suitable for development because of natural limitations for the erection of structures or septic systems (such as hydric soils, flood plains, steep slopes, or areas at high risk of shoreline erosion)." It would be helpful to include definitions or additional information - possibly in other chapters - relating to the types of land that should be preserved. For instance, should only woodlands over certain acreages, or only specific types of woodlands be preserved? What other environmentally sensitive lands should be identified? Page 7-5: "Encourage the acquisition of sensitive environmental areas by public agencies or non-profit organizations for the purposes of permanent preservation." How will the Township encourage these agencies in acquiring these areas? Will they provide financial support or other services? Page 7-6: "Provide zoning options to meet the needs of senior citizens." Other objectives/action steps identify specific zoning techniques to be addressed or adopted. What zoning options would meet this objective, and what needs would be addressed? Staff would suggest identifying, at least in general terms, Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �what zoning options would be provided - i.e., regulations permitting group homes or senior citizen centers, accessory dwellings, etc. Page 7-6: "Encourage exploration of affordable housing options." What agency would be responsible for exploring these options, and how would the Township encourage it? Page 7-7: "Establish a zoning district for knowledge-based businesses in close proximity to the Villages." Knowledge-based businesses, and the need for zoning encouraging this type of business, are not addressed elsewhere in the plan. lfthe Township is considering a new zoning district to accommodate this use, the need should be defined in the Plan in order to justify its creation. Perhaps some explanatory text regarding the seasonal nature of the Township's employment issues could be added to Chapter 6, Significant Land Use Issues. Language detailing these issues would serve as a foundation for other economic goals identified on page 7-7, as well. Page 7-7: "Provide opportunities for the continuation of the current land uses and activities in Fishtown." In other sections, the Plan makes reference to the possible use of overlay zoning or a separate zoning district to address issues with Fishtown. For clarity, staff suggests including language to that effect in this sentence as well. Page 7-8: "Continue to support countywide recycling and solid waste management programs, and encourage commercial recycling." How would the Township encourage commercial recycling? One other issue staff would like to comment on is that of design guidelines. Pages 8-3 and 8-4 of Chapter 8, Future Land Use Recommendations, indicate that "it is the intent of the Plan" for these villages to maintain their "small village" character, and that future development should be designed to maintain the identity and current character. It may be helpful to reference design guidelines that would further this intent - particularly if the Township intends to adopt zoning at some point that would address design issues. The 2006 New Designs for Growth Guidebook consists of design guidelines created with the intent of maintaining small-town and rural character in the region. These guidelines, if put into practice by the Township and/or developers, would be consistent with, and would advance the goals of, the proposed plan. Staff suggests including language in Chapter 7 that would reference the Guidebook. Language could read, for example, "Update zoning language to encourage development that is consistent with the relevant guidelines included in the New Designs for Growth Guidebook." As pointed out above, the Zoning Enabling Act strengthens the ties between zoning ordinances and plans; if the Township ever adopts more detailed zoning regulations addressing design and character issues, it will be helpful to have specific language referencing guidelines related to these issues. Some minor comments on the text: It may be beneficial to provide more detail on the steering committee that helped prepare the Plan; i.e., how many members, when it was formed, what concerns they represented, etc. Page 2-1, third paragraph: " ... the county estimates that the seasonal and day visitor tourist population (June through August) is seven times larger than the permanent population ... " This information was included in the original Leelanau General Plan (1995). However, in a subsequent update, staff was unable to substantiate the source or accuracy of this estimate, and the estimate was deleted from the General Plan. The Township might want to remove this information, since it can't be confirmed. Page 2-11, fourth paragraph: "Table 2-10 provides the Leland Township by SEY data from 1999 to 2003." ls there a word that should be inserted after "Township" in this sentence? Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-7 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Page 3-10, last paragraph:" ... operating permit in Leelanau County (Maple City). None in Leland Township." The sentence should read, "There are none in ... " in order to maintain consistent use of language. Page 5-2: Section 5.6, Other Services, identifies a number of companies providing solid waste disposal service in the Township. United Waste Systems does not operate in the Township at this time, and Cedar Disposal no longer exists as such; these companies should be removed from the list. American Waste, which is not identified in this section, may provide service to the Township. Page 5-2: Section 5.7, Leland Harbor indicates that the harbor is "the busiest of its kind." In what geographical area is it the "busiest?" In the county, state, nation, etc. Page 6-2: Section 6.6, Farmland and Open Space Preservation, references the "county level" Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program, and indicates that the Future Land Use map "provides an overlay of the areas to be eligible for preservation, based on township criteria." The County's PDR ordinance was rescinded by action of the County Board in November 2006. The overlay referencing the PDR-cligible areas is not included in the draft master plan, but would have been necessary if the Township were able to participate in a PDR program. Language referencing the County-PDR program should be deleted or revised to reflect any other approach the Township may take to address farmland and open space preservation issues. Leland Township Notice of Public Hearing Leland Township Notice to the Public Leland Township Master Plan PublicHearing- 7 -pm. June 5, 2007 Munnecke Room, Leland Township Library 203 !:. Cedar Street Leland, Michigan The Leland . Town$hlp Planning .hglc:1 a Public Hearing Commission on the Ma'ster' Plan at · 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, June · 5, 2007, at the Murtnecke Room, Leland Township Library. -AII interested parties are invited to attend the hearing and comment on the Plan. Copies of the Plan are available for review at the Township C>ffice or Online at http://wWw.leelailaucounly.com/goverhment126261.asp: Written comments may be submitted in advance to the Leland Township Planning Commission, P.O..Box 1112, Leland; Ml 49654; emailed to lelandtownship@chartermi.net, faxed to (231) 256-2465 or delivered to the Township • offices at .112 -W. Philip St., Lake Leelanau, during business hours, or may b9_ submitted • at the Public Headng; -For additional information . contact _the Township office (231) 256.7546L E!XI. 201 . 1o+31 wm Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-8 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Planning Commission Public Hearing – Minutes LELAND TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION MASTER PLAN PUBLIC HEARING Tuesday, June 5, 2007-7 p.m. Leland Township Library Munnecke Room 203 E. Cedar, St., Leland, Ml MINUTES PRESENT: Planning Commissioners Steve Clem (chair), Keith Ashley, Gary Bardenhagen, Kimberly Brant, Jane Keen, Richard Plamondon; Attorney Mardi Black; Planner Mary Campbell, Zoning Administrator Tim Cypher ABSENT: Skip Telgard GUESTS: 17 CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Clem called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. INTRODUCTION: Mr. Clem noted that the draft Master Plan had been on the Leland Township Web site since early March, and that comments had been received by email, letter and word of mouth. Some comments were tied to discussions of the Bay Hill and Provemont Village developments. After this public hearing, the Planning Commission will review the Master Plan in detail and incorporate public input as appropriate, he said. The Master Plan is the Planning Commission's only product that is not approved by the township or other authorities, he said. The Master Plan is the foundation for the new Zoning Ordinance, which the Planning Commission will take on in the near future, he added. PUBLIC COMMENT Tom Evans (Leland) referred to page 8-3 (Leland Village Mixed-Use), noting that commercial use splits one block in the rectangle formed by Lake, William and First streets and the river. He asked whether the Planning Commission plans to retain the allresidential part of that block, or whether the three residential properties would become commercial. He noted that the draft indicates that additional commercial property would be discouraged on the south side of the river but takes no stand on the stretch of Lake Street in question. Gil Bogley (Lake Leelanau), representing the Lake Leelanau Lake Association, distributed a letter (on file in the Leland Township Office). He said waters and shorelines rank at the top of the township's important resources and are at the heart of the area's economy, recreation and property values. He suggested looking at the Benzie County Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-9 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Master Plan as a model for Chapter 8 to add emphasis to the importance of the waterfront residential district. Jeff Green (Lake Leelanau) submitted a statement (on file in the Leland Township Office). In Chapter 8 after Item C, he suggested adding an overlay district or a separate zoning district for the Lake Leelanau Narrows. He said the language would mirror the section that addresses Leland and Fishtown. Terry Stanton (Leland) said North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau are two different lakes with entirely different characteristics from a fishing perspective. He said the Narrows must remain navigable, especially with the inevitable increase in boat traffic. Kathy Turner (Lake Leelanau) spoke as a Leland Township citizen and as a Leelanau County Planning Commission member. She noted that a key comment from the county Planning Commission's review was that the plan should include more detail on the rationale for its recommendations. Also, the plan should be more specific about providing zoning options to meet the needs of older citizens. Ann Bagley (Lake Leelanau) submitted a statement (on file in the Leland Township Office). She said defending the new Zoning Ordinance will rely heavily on the substance of the Master Plan. For example, details of the expansion of the township sewer system should be included in the plan. She added the current plan has some good language that should be retained; for example, no sewer-induced growth. She said the sewer system should not drive development. She also recommended including appropriate parts of a handbook titled Designs for Growth. Hugh Farber said he had emailed his comments (on file in the Leland Township Office). Susann Lederle (Leland) complimented the commission and staff on its work. Mr. Clem expressed concern that the Master Plan doesn't address implementation costs or other negative effects. He added that the plan may not establish enough of a clear roadmap for the township. Also, he wondered about ramifications for the township because there may not be enough sewer capacity to support the Master Plan. He asked whether the sewer system should limit growth. He added that requiring everyone in the sewer district to hook up effectively limits what happens in the district and represents government preempting development. Ann Bagley said the basic concept of the Master Plan is reasonable growth, which means the township would not build sewer capacity for every developer who wants to make a profit. Mr. Clem said a key goal of the Master Plan is to prevent sprawl, which means growth logically would be focused near the towns, where the sewer district is located. As a result, he felt growth in Leland and Lake Leelanau will be limited by the sewer system. Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-10 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Hugh Farber said expansion of the sewer is another option; if people want it, they will pay for it. Ann Bogley said it's important for the Planning Commission and the Sewer Commission to talk about these issues. Susann Lederle said Bay Hill has its own sewer district, which adds no burden to the public. Ms. Keen said citizens would have to petition for an expansion. Mr. Bardenhagen said the sewer issue needs attention, but as part of a capital improvement plan and not necessarily within the scope of the Master Plan. Kathy Turner said the Planning Commission and Sewer Commission should meet to create a future sewer district based on where the township wants growth to occur. Mr. Clem said he felt only one side of the issue was represented at this meeting. He asked what a Narrows overlay would look like and expressed concern that a zoning overlay would go down parcel lines and perhaps even slice properties. Mr. Ashley said much residential property has been changed to commercial in the Narrows area, yet he wasn't sure anyone had invested anything in those properties since the change. Jeff Green said the rationale for a Narrows overlay could be derived from discussions on Provemont Village, which cited the beauty of the area, its importance to navigation between the lakes, and its complex and sensitive environment. Gil Bogley said the Narrows also has potential for mixed-use development. Mr. Clem said he is concerned that more people and more points of view weren't represented at this public hearing. Gil Bogley said he thought viewpoints were balanced between property rights and environmental concerns. Mr. Ashley asked why the proportion of C-1 and C-2 property in Leland is about 20 percent, versus more than 60 percent in Lake Leelanau. Mr. Plamondon said that at earlier forums, Lake Leelanau people overwhelmingly wanted more commercially zoned property, while Leland residents didn't. That's likely different now, he added. Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-11 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Susann Lederle said the fear of overdevelopment must be balanced with the issue of livelihood. She added that it's important to explain the term "limit growth," because it could create a perception that property rights are being violated. Kathy Turner said it's critical to educate the public and build consensus for the Master Plan. Susann Lederle brought up the fact that Leland Township is losing One Up Web; discussion ensued among commission and audience members. ADJOURNMENT: The public hearing was adjourned at 8: 15 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Susan M. Buxton Recording Secretary Public Hearing minutes from February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-12 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �LELAND TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING AND MEETING Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Leland Township Library Munnecke Room 203 E. Cedar St., Leland, Michigan MINUTES (as amended March 19, 2008) PRESENT: Planning Commissioners Keith Ashley (chairperson), Gary Bardenhagen, Vince Fleck, Jane Keen , Skip Telgard ; Planner Mary Campbell , Zoning Administrator Tim Cypher; Attorney Mardi Black ABSENT: Planning Commissioner Kim Brant GUESTS: 7 CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Ashley called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. PUBLIC HEARING: DRAFT LELAND TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN Opening Comments: Mr. Ashley said work on the Master Plan had been under way for well over one year. In an effort to reflect the wishes of Leland Township constituents, a citizen survey was mailed to some 1,400 township households. More than 40 percent of the questionnaires were returned , and the responses were used to guide the Planning Commission and staff in shaping the Master Plan. Master Plan Public Comment Kathy Turner (Lake Leelanau) referred to comments she had emailed on behalf of East Leland Property Owners Association (ELPOA) members, along with comments from township residents Gil and Anne Bogley [comments available for review in the Leland Township Office]. Following is a summary of suggestions and responses (if provided): • Indicate farms that have conservation easements on map on page 6-3: Ms. Campbell and Ms. Black will research with the Leelanau Conservancy. • Establish mandatory septic tank inspection ordinance to protect water quality (Chapter 7): Ms. Keen said the township doesn 't have resources to enforce such an ordinance. Mr. Ashley said the Master Plan should reflect only what the township can accomplish . • Cite approximate Hispanic population (page 2-2): Ms. Campbell said Hispanic population would total more than 1 percent if all countries of origin were combined ; Mr. Bardenhagen said Leland School may be able to provide data . • Comment on the significance of income levels (page 2-4): Ms. Campbell said some Census statistics address this topic. • Include 2007 tax data (page 2-11): Ms. Campbell said the data will be added. • Indicate that ALS services are provided by North Flight (page 5-5): Ms. Campbell will update . • Update reference to county facilities in Leland (page 6-1): To be discussed . • Objectives/Actions (Chapter 7): Map and inventory sensitive environments; specify that native trees and shrubs be planted; add action step aimed at Leland Township Planning Commission Master Plan Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-13 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �protecting the Lake Leelanau Narrows; add action step to encourage alternative energy sources; limit public and private forestry. Deferred until later in the meeting . Steve Mikowski (Lake Leelanau) said Antrim County has a Plan of Guiding Principles that merits a look. He will submit Master Plan suggestions to the Planning Commission. Terry Stanton (Lake Leelanau) said the Narrows is an area of concern to him. He said north and south Lake Leelanau are not a chain of lakes, but two distinct bodies of water. As a result, boaters and fishers want to traverse both lakes, creating the potential for heavy boat traffic through the Narrows as development continues. Jeanne Merica (Lake Leelanau) said she thinks the onus is on boaters to take boating safety classes. PUBLIC HEARING ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Ashley adjourned the public hearing at 7:40 p.m. and opened the regular meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • December 5, 2007, meeting: Ms. Keen moved to approve the minutes as presented; supported by Mr. Telgard . Motion carried . • January 16, 2008 , work session: Mr. Fleck moved to approve the minutes as presented ; supported by Ms. Keen . Motion carried . REPORTS • Township Board Rep: Ms. Keen said the board is working on the 2008-2009 township budget. Also, the Leland Township Annua l Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, at the Old Art Building in Leland. Coffee will be served starting at 9 a.m., and the meeting will begin at 10 a.m. • ZBA Rep: Mr. Fleck reported that no appeals are before the ZBA . ELECTION OF OFFICERS • Chairperson: Mr. Bardenhagen nominated Mr. Ashley; supported by Ms. Keen. Motion carried . • Vice-Chairperson: Ms. Keen nominated Mr. Te lgard ; supported by Mr. Fleck. Motion carried . • Secretary: Mr. Telgard nominated Mr. Bardenhagen ; supported by Mr. Fleck. Motion carried . MEETING SCHEDULE FOR FY 2008-2009: The regular meeting schedule will be the third Wednesday of each month , beginning with Wednesday, March 19. In general , meetings will be held in the Leland Township Office and begin at 7 p.m. LELAND RIVERTOWN PROJECT INITIAL ESCROW (addition to agenda): Ms. Campbell and Ms. Black noted that the applicant should understand that the initial escrow is to cover the township's adminislralive cesls le cemplete the applicalien professional fees for Initial review to determine whether the application Is complete (amended 3/19/2008) . Once the Leland Township Pl anning C ommission Master Plan Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-14 2 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �application is deemed complete , the Planning Commission would establish another amount to cover ongoing expenses associated with the application. Per the Zoning Ordinance , an escrow account must be replen ished when its balance is depleted to 1O percent of the total. Ms. Keen asked that escrow funds be clarified with the township treasurer when funds are received . Action: Mr. Bardenhagen moved to requ ire an initial escrow deposit of $3,500; supported by Mr. Telgard . Motion carried. MASTER PLAN DISCUSSION Ms. Black sa id most of her input relate to updates. Concerning comments from the Leelanau County Planning Commission , she recommended indicatin g that the Planning Commission has discussed and agreed on key po ints. She also suggested noting any deed restrictions on property controlled by the Fishtown Preservation Society because deed restrictions govern what can and cannot be done with property. In Chapter 7, she recommended numbering the action steps for ease of reference . Mr. Ashley led a discussion of documented comments, summarized as follows. Gil/Anne Bogley: Section 2.1 (separate numbers of seasonal residents and day/transient tourists): Ms. Campbell said the previous plan included some reference to these statistics, but that she could not find a source for the data . Consensus: No change . Section 2.1.2 (indicate what government offices will remain in Lake Leelanau). Consensus: Delete Natural Resource Conservation Service and BATA references. Section 2.1.3 (indicate number of "permanent" summer homes). Consensus: No way to determine; no change . Section 2.3.1 (add number who commute to Traverse City for work). Consensus: No way to determine ; no change . Section 2.3.2 (note that marina sells and repairs boats and sells gas). Consensus: No change , except to renumber sections to eliminate duplication of 2.3 .2. Section 2.6 (distinguish between "household size" and "average family size). Ms. Campbell will incorporate Census definitions. Section 3.6.2 (substitute "mandatory" for "extremely important" in last sentence). Consensus: No change . Section 5.2 (add "current sewer system is not large enough to meet even near-term growth projections"). Consensus: Add: ''The sewer system is nearing capacity , and expansion plans for the treatment facility are being explored ." In addition , Mr. Cypher suggested noting that REU stands for residential equivalent unit. Leland Township Planning Commission Master Pla n Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-15 3 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Section 6-6 (rewrite to reflect overwhelming citizen support for preserving farmland). Consensus: Comment must have related to an older version ; no change . Page 6-3 (update map to include new farms under conservation easements). Consensus: No change . Also , Ms. Keen noted that PA 116 was cut off on the map legend on page 6-3; Ms. Campbell will correct. Chapter 7: • Add mandatory septic tank ordinance. Consensus: No change. • Define "special environments."Consensus: Change to "sensitive environments." • Beef up "Community Institutions" section. Consensus: No change . Chapter 8.2: Explain "extractive uses." Consensus: Topic addressed at a previous meeting; no change . Agriculture Preserve Map: Use contrasting colors for farmland vs. good tart cherry sites. Consensus: Will be distinguishable in final plan . Kathy Turner for ELPOA: Page 1-3 • Verify statement that vineyards have replaced some cherry orchards in recent years. Consensus: Statement accurate ; no change . • Add wine-tasting as a tourist attraction. Consensus: Will add . Page 1-4: Add key. Consensus: Will add legend. Page 2-2: Add proportion of Hispanic residents. Ms. Campbell will research . Page 2-3: Update sentence concerning major employers. Consensus: Will change to : "Major employers in the township include St . Mary School , Leland Public School and numerous other businesses." Page 2-4: Add reasons for increase in higher incomes/decrease in lower incomes. Ms. Campbell will research and refine Page 2-11: Update property values and tax base with tax increases from 2006 election. Ms. Campbell will incorporate data provided by Leland Township. Page 3-10, Section 3.6.2, Paragraph 3, Line 5: Change "applications" to "application." Consensus: Will make change. Page 4-4, Section 4.2.7: • Paragraph 1, Line 4: Change "tremendous" to "extensive." Consensus: Will change. • Paragraph 1, Line 7: Change "site" to "sites." Consensus: Will make change . Leland Township Pl anning C ommission Master Plan Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-16 4 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Page 5-5, Paragraph 1, Line 5: Change to read, "Mutual aid agreements are in effect with all fire departments in the county. Advanced life services are provided by North Flight." Consensus: Will make change . Page 6-1 • Paragraph 1, Line 2: Update status of county facilities in Leland. Consensus: Text will be changed to indicate that the county courthouse and offices in Leland have been relocated outside of Leland Township. Also , the passage will note that the property will be sold for private development. • Paragraph 2, Line 3: --Delete ''with the possibility of park land along the river." Consensus: Change to "with the possibility of park land/open space along the river." • --Add description of plans/mention Cedar St. closing. Consensus: No change ; Cedar St. will close only on condition of Varley-Ke lly project. Chapter 7: Label information boxes "Objective" and lists "Action Steps." Consensus: No change . Page 7-4, Action Step 2, Line 2: Change "value-add " to "value-added. " Consensus: Will make change . Page 7-5: • Action Step 1: Include inventory and map of sensitive areas. Consensus: No change , except to substitute "sensitive" for "special. " • Action Step 8: Specify planting native trees and shrubs. Consensus: Will change to read , "encourage planting of native trees and shrubs. • Suggested New Action Step (9): "Protect and preserve the Lake Leelanau Narrows by zoning regulations such as a 40-foot setback, only one dock per 100 feet of shoreline, and prohibiting removal of any shoreline vegetation. Consensus: Add Action Step 9, to read , "Identify and protect the Lake Leelanau Narrows as a sensitive environment"; reserve any specifics for Zoning Ordinance . Page 7 -6: Change Action Step 1 to read, "Discourage development in areas identified on the Agricultural Consideration map (p. 6-4), and direct higher density. ... Consensus: Will make change . Page 7-7: • Add "Provide access to the latest technology." Consensus: No change . • Add Action Step 8, "Encourage alternative energy sources." Consensus: No change . Page 7-8: Add Action Step 8, "Consider consolidation and/or relocation of fire and rescue services." Consensus: No change . Page 8-1: • Under Conservation and Parkland heading, change sentence 1, paragraph 1, to read, "The Conservation and Parkland category includes existing parkland, as Leland Township Planning Commission Master Plan Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-17 5 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �• • well as land owned and protected by a land conservancy as preserves, open to the public." (Added 3/19/08) Add park land on Future Land Use Map. Consensus: Will designate existing parks. Also , will change "pa rkland" to ''park land" throughout document. Delete Add "limited" fnJm to paragraph 2, sentence 1, to read, " ... public and private forestry." (Amended 3/19/08) Consensus: Will delete "limited" and not add "limited," but will change phrase to "public and private forest management." Page 8-2, Paragraph 2, Line 5: Add Change "are also included. " (Amended 3119108) OK as is; change optional. Page 8-3, Paragraph 2, Line 1: Change to "includes much of the existing residential development adjacent to waterfront properlies." Consensus: Will simply delete the word "lakeshore ." Page 8-4, Paragraph E, last sentence: Amend to "consistent with community's desire for residential uses of a scale" desired by the community." Consensus: Will make change ; also will delete "current owners." Page 8-5 • Paragraph 1: Add before final sentence: "integration of differing land uses." However, due to the commercial zoning of the Lake Leelanau Narrows west and norlh of the narrows bridge, this extremely sensitive and scenic area could be protected by an overlay district with regulations such as a 40-foot setback, prohibitions against removing any shoreline vegetation, and allowing only one dock per 100 feet of shoreline." Consensus: No change . • Paragraph C, Line 8: Correct typo. Consensus: Will make change . • Paragraph D, Line 1: Correct typo. Consensus: Will make change . PUBLIC COMMENT: None. ZONING ADMINISTRATOR COMMENT: Mr. Cypher asked Ms. Campbell to follow up on a discussion in December concern ing the Future Land Use Map with respect to dual zon ing on M22 south of Duck Lake Corner and creating the potential of future splits. NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. , Leland Township Office. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Fleck moved to adjourn the meeting; supported by Mr. Bardenhagen . The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. Respectfully Submitted , Susan M. Buxton Recording Secretary Leland Township Planning Commission Master Plan Public Hearing and Meeting February 20, 2008 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-18 6 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �LELAND TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Leland Township Office 112 W. Philip St., Lake Leelanau, Michigan MINUTES (as amended 6/4/08) PRESENT: Planning Commissioners Keith Ashley , Gary Bardenhagen, Kim Brant, Vince Fleck , Jane Keen, Skip Telgard ; Planner Mary Campbell; Zoning Administrator Tim Cypher GUESTS: 3 CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Ashley called the meeting lo order al 7 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Approved as presented. APPROVAL OF MINUTES-April 2, 2008: Approved as presented . PUBLIC COMMENT: None . TOWNSHIP BOARD REP REPORT: None. ZBA REP REPORT: None. MASTER PLAN Mr. Ashley asked about including the number of houses on the two lakes; Ms. Campbell is researching and wil l provide data . She reviewed the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Draft General Management plan as related to North Manitou Island and provided excerpts from the Sleeping Bear plan. l!he alse is leekiAg at refer:eAces te Merth MaAite1c1 eased eA excerpts frem the aleepiAg i;iear MatieAal bakeshere Draft GeAeral MaAagemeAt PlaA . She suggested including excerpts from the Sleeping Bear plan as Appendix B to the Master Plan. Additional minor changes regarding references to North Manitou Island were proposed in the natural resource objectives and action steps portion of Chapter 7 (Community Goals and Objectives), and in the Conservation and Park Land text of Chapter 8 (Future Land Use Recommendations) . Mr. Ashley asked whether ii would be beneficial for Leland Township to establish zoning for North Manitou in case the U.S. government sold property to developers. Ms. Campbell concurred and suggested a separate zoning district. With respect to the number of houses in Le land Township on Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau, Mr. Cypher wil l check with the township assessor. Action: Mr. Fleck moved to accept a resolution (see attachment) to adopt the Leland Township Master Plan ; supported by Mr. Telgard . Roll-call vote: Ms. Keen-yes; Ms. Brant-yes; Mr. Fleck-yes; Mr. Telgard-yes; Mr. Bardenhagen-yes; Mr. Ashley-yes. Resolution adopted , 6-0. 1 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-19 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Lake Leelanau resident Steve Mikowski asked whether the plan had gone to the Leland Township Board ; Mr. Ashley confirmed. Mr. Mikowski noted this meeting's agenda did not specify the master plan would be approved . BAY HILL Mr. Cypher said Bay Hill owner McKeough Land Company is requesting the return of its $50,000 performance guarantee . Based on his review of the final conditions and inspection of the required improvements, he is satisfied that the developer is in compliance with the conditions. Mr. Cypher recommended that the Planning Commission approve the return of the performance guarantee and ask the Leland Township Board to take final action. Discussion included the fact that a $133,000 performance bond would remain in place to cover the Bay Hill sewer treatment plant . McKeough representative Kim Bun bury said the system has been installed and tested ; as soon as a homeowner hooks up, McKeough will start operating the system . Mr. Cypher said the landscape requirement will be checked with the land use permit for each unit. Action: Ms. Keen moved to recommend returning the $50,000 performance guarantee to McKeough; supported by Mr. Bardenhagen. Motion carried. Mr. Cypher noted that the board wou ld consider the matter at its June 9 meeting. BYLAWS Mr. Ash ley said he is attending a May 28 MSU Extension Service meeting that will cover planning commission bylaws changes driven by the Michigan Planning Act, which takes effect in September. As a result, this item was tabled. ZONING ORDINANCE Ms. Campbell distributed a draft of Agriculture/Conservation District general development standards with three options (GGUAty- country properties, family properties, conservation design) . The models provide for a limited number of new building sites fronting on roads. Mr. Ashley asked whether a property owner could choose one option and later switch to another; Ms. Campbell said that would be possible . Mr. Bardenhagen asked how the draft jibes with the Land Division Act; Ms. Campbell said she believes it's slightly more restrictive , but no more restrictive than now. Mr. Cypher asked whether it's legal to mandate a conservation easement ; Ms. Campbell said she believes so, but she will verify with attorney Mardi Black. Mr. Fleck noted that at the Grand Vision exercise , every group almost without exception wanted to see density concentrated in the villages and farmland preserved and open spaces maintained . Ms. Campbell said this draft aims to balance focused development and preservation of open space . Ms. Campbell asked commissioners to read the draft side by side with Article 1O of the current ordinance and note what works and what doesn 't, in their view. She noted that the draft references buildable acreage (excluding bluffs, wetlands, etc.), and that the commission needs to decide what is acceptable in terms of "buildable." 2 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-20 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Ms. Keen asked the reason for not building on steep slopes; Ms. Campbell said erosion is part of the issue. Ms. Keen said the Planning Commission could require that building on steep slopes is done safely . Ms. Campbell agreed , saying some ordinances specify extra steps for such situations. Other issues to consider are views and looks, she said , adding that whatever is decided should suit Leland Township. Mr. Cypher said it's important that definitions meet the intent of the ordinance . Mr. Bardenhagen asked what proportion of property in Leland Township has varying degrees of slope ; Ms. Campbell will check . Mr. Cypher noted that along the lakeshore in the critical dune area, the state allows up to 33 pe rcent slope . To bu ild on land with greater than a 25 percent grade requires sealed plans by an engineer or architect. Ms. Campbell said she recommends a second seal after completion to assure that the structure was built to specifications. Ms. Campbell suggested that commissioners review survey findings for the Master Plan as they study the draft. Mr. Ashley agreed and asked everyone to list the pros and cons, as well as possible rules. Ms. Campbell asked that subject areas include ridgelines, slopes, wetlands, forest areas, agricultural land and road frontage . This discussion will continue at the next Planning Commission meeting, Wednesday , June 4 (7 p.m at the Leland Townsh ip Office). Messrs. Fleck and Cypher indicated they will be absent. Mr. Ash ley said Kasson Township has a current issue with its rule prohibiting excavation for gravel mining within the 500-foot setback for a park, which in this case is Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Th is illustrates the need for a definition of "park" in the Leland Township ordinance. Mr. Cypher said a representative from Cherry Capital Communications likely will make a proposal to the commission this summer concerning installing repeaters on wireless towers for wifi service , creating a commercial use . Mr. Ashley said Suttons Bay School will have a tower in its parking lot and asked whether that could happen at the Leland School. Mr. Cypher responded that this is not a use by right and referred to sections 16.30 and 18.20 of the Leland Township ord inance . He added that private wind generators also are becoming prevalent. OTHER BUSINESS: None. ZONING ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT: The complete report is on file in the Leland Township Office . Mr. Cypher noted that two variance requests w ill come before the ZBA on June 18. Two Planning Commission applications are still pending: Rivertown Leland and the Binsfield Center, wh ich has a deed restriction issue . PLANNING COMMISSION COMMENT: None. 3 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-21 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �PUBLIC COMMENT Wayne Tyge (Lake Leelanau) said the commission needs to consider the impact of infrastructure construction in its discussion of agriculture zoning. This includes roads, electrical and phone service. Mr. Mikowski questioned the validity of the citizens' survey and read from a sustainable development article. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Fleck moved to adjourn the meeting; supported by Mr. Bardenhagen . The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m., Leland Township Office. Respectfully Submitted, Susan M. Buxton Recording Secretary 4 Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-22 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Planning Commission Resolution No. 2008-01 Adoption of Leland Township Master Plan WHEREAS, the Leland Township Planning Commission desires to adopt a master plan and has made the necessary inquiries, investigations and surveys of the appropriate resources of the township; and WHEREAS, the master plan will promote the public health, safety and general welfare; to encourage the use of resources in accordance with their character and adaptability; to avoid the overcrowding of land by buildings or people; to lessen congestion on public roads and streets; to facilitate provision for a system of transportation, sewage disposal, safe and adequate water supply, recreation and other public improvements; and consider the character of the township and its suitability for particular uses judged in terms of such factors as the trend in land and population development; and WHEREAS, the Leland Township Planning Commission has noticed and conducted a public hearing in accordance with the requirements of the Township Planning Act (Public Act 168 of 1959, as amended), said hearings were held on June 5, 2007 and February 20, 2008, following distribution of the draft plan to the planning commissions of the adjacent townships March 21, 2007 and Leelanau County Planning Commission on March 26, 2007. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Leland Township Planning Commission hereby adopts the Leland Township Master Plan. YEAS: Jane Keen, Kim Brant, Vince Fleck, Skip Telgard, Gary Bardenhagen, Keith Ashley. NAYS: None. ABSENT: None. RESOLUTION DECLARED ADOPTED. I certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Leland Township Planning Commission at its meeting on May 27, 2008. ary ardenhagen, Secretary Lei d Township Planning Commission Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-23 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �R-08-05 RESOLUTION Right to Approve or Reject the Leland Township Master Plan At a regular meeting of the Township Board of Leland Townshiif, Leelanau County, Michigan, held at the Leland Township Library Munnecke Room on the 9 day of June 2008, at 7:30 p.m. Present: Absent: Harry Larkin, Jane Keen, Mike Kirt and Steve Plamondon Nick Lederle The following resolution was offered by Harry Larkin and supported by Steve Plamondon. WHEREAS, the Leland Township Planning Commission adopted the Leland Township Master Plan at its meeting on May 27, 2008, following properly noticed public hearings in accordance with the Township Planning Act (Public Act 168 of 1959, as amended), and following distribution of the draft plan to planning commissions of the adjacent townships and to the Leelanau County Planning Commission; and WHEREAS, the Township Planning Act (PA 168 of 1959, as amended) provides for the Township Board to assert its right to approve or reject the plan; OW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Leland Township Board hereby asserts its right to approve or reject the Leland Township Master Plan. ADOPTED by roll-call vote as follows: A YES: Harry Larkin, Jane Keen, Mike Kirt, Steve Plamondon. NAYS:None. ABSE T: Nick Lederle. RESOLUTIO DECLARED ADOPTED. STATE OF MICHIGAN ) ) ss COUNTY OF LEELANAU ) I, Jane M. Keen, Clerk of Leland Township, Leelanau County, Michigan, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and complete copy of a resolution adopted by the Leland Township Board at a meeting held on the 9th day of June 2008, the original of which is on file in my office. Public notice of said meeting was given pursuant to and in compliance with Act 167, Public Acts of Michigan 1976, as amended. Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-24 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Leland Township Board Resolution of Adoption RESOLUTION Leland Township Master Piao Approval At a regular meeting of the To·wnship Board of Leland Township Leelanau County, Michigan, held at the Lel11Dd Township Library Munnecke Room on the 14\fi day of July 2008, at 7:30 p.m. Present: Supervisor flatry Larkin, Clerk Jane Keen, Treasurer Mike Kirt, Trustees Nick Leder~e and Steve Plamondon. Absent! None. The following resolution was offered by Steve Plamondon and supported by Nick Ledede. WHEREAS, the Leland Township Planning Commission adopted the Leland Township Master PIB.n at its meeting on May 27, 2008, following pi:operly noticed public hearings jn accordance with the Township Planning Act (Public Act 168 of 1959, as amended), and following distribution of 1he draft plan to planning commissions of the adjacent townships and to the Leelanau County Planning Commission; and WHEREAS, the Leland Township lloard on June 9, 2008, assorted its right to approve or reject the plan in accordauce with Township Planning Act (PA 168 of 1959, as amended); NOW, THEREFORE, BE lT RESOLVED, that the Leland Township Board hereby approves the Leland Township Master Plan. ADOPTED by roll-call vote as follows: A YES: Larkin. Ledede, Plamondon, Kirt, Keen NAYS:None ABSENT: None RESOLUTION DECLARED ADOP'I'ED. STATE OF MICIIlGAN ) ) ss COUNTY OF LEELANAU ) I, Jane M. Keen, Clet:k <,f Leland Township, Leelanau County, Micb.lgan, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and complete copy of a resolution adopted by the Leland ToWl'lSbip Board at a meeting held on the 14th day of July 2008, the original of which is on file in my office. Public notice of Said meeting was given pursuant to and in compliimce with Act 167, Public Acts of Michigan 1976, as amended. d,__ ./~, ~-Je/,f M. Keen, Leland Township Clerk Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-25 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Copy of transmittal of adopted plan to adjacent Townships and Counties M. C. Planning & Design Community Planning Site Planning Landscape Architecture Letter of Transmittal If transmitted items are not as noted. notify writer immediately. To: Adjacent Townships and Counties Date: September 2, 2008 Transmitted By: _L Regula r Mail Attn : Clerks and Planning Commission Chairs Hand Delivered RE: Leland Townsh ip Master Plan -Adopted Other. Overn ight Delivery Picked Up By: We are transmitting _ 1_copy(s) of the following: __ Certification for Payment No. Discs Prints Specs. __ Change Order No. Drawings Product Literature Tracings Samples Work Orders No. Field Measure Plans Construction Change Req. No. __ Copy of Letter X Other: For your: Adopted Master Plan for Leland Township Action Approval Remarks: __ Shop Drawings Plans __ As Requested Distribution X Information Review/Comment Records /Files Signature Use As per the state planning statutes, I am transmitting the adopted plan to you on behalf of Leland Township Planning Commission. If you have any questions please call me at (231) 487-0745. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Job No. LEL By: Mary H. Campbell, ASLA, AICP cc: Susan Buxton , Recording Secretary Jane Keen , Leland Township Clerk Phone: (231) 487-0745 504 Liberty Street Petoskey , Ml 49770 Fax (231 ) 487-0746 E-mail: mcampbell@mcplann ingdesign.com Chapter 9: Implementation Strategies and Plan Adoption Leland Township Master Plan – Update page 9-26 PC Adopted: May 2008 Board Adopted: July 2008 �Appendix A Citizen Survey Findings �Leland Township Citizen Survey Findings The Leland Township Planning Committee, in association with M.C. Planning & Design, conducted a citizen survey during January 2005. The survey was conducted as part of the Township-wide master planning process. The survey was mailed to 1470 households or property owner households. A total of 614 surveys were completed and returned, for a return rate of 41.8% percent. This is considered to be a very good response rate for a mail survey. The summary of the findings is presented on the following pages. A number of demographic questions were asked. Approximately 73% of the respondents have resided in Leland Township for more than ten years. Slightly over half (52.1%) of respondents indicated they are registered to vote in Leland Township. A. Growth Management Growth Management Goal of no growth Growth encouraged 4.5% 12.0% Growth take its own course 11.5% Planned and limited growth □ Growth encouraged ■ Growth take its own course □ Planned and limited growth □ Goal of no growth 72.1% 72.1% of all Township Survey respondents would prefer planned and limited growth in this area. 11.5% respondents would prefer to let growth take its own course in this area. 12% respondents would prefer a goal of no growth. Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 1 May 2005 �B. Housing Survey Question/ Statement The mix of housing in the Township meets the diverse needs of the residents. (N=586) Adequate affordable housing is available in Leland Township. (N=584) Accessory apartments should be allowed whereever residences are allowed (N=566) Survey Question/ Statement In rural (non-waterfront) areas of the Township do you support clustering of several homes close together on smaller lots, in order to protect the majority of the site as open space? Strongly Agree & Agree Disagree & Strongly Disagree Neutral Uncertain # % # % # % 227 38.7 196 33.4 163 27.8 132 22.7 304 52.1 148 24.1 126 22.3 328 58.0 112 19.8 Support/Somewhat Support Do Not Support Not Sure 387 65.7 160 27.1 42 7.1 In rural (non-waterfront) areas of Leland Township, do you support clustered housing, even if the general 295 public has no access to the development’s Open Space (N=585) 50.4 235 40.2 55 9.4 (N=589) N=number of respondents answering the individual question, with percentages based on number of respondents for the specific question. Note percentages greater than 50% are bolded for ease of interpretation. There was not a consensus among the respondents regarding the adequacy of the existing housing mix in Leland Township. C. Land Use and the Environment Leland Township should work to preserve…. (Strongly Agree and Agree responses combined) Open Space 82.3% Township should buy land for Open Space 56.5% Township should buy only if available for public use 54.0% Open, Undeveloped Shorelines 79.7% Important to slow conversion of farmland to residential or other developed uses 75.9% Ridgeline development should be limited 72.3% 45% Disagree or Strongly Disagree with supporting the purchase of land if it is not available for public use. Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 2 May 2005 �54.9% of respondents are willing to contribute financially to purchase land. Which best describes what Open Space means to the respondents (ranked 1-6) 1st Scenic Views 4th Farmland nd 2 5th Wetlands Forests 3rd Pastures/Meadows 6th Parks, Sports Fields Note: With this ranking, several respondents felt that all of the choices were equal in what the considered open space, so marked all responses as their first choice, or ranked several responses equally. What Role shoud the Township take in farmland and/or Open Space preservation? PDR 13% TDR 1% Other 6% □ Active ■ Passive Active 59% Passive 21% □ PDR □ TDR ■ Other Note: 561 valid responses received for this question. D. Economy Where do you work… Retired 39.5% Outside Northern Michigan 25.0% Leland Township 15.6% Northern Michigan 15.6% Not Working 4.1% Out of the 404 respondents that answered this question, 76.7% believed there are NOT adequate full-time employment opportunities in the area. Also, approximately 65.3% of respondents for this question indicated there are adequate part-time employment opportunities in this area. Is the current mix of business adequate in: Leland – Yes (63.9%) Lake Leelanau – Yes (59.1%) Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 3 May 2005 �E. Services Are these services adequate…. (Strongly Agree and Agree responses combined, where level of agreement greater than 50%) Road Maintenance 87.8% Park Facilities 65.7% Services that did not receive greater than 50% level of combined agreement are detailed below. 68.6% of all respondents would not like road improvements accelerated at their expense. 45.1% of respondents indicated sidewalk maintenance is adequate and another 37.3% responded neutral/uncertain. 41.2% of respondents indicated the sewer district should be expanded to include the area surrounding N. Lake Leelanau, however 32.1% responded neutral/uncertain and 26.7 percent disagreed. o 59.7% of the responding N. Lake Leelanau property owners would NOT support a special assessment for such a sewer expansion, 40.3% indicated support for such a special assessment. 49.7% survey respondents were neutral/uncertain regarding the Cemetery facilities, 36.6% agree the cemetery facilities are adequate and 13.7% disagree with the adequacy of the cemetery facilities. F. Community Image How do you feel about these policies or statements…. (Strongly Agree and Agree responses combined) Limit tall and/or massive buildings 88.4% Preservation of scenic rural roads 87.5% Preservation of historic buildings 79.6% Architectural controls for new development 69.6% Stricter sign regulations 65.6% Lighting standards to protect the “night sky” 63.5% Utility lines should be buried in “downtown” 59.9% Allow Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) 55.9% Statements or policies that did not receive greater than 50% level of agreement are detailed below. Need for additional parking downtown is closely split with 39.6% agreeing, 36.4% of respondents disagreeing and 19.9% neutral/uncertain. Need for standardized hours for downtown businesses, was generally not favored as indicated by 45% of all respondents disagreeing, 28.7% neutral/uncertain and 24.5% agreeing. Cellular towers should be encouraged in the Township, a split response with 33.6% agreeing and 28.9% of residents disagreeing and 21.2% neutral/uncertain. Need for noise regulations were agreed with by 39.8%, while 32.5% were neutral or uncertain, with the balance of respondents agreeing. Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 4 May 2005 �Need for additional sidewalks was generally not favored, based on the following responses for: o Leland – 43.6% disagree, 33.6% neutral and 22.7% agree. o Lake Leelanau – 39.3% neutral/uncertain, 35.4% disagree and 25.2% agree. G. Demographics How long have you lived here and/or owned property here? Length of Time Lived in Leland Township Owned Property in Leland Township Do not live/own property here 5.7% 0.2% 0-4 years 7.9% 9.3% 5-10 years 12.9% 19.3% 11-20 years 18.5% 24.2% 21-30 years 12.6% 14.5% 42.3% 32.5% Longer than 30 years Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to exactly 100%. 48% of the survey respondents are year-round residents of Leland Township. 50.2% of the survey respondents are registered voters. Number of residence During which months do you typically reside in Leland Township? 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 - - Jun Jul ~ ,-.,__ -r-.,_- --1 ALL Jan Feb Mar Apr May Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Months Rentals -11.9% of the survey respondents rent or lease their Leland Township home to others. Nearly half of the rentals being by the week or day. As is typical in northern Michigan, the majority of the rentals occur June through September. Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 5 May 2005 �Which best describes the location of your Leland Township Property? 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Shoreline Rural setting Farm Leland Lake Leelanau Note: Property location question requested respondents to indicate all that apply, so the sum of the categories exceeds the total number of respondents. ,-,-- ,...- ov e of th e ch on e N w /s ab ild re n al - ol ag e fe ss io n ch o ad e Tr Pr o sp er so n et ire e O ~ ~ ea l El ec te d ev el o Es ta te /D R ffi ci al r - Em pl oy ee r, pe s ac re - Fa m ily R O w ne ro f> ss 20 O rm Fa Bu si ne rn - =n r-n-w ne r 275 250 225 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0 er responses Affiliations of Survey Respondents Note: Affiliation question requested respondents to indicate all that apply, so the sum of the categories exceeds the total number of respondents. The high percentage of retiree respondents is to be expected in a township with a median age, which is over 9 years higher than the statewide average. Leland Township Survey –condensed summary Prepared for the Leland Township Planning Commission by M.C. Planning & Design page 6 May 2005 �Preservation (open space, farmland, community “as is”) comments (34) Encourage open space preservation and clustered home with limited density (within reason) I feel that this survey is primarily directed towards Farmland Preservation and I don't want to be taxed for this concept. Farmland Preservation should be funded by private money. Our taxes are high enough for the required services. I am a downstate part-time resident hoping to retire and spend 6 months a year living there. We love the character of the area and that any development is done in a way that doesn't change the beauty and charm of Leland or surrounding area. The only thing I would like to see is a Health club nearby as I enjoy a work out regularly. Stay out of land preservation!!! There are probably more NON-VOTING property owners in Leland Township than property owning voters. Stay out of the Property Tax Issues for land Preservation. Thank you for asking - and may you all continue to love "Leland" & do for it the very best!! This area is so PRECIOUS and UNIQUE in its beauty and needs to be treated with the utmost in planning and care. This is WHY people come here. We are obligated to preserve this beauty to ensure prosperity for our children. Leland has been very good to us & we should return the blessings. Regarding your sections A<B<C<& D, I believe a mix of mostly rural and farmland with some regions of single family homes clustered around smartly done commercial projects are the right approach. I do not believe that farmland should be subsidized by taxpayers but rather made profitable and desirable by local commerce. I think a tourism-based economy is a nice compliment to the agricultural, construction and TC commuter population. The largest problem I see is that the tourism is only 3 months. If commercial projects, which would develop a more seasonal tourism, were allowed, the economy would be more solid. I strongly believe in having B & B type lodging and small and unique restaurants as opposed to hotels and chain restaurants. This maintains the character and quality. The question of preservation of land, from my understanding, is a prime objective of the conservancy. It would seem that township activities and direction should be co-coordinated closely with their efforts. Duplication of effort by the township could be counter-productive and more costly to the taxpayers of the twp. The tremendous charm that Leland & the township represents to owners, visitors, it all must be maintained. We have one of the world's most beautiful natural assets. All care should be made to preserve & maintain this gift!! I contribute to Leelanau Conservancy and suggest strong cooperation between the conservancy and your commission in protecting the treasure we have. I am sure they need your help in preserving the gem that is Leelanau Township. Tall buildings, office, factories, parking lots, real estate developments will ruin it for everyone. If that is what some desire, I would suggest Traverse City - a very nice city - or downstate. PLEASE WORK TO PRESERVE THIS AREA. I hope Leland will preserve its "small town" character and not allow massive condo developments as is happening in Suttons Bay. The best thing about Leland is that it is the one thing in life that doesn't change. It is pure predictable and peaceful. That must be maintained. It’s the last unspoiled part of the country. Preservation of that should be paramount. Leelanau County is a treasure that needs to be preserved at whatever cost! Growth is inevitable but it can and should be controlled and limited so that many future generations can enjoy the natural beauty and remoteness of "The County"! We respect the needs of local full time residents but feel development should be geared to protect the natural beauty and natural resources of the area, principally tourism. We support the purchase of pen area to reserve this. Leelanau is a magical place and we would like this natural beauty managed while meeting the needs of the local residents. Our visitors are impressed with the simplicity and integrity of Leland as well as the surrounding area. We have been coming to Leelanau County for 42 years and fell in love with the beauty of the area. After retirement, we bought a place in Leland. We hope it stays as is for a long, long time. My family has owned property in Leland for over 100 years. I am over 70 and have spent time there my entire life, as have my children and grandchildren. I want the area to continue to be maintained as the most beautiful natural area it has always been. I would like to see the township officer incentives to land owners for participating in positive programs like farm land preservation (purchase or lease) Open space preservation, incorporation of affordable housing in building projects, etc. �Preservation (open space, farmland, community “as is”) comments (34) I have loved Leland for 60 years…. my mother rented the "orange crate" cottage at entrance to Indian Woods in the 1940’s My whole family LOVES Leland. As for me, I'd like it to Stay Casual and not particularly overdeveloped. But I realize there is a summer time over-crowding and a scarcity of employment for many in winter. But we all ADAPT... and I think many are living here year around as I might do in future.... but no promises. I do NOT wish to see Leland over-regulated like some big city. We own property and enjoy the area as it is (and have been for many years). Too much growth and (obvious) development will diminish our desire to be land/homeowners in the area. I realize that a goal of no growth is unrealistic. But in my heart of hearts, that’s what I want. Third generation summer people. I think we should keep the county the way it is. We'd like to see slow, thoughtful growth, which preserves the character of the region. The attractive nature and true value of Leelanau is its historic rejection of "Pell Mell" development and the conservation of its scenic beauty, which is currently threatened and continues to be with greater frequency. The conservancy can't buy everything - the township HAS to strictly limit and enforce ANY development that threatens the unique quality of L.T. Plan - Do not buckle under to the developers, and lose the incredible beauty and character of the county We purchased our land because of the natural beauty. Please don't become Bay Harbor, Petoskey or Harbor Springs. The peninsula is all we have left. It is the Jewel of Michigan!! Preservation of historic buildings, not the courthouse!! Leland and the surrounding area is so beautiful, lets try and keep it that way. We love the Leland lifestyle…. refinements should be just that and improvements subtle. We would hate to see the area become too busy and too "fancy” We love the simple charm of the area and hope that it stays that way…. I would like to see TIMBERING limited to encourage mature tree growth. Indians are a wonderful resource in the area - much to offer in terms of environmental preservation, etc. The cooperation of Tribal & County Law Enforcement is awesome. More reciprocating needs to be developed. Why were schools not addressed? Place utility lines buried in downtown only if old trees are NOT disrupted. Do you support the conservancy? We are currently members of the conversancy and support projects that are important to us. Do you work with them? To preserve farmland would be willing to contribute on a pledge basis? Does this take over what the conservancy is doing? The economy portion needs to be researched in order to give an intelligent answer. Community image, what kind of architectural controls? I support an effort to preserve the existing nature and character of Leelanau County. I would like to see the villages support residential expansion - vs. being an obstacle to new development. This could slow down site development on rural land. Before I support any active government involvement in land purchase for "preservation" specific regions, zones, areas or corridors should be clearly identified and prioritize. The RANDOM acquisition of property is worthless! Encourage/assist in preservation by not penalizing or give tax break to those who do preserve. But, you can't use tax dollars to acquire land. Purchase development rights, not at taxpayer’s expense, let conservancy do it. We love the charm and "artiness" of the area, roadside stands and the general pace of life here. Let's not turn it into "downtown urban sprawl!" Keep as much gorgeous open space as possible!!! Thanks for your efforts!!!!! Leland and Lake Leelanau are both historic in nature and should be protected from the profiteers who could care less about our precious peninsula. Suttons Bay is a perfect example of how not to protect our village assets especially our people. We don't have to let our villages be overrun by the developers!!!! Leland Township cannot possibly satisfy the wants/needs of all its residents. Maintaining the township's character should be the primary focus. The sprawl (downstate/out state) that compels people to seek refuge "Up North" is now as close as Traverse. Without controls, time is running out for the ": Lelands" of the North. The Leelanau Conservancy is leading the area in a wise direction, I support them cheerfully. �Development comments (33) Limited Growth (17) Stronger efforts need to be made to stop developers destroying out township; they have raped Whaleback & Hoeft Rds. What will you like the "Bunburys" from let happen next before you pass legislation to stop their type of development from happening? You need to look at the KEEWANAU COUNTY efforts to save their area from becoming the next suburb of Detroit! Thank you very much for the opportunity to complete this survey. I appreciate the fore- sight and organization it likely has taken the board to compile questions and so on for opinions. It feels extremely important to my family and I that development and growth be closely and wisely monitored. We believe that many vistas both inland and on the water have been compromised by homes built on the tops of hills. In many cases in our country - homes are no longer permitted to be built on hilltops. Consider please following suit. In addition, the large marina "project" which was thankfully halted should be outlawed in our waterways. I could not imagine how a development or business like that would have contributed AT ALL to our existing community. It would not offer affordable housing or jobs to yearround resident. When asked about all of the new development, I ask myself how would it benefit the community as a whole? The community here and the township board and elected officials have the privilege, voice and power to move into the future with a progressive AND positive vision. There are many ways to grow and it does not have to be equivalent to being bigger or having more. Leland Township needs to protect its beautiful shorelines and ridgelines by regulating where and how development can occur. You can't stop development - encourage good-high quality homes, zone for small lots; don't cut up the landscape with 5 to 10 acre parcels. Since growth in inevitable, planning is vital. And planning regulations should have teeth in them & no loop holes With architectural restrictions, you can "mask" cell towers as fir trees. Limited, planned growth in Leland Township is critical for continued success of this area. Growth is inevitable in Leland Township. Managing that growth is essential if we are to preserve out natural resources and our rural characters. This is a beautiful area. We moved here from IL/Bahamas in 1992 because of the rural area and wonderful people. Growth will ALWAYS happen, it is necessary for a decent local economy. However, to allow excessive development will destroy the reason most of us love Leelanau county. I am against "over" regulation by the government, ANY government! I believe in striving for quality development in and around the villages - while allowing pockets of ww-income development for wwincome families as a means of supporting business growth! Would like more vineyards and bike paths developed. Definitely favor slow controlled growth, preservation of open land. Some limits on hilltop properties and certain hills and ridges not to be developed. We as a township should a) stop sprawl by purchasing development rights, purchasing land outright, encouraging new building IN Leland by allowing the old 50 ft lots to be built upon, simply NOT ALLOWING density like the subdivisions just east of Duck Lake Corner (yes, we'll have to pay a team of lawyers no doubt, but the alternative is destruction of this place), etc. b) spruce us our parks, beaches, all of our public places. We need a millage to do so. Perhaps Leland Harbor could be completely redone, purchasing Lake St. to remove the parking problems there. What a view! More Cars!!! There are lots more, but that will do for the moment :) I am a firm believer in clustered high-density projects that will address our future population growth. My feelings on higher density, is to increase the total number of dwellings per acre. But pushing this park idea defeats real density. I feel it is critical NOW to have a township plan for growth, development - a flexible well thought out plan - to protect what we all know and love about our spot in this world. Leland Township. I oppose big developments/subdivisions. Residential areas should be near towns. Best definition for "open space" is area free of roads and houses, preferably in "natural" state. Land no longer farmed, should be restored. We have too many "open fields” Change in taxation for farmland? Leelanau County is a unique agricultural area for many crops. Once farmland is gone, it may never be farmed again. �Development comments (33) Farmland should be taxed and assessed as farmland - even if transferred to new farmer. Willing to support tax incentives to keep land in farming, or at least no penalize farmers with high taxes "highest best - use” Lake Leelanau could benefit from zoning. Marina in town not appropriate. Additional cell towers allowed in township, ABSOLUTELY NOT, WTC allowed YES!!! Strongly support development of new housing within existing villages (especially Lake Leelanau) as opposed to subdivisions in existing farmland. Empire (neighbor) project is a good model. "Walk able" communities are IDEAL Decision to allow county courthouse on farmland - away from a village center was a poor decision. Ed McMahon's writings are an excellent resource for planning. I understand the concern over haphazard development. This can be avoided w/common sense growth management that is not too restrictive. Buying farms will not be a long tern solution, unless the peninsula is to become one huge government controlled "park". Sensible economic development is the only way to attract people, increase property tax base, therefore keeping property taxes affordable for ALL residents. 10-acre minimum should be placed on rural land. Allow 1/4-acre lots near villages. No Growth (10) Stop allowing people to build whatever they please, wherever they want, however they want. Set new limits, its getting disgusting and disgraceful…Who is in charge of this? Crying out loud…. do we want to look the same as Grand Rapids? Stop these rich fools from building HUGE homes in Leland City limits…. send them to Suttons Bay!! Standardized business hours, how are you going to get a breakfast place and a grocery store to wait until 10:00 am to open? I'd like to see that. I feel Leland Township is being destroyed. One eye sore is the house being built across from Riverside. It's a beautiful home, but its monstrosity has ruined the little dead end road of old, old cottages. If Fish town becomes condos, Leland will die. Guaranteed. There are more and more developers moving up here destroying properties to fill their wallets, than they go on to the next town. I am not against growth; let's just not let it go too far. We/I think this questionnaire is such a good idea. Wish the county commissioners would also pay attention! If Leland Township and/or Leelanau county keeps the current growth of subdivisions/developments, the very reason that people are attracted to the area - the scenic views, farmland, open vistas - will be lost. We will become just a suburb of Traverse City requiring bigger, better roads, etc, etc. I would like to see a goal of no growth in the area, but I'll have to settle for less. This is a good idea. Boil it down, and do it again and again and who knows, it might even make a difference. We need to be aware of the clustered creep that’s going on all around this once beautiful township with lack of architectural control and regulations. The road signage is beyond a joke!!! (both road commission and other signage). Leland use to be a gorgeous Christmas Village - our Christmas decorations are nothing more than tired cut x-mas trees lying along side buildings. Light the curb trees again!! Ok here we go: Clustering people here <-- saves --> open space here. Higher density on MUCH smaller parcels. We need to get 3-4 houses, on appropriately zoned areas. PER ACRE. This would mean the new master plan would have to greatly expand a "cluster/high density zoning” Back off on the "mandated open space" within a development. Put houses there. Look back to the layout of small city’s Your new vision is going to price out everyone except the wealthy. You are the local township not the property police...because the population of the US is going to double in a short period of time. Logically plan for that. Not by using more and more regulations as a tool to limit density and keep you rural. Developers have ruined South Florida. They are only in it for profit. Don't be fooled by their projections and promises. I can see they are swarming - don't give in. You can't bring back what is destroyed by unscrupulous profiteers. �Development comments (33) Growth management is impossible. NO PUDS!!! In the land use and environment section, why exclude waterfront?? Clustered housing "not in my side yard” Ridgeline development should be limited, hide the houses. Open space preservation, the township is part of the problem. Example Acme, Elmwood, etc. To preserve farmland, In our dreams - these involve BIG BUCKS. Farmlands, need to following zoning. Road Commission, stop-cutting shoulders. Why are additional sidewalks needed in just Leland and Lake Leelanau? Additional parking downtown, what downtown??? All of them need creative planning and implementation. Standardized hours of operation. WTG allowed, NOT IN MY AREA. All the townships should deal with the County Road Commission. This survey reflects MY VALUES If subdivisions are continued to be permitted: the name of the subdivision should correspond in SOME WAY to the area - anything else further cheapens the landscape. To call a sub "Monterey Hills" is ludicrous! Monterey is in Calif! "Emerald Hills" by GT Mall is neither green nor hilly. "Bahia Vista"…oh come on. Are they marketing to the migrants? I doubt it. Rules should include an absolutely onerous trust fund be set up for the perpetual maintenance of the "sign" so that they won't put one up! Generations of humans found their way home without some McDonald's sign out front of their neighborhood. Towns like Senora, AZ are able to control & regulate the way they grow & look - why do our officials continue to hide behind positions that they cannot? Finally - what good is all this Master Plan Stuff if it is ignored like it was for the jail???? I, certainly hope that Leland Township doesn't put in 1000's of condos, as has Door County, WI. Are family farms having as much trouble there as here??? Encourage Growth (6) Growth of moderate priced homes & business - friendly environment is absolutely essential to future viability of the area: Plans must allow for this by recognizing the economics of land use & business development. For example, higher density development in and near villages, with sewer provided, could encourage moderate priced housing supply. Tax abatement for new businesses, or expansion of business, designated commercial and industrial areas for growth. Allow development that will not change the overall look and feel of the township. Take care of what we have. Protect property values. Give the residents a return for their taxed paid in good quality service. Growth is good for our community and economy. We need to encourage prosperity but with guidelines on how we would like it to develop. It is important to remember the people who work in our seasonal business need affordable housing in the town where they work. Keeping the beauty and charm of our county is important, but we need to be able to live here as well. Stop trying to restrict growth. Don't listen to these people whom have their 100' on the lake and want to tell everybody else how to live. If they can build on a 100' ft wide lot then everyone should be able to build on a 100' wide lot whether its on the lake or in the middle of a farmers field. Would prefer planned appropriate growth. Would be willing to give financially depending on who would manage it. I am totally in favor of planned growth that ties in with the area. View subdivisions on top of hill does not do this!! Most of lake landowners will fight this forever more. �Township Government and Zoning Comments (25) Township Government (12) Current township board (Jane Keen excepted) really is short sided. Larkin's agenda is his own - not Leelanau's or Leland's. One of these days, maybe we'll get a board that understands we are all on the same side. For a long range vision the township should look at ways to acquire the property on Lake Street bordering the harbor, for long range planning for future expansion of the Harbor. Township is putting fingers in too many pies. Keep it simple. Just give good services that we have. No one wants a lot of government rules and regulations that cost a lot of money. The more government the more money wasted on studies and more studies and then the commissioners just do what they want anyway. It's a waste! Many of these questions about land use need to be qualified. Where should zoning apply and where and how should public ownership exist? What private public avenues should be promoted? What similar activities for ideal land use have been instituted and were successful? This is not the best-prepared survey I have seen. (1) Steve Clem should be "demoted" to BOARD ONLY (2) new chair should be a stronger leader and not violate the open meetings act. (3) Dick Lederle is TRIVIAL. A "different" twp board member should replace Lederle. (4) The township board $ over budget situation is due to items 1,2,3 above. Larkin needs to act now in time for the new look @ P&Z On the Master Plan: Our current Master Plan was drafted after much public input and hard work by the drafting committee. I remember people talking about light pollution (then a new concept) at those meetings. Residents had a clear idea of what sorts of evils they wanted to avoid as the township grew. Years later I found myself in front of the Township Board asking why this same Master Plan and the zoning laws that it generated were being ignored by the board when it approved new street lighting for Lake Leelanau. The prevailing attitude seemed to be that the Master Plan was just a document for the shelf, not something to be studied or heeded. At one point I heard the comment “Well, we can’t tell people what they can do with their property!” and I wondered what the point of having zoning or a Master Plan is, if we are too gutless to enforce any of it. So here we go again. Is this another waste of taxpayer time and money? Are we going to demand of our elected officials and ourselves the discipline that it will take to preserve even a little of what made Leland Township attractive in the first place? Are we going to look beyond the buzzwords and our preconceptions to find solutions that fit our township and our lives? The key to improving the general economic environment in the township in my view, is to encourage nonseasonal economic growth - to the extent this is possible, and then augment this with more affordable, non-seasonal, family housing to give year round families affordable housing opportunities, to go along with jobs. I also think efforts to bring/increase non-summer visitors would help as well to spread out and increase tourism spending in other seasons (besides the 10 obvious weeks in summer). Lastly, zoning changes that subsequently permit large ridgeline developments, such as the one that will soon be build between Leland and Lake Leelanau SHOULD NOT be allowed. Rules related to building do not seem to be applied universally. It is apparent based on new and existing structure remodels. Quit expanding government and those costs associated without taxpayer approval. Fix what's broken before creating new. I hope these comments help to provide some perspective. �Township Government and Zoning Comments (25) Zoning Issues (13) Let zoning of 80's do its job - don't change any zoning but let existing zoning unfold and go with it. Need to get more business of 3rd or 4th generation county residents into government who are more conservative & have Leland Township's future at heart. Zoning Administrator has too much "power” i.e.: there is nobody of government checking his decisions/opinions. Several sites seem non-conforming. ZBA should render more opinions In several cases too much of the lot is occupied by the building. The Leland Township zoning board has not enforced its own zoning laws in the years past. Many of these questions about township ownership (of land etc.) imply a completely new role for the township. On zoning, the 17' height restricting on unattached buildings makes almost impossible to build a building with a 10' ceiling and have a pitch that will support the snow loads in the winter. I have heard that there is an ordinance that requires trailers and motor homes and some types of equipment be stored inside. With this 17' limitation, it’s impossible to build a building that will accept these items. This also encourages the low shed looks of out buildings that architecturally are not attractive. Strict zoning needs to be created and enforced. Zoning needs to be consistent. Enforced so that we don't see multiple family housing and/or zero lot line development along the shoreline or vistas of North Lake Leelanau. The town of Lake Leelanau is depressing and needs to get a plan or go away. Ridgeline protection (There are successful ordinances on this) Stick to your guns, one house on 10 acres, or 8 clustered houses on 80 acres, NOT50 houses clustered on 80 acres, would go a long way to keeping Leland Townships quality environment. When all these people started moving here 60 - 70 years ago, they were welcomed with open arms. To try to stop people moving here and building homes is not realistic. So, those folks who now have moved here should not stop others from finding homes here. Cut out the restrictions and the jobs will come with the people. Regulation of business (other than through normal zoning ordinances) is NONE of the township's business!!! "Supply & Demand" will provide what is needed. WATCH OUT!!! If you control the area TOO much, you will drive away business and then Leland will be a ghost town. This survey scares me with the abundant use of the word "regulation". Let the market and the people decide about the regulations. On elected councils who regulate, create hostility and are bad for the community. Be sure to look at the economic implications of EVERYTHING you do - especially the "environmental" The character of Leland Township is already established as upscale residential surrounded largely by fruit farms. This is so because of the attractive Lake Michigan shoreline, largely build able, and N. Lake Leelanau surrounded by homes. As for the farms, the weather is conductive to fruit trees and grape vines. The township location well up in the finder isolates it from most commercial development not directly related to its residents and visitors. All planning should take these basic facts into account. If we are receiving enough tax revenue to properly support our school and maintain our roads & streets, we should do all we can to limit new building. I would contribute $$ financially only if it were levied (and give these funds to Leelanau Conservancy!!!) on all Leland Township residents by millage APPROVED, by majority vote. �Sewer Comments (18) The sewer around lake should be mandatory - one of the county's top priorities A sewer system is necessary in Lake Leelanau and along the 204 corridor. The Leelanau county Health Dept has been made too restrictive as far as septic allowances, as authorized by the commissioners. Leland Twp sewer system should be metered on usage. Build REAL gravity flow sewers - no short term Leland type foolishness Protect the lake, start testing septic systems now! In my neighborhood we have fully 1/3 of the residents using defective-polluting septics, everybody knows but don't want to spend the money. Unfortunately, the "sewer district" has no sewer, only a holding tank. It needs a proper system and one with the ability to expand as needed. It’s a knotty problem given local land use, suitable location & distances involved. The sewer district should be expanded to include the area surrounding N Lake Leelanau, this should have already been done the 1st time. I live on the narrows and am on the sewer system, and like it We need to ensure Lake Leelanau does not become POLLUTED! The biggest issue for us is to have all homes connected to a sewage treatment facility - not holding tanks or septic fields. This is critical & must be dealt with! A sewer system is desperately needed around Lake Leelanau. Current septics are polluting the lake and new construction septic options are too limited. Start now to keep the lake clean. The sewer question needs a modifier: A properly planned and run sewer is desired, not similar to the current Leland project. My husband and I own 2 homes in Leland Township. Our cottage on Lake Leelanau, 1 mile south of St. Mary's Church, NEEDS to be on the Leland Township sewer system. The septic tank needs replacing. Our options are limited. Please consider those of us IN LELAND TOWNSHIP NOT IN A TOWN - BUT CLOSE IN. So much attention is given to Leland Sewer system is a joke since the biggest polluters along the lakes aren't even hooked up to it. Need a different type of sewer system. We agree with the sewer expansion, but would like a cost analysis first. We live on South Lake Shore Drive and would love to have sewage lines. Our septic system is old - we have tried to replace but with new standards and amount of water that runs through our property in the spring it is impossible without having a huge mound built. On the sewer: Although I strongly support protecting water quality I cannot favor expanding a sewer system that does not work correctly. I live near the last pumping station on Popp Road. My neighbors and I are still subjected to noxious odors from the pumping station on a daily basis. I understand that numerous attempts have been made to fix this problem, yet the smell remains. I suspect that any attempt to add on to this system would rile everyone who lives in the vicinity of a pumping station. Sewer district, you may need to protect the lake, but the existing treatment system has been again, a disaster. Sewer district N. Lake Leelanau property owners should pay "We the townies have already paid our share now its their turn" Sewage issues are important to us. We would love to see public sewage installed around the lake (Leelanau) �Water – Marina Comments (15) Eliminate jet-skis from N. Lake Leelanau - pollution and noise! Respect public rights of way ie: Horn Rd. boat launch which is currently in an encroachment situation due to new owner closing gate for turn-around purposes. Protect narrows from keyhole development and dredging! The large marina "project" which was thankfully halted, should be outlawed in our waterways. As mentioned: Key holing is getting worse every year. Soon there will be no more room for boats on the lake. stations, boats, equipment along M-22 south of Leland (Fuggie Beach) is an eyesore and creates a dangerous situation with parked cars, children, dogs. It appears to us that many of these people are "DAY TRIPPERS" coming from surrounding areas and illegally mooring their boats there. Can't something be done? Illegal overnight mooring is also happening at Township road ends. Drunks coming up and down the river is getting worse especially late evening, early morning hours - they are coming from Leland, Blue Bird Bar, etc. More enforcement? Why was the merc allowed to destroy the scenic view of the river and dam just so they could make money off slips? People can't even turn their boat around now. Everyone should pay for the new dam - everyone uses the water. State should pay seeing they allow public to use water through public access. They should take a survey - more of the public (renters, day trippers, campers, tourist) use water behind the dam then property owners. Make the State Pay Thank you I would like to see the boats to the islands moved south of Glen Arbor - where it belongs! Near the old coast guard station, and lighthouse. Since Leland has a marina, more parking for cars with trailers should be provided closer to the marina. If the business district of Leland is to grow, private homes in that district need to relocate. Set fees, establish permits for non-riparian docks, moorings, shore stations, etc. Particularly on keyhole basis. There should be more public docking or boats in the river, not just high priced docks at Blue Bird and the Merc. The DNR boat ramp on the Carp River (back of the Blue Bird) should be relocated because of traffic congestion it causes, and the problem with non-boaters parking in parking spots for cars with trailers and not enough parking places for peak times. Also, the river current presents some problems for launching and retrieving of boats. Two possible places the launch site could be moved to 1) relocated to the river at the county property on Chandler St. Expand the parking across Chandler St. on property currently owned by the county. 2) Township land on Terrace Court, North of Bartholomew Park. This would allow for launching of sail boats and power boats. And parking could be expanded. I am deeply concerned about the public accesses in Leland to the lakes. Lakeshore park property was sold south of Leland years ago, foolishly we thought. We can not get it back! The public access to Lake Michigan in the middle of town, directly to the (L) of the Leland MOUND is being obscured - the owner of the adjacent property has paved part as their driveway & the township has NOT maintained the pathway. Once these accesses to the lake areas are gone, they are gone. We need to be thinking of our children's children. It is unconscionable that the township is allowing people to create the impression that public accesses are private property. Don't enlarge Leland Harbor!! More control over Lake/Waterfront rentals limiting number of people to 1 family or to a monthly rental. Right now you have up to 18 to 20 people per house for a week and then repeat the following week. Marina in town not appropriate. Water quality is also VERY important to riparian on Lake Leelanau and others too. Surrounding farms are essential to maintain the beauty of the area. I'd even support a tax millage for this purpose ie: purchase of development rights �Housing Comments (15) Affordable housing (2) New housing within Leland is out of control - 60' lots should not accommodate 4,000 sq ft. houses We need more affordable housing for young families or our schools will suffer falling enrollments. We also need to encourage CLEAN business developments to keep young people in the county. Thank you for taking on this difficult and important task. I do not want to see growth in Lake Leelanau other than new housing for residential purposes! Or housing for senior citizens. Thank you for asking our opinion!! Real estate agents, who often have insider information, should stop buying all of the affordable housing and then renting it. Young couples who grew up in this township and who have jobs can not afford to buy a house here. Conversion to affordable housing or parks is a good use of converted farmland. On housing: Please don’t confuse “affordable housing” with “low income housing.” Affordable housing means places that a family making $40,000 per year can live in. This might mean a new teacher whose spouse works part time. This could mean a husband who works at Van’s while the wife works at the Children’s Center. It could be the guy who is going to fix your plumbing and the woman who will provide visiting nursing services while you recover from surgery. It is the people who stay here all winter and make sure that your roof is shoveled and that your pipes don’t freeze. The current exodus out of Northport is a warning about maintaining a diverse population in our villages. As the proportion of full time residents, working residents and families decreases the village businesses become less profitable and are endangered. Affordable housing integrated into a village insures a base for village businesses and upholds everyone’s property values. Provide single residence home lot there. You might consider state housing bond financing for providing mortgages to township residents. The key to improving the general economic environment in the township in my view, is to encourage nonseasonal economic growth - to the extent this is possible, and then augment this with more affordable, nonseasonal, family housing to give year round families affordable housing opportunities, to go along with jobs. Real Estate Agents are making it tough on landowners. Jacking the price of property skyward. Only the wealthy can buy. It needs to level off. Young Couples can't afford only rich retirees. Multi-family needed in Leland County & Township building need to stay in Leland! We would like to see the town of Lake Leelanau upgraded to be more like Suttons Bay & Leland. The substandard housing and less than attractive businesses make it a town that lacks charm and it not attracting investment. It is a shame to see such an ideal location not live up to its potential. �Tax related comments (11) Farmland Preservation should be funded by private money. Our taxes are high enough for the required services. Stay out of the Property Tax Issues for land preservation Taxes are already too high, so I am not in favor of spending tax $ on "protection" of rural character. Upgrade fire dept, so that we can improve our "Class 8" protection code, that will save $ on homeowners insurance. Be mindful that tourism is what pays the bills for local businesses. Don't tax the golden goose to death, please. If we pay taxes, we would like to vote. Would like same tax rate as full time residents, or lower because we don't use schools and fewer other services I think that the real estate taxes placed on non-residents are just TOTALLY UNFAIR. We cannot vote on important issues!!! Some important meetings are held when non-residents are not there to express themselves on certain issues. There should be more public docking for boats in the river, not just high priced docks at Blue Bird and the Merc. Higher tax rates for non-residents MAY be constitutional, but generate increasing animosity between the residents and non-residents. Consumers Power doesn’t understand the meaning of "private property" or "scenic or rural character” or…. their latitude to keep power lines clear needs to be better defined/negotiated/enforces. They have trespassed with permanent damage in numerous areas. Their role (and that of other utilities - telephone, cable) needs to be delineated much more clearly in Master Plan. Control of funding for Leland dam needs to be CLEARLY defined. First of all, I am grateful for the opportunity you have given me to have some input as a property owner in Leland Township. It is a rare opportunity indeed, as I am a lake front property owner, who pays property taxes assessed at a much higher rate than those who do not own property on the lake and soon I will be required to pay an additional assessment as a lake front property owner for the repair to the Leland Dam. Oh - I forgot to mention that this is all true for someone who is not a year-round resident of Leland Township, or a year-round resident of the state of Michigan. In essence, I get to do all of this, without the benefit of being able to vote for - or against - those representatives at the various levels of government who make the decisions - planning, taxing, assessing, etc. I might take this opportunity to assert that the "summer residents" of Leland Township, and most specifically, the lake front property owners who spend their summers in the area, are certainly to be commended for all that they contribute to the economy of the area - with taxes, with revenue, and adding to the economy during the summer months that make it possible for survival in the long, cold winter, etc. Now we are to be one again- given special treatment in regard to the repair of the dam. Does not everyone in the area benefit from Lake Leelanau? Why is it that the lake front property owners again will bare the burden of a significant portion of the dam repair? Why is it that there is no "planning" in regard to the maintenance of the dam and there appears to be no equitable "planning" in regard to paying for such "extras" except to hit the lake front property owners over and over again as if they are some kind of unending source of revenue. Could it be that a majority of them are not registered voters and can literally have no say in choosing those who make the decisions? Certainly it is not a case of "taxation without representation" for as we all know - that is tyranny! Bottom line is this - whatever the development plan finally discerns to be the future of Leland Township, plan to allow for everyone to share in the cost- equitably. We all love the area. We all do out best to keep the area pristine and as natural as possible. It is a necessity to make improvements to allow for changes in many aspects that are often beyond our control. Don't send the whole tab to the lake front property owners - share the wealth! It is enjoyed by many; don't make the few pay the bill as all have a share and concern for the future of Leland Township. Due to the tax structure in Michigan, the summer residents do not need more taxes put on them - we pay more than our share and do not get the services. Change in taxation for farmland Farmland should be taxed and assessed as farmland - even if transferred to a new farmer. Willing to support tax incentives to keep land in farming, or at least do not penalize farmers with high taxes "highest - best- use". We pay huge property taxes now. �Noise (10) Leaf blowers should be banned. Motorized motor scooters BANNED, and cigarette boats banned in Lake Leelanau. Sound emissions standards adopted on jet skis. Noise regulations: snowmobiles, jet skis, heavy machinery/construction time restrictions in residential areas. Noise ordinance: No fireworks after 10:30/11:00 p.m. coming from lakeside summer homes or elsewhere. The tendency is for the summer people to forget about the rest of us, who have to get up in the morning. Eliminate jet-skis from N. Lake Leelanau - pollution and noise! Noise regulations are needed, especially for summer cottage renters Noise regulations - to regulate jet skis and PWC Noise regulations: especially for motorcycles WTC should not be allowed, create noise, ugly in scenic nature Some noise regulations are needed, especially wedding bands (outdoors) and wine festival music. Thank you for doing this survey and hopefully curtailing development like Old Orchard!!! Good Luck, Noise regulations in the township �Property Rights Comments (9) Give farmers rights to take small plots (100 x 200, example) of acres for family, and lower taxes on remainder of farm and let farmers manage their own property. Let farmers control their farms - give farmers rights to pull small plots off. None crop acres for family or retirement. Leaving rest of farm to create food. Farmers acres should be taxed very low so farmers can make a living. To me, many of the questions posed in this survey paint a frightening picture of the potential for expanded control of land use. Get out of the way and let growth and development happen or risk being another Leelanau Township. PLEASE NO MORE restrictive government policies or regulations in an attempt to pacify the vocal minority of anti-everything activists that attend your meetings. Show some respect for our constitutionally guaranteed private property rights. I have mixed feelings about the township dictating how property owners can use/do with their property but on the other hand, some regulations have to be enforced to ensure a pleasing environment in which to live. Need to work on reducing government and the associated costs for the residents. Taxes are too height and reductions need to be passes. We do not need an expansion of the role of local government into areas of arguing and developing/preserving property. Property rights are important and should not be over-regulated by government I think this survey is quite slanted to infringing on property owner's rights….I also think the services provided ie, electric, sewers, sidewalks, police, fire should be first rate. After that the town/townships can decide what they can AFFORD for future planning. The lake "itch" would be a good place to start, lake patrol maintained, ie: drinking and driving boats within the buoy lines. Your ECONOMY depends on stuff like this. This survey's wording & questioning is misleading with one clear goal; of supporting the "Master Plan". I received this survey in the mail just 2 days before it was to be returned. Do you really want to hear others input? The vest way to protect the Leland/Leelanau county is to keep the government's control limited and let the property owners be able to control their own land. I hope you will really listen to this input. Thank you. Public access to Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau should be made clear. Plus property owners on each side should not be allowed to park or block the access. Zoning is pathetic - houses being crammed into tiny lots. One on top of the other. �County Facilities comments (7) I STRONGLY feel that the County Commissioners should establish a committee of Leland Township groups/members to be charged with coming up with a plan for the vacated "court house campus" within a stated period. Groups to be included should already be established ie: merchants Assoc, Civic club, Churches, Improvement Assoc. Etc. (I count 16 such established groups) This would include Twp, Harbor, Rd Commission as well, I feel that a "see it to offset expenses" attitude will do nothing but foster rumors of crass development land grabbing, speculators, etc. Leland has lost the Courthouse rightly or wrongly. Leland and Leland Township should fight for the right to say what the future should hold. Make a plan with as much input as possible through already established groups. Otherwise, public hearings will diminish in "public" attendance to a few "sore heads"!!! Let dialogue begin between County, Township and local Leland parties as to ideas/concepts for use of vacated County facilities. As the county moves the jail and the courthouse out of Leland, I feel the township and county should develop this property into a park and parking area. From a study made in the 1970's for reasons to expand the Leland harbor it was noted there was a parking problem in Leland and that parking areas should be added. However, none was ever developed. And if the county and township allow the jail and courthouse property to be sold for private use, it will eliminate the last area large enough to have a park and more parking in Leland. The county-owned property in Leland, following relocation of county facilities, should NOT be used for multi-unit housing like apartments or condos or townhouses. Decision to allow county courthouse on farmland - away from a village center was a poor decision. Ed McMahon's writings are an excellent resource for planning What a circus and disaster the issue of county owned property has been. I moved to Leland for two reasons - it is what I call a "4 corners town" and I have family that has lived in the county, year-round, for 100 years. With moving the county seat to Lake Leelanau, I want a "4 corners" feel there also. Sidewalks from the new buildings in Lake Leelanau, so I can walk - not fight cars for space. �Road Comments (5) Better street crossing markings at River & Main during the summer season. Possibly a flashing amber light. Large slow signs entering the village We need a new road! It's too narrow and round! We need Louis St. repaired soon! 2 cars can hardly pass. We were promised a new road when the sewer was put it. We are still waiting!! Right now when the snow plow comes through stone is thrown all over the lawn. We have a mess to clean up every spring. I am not blaming the Road Commission. They do a great job. We want to fix our driveway -waiting to have the road fixed. Allow for additional places at County location for parking. Redirect flow of traffic at county location. Create one way streets to loop area. Streets are very narrow. Two way and parking is dangerous. River St. and Pearl Street should be 1 way along with Chandler and Grand. Summertime traffic, both foot and auto, is terrible and needs to be organized. Crosswalks and one way streets would help. 15 minute parking at Bank & post office enforced (30 minute all the way to the bridge on Main st.) Longer term parking on River and Chandler and Pearl, with new one way streets and improvement or roads to allow parking (curbs, markings & landscaping) and clear signs directing. Reference to Item E services No. 8 I would like the East-West section of N. Lake St. resurfaced with a permanent surface. It is presently a dead end gravel road. There are a lot of summer visitors using the road causing a lot of dust in the summer. In the winter, the county snowplows scrape or dig up a lot of road surface and spread it over the black top portion of the road and the adjacent properties. Just this year, there was a forty foot long furrow of gravel about 1 foot high and 2 ft wide left by the long plow. �Recreation Comments (4) Hancock park's parking lot is awful - dangerous layout & full of potholes. The skateboard ramps are a lawsuit waiting to happen & should be removed immediately. They are in poor repair with jagged metal and wood edges. There is no railing on taller ramp & it is used more as a slide by very little children waiting for siblings at soccer practice, than by actual skateboarders. The way up for these little kids is a round-runged (dangerous!) ladder that can tip over at any time. If they fall off the top of the ramp, they land on CONCRETE! How do you even maintain an insurance policy with that thing on twp property? Then there's the whole issue of an actual skateboard related injury like the kid in Glen Lake. Pull it out ASAP, or redo it so its safer, like the one at the Traverse City Civic Center. Redesign parking lot & put in an ice rink and warming hut. Bike trails would also be good - again, so I do not have to worry about being hit by a car. The county forces us to depend on cars - even when traveling only 2 miles, as there is no safe way to walk or ride a bicycle. Provemont Pond: This “park” is a disgrace. It doesn’t even have a sign anymore. It is increasingly used for dirt bikes, paintball wars, trash dumping, etc. It should be properly identified as a park or nature preserve or whatever it is and then the rules need to be posted and enforced. It could be a really nice place for mushrooming, hiking, cross country skiing, etc. more parks �Miscellaneous Comments Fish town (2) I think Leland Township has done a great job in developments & limiting large developments Please NO site condos! KEEP FISH TOWN AS IT IS!!! Keep Leland Beach open! Love the area!! Preservation of historic buildings - ALL OF FISH TOWN!! Utilities, Restrooms, Signs (17) Require roofs on rural lights, Night Sky Protection, Lake Leelanau street lights are outrageous Work on burying all utility lines in county - better visual atmosphere and would reduce power outages Lake Leelanau lighting is night pollution No billboards No flood lights at jail site - Yikes! Want the recycling center in Lake Leelanau moved out of the village! No other village has it Public restroom facilities are needed. In summer, the area in harbor parking lot is overused. Bury utility lines yes, if not at taxpayers expense. Standardized hours in downtown - leave it to businesses If you want to attract persons in the computer/internet related industries to Leland covering the town with WI/FI or high speed cable access would materially increase desirability of location. Other businesses would follow and possibly old county buildings would find commercial use. There would be a positive impact on the school as well as library & museum. We need a public restroom at the DNR boat ramp on River St, in Leland. Follow street and lighting ordinances Signage is out of control! Road signs are beyond what's necessary. Get rid of adopt highway signs signs are a bigger eyesore than blight. Eliminate signs for commercial businesses, supported by county and state. Leland Township is like a beautiful person that is getting tattooed "with signage" into an unsightly community. The need for public restrooms in Leland should be a high priority. Three possible sites are 1) on the edge of the Carp River, tucked down in on the bank on the east side of Main St. (Old Art Building side) by the bridge. 2) Back of the Blue Bird at the DNR boat launch site, if the boat launch area is moved as I will suggest later in my comments. 3) Village Green Area, its nice to have the green area, but more people would enjoy it, if the restrooms were located there. Utility lines buried in downtown, would be nice. Downtown parking is seasonal only, utility lines buried should be in conjunction of maintenance and development.. Limited in the township, architecture should compliment the landscape. Utility lines: New utility lines should be buried everywhere, not just in the “downtown” areas. Any additional lines should be placed on the current right-of ways instead of placing parallel lines on both the new and old corridors as is now proposed by Consumers Energy for M-204. Tall Buildings/Towers/WTG (15) Tall and massive buildings, agree but not over 6 stories Cellular towers, agree to whatever is necessary for proper communications Additional cell towers and WTG - only with care study of need and protection of view sheds, consolidate wireless infrastructure. Require sharing of towers, etc. Tall and massive buildings, most should be allowed to fit lot size & buffering WTC should not be allowed, create noise, ugly in scenic nature WTG should be allowed for public not for private profit. This is a good move �Miscellaneous Comments Tall and massive buildings, limit in township, better yet, do away with them (if there is any). Speed limit signs should be adopted on Main St. in Lake Leelanau. There are a few children on this street also. It’s dangerous. There used to be a sign by where the white oil tanks use to be, but I think someone knocked it over or down. This is one issue that was not in your survey. Need regulations on how cell towers look, there are ways to disguise them. No growth would be nice but is not realistic Any additional cell towers should be tasteful Consider putting cell phone tower on Manitou Shoals light (crib) Additional cell towers are not necessary use the existing ones. WTG and tall and massive buildings are obnixious looking. Additional cell towers allowed if you don't impede scenic vistas. Force more capacity onto existing towers. Lean on tower operators. You need more capacity, not necessarily more towers. WTG's are ugly, but ecological. As a long time summer resident I do everything within my power to support local businesses and trades people. Tall and/or massive buildings: not allowed at all For safety only, I agree that additional cell towers are needed Business (Lack of opportunities or possibilities) (11) We plan to retire and live full time in Leland with in the next 5 years. What happens to Sugar Loaf is great concern. We hope the quality is upscale and pleasing to the eye with concern for the beauty and natural environment. Skiing needs to be further developed - this helps winter employment. Currently in search of business to purchase in West Michigan or Northern Michigan New business and/or residential growth development is not needed in Leland Township. Look at Traverse City, Petoskey, and Harbor Springs. They have lost their charm due to development. I operate my business (sales and consulting) out of my home office As a 30 year old born and raised in Leland, the biggest challenge we face here are cost of living is much higher than wages we could possibly make in Leelanau County. Employers in the area do not offer a livable wage and benefits. In order to use my Masters Degree, I have to work in TC and still take a major pay loss when compared to what I was making down state. This county is getting older with no new young families moving in. WATCH OUT!!! If you control the area TOO much, you will drive away business and then Leland will be a ghost town. This survey scares me with the abundant use of the word "regulation". Let the market and the people decide about the regulations. On elected councils who regulate, create hostility and are bad for the community. Be sure to look at the economic implications of EVERYTHING you do - especially the "environmental" Need to promote the principles of sustainable tourism. Village building plans (new constructions and additions or rebuilds) need careful review to ensure the project is compatible with existing buildings in terms of massing, scale, and size and the like. Lots in the village that have been divided into smaller pieces should not be used as building sites. On the economy: We can expect to see more internet-based businesses and more people who are employed elsewhere but are able to work from home with the help of fast internet service. Our zoning laws should encourage these home-based businesses and we should look at establishing industrial “incubator” space to keep these businesses in the township as they grow. Talk to Bob Pisor: is it inevitable that when a township business is successful (as Stone House Bread is) it has to relocate to Traverse City to find room to expand? Access to high speed internet is a limiting factor for new business, or even for people trying to start a new business. On line computers at the Leland Library are in high demand; look at opening a similar service (publicly or privately run) in Lake Leelanau. Standardized hours for businesses only if you expand - not limit those who are entrepreneurial. Standardized hours in downtown - only if voluntary �Miscellaneous Comments Traffic, Speed Limits, Parking (5) The speed limit on M-22 between M-204 and town is too high, over 50 mph. I ride my bike and cars come around the corner too fast. The bar crowd leaves the Blue Bird and races down M-22 at 2:00 am, over 50 mph. Raised in Illinois and vacationed in Wisconsin 20-30 years ago, I hope Leland Township doesn't follow the decline of "Door County Wisconsin” with its traffic congestion, fast food franchises and infrastructure overload. I will do all I can to keep Leland Township a "unique" and very "special" place! Door County Wisconsin is located just 60 miles straight West of Leland, across Big Blue. It was once just like Leland but they let Big Business ruin it. If Leland parking "somehow" gets better, where would it be? The quality of the village is its size and its limited parking. We need a stop/blinking light @ Main and River (especially during summer busy season) Consider 4-way stop sign at main intersection in town General Comments, don't really fit other categories (15) No more ugly storage buildings in Lake Leelanau Clean up Bruce Price's messy lot (and others) - This is the approach to town! I think the village should hold a leaf collection program in the fall and spring. We plan to retire to our house in Lake Leelanau within 2 years. I feel that the questions in D. Economy are not pertinent. This is a guilty PITIFUL process: you should know what your responsibility is. If you don't or are unwilling to do it, then move over and allow someone more capable to serve the community. Our environment is at severe risk, and you are charged with protecting and preserving it. Get to work!! I already give money to conservation groups. I live in the Traverse City area, but own property in Leland Township. Live and let LIVE Restrict rental homes in town and on lake, they can be disruptive to year round residents. Go Blue The township should have bought Sand Cut property. Buy conservation easements. Question F-12: Concerns of limiting necessary farming operations. I think it is wrong for those moving into the area, to so quickly ban together to eliminate or restrict others to do the same. It is selfish. STOP!! SPENDING MONEY!! If the township has so much money that we can buy expensive property, why not create an endowment fund when the principle is never touched and the interest earned can then be used for projects that would otherwise need special assessments (such as the Leland Dam). This would save the hard working - over burdened tax payer money in the long run. �Miscellaneous Comments Letters, covering many issues (4) The purpose of a community survey should be: To gather information on ways to go into the future with a positive approach rather than fear & proscription. Leland Township must do that by protecting & defending property rights so that inhabitants can use their property with a minimum of simple rights limiting plans & regulations. A statement to that effect should be included in the preamble of any plan & zoning ordinance. If not, "our" -planning and zoning will continue to be known for what it's been for 30 years - a few, a groups of self-appointed & anointed elites with mandates from state & federal government to control the rest of us - a local kakistocracy and kleptocracy - under color of law. Our community is burdened with much apathy & cynicism and distrust of town (board) officials and its appointed boards (planning commission) due to the 1991 sewer fiasco & the 1996 complex, and intrusive zoning ordinance and the Board's "verbal" denial of a properly petitioned referendum to allow the people to approve/disprove it. People know they can't make a difference here. A community exists if its needs are met. Ours appears not to be met - because a self-anointed or misguided influential group controls our community for their own selfish purposes to the detriment of long time inhabitants. It appears they'll insure we'll get a 200+ page complicated and restriction oriented plan & a more inhabitant intrusive, rights confiscating, complicated 200+-page ordinance. The present twp (touted to be a modem rural?) ordinance (July 1996) 96-1 has been characterized by: A 150 pages of difficult to understand verbiage' B. More than 50 amendments; C. Heavy handed administration due to personal preferences & vendettas of mostly one p0erson on the Planning Commission & Zoning Board of Appeals (religiously supported & unquestioned by apparently intellectually lazy/neglectful/acquiescing Twp Boards for years, and now continued by 4 to 5 board members). (One Twp Board member DOES understand). The punitive process, loaded with prejudice and personal subjective interpretations, is well known by most inhabitants. Particularly, for many deemed not favorites of certain twp officials: If threats & coercion don't work, Deny, Delay, Deceive, And Destroy. Those asking questions or disagree are prosecuted - forced to waste their limited resources. This present so-called planning/zoning process done mostly by out-of-town (they don't live here!) high-paid "experts" is destined to cost us more than $150,000! Apparently most township officials distrust most inhabitants --they deem them stupid and unable to know what is best for themselves and unable to prepare a plan and ordinance according to their needs! Some other survey questions: Do you agree that the present plan/zoning ordinance has been property interpreted and administered? List three strengths and weaknesses of the past in these areas. Do you agree that the township has properly used and managed the 100 acre Provement Pont Nature Area (PPNA) since 25 acres had been stolen from people for a sewage treatment plant & drain field (1991) and a 100 year lease for 2 acres for school bus parking area (Spec. Use Permit -1998)? (Nature Area sign taken down a year ago.) How should the PPNA be developed for use by inhabitants and visitors? List 3 opportunities. Do you agree that the township should promote & approve 10+ more acres of the PPNA to expand the defectively designed out-of-capacity sewer now constructed there designed to begin polluting the area in about 5 years? The above is designed to stimulate thinking - to ask questions by employing a simple, honest, nonpolitical strategic long range planning process with many "what if", situation analysis, and questions. Absent a public gathering/meeting attended by 100's of twp inhabitants with "what iffing", we will hardly touch the edges of true planning. State mandated/enabled planning uses dozens of seemingly meaningless, wordy & known beforehand to be unattainable/unachievable "goals". Almost always the specificity of necessary "strategies" (there should be a very few), determined by our community's evaluation of "strengths & weaknesses", and establishing "objectives" with "action plans" and "action steps". Serious areas of concern must be identified...what can be demonstrated as really necessary to do...how do we get there.... how much will it cost...can the cost be justified/afforded--if it's truly necessary (not nice to have) and before any approval: Who does What, When and Where and even at times How. Then, public officials can be held responsible & accountable to make them truthful, and trusted by the People. And, officials can proudly say they're honoring our country's founders by providing the People the limited government our founders gave us. �Miscellaneous Comments Letter submitted: Dear friends and neighbors, Many of us have recently been asked to fill out a questionnaire that would help Leelanau County government officials plan for our future. This is long overdue. We need zoning and we need to enforce it. In the last 50 years I have seen the following species almost vanish from sight: the piping plover, arbutus, whippoorwills, sweet fern, red trilliums. Our hills and beaches are littered with the ugly McMansions of the nouveau riche, houses build to lot lines, like very fat men in suits six sizes too small, that block the view for everyone else. Gross. Haven't these people heard that you can never be too rich or too thin? If the point is to make an ostentatious display of wealth why not build an art center or contribute to the education of the young? Show some class. Short of that, what about a super tax on super houses? That way we won't look like Afghanistan in another 50 years with a peninsula that has lots of uneducated people and no trees. The whole thing reminds me of the story I heard a few years ago about the Russian solider who came into Poland in the second world war, commandeered a castle and then proceeded to hack a hole in the floor for the fire (they didn't understand chimneys) and use the priceless antiques and invaluable art work for kindling. They were peasants, they didn't know from artwork and chimneys. Are we going to do that here? This county is our castle. Sweet air and sweet fern are worth all the three car garages in Christendom. Our priceless antiques and invaluable artwork are the birds and flowers, the beauty of an unobstructed view and a clean beach where everyone, rich and poor alike, can walk. We need -- at the deepest physical, psychological and spiritual levels in our beings-- to have this nurturing, unpaved over, not overbuild, not uglified earth in al list mystery, complexity and sheer loveliness all around us. As much of it as we can get. Our home, if we are smart, will be this shared natural beauty. We will never be able to replace what nature herself has given us and we need to protect it and share it. Housing -- modest housing--should be clustered around villages and the rest should be left for everyone to enjoy. �Positive and Negative comments (35 combined) Positive comments (30) Thank you for asking our opinions Thank you very much for the opportunity to complete this survey. I appreciate the foresight and organization it likely has taken the board to compile questions and so on for opinions. Good survey! Thank you for asking Keep up the good work Good luck!! Thank you asking, hope this helps This survey is very professional and the time and effort devoted to it by the committee is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!! Thanks for this opportunity. As non-voting members of the community, we seldom are heard. Glad to see concerns for the future of the community Thank you for asking - and may you all continue to love "Leland" & do for it the very best!! This area is so PRECIOUS and UNIQUE in its beauty and needs to be treated with the utmost in planning and care. This is WHY people come here. We are obligated to preserve this beauty to ensure prosperity for our children. Leland has been very good to us & we should return the blessings. You are doing a good job. Please continue, the community deserves it. (It doesn't have to be a city). You don't have to keep up with the Jones's, be yourself. That's what people NEED and like to see. It's style is being increasingly lost in this country. Good Luck!!! But in all fairness - Thank you for asking ALL of us instead of listening to the loud FEW. Thank you for offering this survey! Thank you for asking our opinion!! Good survey, I hope it is used!! This is an important survey. Please publish the results. We/I think this questionnaire is such a good idea. Wish the county commissioners would also pay attention! If Leland Township and/or Leelanau county keeps the current growth of subdivisions/developments, the very reason that people are attracted to the area - the scenic views, farmland, open vistas - will be lost. We will become just a suburb of Traverse City requiring bigger, better roads, etc, etc. Mr. Clem and Planning Commission thank you for asking for input from the public through this survey comments. I have filled out the survey and have added comments that I feel should be considered in future planning. The need for public restrooms in Leland should be a high priority. Three possible sites are 1) on the edge of the Carp River, tucked down in on the bank on the east side of Main St. (Old Art Building side) by the bridge. 2) Back of the Blue Bird at the DNR boat launch site, if the boat launch area is moved as I will suggest later in my comments. 3) Village Green Area, It's nice to have the green area, but more people would enjoy it, if the restrooms were located there. Good that you are doing this. Some one needs to be a strong leader for progressive growth in the township, and county. Northport and its near demise should be a strong warning. The County crown seems essentially worthless. Hopefully, you can be a strong leader and catalyst for change. This survey is a great idea Thank you for doing this survey. It can't be east to compile so much information, because many go unanswered or answered uncertain. Must make it difficult but I, as a citizen appreciate being asked!. Thanks! Good luck Thanks for asking, and good luck!! �Positive and Negative comments (35 combined) I have vacationed in Leland and Glen Arbor for the last 30 years. I own a small lot in Leland and will probably never be able to afford to build. I truly appreciate the area and thank you for all you do to keep Leland beautiful and a wonderful area to unwind & relax. Keep up the good work. I commend you on presenting a well-thought out survey. First of all, I am grateful for the opportunity you have given me to have some input as a property owner in Leland Township. It is a rare opportunity indeed, as I am a lake front property owner, who pays taxes assessed at a much higher rate than those who do not own property on the lake and soom I will be required to pay an additional assessment as a lake front property owner for the repair to the Leland Dam. We will be retiring to Lake Leelanau in two years, and hope to be politically active in our community. We do understand that many of these concerns you're addressing come with a price tag. Many questions answered were "gut reactions" and not based on any research, just personal experience. Thank you for allowing us to share these "personal opinions" Good Luck This is go great - I hope the info is useful & look forward to learning about the results, as well as participating in policy & decision making Thank you for this opportunity. Some of the questions/answers (the answers offered) appear biased. I have vacationed in Leland and Glen Arbor for the last 30 years. I own a small lot in Leland and will probably never be able to afford to build. I truly appreciate the area and thank you for all you do to keep Leland beautiful and a wonderful area to unwind & relax. Keep up the good work. Negative Comments (5) "Fire" Mary Campbell and "hire" Olsen/Bizdok & fire Marty Black not enough space given for "write-in" answers and opinions. No front page was returned with page 3 Some questions were difficult to answer - not given the correct choices This form was received 21 Jan 05. (post mark - San Antonio Texas) �Leland Township Property Owner Survey January 2005 A. Growth Management 1. The issue of controlling growth and development can be controversial. Please check the statement that most closely matches your views about growth: ‫‫‬ I would like to see growth encouraged. ‫‫‬ I would prefer to let growth take its own course in this area. ‫‫‬ I would prefer planned and limited growth in this area. ‫‫‬ I would like to see a goal of no growth in this area. B. Housing Please respond to the following statements: 1. The mix of housing in the Township meets the diverse Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree needs of residents. Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ 2. Adequate affordable housing is available in Leland Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Uncertain Township. Agree 3. Accessory apartments should be allowed wherever Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree residences are allowed. Agree Uncertain Disagree 4. Other Housing related concerns the Township Should consider?_______________________________________________________________________________ C. Land Use and the Environment Please respond to the following questions and statements: 1. In rural (non-waterfront) areas of Leland Township, do you support the clustering of several homes close together on smaller lots, in order to protect the majority of site as open space? 2. In rural (non-waterfront) areas of Leland Township, do you support clustered housing, even if the general public had no access to the development’s open space? 3. The Township should work to preserve open, undeveloped shoreline. 4. Ridgeline development in the Township should be limited. 5. Support Support Somewhat Do Not Support Not Sure Support Support Somewhat Do Not Support Not Sure Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Strongly Neutral/ Agree Disagree Disagree Agree Uncertain Which of the following best describes what “Open Space” means to you? (Rank in order 1-6, with 1 being BEST) ____Forests _____Wetlands _____Scenic Views _____Parks, sports fields _____Pastures/meadow ____Farmland 6. What role should the Township take in farmland and/or Open Space preservation? 7. Leland Township should preserve Open Spaces. 8. Leland Township should buy undeveloped land to protect as Open Space a. Only if available for public use b. Even if not available for public use c. Are there specific priority properties? 9. To preserve or acquire land for Open Spaces, would you be willing or able to contribute financially? 10. It is important to do something now to slow the conversion of Leland Township farmland to residential or other developed uses. 11. Active Passive Purchase of Development Rights Transfer of Development Rights Other:______________ Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Yes Strongly Agree Agree No Neutral/ Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree Which are the two most important reasons to preserve farmland in Leland Township? (Select 2) a. To preserve the scenic beauty and rural character of the Township b. To make it easier to transfer farms to family members or other farmers c. To preserve family farms and the township’s farm economy Leland Township Property Owner 2005 Survey Page 1 �d. e. f. g. 12. D. E. F. To maintain the ability to grow food in the future To protect the natural environment and wildlife habitat Other:_____________________________________________________________________________________ Having a farmland preservation program is not important To preserve farmland, would you be willing or able to contribute financially? Yes No Economy 1. Employment opportunities in Leland Township are too Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree dependent on seasonal/tourism business. Agree Uncertain Disagree 2. Is the current mix and quantity of business in Leland Yes No adequate? 3. If not, what types of businesses are needed in Leland? ________________________________________________ 4. Is the current mix and quantity of business in Lake Yes No Leelanau adequate? 5. If not, what types of businesses are needed in Lake Leelanau? ________________________________________________ 6. How much new business would you like to see in Leland Township and where? ________________________________________________ 7. Are there adequate employment opportunities in the area Full Time Part Time for Leland Township residents? Yes No Yes No 8. Do you work in: Leland Township Northern Michigan Outside Northern Michigan Retired Not Working 9. What would you like to see happen with the County-owned property in Leland, after the county facilities are relocated? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Services Please respond to the following statements: 1. Road maintenance provided by the County Road Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Commission is adequate. Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ 2. The road maintenance/improvements schedule should be Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Uncertain accelerated at additional taxpayers’ expense. Agree 3. What specific road(s) would you want improved? ________________________________________________ 4. The sewer district should be expanded to include the Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree area surrounding N. Lake Leelanau? Agree Uncertain Disagree 5. If you are a N. Lake Leelanau property owner, would Yes No NA you support a special assessment for this purpose? Strongly Neutral/ Strongly 6. Park facilities in Leland Township are adequate. Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly 7. Cemetery facilities in the Township are adequate. Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree 8. Please identify any other services you would like ________________________________________________ improved or expanded. Community Image In order to address the many concerns discussed in this survey, local public officials may need to develop new policies. Please indicate how you feel about the following policies or statements: 1. Architectural controls for new development Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ 2. Stricter sign regulation Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Uncertain Agree 3. Preservation of scenic rural roads Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree 4. Preservation of historic buildings Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree 5. Additional sidewalks are needed in Leland Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ 6. Additional sidewalks are needed in Lake Leelanau Strongly Disagree Agree Disagree Uncertain Agree 7. Sidewalk maintenance in the Township is adequate Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree If not, what is needed and where? ________________________________________________ Leland Township Property Owner 2005 Survey Page 2 �8. Additional “downtown” parking is needed 9. If so, how should this be addressed? Utility lines should be buried in “downtown” 10. Lighting standards are needed to protect the night sky 11. Standardized hours of operation should be adopted by “downtown” businesses Noise regulations are needed in the Township? 12. 13. 14. 15. G. Additional cellular towers should be allowed in the Township Wind Turbine Generators (WTG) should be allowed in the Township Tall and/or massive buildings should be limited in the Township Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree ________________________________________________ Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Neutral/ Strongly Agree Disagree Agree Uncertain Disagree Demographics 1. How long have you lived in Leland Township, either part-time or full time? (Please circle one.) N/A 0-4 years 5-10 years 11-20 years 21-30 years Longer than 30 years 2. During which months do you typically reside in Leland Township? (Please circle all that apply.) All Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 3. How long have you owned property in Leland Township? (Please circle one.) Don’t own 0-4 years 5-10 years 11-20 years 21-30 years Longer than 30 years 4. Are you a registered voter in Leland Township? Yes No 5. Do you lease/rent a Leland Township home to others? If so, what is a typical rental period? Do not lease/rent Weekly or by the day Monthly Annually 6. If you rent your Leland Township house, which months is it typically rented? All Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 7. Indicate which best describes where your Leland Township property is located? (Please circle all that apply.) Shoreline Rural Setting Farm Leland Lake Leelanau 8. Please indicate which of the following best describes your affiliations (Circle all that apply.) Farmer Business Owner Owner of over 20 acres Real Estate/Developer Elected Official Retiree Tradesperson/laborer Employee Professional Family w/school age children None of the Above Additional Comments: The back of this survey has the proper pre-printed return address. Please tape closed, add postage (37 cents), and return by January 25th to ensure your responses are included in the final tabulation. Thank you for your participation in this important Township project. Leland Township Property Owner 2005 Survey Page 3 �Appendix B Excerpts from: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore DRAFT GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN, Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement, April 2008. �Excerpts from: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Draft General Management Plan, Wilderness Study and Environmental Impact Statement, April 2008. The above referenced Draft General Management Plan, presents management options for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, however all the options are the same regarding the management proposed for North Manitou Island. Below is an excerpt from the Preferred Alternative, as presented in the Draft General Management Plan, as related to North Manitou Island, and the uses and management allowed in “Wilderness” areas. U.S. l.ife-Savin9 Sen,ic:e Station! Histori~ Village/Ranger Sta tion \ I \ \ ··,.. \ ·,. Dimmick'< Point N•fonal I Historic L,mdmark 8ou11ddry - -- ii' T,Jd ••••• ••• N Structure • Legend Ma11agen1e11t Zones La nd 1!11 Experience Nature Experience Hirtory Hi gh Use National Lakeshore Bo undary Cou nt y Road Stat e Highway National Park Servi ce Road Nat ion al Park Service Trail .................... Recreation River _______. Proposed Wi ldern ess IZZZZZJ (Subject 10 valid existing right<) N 2 Miles Preferred Alternative Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshorc IJ S 1)1•p,1r lnu•1·11 of t i1e lt11 c1~10 ,~· 1L1t io nc1l P,1rk Scrvic I). rcbrnary 2008 · 34/ 20078 c· Appendix B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore- Draft General Management Plan Excerpts Leland Township Master Plan – Update page B-1 �MANAGEMENT ZONES Management zones prescribe how different areas of the ational Lakeshore would be managed. Each management zone specifies complementary natural resource conditions, cultural resource conditions, opportunities for visitor experiences, and appropriate facilities, and combines these into a po ·sible management strategy that could be applied to locations within the National Lakeshore. As such, management zones give an indication of the management priorities for various areas. Four management zones have been developed for the National Lakeshore - the high use zone, the experience history zone, the recreati on zone, and the experience nature zone. The action alternatives presented later in this chapter each propose a different configuration of th e management zones within the National Lakeshore based on the concept for each alternative. In every management zone, the Lakeshore intends to preserve and protect natural and cultural resources to the greatest extent possible given available funds. An overview of the management zones is provided on the following page, with more detail in table 1 that follows. The table describes the conditions, opportunities, and se rvices that would apply to each management zone. The management zones are listed in order from most intensive management (high use zone) to least intensive management (experience nature zone) . The cultural resource treatments mentioned in the management zones table (table 1) are defined as follows : • Preservation is the act or process of applying t he measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials o f a historic property . Work. incl ud ing preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses on ongoing mainte nance and repair of historic materials and feat ures rather than extensive replace ment and new construction. • Rehabilitation is the act or process of makin9 possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alte ra t ions, and addition while preserving those portions or featu res that convey its historical, cultural, or arch itectural values. • Restoration is the act or process of accurately depict ing the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by removing features from other periods in its history and reconstructing missing feat ures from the restoration period. Appendix B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore- Draft General Management Plan Excerpts Leland Township Master Plan – Update page B-2 �Managem ent Zones High se Zone Thi management zone provides for visitor orientation, education, and other structured activitie (such as ranger-led tours). High numbers of visitor enjoy and learn about the National Lakeshore. This zone also supports the Lakeshore's main administrative and operational facilities. Wildernes doe not occur in this zone. Experience History Zone Thi management zone is managed primarily to preserve historic structure and landscapes. Moderate to high numbers of visitors enjoy and learn about significant historic activitie , building , and landscapes. Wilderne doe not occur in this zone_ Recreation Zone This management zone provides a wide range of recreational opportunitie for moderate numbers of visitors. The active Lake Michigan beach area i within thi zone, as i the 0.25 mile of Lake Michigan water within the ational Lake bore boundary. Wilderness does not occur in this zone. Experience Nature Zone Thi i the wilde t mo t natural management zone. Low numbers of visitors enjoy primitive recreation on foot or in nonrnotorized watercraft. Wilderne s may or may not occu r in thi s zone. 41 Appendix B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore- Draft General Management Plan Excerpts Leland Township Master Plan – Update page B-3 �Uses and Management in Wilderness A variety of recreational uses, management actions, and certain facilities are permitted in wilderness areas under the Wilderness Act of 1964 and NPS policies. Among the uses, management actions, and facilities permitted in wilderness are the following: ⇒ nonmotorized recreational uses (e.g., hiking, picnicking, camping, canoeing) ⇒ hunting and fishing ⇒ guided interpretive walks and onsite presentations ⇒ use of wheelchairs, service animals, and reasonable accommodations for the disabled (e.g., barrierfree trails, accessible campsites) ⇒ trails, campsites, toilets, and signs necessary for visitor safety or to protect wilderness resources ⇒ emergency actions and equipment necessary to ensure life safety ⇒ fire management activities {including fire suppression) ⇒ preservation of historic properties eligible for the National Register of Historic Places ⇒ uses and facilities for landowners with valid property rights in a wilderness area ⇒ scientific activities, research, and monitoring ⇒ natural resource management actions such as restoration of extirpated species, controlling invasive· exotic species, endangered species management, and protection of air and water quality ⇒ certain administrative facilities if necessary to carry out wilderness management objectives (e.g., storage or support structures, ranger station) ⇒ Native American religious activities and other actions recognized under treaty-reserved rights The Wilderness Act also specifically prohibits certain uses and developments. Under section 4(d) of the act, the following uses are not permitted in a wilderness: ⇒ permanent improvements or human habitation ⇒ structures (historic structures are excluded) ⇒ permanent and temporary roads ⇒ use of motor vehicles and motorized equipment (except for emergency purposes) ⇒ landing of aircraft (except for emergency purposes) ⇒ other forms of mechanical transport (e.g., bicycles) -⇒ commercial enterprises (except for those that are necessary for realizing the recreational or other wilderness purposes of the area, such as guiding and outfitting) With the exception of permanent roads, the act does recognize that the above uses may be permitted if necessary to meet the minimum requirements for the administration of the area as wilderness or for emergency purposes. In addition to the above prohibitions, NPS policies also prohibit some developments such as the following: ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ new utility lines permanent equipment caches site markings or improvements for nonemergency aircraft use borrow pits (except for small quantity use of borrow material for trails) new shelters for public use picnic tables Appendix B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore- Draft General Management Plan Excerpts Leland Township Master Plan – Update page B-4 �WILDERNESS REVIEW AND MANAGEMENT PROCESS 'Has the Director published a dei:erm,nation that the land · ·1s "eligible' for ~esighation7 (Eligibility assessment is completed tiy the park superintendent: May be done in t0rijunction with the wilderness study in step 2.) ' ' YES ' ' then man~ge lands as NO the n m anage lands as wilderness per alt Chapt"' 6 p rovisions non w ilderness park lands u nd er the Org a nic Act Has the wilderness' study been completed and has the tl\iect.or • prop~d• delgnat\Qn1 V,, w\ldemess ,;tudyll:.IS is completed, with a ROD signed by the NPS regional director and published in the Federal Register). YES NO then mana.g e lands pro posed ir; tt,e study as wUdemess per all Chapter 6 provisions t hen ma nage e li g ib le la nd s not pro posed in t he st udy II. to preserve t he\r w ildern es!. resour ces and va lu es wilderness proposal to Secretary ant Secretary's office. ~ \II Has the Secretary "recommended" wilderness designation? (Secretary approves, disapproves, or changes NPS proposal and forwards recommendation to the President.) YES NO then manage lands proposed In the study as t he n ma nage e ligible la nds wilderness per all Chapter 6 prov_l_ si_on_•_-~ not proposed in the st udy t o preserve t heir w il derne!>s resou rces and va lues H.as the President "recommended" wilderness designation? (President approves, disapproves, or changes the Secretary's recommendation and forwards recommendation to Congress.) YES NO then manage lands proposed in the study as t hen manage elig ible lands wilderness per all t o p rese rve th eir w ilderness resou rces an d va lues not proposed in the study Chaptl!r 6 provisions ~& ·. Iii Has Congress "designated" lands as wilderness or recognized •potential· wilderness? ..____ ~_ __ _ _YES NO then manage lands as wilderness per WIiderness Has Cong ress speci f icall y Act and all Chapter 6 provisio ns wi ldern ess consideratio n ? re leased land s fro m furt he r YES th en ma na ge lands as n on-w ilderness unde r t he Orga nic Act NO We re lan ds in cl uded in Presid e nt's w ild e rness re com m end ati ons? YES ....... NO t hen manage lands proposed in t he study th en manage eligi ble lands not proposed in the stud y as w ilderness per all Chapter 6 prov isions t o preserve their w ild erness resources and va lues Appendix B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore- Draft General Management Plan Excerpts Leland Township Master Plan – Update page B-5 �Appendix C Leland Township Master Plan Steering Committee Members �Leland Township Master Plan Steering Committee An ad-hoc committee was established by the Leland Township Planning Commission during the master planning process in order to solicit additional input from a diverse cross-section of the Township residents and business owners. The following is a list of people who were invited and/or participated in one or more of the steering committee meetings. The input from the steering committee was incorporated into the draft plan that the Planning Commission reviewed, revised and took to public hearing. David & Jane Albert David & Jean Alpers James Bardenhagen Vinson Bidlingmeyer Robert & Sally Biggs Gilbert & Anne Bogley Caroline Brady Kim Brant Keith & Joanne Burnham Bobbie Collins David Couturier Ron & Kathy Dawkins Tom Evans Judy Frederick Jeff & Susan Green Gene Hadjisky Bob Hagstrom Logan Hardie David Hunter Bob Jetton Jim Kobberstab Leonard & Doris Korson Nick & Susanne Lederlee Charles McCarthy Bob Mello Stephen Mikowski Ann Nichols Susan Och Frederick & Grace Petroskey Bruce Price Bruce & Deborah Simpson John Suelzer Beth Sutton Joanne Thomas Robert & Kathy Turner Wayne Tyge Barb Vilter Wayne Wunderlich Appendix C: Master Plan Steering Committee Leland Township Master Plan – Update page C-1 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource 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. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Leland-Twp_Master-Plan_2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leland Township Planning Commission, Leland Township, Leelanau County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-07-14 Title A name given to the resource Leland Township Master Plan Description An account of the resource The Leland Township Master Plan was prepared by the Leland Township Planning Commission with assistance from M.C. Planning & Design and was adopted on July 14, 2008. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource M.C. Planning & Design (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Leland Township (Mich.) Leelanau County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a3d3ebc4320ef314be129250e2f9adcc.pdf 156c95d987fcb59faf23ecb405d8f966 PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: David Lemieux Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 7/15/2012 Biography and Description David (pronounced "Daveed") Lemieux joined the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party in the spring of 1969. At age 16, he was the second youngest member of that Chapter. He was a "rank and file" member and functioned in all BPP activities including the Free Breakfast for Children Program and the dissemination of the Black Panther newspaper. As a member of the Education Cadre, he was constantly engaged with "speaking" the mission and purpose of the Black Panther Party. He remained active with the BPP into the early 70s. In 1982, after consultation with other members of the activist community, David joined the Chicago Police Department and began a 26 year career where he was able to use his office and authority as a vehicle to serve the people. Currently, David Lemieux gives seminars facilitated by Chicago's Black Star Project entitled "Keeping OUR children out of the 'Just US' System" and speaks locally and nationally on the role of peace officers serving the community through the justice system. He is active with the Chicago Black Panther History Project and other efforts committed to preservation, education and reclamation of the true history of our struggle. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: David, you can give me your name, full name, and date of birth, and where you were born? DAVID LEMIEUX: Okay. My name is David Lemieux. I was born April 10, 1953 in Georgetown, Ohio. I came to Chicago when I was very, very small. I have no real memories of Ohio. I grew up in Chicago. JJ: So, you were like a couple years old? DL: I was in maybe first grade or something. Kindergarten, first grade. JJ: So, no recollection whatsoever? DL: Not really, no. JJ: And your parents, where did they come from? DL: My father’s from Haiti. My mother’s from here. JJ: She’s from Chicago? DL: Yes. They’re both deceased now. Well, as far as I know, my father’s deceased. (laughs) I can’t verify. JJ: Oh, you can’t verify? DL: No, if he’s alive, no. My father’s name was [Mark Lemieux?]. [00:01:00] That’s about all I can tell you. JJ: So, you didn’t grow up with him at all? DL: Very short term. I was raised essentially by my mother. JJ: What do you know about him? 1 �DL: I know he was from Haiti. I know he was working at a hotel maybe. They met -of course, my mother was white, my father was Black, so it was not the most popular thing in 1953, or the safest thing for people. They were together for a little while. Things were not easy for them. I don’t know if he stayed here. I don’t know if he went back to Haiti. I really don’t know. JJ: Where were they living? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) DL: In Chicago. Well, see, I lived in Chicago -- when we moved to Ohio -- I’m sorry, when we came here from Ohio, [00:02:00] we moved to Hyde Park in Chicago. I don’t know a whole lot of my parents’ history. I get a little confused. I don’t know if they met here. My mother traveled a lot. So, I don’t know if she met my father here or if she met him in San Francisco because she lived in California for a while. JJ: Tell me what she did. She traveled (inaudible)? DL: She traveled. My mother was a free spirit, bro. She just went different places. When she came here she was working. I remember when I was a little kid she worked at the Conrad Hilton hotel downtown. And then, she worked for this -- as an accountant at a warehouse. Not a trained accountant, but my mother was self-taught. She did books for this small company. Can’t really give you a lot of history about my parents. There’s not a whole lot I can tell you. JJ: So, you grew up in Hyde Park. DL: Grew up in Hyde Park basically. JJ: Hyde Park is a rich area. [00:03:00] 2 �DL: Hyde Park isn’t a rich area at all. But Hyde Park is close to the University of Chicago. It’s a very diverse community. I don’t know if my mother did it just by accident. I don’t really see her as being someone who was going to do a lot of research. When she came to Chicago, like I said, I was very small. To end up in Hyde Park, which was, for Chicago, a very diverse community -- remember, Chicago was very segregated. Hyde Park, however, was not because of the University of Chicago community. There were people from all over the world. I went to St. Thomas the Apostle Grammar School which was, as I recall, roughly 80 percent Black, 10 percent white, and [00:04:00] 10 percent miscellaneous. I may be a little wrong with the figures. It may have been a little less than that. But it was primarily Black students, although there were still white students there that you could see, that were visible. There were families there that had been there a long time. JJ: So, it was the neighborhood that changed basically. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) DL: Hyde Park never really, really -- Hyde Park has been pretty consistent all the way through. I mean, there’s more Black people there now. The neighborhood, when I was growing up, was, like I say, it was diverse. There were a lot of Black folks living there, and there were a lot of white people living there, and there were some Asians living there. Wasn’t a lot of Latinos. There were some Eastern Europeans. There was a few Latinos. JJ: There were [a few, is that right?]? 3 �DL: But not a lot. But not a lot. But this was in, [00:05:00] what, early ’60s. I went to high school. I started high school in ’68. Went to Hales Franciscan until I got kicked out. JJ: To where? DL: Hales Franciscan. My grammar school was at 55th and Woodlawn. My high school was at 4935 Cottage Grove. So, a lot of my high school years were spent at Parkway Gardens which is at 64th and King Drive. I mean, one of those situations where I didn’t necessarily live there but I was there all the time. Well, I was a kid. I had a girlfriend that lived there. I spent a lot of time with her family. JJ: So, how was your childhood? DL: Childhood was interesting. You know, I always use the term -- I love my mother [00:06:00] dearly, but my mother raised me by what I describe as benign neglect. Benign neglect is a political term that usually refers to the relationship between a colonial power and its colony, where the colonial power doesn’t really mess with the colony as long as they do what they’re supposed to do. They’re not really hands on in doing a lot of raising. My mother certainly gave me a foundation for right and wrong and etiquette, things that were very important. I’m certainly not going to -- she wasn’t neglected there. I wasn’t neglected as far as not having food and clothes and all that. But my mother worked in 3:00 to 11:00 shift when she worked at the Conrad Hilton when I was in grammar school. So, by the time I got home from school -- she would see me off in the morning, but when I got home from school, there was nobody there until eleven o’clock at night. So, I was kind of on my own. [00:07:00] 4 �JJ: [I actually worked?] at the Conrad Hilton later (inaudible). DL: Yeah, so, I was one of the original -- what they called latchkey kids where they -she tried to have babysitters and people that would watch me. I had brief periods where I would go maybe stay with somebody after school or whatever. School was like eight or nine blocks from where we lived. So, that was a nice little walk. Wasn’t no taking the bus. But since she had to go to work before I got home, that never worked out because I would always eventually just walk home. I didn’t want to stay with other people. I did stay with one lady for a while. That was kind of cool, her and her family. Actually, her name was [Nancy Ramos?]. She was Mexican. Actually wish I had stayed there longer because maybe I could have learned Spanish. [00:08:00] But she had a kid and a husband and sister in law. They just sort of babysat for me. I wouldn’t really sleep there, but I would stay there. They lived close to where we lived. Then I would just go home. They would take me or walk me home. So, I wouldn’t just be unsupervised for all those hours after school. But then, after a certain time, I was just pretty much on my own. I learned how to cook and do all that kind of stuff. And my mother was cool. JJ: Your mother’s name was what? (inaudible) DL: [Ann?]. JJ: And your father? DL: [Mark?]. JJ: Mark. And any brothers and sisters? DL: I’m an only child. 5 �JJ: You’re the only child. DL: Yeah. JJ: So, you were cooking and -- DL: Cooking and -- I got pretty self-sufficient. I started working a part time job when I was 15 as a busboy at a restaurant. [00:09:00] Matter of fact, I remember my mother going and lying about my age because you were supposed to be 16 to work. So, she went and told them. They didn’t ask for a birth certificate. So, she told them I was 16 so I could. I never had to give my mother any of my check. But once I started working, of course, then she didn’t have to give me as much money, which was good. I would do my own day to day maintenance with things. I mean, again, my mother certainly provided food, clothing, shelter, and love. We had a good relationship. It just wasn’t maybe the traditional -- I don’t know. I don’t have anything to compare it to too much. It’s how I grew up. JJ: So, then non-traditional, (inaudible). DL: It was cool. My mother said to me one time -- this was not when I was a small child. I was actually -- it may have even been when I was in the Panther Party. I’m not sure. [00:10:00] But my mother even said to me that, “Son, there are some things about you that I’ll never really understand exactly because you’re Black,” referring to me, “and I’m white,” talking about her. So, it was never -- I always liked to compare my mother to Mary Tyler Moore. She was so nice and kind of oblivious sometimes to things. At least maybe it appeared that way to me when I was younger. As she got older and I got older, I realized that she may not have been so oblivious to things that were going on. But at the time, she was 6 �just -- there was an instance that happened when I was in high school. I was always a troublemaker at school, but not a troublemaker like misbehaving, like doing anything [00:11:00] like gang stuff. But I got politicized when I was in seventh grade. I became attached to the struggle when I was in seventh grade. So, that’s a kid. That’s a grammar school kid. I saw Stokely Carmichael on television. And this was when all the demonstrations were going on in the South. They had the Freedom Riders riding the buses. And keep in mind, I had never been south except for one trip to Florida, and I’ll tell you about that. But when I saw Stokely Carmichael on TV, when he said Black Power, he was speaking before a bunch of people the Lowndes County Freedom Party in Lowndes County, Alabama. They were registering people to vote. And he was speaking at a rally, and he said very loudly that what we need is Black power. And when I heard that, I was like, “That’s what I’m talking about.” [00:12:00] I would say that and joining that Black Panther Party were two pivotal points in my development, I’d say, as a human being. They just were. Hearing that -JJ: What did it mean to you? DL: Well, the thing is this. When I was much smaller -- I must have been about five or six years old -- my mother and I went to Florida. My mother looked like a Latina. That’s how she looked. My mother had very coal black hair. My mother was a very nice looking woman. Her features and her very dark hair and the way she pulled it back -- we were at a swimming pool in Florida and I’m guesstimating it was about ’59, about the year the revolution down there, and a lot of Cubans came to the U.S. [00:13:00] I mean, granted a lot of them were what may have 7 �been perceived in Cuba as white Cubans. They were really people with money. Some people came. But in America, they were people of color. In America, they were foreigners and people of color. JJ: Even though they were [white?] (inaudible). DL: Well, that becomes a vague term. That becomes a vague term. But there was still -- in Miami, there was always a lot of Cubans. There’s a lot of Cubans in Miami. So, we were at this swimming pool that didn’t have any signs posted or anything like that. My mother couldn’t swim. But in a section of the pool there were what of course I know now to be Cubans. And they were visibly a little different than the other people that were there. And they were in a certain section of the pool. I mean, a lot of this is retrospect because I remember it from then. [00:14:00] Nobody ever taught me how to swim. Somehow I just knew how to swim. So, when I was a little kid, I could swim. So, I get in the pool and my mother got up to use the washroom. I mean, there’s a lifeguard there. She didn’t know how to swim anyway, so nothing she could do if I started to drown. (laughs) But she wasn’t really worried about that because I could swim really well. So, I just got in the water and I just started swimming all over the pool. Well, apparently, I swam in a part of the pool that the Cubans were not supposed to go into. But I’m just swimming. And a bunch of white teenagers -- I mean, I even remember this now. A bunch of white teenagers jumped in the pool and they started pushing me under water. And I remember they were saying, “What’s the matter, Carlos? Can’t you swim? What’s the matter, Jose? Can’t you swim?” I mean, they’re calling me all these names like that. So, obviously they 8 �thought that I was Latino, that I was with this group of Cubans. [00:15:00] Had they known I was Black, it might have even been worse. But I knew I was being singled out for some difference I had with these folks. That was, I would say, my first real encounter with racism. But I certainly didn’t analyze it back then. I didn’t really know what to associate that with until later when I got older and I figured out the Carlos and Jose part in 1959 in Florida and Cuba, whatever. But going back up to seventh grade and becoming attached to the struggle -- we were watching TV and we would see the dogs and stuff down in Birmingham and the water hoses. We saw all that. Just like you watched the war in Vietnam, you also watched the civil rights struggle going on. There was something about not fighting back that did not appeal to me. [00:16:00] I was terrified of the idea of going to the South, but I always imagined -JJ: (inaudible) DL: Yeah, I just wasn’t feeling that. I just wasn’t feeling that. And I will admit that I was terrified about going South. I mean, I thought they had Black folks just hanging, lynched from every tree because I had always been here. And like I said, the experience in Florida -- I really hadn’t put that into perspective then. I saw them throwing rocks. As a matter of fact, I even saw Dr. King when he was here. My mother took me to see Dr. King, I want to say, maybe at the auditorium or (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) [was pretty progressive?]. DL: Oh, yeah, without a doubt. She didn’t talk a whole lot about it, but she was. I mean, I sort of analyzed that later. It’s kind of hard going back to that time. It’s 9 �like, “Okay, cool. We’re going to see Martin Luther King. I know he’s about nonviolence. Okay.” [00:17:00] I was still a kid, but I just wasn’t really about that idea of these people throwing bricks and rocks and water hoses on you and siccing dogs on you and not fighting back. There was just something about that that just did not sit well with me. So, when I heard Stokely Carmichael say Black Power, it wasn’t just me, but some of my friends and a little bit older -- we would start talking about things that were going on. Keep in mind, we’re talking about a kid in grammar school. But we would start talking about social issues as much as our seventh and eighth grade minds could comprehend and figure out certain things. And then, I remember in eighth grade, that’s when we started listening to records of Malcolm X, “Ballot or the Bullet,” “Message to the Grassroots.” JJ: So, what year was this? DL: This was in ’67, I want to say, because Malcolm was assassinated in ’65. JJ: [I would say ’68 was?] (inaudible). DL: And ’67 -- I remember [00:18:00] listening to him actually at St. Thomas. We had an after school group. It was Black Christian Students Association. I wasn’t Catholic, but wasn’t none of us really religious at all. We just, okay, we had this group because that way we could use the facility and maybe get some Kool-Aid or whatever from the church. And we would sit there and we would discuss social issues. So, I was already very much attached to the whole idea of resistance when I was in eighth grade. So, when I went to high school -- JJ: Now, eighth grade -- where was the school? 10 �DL: Eighth grade, 55th and Woodlawn, St. Thomas. I went to high school at Hales Franciscan at 4930 Cottage Grove, Hales was the only all Black Catholic school. It was an all-male school. But at Hales, we started a Black student union. [00:19:00] Even though it was an all-Black school, we started a student union because we were sort of in conflict with the priests. The priests, all but one, were white. And we would have these things with them. “Look, you’re all a bunch of white missionaries trying to civilize us.” I mean, we really had these ongoing things with these priests. JJ: Would you come by that and tell them that? Because it’s kind of hard to talk to a priest like that. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) DL: Well, we would do it -- yeah, there were some of them that were pretty aggressive with their stuff. I remember being a sophomore in high school. When I was a sophomore in high school -- when does school get out? In June? In May of ’69 -- I started freshman year in ’68 and ’69 was my sophomore year. In ’69 I joined the Black Panther Party. I was in the party and still sitting in [00:20:00] school in Hales Franciscan wondering why I was there because I thought the revolution was going to start tomorrow, and I don’t know why I’m sitting here listening to these white people talk the counterrevolutionary nonsense. JJ: So, you thought the revolution was going to be -- DL: It was imminent. JJ: It was imminent? DL: It was imminent. JJ: You know, [a lot of people felt that?] (inaudible). 11 �DL: And again, I was 16. I mean, your sense of urgency is heightened. Your sense of mortality is nonexistent. So, why couldn’t it be the revolution tomorrow? I mean, hey, the brothers are ready to do what we need to do. And then of course, once I joined the party and could put organization to this -- I mean, I remember there was one of the guys that I went to high school with who was a little older than me who brought a Panther paper to school. [00:21:00] I remember looking at the Black Panther paper and he said, “Well, you know there’s a chapter here in Chicago.” This was ’69, and he was going to a meeting on a Tuesday night at 2350 West Madison. And I was like, “Man, that’s what I want to do. I want to do that.” I believe it was, like I say -- I’m almost positive that it was May because I know I was 16. And I was the second youngest member of the Chicago chapter. There was a brother we called [Oppressed?]. That’s not his name, but we called him Oppressed, who was 15. So, he was the youngest, and I was the second youngest. I remember coming to the meeting. And by me being so light complected, there were people that were looking at me a little funny. But the brother I was with said, “This is David, my friend from -- I got to school.” I guess he verified my race credentials or whatever. [00:22:00] I went to the political orientation class (audio cuts out) and studied the Red Book and started going to the breakfast program and selling the papers. I mean, being 16 years old and getting up at 4:30, 5:00 in the morning to go and serve breakfast to some children, especially -- ironically being an only child, I didn’t really have a lot of interaction with other -- I didn’t have no brothers or sisters. But I actually liked it, the whole idea of what we were doing. See, I sort of got it. I got it at a young 12 �age. I got the whole international view. My concern as far as my immediate concern is the quality of life for Black people in America. [00:23:00] That’s my immediate concern because that encompasses who I am and my family and what I’m dealing with. But I was able to immediately grasp our solidarity with these different liberation struggles throughout the planet. JJ: Because you’re looking at Stokely Carmichael and Black Power (inaudible). DL: Right, I’m really feeling that. JJ: You’re feeling it, okay. DL: And I’m feeling the Black Panther Party. Again, my concern, my personal concern, what David is concerned with is my community. But I recognized early the similarities between what other oppressed peoples are and have dealt with in the world. [00:24:00] I was able to understand the whole concept of capitalism and socialism. I got that there were these rich greedy people. JJ: And your mother is not telling you this. DL: No, I’m not getting any of this from her. JJ: Are you getting some of it from school? DL: Only from friends. I’m not getting any of this from -- there are no authority figures that are telling me this. This is from my own -- you have to remember, I was reading Malcolm X when I was in grammar school. I was reading Fanon when I was a freshman in high school. I read everything I could get my hands on. I read as much literature that I could get my hands on that had to do with the struggle, that had to do with resistance. I read Che. I read Fidel. I read that because I was ready to go to war. I mean, I liked the -- the social programs were 13 �fantastic. I understand. As a mature person -- [00:25:00] I’m 59 years old. I understand all that now. Back then, what I was waiting for was to have the [carbine?] and go to war. That was like -- I’ll do all these other things, but when do I get to get the [carbine?] and go to war? Yeah, I’ll do that, that’s great. But we’re talking about a 16-year-old now. We’re not talking about an adult. But the biggest appeal for the Panther Party and the greatest appeal to me personally was saying that our lives are precious enough, and our freedom or hopefully our future autonomy from this government is precious enough to fight for, to actually fight. Not have a conversation, not make [00:26:00] declarations, not file petitions and march and, “Please, can you all stop treating us like this.” I like the idea that if you try to harm me, if you try to hurt me, I will hurt you back, I will harm you. I am not going to let you do whatever you want to me because I am a child of the African Diaspora. That does not give you the right to have control over me to the point where you can do whatever you want to me or to my people just because, or because you can. I say you can’t. I say if you try, I’ll fight you back. I believed in that. This came from my -JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) DL: -- came from my friends and from me. JJ: And your mom a little bit. DL: Well, the thing with my mother was this. [00:27:00] My mother was proud of me that I was rebellious, if you want to put it, for lack of a better way of putting it. My mother, of course, had not been treated well by most of her family. I won’t include my grandparents. They were cool. My grandfather was legally blind, so 14 �he couldn’t see me anyway. And he just really -- my grandparents were very old. They were already in their seventies. I mean, my grandparents died when I was in grammar school. But they always treated me well when I would see them. They were in Ohio. They were cool. They never discussed anything. They never mentioned issues of race. I heard my grandfather use some terminology. I mean, I never heard him say nigger, but I heard him say darkies. I mean, I was a little, little kid. I heard my grandmother [00:28:00] bemoan the fact one time -- I think she said something like, “Couldn’t Ann find a white man?” She might have said that. But she didn’t -- but even saying that, she didn’t say that to me. I was probably not supposed to hear that. As far as the way they treated me, they treated me okay. But my politicization -- whatever, I’m not saying [the word?], but you know -- I got politicized and conscious on my own from my own reading and from what I saw. I didn’t need somebody to feed it to me. I read it. I started listening to Malcolm X. Watching people get beat and dogs sicced on them was enough for me. And you have to remember here in Chicago -JJ: (inaudible) DL: That was on television. But remember, here in Chicago, being so segregated, I knew that Hyde Park was a special community. But we could not go -- we, being Black folks, we could not go to Marquette Park. [00:29:00] We could not go anywhere near Bridgeport. We couldn’t -- when I was in grammar school, Black people couldn’t go to Rainbow Beach which is at 77th and South Shore Drive. It’s all Black people now. But when I was a kid, you could get beat to death over there. Matter of fact, all the way when I was in high school, a friend of mine got 15 �beat into a coma at Rainbow Beach, which is at 77th South Shore Drive. This is in high school. So, that had to be, again, ’69. It wasn’t even the 70-- you know, the ’60s. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) and the history in Rainbow Beach from the 1920s? DL: I think those riots were 31st Street maybe. I think when they killed -- JJ: So, 31st Street was Bridgeport. DL: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) 31st Street, yeah, but that far east isn’t, but Black folks were not welcome. There were riots there back in -- [00:30:00] JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) of Bridgeport. DL: Right, yes, it would have been. JJ: That’s where Mayor Daley’s [gang?]. DL: Exactly, the Hamburg gang. But a lot of people now -- it’s hard for them to imagine -- JJ: But Rainbow Beach you couldn’t go -- DL: Couldn’t go anywhere near there. South Shore -- there were some Black people living in South Shore. South Shore was like the really bourgeois stuff, at least that’s what we thought. You have to remember, people trying to analyze other people’s neighborhoods and their pocketbooks doesn’t always come out quite correctly. You may have someone living in a house that looks -- I mean, I never lived in a house until I was an adult. So, I thought that anyone that had a house was rich. I mean, that’s just what I thought. If you lived in a house, you must be rich. When it’s people working three and four and five -- not three or four -- but 16 �people that worked two full time jobs in order to provide that particular environment for their children. So, I realize now that they weren’t [00:31:00] rich. But I thought South Shore you had to be kind of rich to live there. Of course, I found out later that wasn’t the case. But reading Malcolm and listening to it, and then -JJ: You mentioned (inaudible). DL: No, I’m just saying, there are older people that I started being around -- I met another brother from Haiti, it’s actually “Ai-ti.” His name was [Leslie Vieux?], V-IE-U-X, Leslie Vieux. I don’t know whatever happened to him. I haven’t seen him since I was in eighth grade or maybe a freshman probably. But he was what was called a Black nationalist. And he would come and talk to us, and he talked to us about Haiti and about the formation of the country and how they defeated the French [00:32:00] and threw out their enslavers. So, I was pretty fired up by the concept of fighting for your freedom, protracted armed struggle. When I got in the party, I started reading Mao, Fidel, people that had had successful revolutions, and then also combined with the Haitian Revolution. JJ: Oh, the Haitian revolution? DL: I mean, all of it. Just all of that’s going on in my mind. JJ: You’re studying this. DL: Right. I’m reading about this. I read about Toussaint Louverture and JeanJacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, and that was 1796 to 1804. But all that was inspirational. All that was like, “Well, you know what? You can fight 17 �against oppression and you can win. [00:33:00] And You can fight for real. You can actually fight.” JJ: Did you say you were born there or -- DL: No, I was born in Ohio. JJ: Your father was. DL: I was born in Ohio. I mean, it was just -- I’ve ironically had these contacts and connections with Haiti even though not so much through my father. It’s just worked out that way. It’s like it’s just meant to be that way. But the biggest appeal for the party to me was the idea of armed struggle. I’m just saying. The social programs were absolutely fantastic. I’m just saying for me philosophically the idea of armed struggle -- JJ: You were ready. DL: I was ready. JJ: And a couple of things. You were ready, but the party is saying, “We have to use the programs to educate you.” DL: Oh, sure, absolutely. I was ready but I wasn’t a fool either. [00:34:00] I did defer to the -- I perceived as the wisdom of people that were older than me. It’s funny. I say older than me when I see old films from then, and I realize that the leadership of the party was 20, 21 years old. I was 16, so they were older than me. So, I deferred to their -- I guessed they were smarter because they were older. Remember, I wasn’t from the generation that, like now where the dynamic between young and old is totally screwed up. There was some element of me thinking that maybe you knew a little more than me because you were older. And 18 �then, of course, the party had a central staff. When I first joined the party, Chairman Fred was still incarcerated. JJ: When was that? DL: May of ’69. I know exactly. If I got a calendar, I might even be able to figure out the date. I know it was a Tuesday evening in May, and I know it was eight o’clock. I mean, it was a meeting at the headquarters. [00:35:00] I took the number 20 Madison bus with the other guy I went to school with. And we got off the bus and it was raining. Junior Walker and the All-Stars was playing “What Does it Take to Win For Love for Me” from -- I don’t know if that was a record shop or -- there was a record shop that was right by Panther headquarters, and they were blasting that through the speakers. So, anytime I hear that, I think of that. I remember that very vividly. I was just a solider. I was rank and file in the party. I did the things that members of the party were expected to do. I sold papers. I went to the breakfast for children program. I went to rallies. I remember this guy inviting me once [00:36:00] to speak to -- because he knew I was in the Panther Party -- to speak to a group of people from the Baha’i faith because they wanted to know. And I talked to Che, you know, Minister Che. He’s like, “Yeah, go ahead, brother. You can talk to them if you want to.” It wasn’t like a big, huge -- it wasn’t like I was in auditorium. It might have been like 10 or 15 people over in Hyde Park. Remember, Hyde Park has always been a more unique community in the city than any other place. I mean, it just is. Even though the University of Chicago is the devil. Still -- (laughs) it’s the devil. At the same time because of it being an academic community, there were always 19 �bookstores and places of gathering where progressive people could gather. It’s just always been that way. [00:37:00] During the ’60s, we used to go up to the Point, and that was all Black folks. We would go out to the Point and brothers would play drums and sisters would dance -- it’s at 55th -- it’s the Lake Point, Promontory Point it’s called. It’s right there at 55th and the lake, Lake Michigan. It’s a park, it’s a park. And brothers would go out there and play drums and sisters would dance. We would solve the problems in the Black world. JJ: To have a discussion. DL: Yeah, right. Somebody might have even a little tape of Malcolm. There was not so much cassettes then, but someone might actually have a reel-to-reel -- they even had little portable record players. I remember them having little portable record players that you could buy. And I remember listening to Malcolm outside once on one of those record players like that. It was like this little portable thing. [00:38:00] But you could actually play records on it. I remember listening to Malcolm in the park once, a bunch of us sitting around. JJ: Do you guys were really listening to the speeches? DL: We listened to the speeches, yeah. JJ: So, that was [a whole study?], this is pre-Panther? DL: That was pre-Panthers yeah. But once I was in the party, like I said, I would go to the political education classes, and I was studying revolution. I was studying the revolutions that had occurred, how they occurred, how Fidel landed with the yacht, Granma it was called, and he had X amount of people. I mean, I’m not good with numbers. But let’s say he had 87 people, and almost all of them got 20 �killed immediately. They got spotted by a plane, by one of those spotter planes. And they killed a bunch of them. But because of the [00:39:00] true need for revolution in Cuba at the time, the oppression they were suffering under Fulgencio Batista, those who were left in Fidel’s group were able to go through the countryside and continue to recruit. So, they were able to replace all the people that were lost in the initial encounter. And the revolutionary army grew and grew and grew and grew. And as we knew, in 1959, they marched into Havana, overthrew Batista. He fled the country. I read about things like that. To me, that was very inspirational, how you can start with these very few people and be decimated. But still, as long as there were people who carried that revolutionary zeal and enthusiasm to the people, that you could organize and get the revolution to grow. [00:40:00] And I truly, truly in my heart believed that’s what was going to be happen here in America. I believed it. I believed it was going to happen and nothing could stop it. JJ: And your friends believed the same thing? DL: Yes. JJ: Did they join in? DL: Well, (laughs) the friend that I was talking about was in the party. This guy, he was already in the party, and he took me down there. I haven’t talked to him in many years. I don’t know what’s happening. Kind of lost contact with that particular person. But I have other comrades from the party that we remained tight for 40 years. JJ: What were some of the other comrades? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) 21 �DL: When I first joined the party, I’m pretty sure that [Billy?] was there when I very, very first joined in ’69. This guy’s name was -- well, he may not want his name mentioned on this -- I don’t know what he’s doing now, so I won’t. [00:41:00] He and his brother were both -- he had a twin brother, and I can’t remember if his twin brother was participating, but I know he was in the Panther Party. Most of the people I go back really far with, you know. (laughs) When I joined the party, Che and [Wanda?] and Billy and, you know, [Billy Dunbar?]. We’ve stayed in contact pretty much off and on most of our lives since then. I’m also involved with the history projects as well. JJ: So, what is the history project? DL: The history project is where we’re trying to organize archival information about the Illinois chapter of the party and also do similar to what we’re doing now, [00:42:00] interviews, oral histories, oral histories. Pretty much that, and compile it into a presentable program that can be used. JJ: Why do you think there’s a need for [that now?]? DL: Well, because as time passes, the people who can tell the real history of what happened in any given circumstances are not going to be here forever. So then, everything becomes speculative. People our age -- we’re all plagued by the veracity of our memories. I mean, maybe we’re not always so clear. But we’re more likely to be clear than someone who wasn’t there at all. [00:43:00] We may remember different versions of something. But I would rather have two or three people who were actually at an event or around during a certain time in history speaking on that than someone who wasn’t there at all speculating on what they 22 �think might have been. That’s not going to work. But I do remember the Rainbow Coalition. I remember interesting stories about that. I was working security -- oh. (laughs) I’ll tell you, when I first joined the party, Chairman Fred wasn’t there. When he got out, I happened to be in headquarters, in party headquarters, 2350 West Madison, sitting at the top of the steps. And I guess Fred and Che and different people were in the back in a meeting. [00:44:00] But I was to be there at a certain time. So, I wasn’t there when he got there, but when they come out of this meeting, he sees me. And he goes -- he hadn’t seen me before. Because of the way I look, he goes, “Power to the people.” He asked me was I in the Young Lords. That’s the first thing he asked me. (audio cuts out) “Are you a Young Lord?” I said, “No.” Then he said, “Are you a Young Patriot?” And I was offended, I will admit. This if Fred Hampton. This is chairman of the Illinois chapter. This is the first time I saw him. I already held him in awe. JJ: You had already knew him. DL: I already knew who he was. JJ: You’d seen him. DL: I believe it was Mr. Che who said, “That’s a Black Panther there.” Because, you know, [they had Che, this is a Black Panther?]. He said, “Oh, all right, Brother.” I mean, that was it. That was, again, Che verifying my race card, I guess. He let him know I was from the South Side. [00:45:00] JJ: Being light skinned, also. DL: As well you know, not always easy being green, brother. 23 �JJ: So growing up actually, it was a blessing or -- at times I had situations where [you just mentioned?], but it was a blessing also because I could kind of see from other angles. How was it for you? DL: This is the thing, I never -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) the incidents that -- DL: I think that it has been an issue with me my whole life. I’m 59. I’ll be 60 this time next year, and it’s still an issue. JJ: And you said (inaudible) it never goes away. DL: Right, it never goes away. And [00:46:00] it is what it is. I know how I look. When I was younger, it was very painful. It was not fun at all. It was -- people could be very -- say very mean things because, see I never tried -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) DL: Yeah. Well, see, the thing is I never tried to go anywhere else. The concept of what they used to call passing or whatever, that just was never even -- I never even considered that. It wasn’t like, “Oh, I’ll just go over here and be with Todd and Brandon.” I just never even thought to do that. And because I never thought to do that, when people would even suggest things like that to me, I found that very hurtful. You have to remember, starting to be involved in the struggle when I was in seventh grade -- what are you, 11, 12 years old? [00:47:00] So, I was already conscious when I was a kid. So, I became very aware of race and issues of race and everything and being called out of who I was or suggested that I should go do this, that, and the other when I was already committed not only being who I am -- I’m just Black to me, just light skinned Black person. So, when 24 �people would imply that you would feel differently about injustices and about things that were aimed at Black people that somehow you would feel different because even though, “Yeah, we know you’re Black, but you’re real light, so maybe you feel differently about it.” I didn’t feel any differently about it. I didn’t feel less oppressed or [00:48:00] less anger at the people who did these things because I share some complexion traits. My momma didn’t oppress me, but I didn’t associate my mother with the behavior of white people in general. I mean, I knew that wasn’t the behavior of white people in general because I was able to observe their behavior, you know, in life. I was able to see it. I was able to see how, yeah, sure, I could go places sometimes and maybe people would not -- I’ll be the first to admit, sure, they didn’t know me. But I was always with other people who were browner. So, maybe they weren’t reacting to just me, but they were reacting to the presence of Black folks then. So, I was still privy to that constantly, seeing their behavior and how they would treat people. And I never felt [00:49:00] like I had some sort of dispensation from that. “Well, you’re a white man.” That would really irritate me when people would come with that. JJ: They used to call me Casper the Friendly [Ghost?]. DL: I can only imagine. (laughter) See, I remember exactly how you looked in 1969, believe it or not. You were a little smaller then, but I remember. Yeah, you were a little smaller then. But I remember. Like I said, I remember you and Chairman Fred embracing on the -- it was either you and Fred or you and Che embracing on the stage. JJ: On the stage, where? 25 �DL: It was at Grant Park. It was at Grant Park. JJ: Oh, I remember that. They had to take Che out of there because they had a warrant. DL: See, I wasn’t privy to all that, but I don’t doubt it. JJ: They stopped us on Lake Shore Drive. Did Fred (inaudible) get rid of him (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). [00:50:00] DL: Quickly, get him out of here, before the pigs get him. I remember, like I said, my first encounter with Chairman Fred. Just so you know, when he asked was I a Young Lord -- hey, it’s always been cool if people thought I was Puerto Rican because to me, Puerto Ricans are children of the Diaspora. But I wasn’t trying to be confused with a Young Patriot. But speaking of Young Patriots, again, I was sitting at the top of the steps at headquarters, working security, 16, I had my thing. And the door opens downstairs and here comes a white man and a white woman. And the white man has got on a denim jacket with the Confederate flag on it. So, I was like, “Whoa, [00:51:00] hold it right there man.” I didn’t shoot him. But I’m like, “Stay right where you are.” I remember so clearly he said -- I swear he said, “Howdy.” He said, “My name is Preacherman Donald Fesperman and this is my wife, Darlene. I’m here to see Chairman Fred.” (laughter) I wasn’t right -- I knew that we had these different coalitions with different groups, but I had never actually seen any Young Patriots before. I had seen their Rising Up Angry newspaper. So, I saw some of the guys with the black leather jackets. I guess they called them greasers back then or something, [Mike James?]. Was that his name? Mike James. 26 �JJ: Yeah, Mike James went with the greasers. DL: Right. I saw some of their pictures, but I had not [00:52:00] -- remember this is 2350 West Madison. These were hillbillies, and I had never seen them before. I hadn’t seen Slim Coleman yet. Eventually I met Slim Coleman and I eventually met most of these folks just tangibly. I mean, I was rank and file. It wasn’t like they were coming to see me. But I met some of these people. I remember chairman or whoever coming and saying, “Oh yeah, let him up.” “Okay, if you say so.” So, he goes on by and he’s got a big old Confederate flag there. I read their literature, somewhat after the fact. I read some of their literature. And again, I got it. I wasn’t overly comfortable, but I got it. You know what I’m saying. I was very comfortable. I was comfortable -- JJ: You got it, but some other people were negative. [00:53:00] DL: With the -- well, I was comfortable with the Young Lords. I was comfortable with peoples of color. I was not particularly comfortable with the coalitions with other folks. But that was contrary to party philosophy and party intent. I just wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. But that’s part of the party. Intellectually, I could get it. I got it intellectually. I remember going to be SDS -- JJ: Emotionally you had a problem with it. DL: I emotionally had a few problems with it. I remember going to the SDS convention when they had it at the -- not the amphitheater -- the place that they tore down. What was the place that they tore down on State Street? [00:54:00] JJ: Coliseum. 27 �DL: The Coliseum. They had the SDS convention there, and I went down there to sell Panther papers, which was great because it was zillions of folks. And you could sell the whole stack of papers. But I remember, now here’s all the -- what we called the white mother country radicals. That was terminology. JJ: That was Eldridge Cleaver, that was (inaudible). DL: Yeah, maybe it was -- right. Again, like I said, coming from Hyde Park, I come from a diverse community. So, I wasn’t -- I had met white folks that were okay with me. That would be (inaudible) my mother. But I told you, my mother’s always a separate entity to me. So, it wasn’t like -- I knew these -- it’s not like I looked at these folks like they were the enemy necessarily, but [00:55:00] I also just wasn’t entirely comfortable. I’m most comfortable around people of color. I just am. That’s just the way it is. I don’t mean to no harm. I just am. JJ: Did you see the Young Lords a lot or were they -- DL: I didn’t see them a whole lot. I saw them sometimes. I had a friend in -- because I got kicked out of Hales and I ended up at Kenwood. And there was a Puerto Rican brother that went to -- I can’t remember his name -- that went to Kenwood, that had one of the YLP buttons. I know that’s a different -- the fist with the rifle. JJ: That was our button. DL: That was your button. “Tengo Puerto Rico en mi corazón”? “I have Puerto Rico in my heart.” Is that it? JJ: YLP was the next year, the following year. It was created in Chicago. Everything was created in Chicago. DL: Okay. But he had a button that said -- I remember that button. [00:56:00] 28 �JJ: The purple berets and we had the buttons. DL: Right. Now, that, I remember. I remember I would see members of the Young Lords, like when we would occasionally go to a rally on the North Side, I would see them. Again, I had a whole different -- a very comfortable affinity there. That was cool. Purple berets -- and of course, in literature, I would see the brown berets in California, the Chicanos with the brown -- see, I was cool with that. It was a little hard for me to deal with the whole Confederate flag thing with that. And it’s funny. The thing with the greasers, the Mike James folks, [00:57:00] I want to say I was in the party when I did this, but it may have been the year before I joined the party. At 95th and Throop, there’s a Catholic girls school called Longwood Academy. It’s a girls school. And they were having some problems. It was majority white, but they were having a problem with the Black girls being harassed when they got out of school. This was back in maybe ’68. And they were at the bus stops up there and they were bothering them. And I put a rifle in a guitar case and went up to the bus stop. I was 15, 16 years old, whatever. If it was in ’68 I was 15. I was already in high school. I actually went up there with this guitar case because I thought they were actually attacking them. [00:58:00] I took a rifle up there. I was going to protect those sisters up there at the bus stop. So, that’s kind of where my head was at. I remember that the people that were supposedly bothering them -- and I saw some of them -looked like the guys that Mike James was working with -- they were all these white boys with black leather jackets and grease in their hair. JJ: The white gangs were dressed like that, that’s (inaudible) the greaser [name?]. 29 �DL: Yeah. So I saw some of them up there. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) but they were being evicted too, (inaudible) their homes too. DL: But I’d say that the -- JJ: So, was there -- you were glad that Mike James was working with those other guys? DL: Look, I’m not mad at none of them, okay? Of course, now -- JJ: They did admit that they were a little racist. DL: Sure. And of course now, in retrospect, [00:59:00] again, being in the Black Panther Party was one of the more pivotal or important parts of my life. I think that the Panther Party, as my comrades have said earlier, is one of the most important organizations that has ever existed. The fact that J. Edgar Hoover called us the most dangerous threat to the security of America is one of the greatest compliments that we could ever get. America was founded on the genocide of the Indian and the enslavement of the African. It’s not right and it’s not likely to ever be right because it’s founded on something that’s incorrect. This very system, the very government, it’s founded on something that’s incorrect. The only institutions in this country that were designed specifically with Black people in mind has been chattel slavery and penitentiaries. So, for us to have been a group [01:00:00] that fought against that and the very nature of what runs this country, that made us extremely important. Maybe because of our age, we probably were not overwhelmed by the risks we were taking because I don’t think that we really comprehended what we were up against. Of course, the 30 �COINTEL Program and the 24/7 battle against us. We would occasionally sleep and our enemy never sleeps. And that’s something that has continued until today. [01:01:00] We get caught sleeping. They’re always awake. That’s just the way it is. Battles in the future have to be fought by -- our battles now and in the future have to be fought by people that always have someone that’s awake. You just have to sleep in shifts, but somebody always has to be awake. JJ: You mentioned penitentiary. Did you ever have any problems with courts or anything like that? DL: No. I did get arrested with a pistol. I’ve carried a pistol almost every day since I was 16 years old. And as you might know, in 1982, I was able to get on the Chicago Police Department. I was a policeman for 26 years. JJ: Oh, I didn’t know that. DL: Yeah. Just as I am. People think that going to the police [01:02:00] academy was like going back to high school. But that’s -- JJ: What station? DL: I was in the tactical unit. Well, I went to 71st and Cottage Grove in patrol. I was in uniform for a year and then I was in plain clothes after that. I worked an allBlack district, which was fantastic. Then I made detective in ’96 and all I dealt with was shootings and murders. I was a violent crimes detective. So, I say unequivocally that the system is not our friend. So now, I do seminars for Black Star Project keeping our children out of the just-us system because it is the justus system. I never had any illusions that I was changing the system. I liked the idea of the community being represented. Everything that’s in our community, we 31 �should be represented, not just superficially but realistically. [01:03:00] So, I never represented the police department as a community. I represented the community in my behavior. That’s another whole topic. JJ: What years were you a police officer? DL: Oh, ’82 to 2008. JJ: Oh, this is later. DL: Oh, yeah. I was 30 years old when I got on the police department. I was in the party 16 to like 19. JJ: During that period, there were no [problems in areas?] (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). DL: Oh sure. That was the reason that I even ended up doing that was because Howard Saffold was on the radio one day making an appeal saying that we need brothers and sisters to take this job because we need to be represented in these cars in the community. The police aren’t going away. Black Panther Party always espoused community control over the police. [01:04:00] Well, what better control is it than to be it? They can’t make you be a pig. If that’s how you’re going to be, that’s how you’re going to be. They can’t order you to do pig things. If that’s your methodology, that’s what you’re going to do. I was a Panther on the police department, just like I am now. I didn’t miss a beat and I didn’t change. It is what it is. Did they know all that? Did they ask me? Did they interview me? No, they’re not that sophisticated. I mean, at a certain point, they figure out how your behavior is, that you’re not -- again, I came on at the time right when Harold 32 �Washington was being elected. It was shortly before his election. I worked in an almost exclusively Black district. JJ: You know (inaudible) campaign, the Young Lords worked on his campaign. They were the first Latino group to endorse him and the first Latino rally was held by former Young Lords, [01:05:00] so-called former Young Lords. DL: So-called former. You never really totally stopped. JJ: In Chicago, we never quit the Young Lords. DL: Just like there will always be Panthers. JJ: But in fact that was Northside Hispanic Coordinator, (inaudible) use the term “Hispanic” anymore, because I ran for alderman too for a while. DL: I remember that. JJ: You remember that? DL: I do remember that in 1980, ’83 maybe, ’82, ’83, ’84. JJ: Actually -- DL: Oh, back then when he ran because Harold was elected in ’83. JJ: I turned myself in exactly to the day of Fred Hamptons -- the anniversary of his death. DL: December 4th. JJ: December 4th in ’72. And I went and did my year. And as soon as I came out, we announced that I was running for alderman. In fact, because we had that in mind [from the beginning?]. [01:06:00] DL: Shall I give some last thoughts? 33 �JJ: And then after that, the Harold Washington campaign came. We worked on that. So, we haven’t really stopped working. It’s just we haven’t talked about (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). In fact -- DL: Is that still running? JJ: Yeah, (overlapping dialogue; inaudible), yeah, [what are some final thoughts?]? DL: Well, final thoughts is (audio cuts out) Black Panther Party will absolutely remain one of the most significant organizations in the history of our struggle here in America. We didn’t cover all of the bases. We covered most of them. We had social programs. We had political education. And also, we had military objectives as well, or a military element, meaning. And I think that’s very significant. That was the appeal of the party to me. I don’t think that there’s been anything like it since. There’s always been [01:07:00] resistance. But the idea of -- as Fanon says, I’m not quoting is word for word, “True freedom for the slave comes when he kills the slave master.” Now you can kill them metaphorically, but you can also kill them literally. And the audacity of us to suggest that, yes, if you try to harm us, we will actually fight back and we will take out your soldiers as you try to take out ours. That was a big deal, which is why [01:08:00] every force of the government available was mustered to try to destroy that, to even destroy that as a concept because to this day, that remains the most dangerous of concepts, that the lightbulb will go off and the those people who are oppressed will actually fight back against their oppressors. That’s some dangerous stuff. That’s my final words on that. 34 �END OF VIDEO FILE 35 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d6ae2e651494a21d876b7ed8ca8e9e8.mp4 081b9323d5c31b5ffa6f1246024dcb92 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry David Lemieux vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Afro-Americanos--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Relaciones policía-comunidad--Illinois--Chicago Partido Pantera Negra. Illinois Capítulo Relaciones raciales Racismo--Estados Unidos Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Lemieux_David Title A name given to the resource David Lemieux video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemieux, David Description An account of the resource David (pronounced "Daveed") Lemieux joined the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party in the spring of 1969. At age 16, he was the second youngest member of that Chapter. He was a "rank and file" member and functioned in all BPP activities including the Free Breakfast for Children Program and the dissemination of the Black Panther newspaper. As a member of the Education Cadre, he was constantly engaged with "speaking" the mission and purpose of the Black Panther Party. He remained active with the BPP into the early 70s. In 1982, after consultation with other members of the activist community, David joined the Chicago Police Department and began a 26 year career where he was able to use his office and authority as a vehicle to serve the people. Currently, David Lemieux gives seminars facilitated by Chicago's Black Star Project entitled "Keeping OUR children out of the 'Just US' System" and speaks locally and nationally on the role of peace officers serving the community through the justice system. He is active with the Chicago Black Panther History Project and other efforts committed to preservation, education and reclamation of the true history of our struggle. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) African Americans--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Police-community relations--Illinois--Chicago Black Panther Party. Illinois Chapter Race relations Racism--United States Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/87f0c00c983e86ba1a07f68316d6e039.mp4 6289a15f0180b7df72892d9af8ecc9e0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0f980f56fdbd700ff6c69a06c43e09c8.pdf ad085677bed69e71f4f778016f3321f7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project World War II Dewey Lenger Length of Interview (01:06:20) (00:13) Family and Work Life Pre-Enlistment  Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on may 21, 1922. Completed grades 1-4 in Hopkins, Michigan  Father was a manufacturer of furniture in Hopkins, Michigan until the Great Depression hit (00:33).  Father sold popcorn for a bit and then bought and sold used cars for the rest of his work life (01:07).  Had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. He was the 3rd child born (01:42).  Completed high school at Davis Tech in downtown Grand Rapids (01:57).  He worked in a Muskegon factory doing machine work for about a 1-½ years after high school. He carpooled with other men and worked 10-12 hours a day. They manufactured goods for the Navy (02:15).  At the time US Highway 31 was a two-lane road and was not a pleasant drive, especially in the winter months (03:00).  Dewey was employed at the factory when Pearl Harbor occurred and he heard of the event on the radio (03:10).  He did not pay much attention to events in Europe prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor (03:28).  Could have obtained a draft deferment due to his job at the factory (03:53).  Actually saw an article in the paper announcing that exams for flying cadets were being held. It was a 3-hour exam, which Dewey passed. He then received a physical and was released from the draft board (04:51).  He received a letter from the war department stating he needed to report, in Detroit for service the day after he got the letter (07:00). (07:40) Enlistment and Training  In 1942 Dewey and his cousin, who enlisted at the same time, drove to Detroit to report for duty.  Dewey had been interested in flying since a young age (08:06).  Once in Detroit they were among hundreds of other men and waited for their names to be called to find out their next destination. He got a train for 2 days and 3 nights and then arrived in Florida. Next, they were put on a truck, which took them to Miami Beach (08:30).  They stayed in a hotel (09:40).  Basic military training lasted about 8-10 weeks in Miami (09:55).  Training took place on golf courses. Consisted of shooting and arms training, discipline, and field maneuvers (10:23).  The drill sergeants had previous service experience. Dewey adjusted to military life easily (10:40). �                      Essentially, all the men he was with were part of flight training (11:15). They took tests and physicals before being sent to the next level of training (11:39). After basic military training, Dewey was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio for College Training Detachment (CTD) (11:48). He had been a sergeant in the Michigan Guard, which allowed him to move ahead (professionally) quicker (11:50). While in Cincinnati they completed some college work, military training, and general conditioning. Prior to WWII pilots were required to have 2 years of college experience. The CTD program satisfied this requirement (13:00). Exam made individuals eligible (14:00). Spent 2 months in Cincinnati. They studied at night, because they had little money to do other activities (14:12). Dorms were divided into upperclassmen and lowerclassmen (14:50). After Cincinnati he was sent to San Antonio, Texas to a classification center where he took more tests and completed physicals (15:34). Was sent to Randolph Air Force Base for a heart check, which he passed. He was ale to continue on with his unit for pre-flight school (16:00). Pre-flight school and training consisted of groundwork, such as, map, history, Morse code, and drills. There was also an emphasis on aircraft identification (16:38). After pre-flight training you would be sent to a new location to learn how to fly. Dewey was sent to a small, private base in Stamford, Texas in the panhandle. Primary school for flying (17:52). His instructors were civilians and he trained on a single engine, open cockpit aircraft, PT-19 (18:04). He was stationed here during the fall and winter. He had an excellent instructor. His first solo flight was thrilling and he learned various types of maneuvers, including inverted flying (18:36). He spent 9 weeks in Stamford, Texas and had roughly 2 hours of flight time a day. He also continued to learn navigation and other essential skills in ground school (20:00). There were no major accidents or incidents during this period of training (21:00). After primary school you would continue on to basic flight training. Here Dewey learned to fly a more sophisticated, larger aircraft, the BT-13 (21:34). Flight simulation was being incorporated into the program (23:00). This was more dangerous school and people were lost or injured during training. At this point, men began to be weeded out of the program based on performance and capabilities (23:15). During this time, he stayed on base mostly, because there was not much to do. The residents were hospitable to the cadets (24:45). The next step of training was advanced flight school, which involved a twin engine, full instrument aircraft, the AT-10 (25:07). An aspect of training was to fly with a hood over your head. This forced and individual to rely only on the instruments for navigation (25:30). � He did not keep track of flight time. At times they would fly hundreds of miles, which allowed the to experience day to night flying (26:13).  Night flying meant you had to adjust your perspective of flying. More accidents occurred during this phase of training (27:14).  Dewey almost collided with another plane (28:00).  Once advanced training was completed, you were commissioned. Dewey was commissioned on June 27, 1944 (28:43).  He was sent home for 10 days before active duty (29:10). (29:22) Active Duty Texas  He spent a few weeks at administration school in San Antonio, Texas before going to Waco Field, where he did maintenance and test flights of planes. This was primarily the A-10 (29:26).  There were holding stations where men could volunteer to fly specific planes. Dewey wanted to fly the P-38 Lightning (fighter plane) (29:56).  He spent a 1 ½ in Waco and then went to Greensburg, North Carolina and New Jersey by train (30:44).  At this time, he was not trained in the C-46 or C-47 (31:22). (31:30) Active Duty Europe  From Camp Kilmer in New Jersey he boarded a passenger ship bound for Scotland. The trip lasted 7 days and was initially rough (31:48).  Many men became seasick (33:06).  The camp in Scotland was crude, wet, and muddy. They stayed in barracks. Once your name was called you took a train to the next destination (33:21).  He went to an RAF base, a large field with permanent structures (33:52).  His first flight in a C-47 was as a co-pilot and they took a glider to another field (34:20).  There was continued training covering night flights and large formations (35:00).  On one 3-3-½ hour mission Dewey was paired with a pilot who had vertigo and could not fly. He took over as first pilot and maintained this position (35:27).  Primarily, flew alone and at times had gliders in tow (36:110.  Flying the C-47, he carried troops and cargo to the European fronts (36:47).  There was a specific flight pattern followed to and from the island of England (37:23).  One group that he was with would not fly over any aircraft in the English Channel due to the fear of friendly fire (38:00).  Dewey flew to France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Austria (38:37). o (39:23) Battle of the Bulge  His mission was to bring troops and equipment to the front. He was able to make a drop in a field and as he flew back to England the only lights he saw were from Paris.  Once they returned the fog rolled in and they were grounded for 3 days. They could not get supplies to the front (40:22).  Once the fog lifted, they immediately continued the mission and took men and cargo to the front (41:05). � They also took fuel to Patton, because he was moving quickly. The fuel was stored in jerry cans and locked down (41:15).  When they flew longer distances they would store fuel in tanks behind the bulkheads. They needed this surplus, because they did not always return to base at night (41:48).  Many times they simply landed in fields (42:30).  Moved to a base in northern France with a short, single runway. They lived in tents there (42:55). o (45:14) Operation Varsity  There prepared and practiced for the mission, but did not know the exact nature of it (45:23).  Dewey’s plane carried Canadians. They were towards the front of the formation. The leaders dropped their paratroopers and then the rest followed in sequence (46:33).  There was anti-aircraft fire and they were flying very low, about 400-500 feet (47:18).  The parachutes were rigged to open when the paratroopers dropped from the plane. There was no margin for error and pilots had to fly level (48:05).  This was the most dangerous mission he knowingly flew (48:30).  Gliders came in behind them (48:50).  Saw commander and roommate go down with their airplane, but he was too busy trying to complete his task to care at that moment (49:00).  Formation broke up (49:17).  He was lucky to not get hit (49:13).  After the war he stayed at his base for a time and then moved south of Paris to Orly Field (49:45).  Last months in Europe he transported men, food, clothing, etc (50:30).  Went to Tempelhof, Germany (50:55).  Communication was poor with the French primarily. There was limited contact with civilians. Worked mostly and transported wounded (52:58).  Point system (52:54).  Received order to return home June 1946 (53:25).  When they did have time off they took trains and buses to the cities (53:37). (54:50) After the War  He took a train from Paris to Munich where he got a physical check and then took a train to Le Havre, France where he boarded a victory ship to America (55:00).  The ship was small and it was a rough ride, but they arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey safely (55:34).  From there he went to Chicago to be processed and then was sent home (56:01).  He did not join the reserves right away, but rather he did nothing for 3 months and helped his dad with his business. However, he did join the reserves within 6 months of being active duty (56:20).  He retired from the reserves June 27, 1976 as lieutenant colonel (57:08). �     He took classes and marched in parades. Would have liked it to operate more as it does today. He also taught classes and was able to do some flying (57:50). He started his own business repairing and transporting mobile homes (59:27). He really enjoyed his time in the service and would do it again (01:00:00). Special memories (01:03:30). Overall, he learned to be self-sufficient and more independent, even more so than bomber pilots (01:05:45). � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LengerD Title A name given to the resource Lenger, Dewey (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lenger, Dewey Description An account of the resource Dewey Lenger was part of the United States Army Air Force during World War II. He took a cadets exam that allowed him to bypass the general draft and eventually become a pilot. He was set to Europe and assigned to fly transport planes, which he had not trained in, and learned to tow gliders and drop paratroops as well as regular cargo missions. He flew first from a British base, and later from a French one. He ferried fuel to Patton's army, dropped supplies for American troops during the Battle of the Bulge, and carried Canadian paratroopers during Operation Varsity. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Air Corps United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-02-01 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/216e3bd5895d7c2826ab921c353fa9a0.mp4 3a3b9974e9d818f5c8d90943f42f4fe1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3a73ca0cb36495107e27cd604ca3e5c0.pdf 176c92fdc65963979aed2ea2b8c1ba9f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Sid Lenger Interview Length: (01:15:19:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:01:37:00)  Born in Wyoming, Michigan in 1918 above a shoe store (00:01:37:00) o At the time, his family had a pot-belly stove in the living room and there was a pump downstairs that they had to carry water from (00:01:57:00)  His father worked at a meat market below their apartment (00:02:11:00) o His father would go out on a horse and ring a bell as advertisement; when he later got an automobile, his father did the same thing (00:02:15:00) o Lenger’s father managed to keep his stores through the Great Depression and he actually sold one of them (00:02:29:00)  Lenger’s grandfather worked next door in the shoe store (00:02:38:00)  At the time, they did not buy shoes in boxes; a person came in and was fitted for a shoe, then the shoe was made and the person came back later (00:02:48:00)  Lenger’s grandfather wanted to retire, so another man bought the shoe store and Lenger’s father built a new store for the man on the other side of the road (00:02:57:00)  Lenger’s grandfather already owned a building there, so they moved that building down the street and built the new one for the man to continue Lenger’s grandfather’s business (00:03:16:00)  In 1927, Lenger’s family moved into good-sized house they had built; it was considered modern for the time because there was an inside bathroom and electric lights instead of the gas burning lights (00:03:30:00)  Lenger’s family did not face many problems during the Depression because his father still ran the meat market; his father’s main problem was collecting money (00:04:01:00) o His father came out of the Depression very well, so he wrote a letter that was published in the newspaper saying no one owed him money any more; he figured that if God had blessed him that much, he was willing to forgive the people owing him money (00:04:08:00)  Lenger attending school through the twelfth grade at Lee High School (00:04:46:00) o After school let out, Lenger worked for his father in a meat market; he rode his bike to the market and worked there at night (00:04:55:00) o He earned a dollar a week, which was pretty good; he was one of the richest kids in the school (00:05:14:00) o Following high school graduation, Lenger went into business with his father; his father eventually turned a store over to Lenger, who ran it as a grocery / meat market until he was drafted (00:05:22:00)  Before Pearl Harbor, Lenger and his family followed the conflict in Europe; because they had a radio, they would listen to the news (00:05:50:00) �      o Lenger’s fathers always told him to watch out for Russians and Germans; Germans shopped at the meat market and Lenger’s father always told him to watch them because a slip of the tongue could cause problems (00:06:06:00) When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, Lenger’s wife was pregnant and on Dec. 7th, he took her to the hospital and their first daughter was born (00:06:30:00) o While they were there, they heard news over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and Lenger’s wife became worried the Japanese were going to bomb the hospital (00:06:45:00) Lenger had registered for the draft when he was in high school (00:07:05:00) o Lenger was simply waiting for his number to be called and when it was called, he had to go to Detroit for a physical examination; at the examination, the doctors found out that Lenger was warm, so he passed (00:07:25:00) He received his draft notice three weeks before Memorial Day in 1944 (00:07:44:00) o Following the examination, the military told Lenger he had three weeks to get rid of everything he owned and report for training (00:08:22:00) o After the three weeks, all the men had to go back to Detroit to report; they reported the day before Memorial Day, so they sat in Detroit doing nothing while everybody else was out celebrating (00:08:27:00) From Detroit, the men shipped out to Great Lakes, Illinois, a training center (00:08:39:00) The man who interviewed Lenger in Detroit asked Lenger what branch he wanted, Army or Navy; when Lenger said the Navy, the man said he was in the Army, but he still put down the Navy on Lenger’s paperwork (00:08:48:00) o The Navy needed sailors to work on the LST fleet; at that time, the LST was the most important ship in the Navy because they allowed the Navy to land troops instead of just moving them around (00:09:09:00) Great Lakes was north of Chicago, on Lake Michigan and near Wisconsin (00:09:34:00) o There was a large number of barracks on the base, with around fifty men to a barracks building (00:09:51:00) o Every morning, the men went out and exercised, namely calisthenics and swimming, all of which was meant to build the men up physically (00:09:59:00) o Lenger knew how to play the trumpet, so he ended up joining the drum and bugle corps; on the 4th of July, they went to a parade in Racine, Wisconsin, which was nice to be able to get out of the base for a while (00:10:09:00) o The main order was that the men had better obey a command, with the last command being obeyed first (00:10:31:00)  On one side of the drill field was a large pile of big rocks and if a man did not follow directions, then he had to carry the rocks from one side of the field to the other (00:10:42:00) o Lenger had no trouble adapting to military life; when he was a butcher, they did not have any electric saws and they had to carry around the meat, so Lenger was in pretty good shape when he went into the military (00:11:13:00)  He ended up coming in second for the strength test (00:11:27:00) o He was older than everyone else he trained with; Lenger was twenty-five and the other men were eighteen and nineteen (00:11:36:00) �    Lenger spent six weeks at Great Lakes and after the six weeks, he had one week at home before having to report back to the Navy Pier in Chicago (00:11:46:00) o The men spent a little more than a week at the Navy Pier before they shipped over to Seneca, Illinois, where the LSTs were being built; from Seneca, each man boarded his new LST (00:12:08:00) o Chicago was good to the men; Lenger could get on the “L” trains for nothing and take it to Benton Harbor, Michigan and then hitch-hike his way back home to Grand Rapids (00:12:50:00) Following Great Lakes, Lenger first went to the Navy base in Little Creek, Virginia, then to the base at Little Neck and finally to Camp Bradford, also in Virginia (00:13:29:00) o Each base had different training for the men, including: working with gasoline, fire fighting, and at Camp Bradford, more gun training with the 20 mm, the 40 mm, and rifles (00:13:37:00)  All the training was all standard for men getting ready to deploy on an LST (00:14:24:00) Lenger’s timing was just right to catch his LST; some of the other men who were before him spent more time training in different areas, such as being the quartermaster on the ship (00:14:33:00) o They had three quartermasters on their ship, the maximum allowed limit, but Lenger asked to be a quartermaster (00:14:50:00)  When a man on the ship said there was not room for advancement and the ship was full, Lenger said he did not mind it because he had not joined the military for advancement (00:15:02:00)  During the 1940s, Lenger’s father owned a twenty-five foot cruiser on Lake Michigan and they would charter the boat; when they did so, Lenger worked with the charters, a job he enjoyed (00:15:20:00) o Lenger did not want to work in the engine room because of the heat; when he worked as quartermaster, Lenger had to change the clocks whenever they went into a new time zone and when he went into the engine room to change the clocks, especially at the Equator, it got pretty hot (00:15:43:00) o Being a quartermaster meant Lenger was partly in charge of the ship; in the wheelhouse, there were three men: one was on the log, the second was on the wheel, and the third was on the enunciator, which controlled the speed of the ship (00:16:10:00)  Lenger and the other quartermasters worked in four hour shifts, so they would change positions (00:16:38:00)  Also, every fifteen minutes, a quartermaster had to go to the back of the ship and keep a log of the weather conditions; if anything happened, information would be logged (00:16:53:00) Chicago liked the sailors and Norfolk did not (00:17:28:00) o The men went out only once while in Norfolk (00:17:36:00)  They started walking and then decided to take a bus; however, the bus had a sign that read “sailors and soldiers, thirty-five cents; civilians, ten cents” (00:17:41:00)  The men did not have that kind of money; Lenger’s paycheck was only four dollars a month, so he did not have a lot of money (00:17:52:00) �   The men hiked around for a little bit and it was not uncommon to see signs in the lawn saying “sailors and dogs keep off the grass” (00:18:04:00)  Lenger could see their point because there were so many young kids fresh out of high school (00:18:14:00)  They eventually stopped at a restaurant that had ten cents cups of coffee, but thirty-five cent cups for soldiers (00:18:24:00) Lenger was in Virginia for about three weeks to finish his training; once the training was complete, the Navy shipped the men back to Navy Pier and then onto the LST in Seneca, a suburb of Chicago, maybe forty or fifty miles outside of the city (00:18:46:00) o The city was on the Illinois River, so the men took their LST, which had already been launched by the time they got there, down the river to the Mississippi River, which took them down to New Orleans (00:19:17:00) o Once in New Orleans, they put the mast and anything with height onto the ship because they could not fit under the bridges otherwise (00:19:33:00)  Normally, ship went about eight or nine knots but going down the Mississippi, they hit thirteen knots (00:19:41:00) o Lenger only got off the LST once it reached New Orleans (00:20:05:00) Lenger and his wife had their third child while he was sailing down the river to New Orleans (00:20:15:00) o After about a week in training, Lenger received word that he had another son, so he received permission to take a plane home; he was home over Sunday to have the baby baptized and then he had to leave on Monday (00:20:21:00) o When Lenger went into the service, he sold his business; he and his wife had three weeks following his physical examination to decided if they wanted to sell their house, their car, or their business (00:21:22:00)  They knew they were going to sell the business and that gave Lenger’s wife money to survive while he was gone (00:21:41:00) o Lenger also took out life insurance, although he did need to; the Army took ten dollars of his pay every month, leaving him with four dollars to spend (00:21:55:00) o At the time, Lenger’s wife made forty-eight dollars a week and they had a twentyfive dollar payment for the house, which they decided to keep; because of this, she could only spend around a dollar a day to feed the family (00:22:08:00) Deployment (00:23:04:00)  From New Orleans, Lenger and the other men sailed the LST through the Gulf of Mexico to Panama; there were rough seas on the journey and Lenger got seasick to the point that he thought he was going to die (00:23:04:00) o He eventually got over the seasickness and never got seasick again (00:23:21:00) o During the journey, Lenger’s LST sailed with two other LSTs that had left New Orleans at the same time (00:23:32:00) o The LST docked in Panama for about three days before sailing through the Panama Canal (00:23:39:00)  One of the men on the LST got appendicitis, so they stopped in Mexico to drop him off before continuing on to San Diego, California, where the ship picked up a lot more of its supplies before taking off (00:23:48:00) �    The men on the LST had it good because they stopped at submarine bases for their supplies and the submariners always received the best food of anybody (00:24:06:00) The standard LST is three hundred and twenty-eight feet long with a crew of one hundred and four and eight or nine officers (00:24:36:00) o Lenger’s LST was the flagship after it reached Honolulu, Hawaii, so they had to take on six more officers to command the other LSTs (00:24:46:00) o At the outbreak of the war, Winston Churchill wrote to President Roosevelt saying the British had a lot of problems, one of which was that to invade France, they would have to use the tiny Higgins boats, which would make their soldiers cannon-fodder for the Germans (00:25:12:00)  Churchill wrote that they needed a ship that could carry tanks and bigger equipment so that when the British landed, they had heavier weapons to fight back with (00:25:36:00)  Roosevelt gave the letter to a Mr. Niedermeyer, who was in charge of the ships, and when he looked at what the British had designed for four years, none of which worked, Niedermeyer took the envelope the letter had come on and drew the design for an LST (00:25:55:00)  When they took the design back to Churchill, he said it was exactly what they needed, only a little bit bigger so that they could carry in the larger tanks (00:26:27:00) o When they began construction of the LST fleet, the Navy stopped construction on an aircraft carrier to get the steel needed (00:26:43:00) o According to stories, when the first LST arrived in Hawaii, the personnel were surprised by the bow doors of the ship; other ships had to sit at a dock to unload while the LST could sail right on shore, open its doors, lower a ramp, and personnel could drive equipment on and off (00:27:07:00) Lenger’s LST did not carry any military supplies or equipment when it left San Diego; they picked up a lot of that in Hawaii (00:27:56:00) o One thing they picked up was an LCT, a hundred and thirty-eight foot craft used to ferry smaller supplies from the cargo ships to shore (00:28:01:00) The journey across the Pacific was long; it took about three weeks before the men saw land anywhere (00:28:33:00) o They had good weather and at noon everyday, the men took an azimuth of the sun from just outside the wheelhouse; after getting the exact time and taking three readings, the men went into a chartroom behind the wheelhouse and charted the location of the ship (00:28:39:00)  At night, just before sun-down and when the first star became visible, the men took a reading with a sextant of the North Star and two other stars and by using those measurements, they could also find out where they were (00:29:13:00)  On cloudy days, the men could not do this, so they read the logs which told them how fast the ship was going and in what direction, so the men could plot where the ship was and often, they came close (00:29:44:00) o At this point, Lenger’s LST was sailing in a convoy with eight or ten other LSTs and two destroyer escorts (00:30:14:00) �    The convoy did not encounter any Japanese submarines because it was a little hard for the Japanese to attack them with a torpedo because the ship did not have a large draft (00:30:38:00)  The men worried about kamikazes more than anything else (00:31:01:00) From Hawaii, the convoy crossed the Equator and went to Tulagi, then to the Russell Islands, and finally to Guadalcanal (00:31:11:00) o Along the way, the convoy was picking up different Marine units and their supplies (00:31:25:00) o When the ship crossed the Equator, the men woke up that morning and they only got three beans on a plate to eat; when they got to the end of the line, someone asked each man quietly if they would like an egg and if they said yes, then an egg was smashed over their head (00:31:47:00)  Another man had to carry a heavy chain around his neck all day and another had to take a bedpan to all the men who needed to go to the bathroom because using the “head” was forbidden (00:32:11:00)  Eventually, each man had to climb a ladder at the back of the ship and then crawl under fifty feet of canvas; when they tried to climb the ladder, others used a salt water hose against the men, trying to knock them off and when they went under the canvas, the men were hit with two by fours before being hit with more water (00:32:33:00)  Finally, the men went before “King Neptune”, were they had to get down on their hands and knees and were shocked with electricity before being told to kiss the deck (00:33:16:00)  Lenger’s initiation on the LST was a little rougher than on some other ships, such as an aircraft carrier, because those ships were not subject to being on land (00:34:24:00)  At night, the LST faced the possibility of being taken over by a Japanese attack; the LST did not have the firepower to fight back against an attack (00:34:36:00)  Part of the initiation was to prepare the men for what would happen if they were captured so they would not talk (00:34:58:00) Lenger did not go ashore for long periods, but he did go ashore (00:35:31:00) o One time, when they were not on duty, Lenger and another man went on the beach and climbed in the hills; when they did so, the two men found a Japanese machine gun with live ammunition (00:35:41:00)  Lenger wanted to take it but they were was not allowed to, so the men left it alone (00:36:00:00) o When they stopped in the Russell Islands, Lenger also worked as a store keeper and on their way back from getting supplies, the men spotted a river, so they took a small boat from the LST and went up the river (00:36:24:00)  On their way up the river, the men saw a village and they talked with the villagers as much as they could; Lenger ended up getting a hand-carved walking stick from the people living in the village (00:36:57:00) After the LSTs was fully loaded, the convoy went to Ulithi to join with the rest of the fleet and from Ulithi, the fleet attacked Okinawa (00:37:54:00) �o By now, there were about one thousand ships sailing together towards Okinawa; the aircraft carriers were about five miles behind the main force, the battleships were in the next row, then the destroyers and LSTs designed to fire rockets, and finally the LSTs carrying soldiers (00:38:21:00) o The troop-carrying LSTs actually attacked the beach directly while all the other ships provided the fire power (00:38:42:00) Battle of Okinawa (00:38:51:00)  At three or four o’clock on the morning of the invasion, the carriers sent in their aircraft to start bombing the beaches (00:38:51:00)  Lenger’s general quarters station on the ship was manning a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun (00:39:21:00) o There were twelve 20 mm anti-aircraft guns on the ship, five 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and one twenty-forty mm anti-aircraft gun; it took nearly forty percent of the ship’s crew to man the anti-aircraft guns (00:39:28:00)  The crewmen manning the 40 mm had to wear helmets and earphones and they had to wait until they heard the command to fire; they never fired unless told to do so (00:39:50:00)  When enemy planes were a couple of miles away, then the 40 mm guns received orders to fire and if they came within a mile, then the 20 mm guns received permission to fire (00:40:07:00)  Although the men had training, things were a lot different when they got into action (00:40:26:00)  There was a viewfinder on the top of each gun and in training, the men followed a plane pulling a flag; as they followed the plane, the gun moved too so that they could hit their target (00:40:34:00)  After the first day, looking through the viewfinder was like looking through a telescope; instead, Lenger followed the path of the tracer shells in his gun (00:40:54:00)  After the carrier aircraft attacked the beach, the battleships fired on the beach with their sixteen-inch guns (00:41:44:00) o The concussion from the guns was so amazing that it felt like their clothes would be shaken right off of the men (00:41:54:00) o Some of the battleships were only a thousand yards away from the LST when they fired their guns (00:42:17:00)  Once the battleships finished bombarding the beach, the LSTs went in (00:40:12:00) o Lenger’s LST had to go to the beach to get rid of all the Marines and their equipment; there were five hundred Marines on the ship plus two hundred and fifty Seabees (00:42:45:00) o On either side of the ship were metal pontoons and in order to get the LCT off the top of the ship, they had to get ride of the pontoons; when they had unloaded the pontoons, the Seabees used them to construct bridges out to other ships so that trucks could be used to unload them (00:42:59:00) o The Marines went right off the front of the boat and were armed with trucks and tanks (00:43:39:00) �  o On about the third day, the pontoons were gone, so the men listed the ship eleven degrees to starboard and once it was at that angle, someone cut the lines securing the LCT to the deck and it slipped into the water (00:43:57:00)  They used to LCT to ferry soldiers from the troop ships to the beach (00:44:27:00) When they first landed, the LST did not see much Japanese gun fire (00:44:42:00) o On the first day, the battleships rounds were impacting the beach and four or five times, the shore battery would fire back; the LST simple sat underneath as the barrages flew overhead and eventually, the Marines took the guns (00:44:44:00) However, on the first day, three planes attacked the LST and everyday, there would be kamikazes attacking; Lenger had a ring-side seat on the 20 mm because sometimes the planes were too far away and the men would watch dogfights between the Americans and Japanese (00:45:16:00) o The Japanese Zero was lighter than the American Corsair and on the first couple of days, a Zero would dive with a Corsair behind it and when the Zero pulled up, the Corsair could not, so it inevitably crashed into the water (00:45:55:00)  After a couple of days, the American pilots figured out the tactic and to not follow the Zero all the way (00:46:23:00) o Many of the Japanese planes that the men saw were kamikazes and Lenger did see ships hit by kamikaze attacks (00:46:40:00) o Apart from some bullet holes, Lenger’s LST was never hit but they did have some close calls (00:47:08:00)  One time, Lenger received the order to commence firing and when he pulled the trigger, a shell jammed in the breach; when he called back, a seaman told him to take the barrel off and throw it over the side of ship before the shell blew up (00:47:24:00)  They eventually brought Lenger a new barrel for the gun so he could continue firing (00:48:12:00)  Once they had fired two magazines through the gun, the men had to change the barrel because if it overheated, the barrel’s rifling would degrade and the shell would not fly correctly (00:48:14:00)  During one kamikaze attack, the plane was coming at the LST and the 40 mm received the orders to commence firing; because the LST was all alone, the kamikaze focused on them (00:48:49:00)  When Lenger received the order, he emptied one canister then another into the kamikaze and when he was getting ready to crash into the ship, the plane pulled up and missed the ship by about twenty feet (00:49:11:00)  The plane eventually crashed between the LST and a light cruiser and blew up (00:50:16:00) o There were kamikaze attacks every day to the point that the most sleep the men got on any day during the first thirty days was three hours (00:50:30:00)  It reached the point that Lenger and his assistant stayed at their gun and took turns manning the gun and sleeping (00:50:40:00)  The kamikazes also attacked at night (00:50:49:00) �        Sometimes when the kamikazes attacked at night, the men could not see them, so the ships made a blanket of smoke so the kamikazes could not see the ships (00:50:52:00) Once they had landed the Marines, the LST went back and picked up eight hundred Army soldiers and their equipment and landed them in a different location; they were moving troops around based on where they were needed (00:51:31:00) After thirty days, the LST pulled out of Okinawa because the men were exhausted and returned to Ulithi (00:52:03:00) o The men had five or six days in Ulithi while others checked the ship over because they had run aground on some coral reefs; the ship lost some oil and the two propellers were roughed up (00:52:22:00) o They said there was too much damage to fix at Ulithi, so they had to sail the ship to the Philippines, namely Subic Bay on Luzon, where they got the ship fixed up and painted to make it look like a proper ship again (00:52:59:00) From the Philippines, the LST took pilots and supplies from the P-38 aircraft to the island of Ie Shima, a small island near Okinawa where the P-38s could provide escort to bombers attacking Tokyo and other Japanese cities (00:53:25:00) o The men arrived on the island about two weeks after well-known war correspondent Ernie Pyle died and the men took pictures of the monument others had erected in Pyle’s memory (00:54:35:00) The attacks did not slow down as the fighting for Okinawa waned; the Japanese just kept coming and coming (00:55:19:00) o The Japanese had so many planes that after the war, the men found out they had six thousand kamikazes waiting for when the fleet attacked Japan (00:55:23:00)  Lenger knew that attack was coming because he eventually went back to working with the charts (00:55:38:00) After Okinawa, the LST went back to the Philippines (00:55:57:00) The war ended while the LST was at Okinawa (00:56:06:00) o The men heard guns firing at night and assumed the Japanese were attacking again, so they rushed to their guns and the first thing Lenger heard when he put on his headphones was the war was over (00:56:12:00) o Lenger then told his assistant the war was over and he did not believe Lenger (00:56:24:00) Eventually, LST went back to the Philippines to pick up supplies and then took the supplies to Japan (00:56:38:00) o When the Japanese signed the official surrender agreement, the LST was sailing from Manila to Japan; the men did not see the actual ceremony (00:56:51:00) o The LST first landed in Yokohama, where they unload supplies for the Army and afterwards, the men received a day liberty (00:57:04:00) o After unload, the LST left Yokohama to pick up another load of supplies from the Philippines; however, Lenger had accumulated enough points and he was able to stay behind on the Philippines when the ship returned to Japan (00:57:18:00) o When the men had their liberty leave from the ship, they found the Japanese to be very curious; however, the men could not talk with the Japanese, so they just looked around (00:57:43:00) �   They looked around and took some pictures but at that point, the men did not even care if they got pictures (00:57:57:00) When the LST was in New Orleans, Lenger asked the captain if it would be okay for him to take a camera aboard; the captain said it was, so long as when Lenger developed the film, the captain got to see them (00:58:17:00) o Lenger not only took his regular camera, but also an 8 mm movie camera; however, he only had a few rolls of film, so he had to be careful what he took pictures of (00:58:38:00)  When Lenger would ship items home, he stuck rolls of the film into the box after it had been checked so his wife could see what was going on (00:59:01:00) o Whenever Lenger was at general quarters, he did not dare take the camera with him; he was on the gun and that was it (00:59:49:00) o When he was also on duty in the wheelhouse, Lenger was not able to film anything and at Okinawa, he did not have time to take pictures and he did not dare take any (01:00:01:00) o He does have film of regular life aboard the LST, as well as the ceremony for crossing the Equator and the launching of the LCT (01:00:47:00) When Lenger was ready to get out of the Navy, there were so many men in the same position as him on an island that the Navy did not have enough food to feed them all (01:01:34:00) o They eventually put him on a transport that took him to San Francisco, where he stayed for four or five days before getting on a train to Chicago, where he was discharged at Great Lakes (01:01:59:00) o His wife came down to Great Lakes to pick him up once he was discharged (01:02:23:00) Post-Military Life (01:03:00:00)  When he got home, Lenger tried to go back into business but things were rough because rationing of supplies was still in place (01:03:00:00) o Lenger called all the former people he worked with but none could give Lenger what he needed, so he had to go find other suppliers (01:03:14:00) o When he tried to purchase beef, the man said Lenger needed ration stamps, which Lenger had given to the man who purchased his store when he went into the service and he would have to pay under the table (01:03:46:00) o He did this for awhile but he was not making any money, so Lenger gave the business up (01:04:22:00) o Instead, he went and worked for his brother’s business at $1.75 an hour; eventually, Lenger got a job in sales at [Chester Locks] (01:04:39:00)  He went all over Michigan for the job, but because people were on strike, his checks were not delivered, so Lenger quit (01:05:02:00)  Finally, Lenger ended up working for a business called Gardner-Denver, which made pneumatic tools (01:05:14:00) o Lenger originally did not know what most of tools did that he was selling, but he received training and used “his dumbness” to help him sell more (01:05:29:00) �  The first time he went out, he went to a tool- and dye- shop, said he was selling the product but he did not know how they worked and asked if the workers in the shop could show him (01:05:38:00)  A man showed Lenger how it worked and Lenger said he would leave the machine overnight and come back the next morning; when he came back, the man said he needed a dozen of the machines (01:05:54:00) o Lenger stayed with the company for awhile but he ended up selling too many tools (01:06:25:00)  One time, Lenger’s sales manager pointed out that Lenger was trying to get an order from a competitor; Lenger asked if he could continue because he believed that he could get an order out of them (01:06:45:00)  About a month later, Lenger got a large order from the competing company because their equipment did not do as much work as Lenger’s equipment did (01:07:12:00) o It got to the point that they were sending Lenger all over the country because other salesmen had sold products but the products kept breaking, so Lenger had to go an fix them (01:07:40:00)  The company wanted Lenger to move to Quincy, Illinois but he had one child in high school, one in grade school, and two in college, so there was no way he was going to move; he told them to ask him in a few years but not at that moment (01:08:22:00)  The company ended up taking away small parts of Lenger’s territory in an effort to get him to move, so he gave them six months notice and went into manufacturing the tools himself, but only for a few years (01:08:45:00) Lenger’s manufacturing company originally made dye-grinders for fifty dollars and sold them for around one hundred dollars; however, one day they saw there was a thirty-nine dollar grinder for sale (01:09:13:00) o Lenger and his wife went to Japan and talked with five companies and said he wanted to just buy the rotor and cylinder, but a sales man said that would cost him more than the tool itself (01:09:35:00) o When Lenger asked what he meant, the man explained the Japanese government subsidized the whole tool, not parts; when Lenger asked the price of the parts, he found he could make them cheaper, so he figured he could sell them to the Japanese companies (01:10:01:00)  However, the man said that would not work either because when Lenger would ship the parts, they charged a one hundred percent import duty, which raised the price, whereas shipping to America only involved a four percent duty (01:10:20:00) o When Lenger got back home, he told his wife that they were going to sell the company because they could not compete with the cheaper products (01:10:45:00) o Lenger then went back to Gardner-Denver and because he knew the president of the company; neither man drank, so when the company had parties, they sat together (01:10:53:00)  The president was not there that day, so Lenger told a man in the company to start selling their tools at thirty-nine dollars and they could compete with the Japanese tools; the man disregarded the information, saying the �  company had been around too long to worry about the Japanese and four years later, the company was out of business (01:11:15:00) When he sold the manufacturing business, Lenger did not quite know what to do, but he loved traveling, so he told his wife he was going to open at travel agency (01:11:56:00) o They had gone to a travel agency a couple of times and had received bad information; one time, Lenger and his wife went to Portugal and when Lenger asked what kind of clothes he should take, the travel agent said it was February, so they probably had snow (01:12:06:00)  So, Lenger took heavy clothes and the temperature turned out to be in the eighties (01:12:24:00)  Another time, Lenger and his wife went to the Canary Island and Lenger told the travel agent he wanted to go to Africa and the agent told him to make the reservations once Lenger was on the island; when he tried to, the people of the islands told Lenger the flight was full and reservations were needed a month in advance (01:12:29:00) o Lenger started the travel agency with his wife and they grew to be one of the largest agencies in Grand Rapids before Lenger sold the business (01:13:03:00) o Mission: India eventually wanted Lenger to work for them because for twentyfive years Lenger and his wife went to India every year to take pictures do fund raising and programs (01:13:19:00) Lenger learned a lot of respect in the Navy; no matter where he worked or what he did, there was always someone over him (01:13:46:00) o If Lenger was in charge of it, everyone graduating from high school would serve for two years, if only to receive the regimentation and help get their feet on the ground (01:14:15:00) o Lenger and his comrades were very fortunate; they had canvas to sleep on and good food to eat (01:14:46:00)  Lenger loved the twelve to four watch at night because after the cooks finished their work, they came up to the wheelhouse and brought a cup of coffee and sometimes a fresh pie (01:14:56:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LengerS Title A name given to the resource Lenger, Sidney (Interview outline and video, 1 of 2), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lenger, Sidner Description An account of the resource Sid Linger was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1918. After graduation from high school, Lenger went into business with his father, who ran several stores in the Grand Rapids. He was drafted into the Navy in 1944, and was assigned as a quartermaster on a new LST that was being built at Seneca, Illinois. He sailed on the LST down the Mississippi River, through the Gulf and Mexico and the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean. Lenger's LST transported Marines as part of the massive invasion of Okinawa, where they witnessed many kamikaze attacks. Following the battle, the LST transported the supplies needed for P-38 fighter escorts and supplies to Japan before Lenger left the service. Included with the interview is a video Lenger made himself, combining official Navy training films and video he filmed himself while aboard the LST (see 2 of 2). Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-01-04 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dd0378a75ddbe87e91cfd1682dd2d2cb.mp4 fd080b250f38cb5001591071adfae304 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e3df2b8166b03713ead5b99d20c0c1b2.pdf 176c92fdc65963979aed2ea2b8c1ba9f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Sid Lenger Interview Length: (01:15:19:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:01:37:00)  Born in Wyoming, Michigan in 1918 above a shoe store (00:01:37:00) o At the time, his family had a pot-belly stove in the living room and there was a pump downstairs that they had to carry water from (00:01:57:00)  His father worked at a meat market below their apartment (00:02:11:00) o His father would go out on a horse and ring a bell as advertisement; when he later got an automobile, his father did the same thing (00:02:15:00) o Lenger’s father managed to keep his stores through the Great Depression and he actually sold one of them (00:02:29:00)  Lenger’s grandfather worked next door in the shoe store (00:02:38:00)  At the time, they did not buy shoes in boxes; a person came in and was fitted for a shoe, then the shoe was made and the person came back later (00:02:48:00)  Lenger’s grandfather wanted to retire, so another man bought the shoe store and Lenger’s father built a new store for the man on the other side of the road (00:02:57:00)  Lenger’s grandfather already owned a building there, so they moved that building down the street and built the new one for the man to continue Lenger’s grandfather’s business (00:03:16:00)  In 1927, Lenger’s family moved into good-sized house they had built; it was considered modern for the time because there was an inside bathroom and electric lights instead of the gas burning lights (00:03:30:00)  Lenger’s family did not face many problems during the Depression because his father still ran the meat market; his father’s main problem was collecting money (00:04:01:00) o His father came out of the Depression very well, so he wrote a letter that was published in the newspaper saying no one owed him money any more; he figured that if God had blessed him that much, he was willing to forgive the people owing him money (00:04:08:00)  Lenger attending school through the twelfth grade at Lee High School (00:04:46:00) o After school let out, Lenger worked for his father in a meat market; he rode his bike to the market and worked there at night (00:04:55:00) o He earned a dollar a week, which was pretty good; he was one of the richest kids in the school (00:05:14:00) o Following high school graduation, Lenger went into business with his father; his father eventually turned a store over to Lenger, who ran it as a grocery / meat market until he was drafted (00:05:22:00)  Before Pearl Harbor, Lenger and his family followed the conflict in Europe; because they had a radio, they would listen to the news (00:05:50:00) �      o Lenger’s fathers always told him to watch out for Russians and Germans; Germans shopped at the meat market and Lenger’s father always told him to watch them because a slip of the tongue could cause problems (00:06:06:00) When the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, Lenger’s wife was pregnant and on Dec. 7th, he took her to the hospital and their first daughter was born (00:06:30:00) o While they were there, they heard news over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and Lenger’s wife became worried the Japanese were going to bomb the hospital (00:06:45:00) Lenger had registered for the draft when he was in high school (00:07:05:00) o Lenger was simply waiting for his number to be called and when it was called, he had to go to Detroit for a physical examination; at the examination, the doctors found out that Lenger was warm, so he passed (00:07:25:00) He received his draft notice three weeks before Memorial Day in 1944 (00:07:44:00) o Following the examination, the military told Lenger he had three weeks to get rid of everything he owned and report for training (00:08:22:00) o After the three weeks, all the men had to go back to Detroit to report; they reported the day before Memorial Day, so they sat in Detroit doing nothing while everybody else was out celebrating (00:08:27:00) From Detroit, the men shipped out to Great Lakes, Illinois, a training center (00:08:39:00) The man who interviewed Lenger in Detroit asked Lenger what branch he wanted, Army or Navy; when Lenger said the Navy, the man said he was in the Army, but he still put down the Navy on Lenger’s paperwork (00:08:48:00) o The Navy needed sailors to work on the LST fleet; at that time, the LST was the most important ship in the Navy because they allowed the Navy to land troops instead of just moving them around (00:09:09:00) Great Lakes was north of Chicago, on Lake Michigan and near Wisconsin (00:09:34:00) o There was a large number of barracks on the base, with around fifty men to a barracks building (00:09:51:00) o Every morning, the men went out and exercised, namely calisthenics and swimming, all of which was meant to build the men up physically (00:09:59:00) o Lenger knew how to play the trumpet, so he ended up joining the drum and bugle corps; on the 4th of July, they went to a parade in Racine, Wisconsin, which was nice to be able to get out of the base for a while (00:10:09:00) o The main order was that the men had better obey a command, with the last command being obeyed first (00:10:31:00)  On one side of the drill field was a large pile of big rocks and if a man did not follow directions, then he had to carry the rocks from one side of the field to the other (00:10:42:00) o Lenger had no trouble adapting to military life; when he was a butcher, they did not have any electric saws and they had to carry around the meat, so Lenger was in pretty good shape when he went into the military (00:11:13:00)  He ended up coming in second for the strength test (00:11:27:00) o He was older than everyone else he trained with; Lenger was twenty-five and the other men were eighteen and nineteen (00:11:36:00) �    Lenger spent six weeks at Great Lakes and after the six weeks, he had one week at home before having to report back to the Navy Pier in Chicago (00:11:46:00) o The men spent a little more than a week at the Navy Pier before they shipped over to Seneca, Illinois, where the LSTs were being built; from Seneca, each man boarded his new LST (00:12:08:00) o Chicago was good to the men; Lenger could get on the “L” trains for nothing and take it to Benton Harbor, Michigan and then hitch-hike his way back home to Grand Rapids (00:12:50:00) Following Great Lakes, Lenger first went to the Navy base in Little Creek, Virginia, then to the base at Little Neck and finally to Camp Bradford, also in Virginia (00:13:29:00) o Each base had different training for the men, including: working with gasoline, fire fighting, and at Camp Bradford, more gun training with the 20 mm, the 40 mm, and rifles (00:13:37:00)  All the training was all standard for men getting ready to deploy on an LST (00:14:24:00) Lenger’s timing was just right to catch his LST; some of the other men who were before him spent more time training in different areas, such as being the quartermaster on the ship (00:14:33:00) o They had three quartermasters on their ship, the maximum allowed limit, but Lenger asked to be a quartermaster (00:14:50:00)  When a man on the ship said there was not room for advancement and the ship was full, Lenger said he did not mind it because he had not joined the military for advancement (00:15:02:00)  During the 1940s, Lenger’s father owned a twenty-five foot cruiser on Lake Michigan and they would charter the boat; when they did so, Lenger worked with the charters, a job he enjoyed (00:15:20:00) o Lenger did not want to work in the engine room because of the heat; when he worked as quartermaster, Lenger had to change the clocks whenever they went into a new time zone and when he went into the engine room to change the clocks, especially at the Equator, it got pretty hot (00:15:43:00) o Being a quartermaster meant Lenger was partly in charge of the ship; in the wheelhouse, there were three men: one was on the log, the second was on the wheel, and the third was on the enunciator, which controlled the speed of the ship (00:16:10:00)  Lenger and the other quartermasters worked in four hour shifts, so they would change positions (00:16:38:00)  Also, every fifteen minutes, a quartermaster had to go to the back of the ship and keep a log of the weather conditions; if anything happened, information would be logged (00:16:53:00) Chicago liked the sailors and Norfolk did not (00:17:28:00) o The men went out only once while in Norfolk (00:17:36:00)  They started walking and then decided to take a bus; however, the bus had a sign that read “sailors and soldiers, thirty-five cents; civilians, ten cents” (00:17:41:00)  The men did not have that kind of money; Lenger’s paycheck was only four dollars a month, so he did not have a lot of money (00:17:52:00) �   The men hiked around for a little bit and it was not uncommon to see signs in the lawn saying “sailors and dogs keep off the grass” (00:18:04:00)  Lenger could see their point because there were so many young kids fresh out of high school (00:18:14:00)  They eventually stopped at a restaurant that had ten cents cups of coffee, but thirty-five cent cups for soldiers (00:18:24:00) Lenger was in Virginia for about three weeks to finish his training; once the training was complete, the Navy shipped the men back to Navy Pier and then onto the LST in Seneca, a suburb of Chicago, maybe forty or fifty miles outside of the city (00:18:46:00) o The city was on the Illinois River, so the men took their LST, which had already been launched by the time they got there, down the river to the Mississippi River, which took them down to New Orleans (00:19:17:00) o Once in New Orleans, they put the mast and anything with height onto the ship because they could not fit under the bridges otherwise (00:19:33:00)  Normally, ship went about eight or nine knots but going down the Mississippi, they hit thirteen knots (00:19:41:00) o Lenger only got off the LST once it reached New Orleans (00:20:05:00) Lenger and his wife had their third child while he was sailing down the river to New Orleans (00:20:15:00) o After about a week in training, Lenger received word that he had another son, so he received permission to take a plane home; he was home over Sunday to have the baby baptized and then he had to leave on Monday (00:20:21:00) o When Lenger went into the service, he sold his business; he and his wife had three weeks following his physical examination to decided if they wanted to sell their house, their car, or their business (00:21:22:00)  They knew they were going to sell the business and that gave Lenger’s wife money to survive while he was gone (00:21:41:00) o Lenger also took out life insurance, although he did need to; the Army took ten dollars of his pay every month, leaving him with four dollars to spend (00:21:55:00) o At the time, Lenger’s wife made forty-eight dollars a week and they had a twentyfive dollar payment for the house, which they decided to keep; because of this, she could only spend around a dollar a day to feed the family (00:22:08:00) Deployment (00:23:04:00)  From New Orleans, Lenger and the other men sailed the LST through the Gulf of Mexico to Panama; there were rough seas on the journey and Lenger got seasick to the point that he thought he was going to die (00:23:04:00) o He eventually got over the seasickness and never got seasick again (00:23:21:00) o During the journey, Lenger’s LST sailed with two other LSTs that had left New Orleans at the same time (00:23:32:00) o The LST docked in Panama for about three days before sailing through the Panama Canal (00:23:39:00)  One of the men on the LST got appendicitis, so they stopped in Mexico to drop him off before continuing on to San Diego, California, where the ship picked up a lot more of its supplies before taking off (00:23:48:00) �    The men on the LST had it good because they stopped at submarine bases for their supplies and the submariners always received the best food of anybody (00:24:06:00) The standard LST is three hundred and twenty-eight feet long with a crew of one hundred and four and eight or nine officers (00:24:36:00) o Lenger’s LST was the flagship after it reached Honolulu, Hawaii, so they had to take on six more officers to command the other LSTs (00:24:46:00) o At the outbreak of the war, Winston Churchill wrote to President Roosevelt saying the British had a lot of problems, one of which was that to invade France, they would have to use the tiny Higgins boats, which would make their soldiers cannon-fodder for the Germans (00:25:12:00)  Churchill wrote that they needed a ship that could carry tanks and bigger equipment so that when the British landed, they had heavier weapons to fight back with (00:25:36:00)  Roosevelt gave the letter to a Mr. Niedermeyer, who was in charge of the ships, and when he looked at what the British had designed for four years, none of which worked, Niedermeyer took the envelope the letter had come on and drew the design for an LST (00:25:55:00)  When they took the design back to Churchill, he said it was exactly what they needed, only a little bit bigger so that they could carry in the larger tanks (00:26:27:00) o When they began construction of the LST fleet, the Navy stopped construction on an aircraft carrier to get the steel needed (00:26:43:00) o According to stories, when the first LST arrived in Hawaii, the personnel were surprised by the bow doors of the ship; other ships had to sit at a dock to unload while the LST could sail right on shore, open its doors, lower a ramp, and personnel could drive equipment on and off (00:27:07:00) Lenger’s LST did not carry any military supplies or equipment when it left San Diego; they picked up a lot of that in Hawaii (00:27:56:00) o One thing they picked up was an LCT, a hundred and thirty-eight foot craft used to ferry smaller supplies from the cargo ships to shore (00:28:01:00) The journey across the Pacific was long; it took about three weeks before the men saw land anywhere (00:28:33:00) o They had good weather and at noon everyday, the men took an azimuth of the sun from just outside the wheelhouse; after getting the exact time and taking three readings, the men went into a chartroom behind the wheelhouse and charted the location of the ship (00:28:39:00)  At night, just before sun-down and when the first star became visible, the men took a reading with a sextant of the North Star and two other stars and by using those measurements, they could also find out where they were (00:29:13:00)  On cloudy days, the men could not do this, so they read the logs which told them how fast the ship was going and in what direction, so the men could plot where the ship was and often, they came close (00:29:44:00) o At this point, Lenger’s LST was sailing in a convoy with eight or ten other LSTs and two destroyer escorts (00:30:14:00) �    The convoy did not encounter any Japanese submarines because it was a little hard for the Japanese to attack them with a torpedo because the ship did not have a large draft (00:30:38:00)  The men worried about kamikazes more than anything else (00:31:01:00) From Hawaii, the convoy crossed the Equator and went to Tulagi, then to the Russell Islands, and finally to Guadalcanal (00:31:11:00) o Along the way, the convoy was picking up different Marine units and their supplies (00:31:25:00) o When the ship crossed the Equator, the men woke up that morning and they only got three beans on a plate to eat; when they got to the end of the line, someone asked each man quietly if they would like an egg and if they said yes, then an egg was smashed over their head (00:31:47:00)  Another man had to carry a heavy chain around his neck all day and another had to take a bedpan to all the men who needed to go to the bathroom because using the “head” was forbidden (00:32:11:00)  Eventually, each man had to climb a ladder at the back of the ship and then crawl under fifty feet of canvas; when they tried to climb the ladder, others used a salt water hose against the men, trying to knock them off and when they went under the canvas, the men were hit with two by fours before being hit with more water (00:32:33:00)  Finally, the men went before “King Neptune”, were they had to get down on their hands and knees and were shocked with electricity before being told to kiss the deck (00:33:16:00)  Lenger’s initiation on the LST was a little rougher than on some other ships, such as an aircraft carrier, because those ships were not subject to being on land (00:34:24:00)  At night, the LST faced the possibility of being taken over by a Japanese attack; the LST did not have the firepower to fight back against an attack (00:34:36:00)  Part of the initiation was to prepare the men for what would happen if they were captured so they would not talk (00:34:58:00) Lenger did not go ashore for long periods, but he did go ashore (00:35:31:00) o One time, when they were not on duty, Lenger and another man went on the beach and climbed in the hills; when they did so, the two men found a Japanese machine gun with live ammunition (00:35:41:00)  Lenger wanted to take it but they were was not allowed to, so the men left it alone (00:36:00:00) o When they stopped in the Russell Islands, Lenger also worked as a store keeper and on their way back from getting supplies, the men spotted a river, so they took a small boat from the LST and went up the river (00:36:24:00)  On their way up the river, the men saw a village and they talked with the villagers as much as they could; Lenger ended up getting a hand-carved walking stick from the people living in the village (00:36:57:00) After the LSTs was fully loaded, the convoy went to Ulithi to join with the rest of the fleet and from Ulithi, the fleet attacked Okinawa (00:37:54:00) �o By now, there were about one thousand ships sailing together towards Okinawa; the aircraft carriers were about five miles behind the main force, the battleships were in the next row, then the destroyers and LSTs designed to fire rockets, and finally the LSTs carrying soldiers (00:38:21:00) o The troop-carrying LSTs actually attacked the beach directly while all the other ships provided the fire power (00:38:42:00) Battle of Okinawa (00:38:51:00)  At three or four o’clock on the morning of the invasion, the carriers sent in their aircraft to start bombing the beaches (00:38:51:00)  Lenger’s general quarters station on the ship was manning a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun (00:39:21:00) o There were twelve 20 mm anti-aircraft guns on the ship, five 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, and one twenty-forty mm anti-aircraft gun; it took nearly forty percent of the ship’s crew to man the anti-aircraft guns (00:39:28:00)  The crewmen manning the 40 mm had to wear helmets and earphones and they had to wait until they heard the command to fire; they never fired unless told to do so (00:39:50:00)  When enemy planes were a couple of miles away, then the 40 mm guns received orders to fire and if they came within a mile, then the 20 mm guns received permission to fire (00:40:07:00)  Although the men had training, things were a lot different when they got into action (00:40:26:00)  There was a viewfinder on the top of each gun and in training, the men followed a plane pulling a flag; as they followed the plane, the gun moved too so that they could hit their target (00:40:34:00)  After the first day, looking through the viewfinder was like looking through a telescope; instead, Lenger followed the path of the tracer shells in his gun (00:40:54:00)  After the carrier aircraft attacked the beach, the battleships fired on the beach with their sixteen-inch guns (00:41:44:00) o The concussion from the guns was so amazing that it felt like their clothes would be shaken right off of the men (00:41:54:00) o Some of the battleships were only a thousand yards away from the LST when they fired their guns (00:42:17:00)  Once the battleships finished bombarding the beach, the LSTs went in (00:40:12:00) o Lenger’s LST had to go to the beach to get rid of all the Marines and their equipment; there were five hundred Marines on the ship plus two hundred and fifty Seabees (00:42:45:00) o On either side of the ship were metal pontoons and in order to get the LCT off the top of the ship, they had to get ride of the pontoons; when they had unloaded the pontoons, the Seabees used them to construct bridges out to other ships so that trucks could be used to unload them (00:42:59:00) o The Marines went right off the front of the boat and were armed with trucks and tanks (00:43:39:00) �  o On about the third day, the pontoons were gone, so the men listed the ship eleven degrees to starboard and once it was at that angle, someone cut the lines securing the LCT to the deck and it slipped into the water (00:43:57:00)  They used to LCT to ferry soldiers from the troop ships to the beach (00:44:27:00) When they first landed, the LST did not see much Japanese gun fire (00:44:42:00) o On the first day, the battleships rounds were impacting the beach and four or five times, the shore battery would fire back; the LST simple sat underneath as the barrages flew overhead and eventually, the Marines took the guns (00:44:44:00) However, on the first day, three planes attacked the LST and everyday, there would be kamikazes attacking; Lenger had a ring-side seat on the 20 mm because sometimes the planes were too far away and the men would watch dogfights between the Americans and Japanese (00:45:16:00) o The Japanese Zero was lighter than the American Corsair and on the first couple of days, a Zero would dive with a Corsair behind it and when the Zero pulled up, the Corsair could not, so it inevitably crashed into the water (00:45:55:00)  After a couple of days, the American pilots figured out the tactic and to not follow the Zero all the way (00:46:23:00) o Many of the Japanese planes that the men saw were kamikazes and Lenger did see ships hit by kamikaze attacks (00:46:40:00) o Apart from some bullet holes, Lenger’s LST was never hit but they did have some close calls (00:47:08:00)  One time, Lenger received the order to commence firing and when he pulled the trigger, a shell jammed in the breach; when he called back, a seaman told him to take the barrel off and throw it over the side of ship before the shell blew up (00:47:24:00)  They eventually brought Lenger a new barrel for the gun so he could continue firing (00:48:12:00)  Once they had fired two magazines through the gun, the men had to change the barrel because if it overheated, the barrel’s rifling would degrade and the shell would not fly correctly (00:48:14:00)  During one kamikaze attack, the plane was coming at the LST and the 40 mm received the orders to commence firing; because the LST was all alone, the kamikaze focused on them (00:48:49:00)  When Lenger received the order, he emptied one canister then another into the kamikaze and when he was getting ready to crash into the ship, the plane pulled up and missed the ship by about twenty feet (00:49:11:00)  The plane eventually crashed between the LST and a light cruiser and blew up (00:50:16:00) o There were kamikaze attacks every day to the point that the most sleep the men got on any day during the first thirty days was three hours (00:50:30:00)  It reached the point that Lenger and his assistant stayed at their gun and took turns manning the gun and sleeping (00:50:40:00)  The kamikazes also attacked at night (00:50:49:00) �        Sometimes when the kamikazes attacked at night, the men could not see them, so the ships made a blanket of smoke so the kamikazes could not see the ships (00:50:52:00) Once they had landed the Marines, the LST went back and picked up eight hundred Army soldiers and their equipment and landed them in a different location; they were moving troops around based on where they were needed (00:51:31:00) After thirty days, the LST pulled out of Okinawa because the men were exhausted and returned to Ulithi (00:52:03:00) o The men had five or six days in Ulithi while others checked the ship over because they had run aground on some coral reefs; the ship lost some oil and the two propellers were roughed up (00:52:22:00) o They said there was too much damage to fix at Ulithi, so they had to sail the ship to the Philippines, namely Subic Bay on Luzon, where they got the ship fixed up and painted to make it look like a proper ship again (00:52:59:00) From the Philippines, the LST took pilots and supplies from the P-38 aircraft to the island of Ie Shima, a small island near Okinawa where the P-38s could provide escort to bombers attacking Tokyo and other Japanese cities (00:53:25:00) o The men arrived on the island about two weeks after well-known war correspondent Ernie Pyle died and the men took pictures of the monument others had erected in Pyle’s memory (00:54:35:00) The attacks did not slow down as the fighting for Okinawa waned; the Japanese just kept coming and coming (00:55:19:00) o The Japanese had so many planes that after the war, the men found out they had six thousand kamikazes waiting for when the fleet attacked Japan (00:55:23:00)  Lenger knew that attack was coming because he eventually went back to working with the charts (00:55:38:00) After Okinawa, the LST went back to the Philippines (00:55:57:00) The war ended while the LST was at Okinawa (00:56:06:00) o The men heard guns firing at night and assumed the Japanese were attacking again, so they rushed to their guns and the first thing Lenger heard when he put on his headphones was the war was over (00:56:12:00) o Lenger then told his assistant the war was over and he did not believe Lenger (00:56:24:00) Eventually, LST went back to the Philippines to pick up supplies and then took the supplies to Japan (00:56:38:00) o When the Japanese signed the official surrender agreement, the LST was sailing from Manila to Japan; the men did not see the actual ceremony (00:56:51:00) o The LST first landed in Yokohama, where they unload supplies for the Army and afterwards, the men received a day liberty (00:57:04:00) o After unload, the LST left Yokohama to pick up another load of supplies from the Philippines; however, Lenger had accumulated enough points and he was able to stay behind on the Philippines when the ship returned to Japan (00:57:18:00) o When the men had their liberty leave from the ship, they found the Japanese to be very curious; however, the men could not talk with the Japanese, so they just looked around (00:57:43:00) �   They looked around and took some pictures but at that point, the men did not even care if they got pictures (00:57:57:00) When the LST was in New Orleans, Lenger asked the captain if it would be okay for him to take a camera aboard; the captain said it was, so long as when Lenger developed the film, the captain got to see them (00:58:17:00) o Lenger not only took his regular camera, but also an 8 mm movie camera; however, he only had a few rolls of film, so he had to be careful what he took pictures of (00:58:38:00)  When Lenger would ship items home, he stuck rolls of the film into the box after it had been checked so his wife could see what was going on (00:59:01:00) o Whenever Lenger was at general quarters, he did not dare take the camera with him; he was on the gun and that was it (00:59:49:00) o When he was also on duty in the wheelhouse, Lenger was not able to film anything and at Okinawa, he did not have time to take pictures and he did not dare take any (01:00:01:00) o He does have film of regular life aboard the LST, as well as the ceremony for crossing the Equator and the launching of the LCT (01:00:47:00) When Lenger was ready to get out of the Navy, there were so many men in the same position as him on an island that the Navy did not have enough food to feed them all (01:01:34:00) o They eventually put him on a transport that took him to San Francisco, where he stayed for four or five days before getting on a train to Chicago, where he was discharged at Great Lakes (01:01:59:00) o His wife came down to Great Lakes to pick him up once he was discharged (01:02:23:00) Post-Military Life (01:03:00:00)  When he got home, Lenger tried to go back into business but things were rough because rationing of supplies was still in place (01:03:00:00) o Lenger called all the former people he worked with but none could give Lenger what he needed, so he had to go find other suppliers (01:03:14:00) o When he tried to purchase beef, the man said Lenger needed ration stamps, which Lenger had given to the man who purchased his store when he went into the service and he would have to pay under the table (01:03:46:00) o He did this for awhile but he was not making any money, so Lenger gave the business up (01:04:22:00) o Instead, he went and worked for his brother’s business at $1.75 an hour; eventually, Lenger got a job in sales at [Chester Locks] (01:04:39:00)  He went all over Michigan for the job, but because people were on strike, his checks were not delivered, so Lenger quit (01:05:02:00)  Finally, Lenger ended up working for a business called Gardner-Denver, which made pneumatic tools (01:05:14:00) o Lenger originally did not know what most of tools did that he was selling, but he received training and used “his dumbness” to help him sell more (01:05:29:00) �  The first time he went out, he went to a tool- and dye- shop, said he was selling the product but he did not know how they worked and asked if the workers in the shop could show him (01:05:38:00)  A man showed Lenger how it worked and Lenger said he would leave the machine overnight and come back the next morning; when he came back, the man said he needed a dozen of the machines (01:05:54:00) o Lenger stayed with the company for awhile but he ended up selling too many tools (01:06:25:00)  One time, Lenger’s sales manager pointed out that Lenger was trying to get an order from a competitor; Lenger asked if he could continue because he believed that he could get an order out of them (01:06:45:00)  About a month later, Lenger got a large order from the competing company because their equipment did not do as much work as Lenger’s equipment did (01:07:12:00) o It got to the point that they were sending Lenger all over the country because other salesmen had sold products but the products kept breaking, so Lenger had to go an fix them (01:07:40:00)  The company wanted Lenger to move to Quincy, Illinois but he had one child in high school, one in grade school, and two in college, so there was no way he was going to move; he told them to ask him in a few years but not at that moment (01:08:22:00)  The company ended up taking away small parts of Lenger’s territory in an effort to get him to move, so he gave them six months notice and went into manufacturing the tools himself, but only for a few years (01:08:45:00) Lenger’s manufacturing company originally made dye-grinders for fifty dollars and sold them for around one hundred dollars; however, one day they saw there was a thirty-nine dollar grinder for sale (01:09:13:00) o Lenger and his wife went to Japan and talked with five companies and said he wanted to just buy the rotor and cylinder, but a sales man said that would cost him more than the tool itself (01:09:35:00) o When Lenger asked what he meant, the man explained the Japanese government subsidized the whole tool, not parts; when Lenger asked the price of the parts, he found he could make them cheaper, so he figured he could sell them to the Japanese companies (01:10:01:00)  However, the man said that would not work either because when Lenger would ship the parts, they charged a one hundred percent import duty, which raised the price, whereas shipping to America only involved a four percent duty (01:10:20:00) o When Lenger got back home, he told his wife that they were going to sell the company because they could not compete with the cheaper products (01:10:45:00) o Lenger then went back to Gardner-Denver and because he knew the president of the company; neither man drank, so when the company had parties, they sat together (01:10:53:00)  The president was not there that day, so Lenger told a man in the company to start selling their tools at thirty-nine dollars and they could compete with the Japanese tools; the man disregarded the information, saying the �  company had been around too long to worry about the Japanese and four years later, the company was out of business (01:11:15:00) When he sold the manufacturing business, Lenger did not quite know what to do, but he loved traveling, so he told his wife he was going to open at travel agency (01:11:56:00) o They had gone to a travel agency a couple of times and had received bad information; one time, Lenger and his wife went to Portugal and when Lenger asked what kind of clothes he should take, the travel agent said it was February, so they probably had snow (01:12:06:00)  So, Lenger took heavy clothes and the temperature turned out to be in the eighties (01:12:24:00)  Another time, Lenger and his wife went to the Canary Island and Lenger told the travel agent he wanted to go to Africa and the agent told him to make the reservations once Lenger was on the island; when he tried to, the people of the islands told Lenger the flight was full and reservations were needed a month in advance (01:12:29:00) o Lenger started the travel agency with his wife and they grew to be one of the largest agencies in Grand Rapids before Lenger sold the business (01:13:03:00) o Mission: India eventually wanted Lenger to work for them because for twentyfive years Lenger and his wife went to India every year to take pictures do fund raising and programs (01:13:19:00) Lenger learned a lot of respect in the Navy; no matter where he worked or what he did, there was always someone over him (01:13:46:00) o If Lenger was in charge of it, everyone graduating from high school would serve for two years, if only to receive the regimentation and help get their feet on the ground (01:14:15:00) o Lenger and his comrades were very fortunate; they had canvas to sleep on and good food to eat (01:14:46:00)  Lenger loved the twelve to four watch at night because after the cooks finished their work, they came up to the wheelhouse and brought a cup of coffee and sometimes a fresh pie (01:14:56:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LengerS1040Supp Title A name given to the resource Lenger, Sidney (Interview outline and supplemental video, 2 of 2), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lenger, Sidney Description An account of the resource Sid Lenger was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1918. After graduation from high school, Lenger went into business with his father, who ran several stores in the Grand Rapids. After several years, Lenger received his draft notice and following training in Chicago and Virginia, Lenger sailed on an LST down the Mississippi River, through the Gulf and Mexico and the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean. Lenger's LST transported Marines as part of the massive invasion of Okinawa. Following the battle, the LST transported the supplies needed for P-38 fighter escorts and supplies to Japan before Lenger left the service. Included with the interview is a video Lenger made himself, combining official Navy training films and video he filmed himself while aboard the LST. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-01-04 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ecf5ff79841a88ea5144732018420f4.pdf 735a5ca783d2251ee526147e96edd5db PDF Text Text -· • •• . , . ■ .. •• < ........ . ....... . ·. .. .. ,,- .... ,- "'" ~ • .-! ■ ..... : I ..... '• .. . I I .. ...•- ~· ~ ._ I ~ •' ._ ', - I ,_-. I, ... - ~; Ii~• . .._ •• ■ - • .. r. a'LS1!lll.~ANil' IN yRS,..1-l . . - P~\~~~\_ . , . - - _-' . ·.'.. _•.!. - 1 •••• =- :·;•.:• : (- ·. ·. -~-e.w·-: _-: IJ -·· _. - __ • ■ a. I -.. - '• " �LEO JAKOBSON AIP SAFA CONSULTANT IN URBAN PLANNING , MANAGEMENT 1815 SUMMIT AVENUE MADISON, WI 53705 (608) 233-7444 December 1977 Laketon Township Muskegon County Michigan DRAFT - FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY GROWTH MANAGEMENT: A MASTER PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface i Introduction 1 The Development Process 9 AND DESIGN �I. II. The Planning Context The National Perspective 16 The Regional Perspective 26 The Local Perspective 53 Resident Attitudes Purpose and Design 75 Respondent Characteristics 81 The Groundwater, Drainage and Sewerage Problems 90 Attitudes Towards Community Services 95 Recreation: Participation and Attitudes 98 Attitudes Toward Growth III. IV. V. 101 The Elements of the Plan The Conceptual Framework 107 The Environmental Zones 111 Residential Development 121 Commercial Development 126 Industrial Development 132 The Traffic Plan 134 Utilities Development 140 The Plan Evaluation Survey Purpose and Design 147 Survey Results 150 The Master Plan Purpose, Contents and Effects 163 Steps in Implementation 167 A Proposed Master Plan Ordinance 169 MAPS 1. Settlement Structure, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 31 2. Administrative Jurisdictions, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 41 �3. Rates of Growth 1960-1970, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 46 4. Intensity of Development, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 47 5. Age Structure, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 48 6. Educational Attainment, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 49 7. Occupations, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 50 8. Household Income, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 51 9. Groundwater Condition 56 10. Man-Made Conditions, Land Use and Traffic 65 11. School Districts, Muskegon Urbanizing Area 67 12. Residence Area, Precinct and Census Tract Boundaries 82 13. Job Locations of Laketon Residents, in Percent of All Employed 87 14. Locations for Development, Laketon Attitude Survey 105 15. The Shorelands Policy Zones 113 16. The Environmental Zones and Proposed Open Space System 117 17. Proposed Residential Districts 123 18. Proposed Commercial Districts 128 19. Proposed Major Road System 136 20. Proposed Sewer and Water Service Zones 143 21. Master Plan for Growth Management 164 FIGURES 1. Development Process Model 10 2. The Multi-Level Development Process 15 3. The West Michigan Shoreline Urbanizing Triangle 29 4. The Lower Great Lakes Megalopolis 29 5. Annual Rainfall and High Water Level Mark, Lake Michigan 1921-1976 58 6. Monthly Variations in Lake Michigan Levels 1974-1977 59 7. Muskegon, Prevailing Winds 60 8. Muskegon, Average Monthly Temperature 60 9. Muskegon, Average Monthly Wind Velocity 61 10. Muskegon, Average Monthly Humidity 61 11. Muskegon, Average Monthly Cloudcover 61 12. Muskegon, Average Monthly Rain and Snow Fall 62 �13. Muskegon County, Suspended Particulate Survey 1967-1976 63 14. Muskegon County, Air Pollution Index 1970-1976 63 15. Socio-economic Change Rates 1960-1970 71 16. The Plan Design Framework 110 TABLES 1. Percent Employees on Non-agricultural Payrolls by Industry Division 1960-1974 39 Unemployment as a Percentage of the Total Labor Force 1960-1977 39 3. Per Capita Income in Current Dollars 1950-1975 40 4. Per Capita Business Indicators 40 5. Area, Population, Development Intensity and Rates of Growth 1950-1970 42 Age of Population, by Groupings, Percent of Total Population 42 Educational Attainment, Percent of Persons 25 Years Old and Older 43 8. Major Occupations, Percent of Persons Employed 43 9. Family Income, by Percent of Total Families 44 10. Suburban Growth Rates, Muskegon County 69 11. Growth of Laketon Township 69 12. Laketon Attitude Survey: Response Rate 80 13. Respondent Voter and Population Distribution by Subareas 82 14. Length of Residence in Laketon Township 83 15. Location of Prior Residence 83 16. Lot Size by Area of Residence 84 17. Respondent Occupation 86 18. Trends in Socio-economic Characteristics 19. Extent of High Groundwater Problem 91 20. Respondent Attitudes Toward Existing Drainage Facilities 92 21. Respondent Attitudes Toward Existing Sewerage Facilities 93 22. Respondent Attitudes Toward Responsibility for Solving High Groundwater Problems 94 Respondent Attitudes Toward Community Services and Facilities 97 2. 6. 7. 23. 1963-1973 1970-1976 1960-1976 88 �24. Participation in Recreational Activities 25. Motor/Recreational Vehicle Ownership 100 26. Respondent Attitudes Toward Various Development Types, by Area 103 27. Attitudes Toward the Future of the Muskegon Area 106 28. Laketon's Holding Capacity at Full Development 125 99 �PREFACE This report in Laketon's Planning Services Program presents the consultant's recommendations in regard to growth management. It is based on the findings of a community reconnaissance conducted from June 1976 to September 1976 followed by a resident attitude survey. The survey findings have been augmented by analysis of regional social and economic trends. In addition, the consultant's prior work in-the Greater Muskegon �ii area has provided considerable data and an information base for this current work for Laketon Township. The conceptualization for the plan was made by Professor Leo Jakobson and the design was carried out under his supervision. Lee Madden, Landscape Architect and Environmental Planner, prepared the soil and water table hazard interpretation underlying the environmental zone classifications . He also prepared all graphic presentations. Michael Hoffman, James Tomelin, Joni Brooks, Pamela Wiley and Amy Gillenson researched various elements of the plan and participated in the preparation of the various interim reports and discussion papers presented during the plan preparation period. Martha Lillie typed the final copy of this report. • Special acknowledgement must be given for the help and encouragement the consultant and his staff have continuously received from Donald Johnson, Township Supervisor, Kyran J. Kane, Township Clerk and Nonnan H. Erickson, Chairman of the Planning Commission. Without their interest and involvement, this effort would have been wanting. The participation and counsel of the other members of the Township Board and the Planning Commissionhavealso been most valuable. So has been the advice of the Township's attorney William Spaniola. Needless to say, this plan would not have materialized without the interest and cooperation of the local citizens. Their willingness to respond to the attitude survey as indicated by the high return rate (over 40 percent) suggests that residents not only are concerned with their living - environment and its management but also are willing to actively partici- �iii pate in the conduct of Township affairs. It is hoped that adoption of this plan will encourage and facilitate citizen participation in Township governance. �INTRODUCTION Nearly half of all Americans live today in suburban communities like Laketon. This distribution developed dramatically during the post- World War II boom growth era when from 1950 to 1974 the suburbs accommodated 70 percent of our total population increase. In the same period central cities grew only 14 percent and the rural areas 16 percent. Despite this enormous growth, suburban planning until -very recently �2 did not receive much attention from the planning profession, in part because the suburban communities themselves did not perceive the need for such service. The history of American planning can be characterized as - successive waves of "crisis planning": a search for remedies after conditions have reached a critical state which not only is easily perceived but also is being felt in the pocketbooks and in the comforts of large numbers of people. This history is marked, for example, by the "slum clearance crisis" of the late 1940's, the "downtown crisis" of the early 1950's, the "freeway crisis" of the late 1950's, the "regional planning crisis" of the early 1960's, the "crime crisis" of the late 1960's, the "environmental crisis" of the early 1970's and now the "energy" and "suburban" crises. This latter is evident by among other things the surge of new books dealing with suburbanization, by the Federal interest in a national land use and urban growth policy, and by the simple fact that suburban communities in large numbers are embarking on planning efforts of their own. The perceived state of an emergency legitimizes planning: becomes the expected panacea for all problems. it suddenly Unfortunately, serious limitations tend to render crisis planning difficult if not unworkable. For example, the phenomenon causing the crisis perception (here, suburbanization) is new and, therefore, not well understood. Consequently, there is no tested theoretical base from which to plan. On the other hand, the social, economic, institutional and physical manifestations of the phenomenon have already taken place; they are ~eal and cannot be �3 easily changed or reversed. Under such conditions, planning, in order to be effective, must be inventive and opportunity-seeking, and must address itself to specific local issues and resources. However, because of the aforementioned lack of theory and the relative newness of the practice of suburban planning, developing an appropriate planning scheme for a community like Laketon must first critically examine the historical dynamics and trends of suburbanization. In this way we can see why, and from where, suburbs evolved, in order to determine what direction planning for their futures should take. The- advent of the twentieth century suburbanization was a result of several factors which cause people to want to escape the city, while being lured to the hinterlands. In the early part of the century, the pressure of growth at the cities' centers forced these areas to outwardly expand. These central business districts absorbed adjacent neighborhoods, which tended to be wealthy areas. Their residents, forced to relocate, were lured to the less developed areas on the city's fringe, which provided an escape from the congestion and "evils" of the city. phase _o f the process was slow: This earliest the wealthy were the only ones who could afford the transportation costs associated with suburban living; consequently, the fringe served as their exclusive domain. Technological advances such as the commuter railroad and the automobile accelerated this outward migration. This marked the emergence of the "modern" suburb--a residential subcommunity dependent upon the economic and cultural functions of the urban center. During the ZO's--until the Depression interrupted the trend to disperse--the au~omobile became a �4 major decentralizing force. The World War II period evidenced a reassertion and acceleration of the trends toward suburbanization and decentralization. As the demands of wartime industry filled the inner city with lower income workers and minority groups, the desire to escape from the city was reawakened, especially among the Nation's growing middle class. When the war ended, a construction boom and massive "flight" to the suburbs were stimulated by the lifting of restrictions on residential construction, Federal guaranteed mortgage programs, and the advent of freeways, in particular _ the Federal Interstate Highway network. This was -essenti-al-ly a middle class migration reflecting a longing for a home in a garden. spot in a homogeneous community, away from the city's evils but not too far from its economic and cultural amenities. The result--the so-called "bed- room" suburb of the 50 ' s which existed as a satellite of the central city--has in part already become outdated. Suburbia is rapidly becoming urbanized. Its character is changing and diversifying as a result of economic decentralization along freeway corridors and circumferential beltways. This spatial pattern, highly depen- dent upon the use of the automobile because it is not easily serviced by public transit, results in a significant drain on energy resources. The widespread relocation of manufacturing, office and corporate functions and the commercial trade and service industries to the urban fringe has altered commuting patterns (by dispersing endpoints) as well as the exclusively residential and consumptive nature of the suburbs. What has evolved it a formless sprawl of urbanized suburbia, no longer . dependent upon �5 central cities. A concomitant result has been the lack of any unifying governmental system. This has had several important implications . Traditionally it led people to believe that planning for suburbia was an impossible task. As a result, there has been little success in developing com- prehensive and long-range plans for the future development of suburbs. What little "planning" there has been has tended to be non-creative and accepting of the natural forces leading to sprawl. A laissez- faire approach on the part of local government was the tradition. What little control there was was justified_-on- the basis of -preventing -9r removing public nuisance, and the zoning ordinance was believed to be a sufficient tool to do so. This reliance on zoning ordinances tended to provide the basis for "planning" in most localities. For example, this was true in Laketon. Traditionally, emphasis in the suburbs was on family and personal space interests rather than the public need or the development of community services. In addition, physical development usually precluded environ- mental considerations. Planning and development decisions tended to focus exclusively upon local concerns, with little regard for geographically broader impact. A second implication is that ideas about how to cope with the problem of overlapping jurisdictions tend to be contradictory on several levels. One of these has to do with the push to centralize planning and governmental functions. This has been accomplished, for example, by creating special districts to solve problems on a functional basis, and by attemp- �6 ting to consolidate planning functions into Regional Planning Commissions. However, there is an inherent contradiction in this approach; by creating new units to deal with special functional or regional problems, jurisdictional fragmentation is increased. The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission is a local example of this . Why then is there still a perceived need for local planning? Why did the Muskegon Board of County Commissioners just recently vote for a county land use plan? Or Laketon Township engage the services of a planning consultant? This leads to another contradiction to be noted. Parallelling the push for centralization and areawide planning -have been pressures for local determinism and citizen participation in the planning process. Obviously the opportunity to participate is greater in smaller governmental units; thus this concept emphasizes local planning. By allowing each village and town to plan for itself, however, fragmentation is maintained. A new approach which accommodates both concepts must be developed. Intervention in the development process through planning can be successful on the local level. However, two considerations must be emphasized. Localities must accept that they do not exist in isolation, and therefore should recognize their interrelationships with the region of which they are a part. The gap between local participation and centralization can be bridged by a framework which allows for multi-level governmental participation in planning and development. the next chapter, "The Development Process" . Such a model is outlined in �7 The process which is outlined recognizes the dynamic nature of development . However, if it is not guided, development is unlikely to occur in such a way as to match the goals, functions and needs of the community. Thus government must determine a developmental strategy which reflects the needs of its jurisdiction. The strategy which is recom- mended is that of viewing development as an opportunity to move towards the fulfillment of the role of the community. The function of planning is to discover opportunities by examining the forces behind change in the community, thereby facilitating creative intervention in the development process. For every such opportunity there is an appropriate govern- mental response based .upon the perceived role of the community. Not every governmental unit is ~apable of making the appropriate response to every developmental opportunity. Thus interaction between units and levels of government becomes a necessary part of the planning/development process. The context within which this process occurs is examined in Part I of this report. First, general regional and national trends have been examined which might affect the development of Laketon. Next, a develop- ment framework more specific to Muskegon County is outlined. It summarizes the economic and population characteristics of the County and identifies Laketon's position in the metropolitan growth patterns. Finally, the specific internal conditions of the Township are assessed from the physical environment to the most recent trends in home construction. Part II presents the results of a community attitude survey conducted in December of 1976. The results of this survey were _used in the formu- �8 lation and analysis of alternative development concepts for the Township. The strong support for rational environmental management principles in the guidance of Township growth coalesces with the conclusions of the reconnaissance described in Part I, providing a solid factual and attitudinal basis for the various growth management measures proposed in Part III of the report. These proposals were summarized in a concept sketch for Growth Management. * The concepts underlying the plan were discussed at various meetings with the Township Board and Planning Commission. tation of the plan was made on April 21, 1977. A full presen- This meeting was attended by a number of leading citizens representing various community interests. During these meetings many suggestions were made and many of them were reflected in the report. The reconnnendations of the concept sketch were tested in a plan evaluation survey in July, 1977. survey are described in Part IV. The results of this All proposed growth management measures and the concepts and principles for the formulation of a master plan were strongly supported and endorsed by survey respondents. The final sections of this report in Part V present and describe the recommended Master Plan for Growth Management and list the steps the Township should take to assure that the plan will become an effective tool in the management of Township affairs. * Leo Jakobson, Growth Management: A Concept Sketch, Report No. 3, Laketon Township Planning Program, June, 1977. �9 THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Development is a dynamic societal process. Occurring in a variety of ways, development affects the quality of life in a given area. An understanding of the nature of this process is essential to pur- poseful planning. To begin to form this understanding a framework must be constructed to provide concise reference points for the main aspects of development and planning. In the case of Laketon, �10 three concepts have been identified as central to this process: (a) the role of Laketon as perceived by its residents and as modified by the realities of the Muskegon region of which it is part; (b) the functions of Laketon required by its role image; and (c) the governance of Laketon, existing and potential. These concepts establish the relationship between the quality and character of an area and the nature of its development. Most important, they identify the means by which government can guide development to desired ends . This framework can best be illustrated by reference to the figure below which describes the development process. Here development is perceived as a self-adjusting mechanism which can reach a desired state by appropriate governance. This will be clarified in the following discussion of the concepts of the model. DEVELOPMENT ROLE FUNCTIONS I I ~f '\ t- - - - - - - - - - ~VERNANC:.) Figure 1 Development Process Model I.I �11 A. COMMUNITY ROLE The process of planning for development takes into account all aspects of the human and physical environment. The goals, attitudes, and images of the community are especially important in the first steps of the planning process. It is from these elements that the role of the community is derived. The term "role" thus represents the summary expression of the goals, attitudes, and images which comprise the unique identity of a given comrnunity. The idea of a "role" provides, in effect, the rationale for public guidance through planning, and at the same time furnishes a standard for evaluating the · effectiveness of such intervention. B. COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS Given the above discussion of the role of the community, further clarification of the developmental process comes with an understanding of community functions. "Functions" are the activities offered by , or performed in a community - for example, businesses, industries, schools, and the provisions for housing. These functions are continu- ously measured against the accepted, assumed, and/or projected role of the community. Therefore, the development of functions guided by planning and governance provides the means by which the desired community role is realized. The functions of a community require supporting services, e.g., roads, water and sewer systems, etc. It is the guidance, provision, and regulation of such activities and services which are often the main tasks of government. The governmental unit is central in determining �12 those services the community is capable of providing in order to facilitate the progression from mere 'functioning' to role attainment through development. In view of the importance of these tasks, the concept of governance must be expanded. C. GOVERNANCE The notion of governance as a guidance mechanism in development has two facets requiring explanation: strategy and administration. By 'development strategy' it is suggested that government activities embody some dominant theory as to how the community should be planned. As suggested in the introduction, the logical strategy -in the case -of Laketon is to view its suburban role as an amenity generating opportunities for development towards a desired end. Planning attempts to discover opportunities, acts as a catalyst in their realization, and through guidance keeps the course of development directed towards community role. Opportunity-based planning requires government to state its developmental strategy in concise, explicit terms. This process also entails viewing the community and its region as a complex system in which each part affects the dynamics and substance of all others. The need for approaching planning in this broad con- text is of particular importance when the regional economy, which is the traditional focus of planning, has been stagnant for as long as has been the case in Muskegon. The particular role of planning is to be explicit in defining the component systems, their interrelationships, and the consequences of these relationships. Doing so increases the degree of knowledge about the overall system, the>eby increasing �13 the potential to generate and implement opportunities. In principle, then, the greater the knowledge of the system and its processes, the greater the likelihood that decisions will be made whose consequences are both intentioned and welcomed. Focusing upon the forces which initiate change in a system provides the most important information for opportunity-based planning. The full potential of any opportunity will not be realized unless intervention occurs at the proper time. Sensitivity to what the "proper" time is develops through observing the dynamics of the system and of the component sub-systems over time. Pulling a range of apparently independent decisions into this single framework allows for the coordination of political, social, economic, and environmental decisions. Consequences can be anticipated, and decisions made simultaneously for all sub-systems. Despite the apparent validity of the opportunity approach to planning, it alone is not sufficient to insure proper development. It is necessary to couple this strategy with appropriate and effective administrative mechanisms. A governmental unit utilizes opportunities only by being in a position, with reference to its powers and capabilities, to respond effectively to each situation which presents itself. For every developmental opportunity there is an appropriate governmental response. Such opportunities represent means by which community functions may be fulfilled. The appropriate response is determined by the sphere of governance for each governmental unit. The important factor in this determination is scale, the reason being �14 that there are differences in the required base for the provision of various services. For example, some services can best be provided at the neighborhood level and others at the regional or state level. This is of particular importance to Laketon. Because of the limited legislated powers of township government, governance at present is largely a matter of external administration, primarily from the county level. The different governmental units which must be considered are the State, the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Connnission, Muskegon County, Laketon -Township and the surrounding local governments. 1 Each unit has its spheres of governance, with administrative trade-offs occurring among them. The spheres of governance for each of these units, in the context of development planning, will be studied and outlined in the plan management and implementation parts of the consultant's programs. At this juncture it is important that this two part concept of governance is understood to be an integral component of development planning. As shown in Figure 2 on the next page, we can now expand the development process diagram to an abstraction depicting how it applies to Laketon's current planning effort. Obviously this diagram could be expanded to include the State of Michigan, the Upper Great Lakes Region, the United States, and even the world. 1 To Though WMSRDC is not a 'governmental unit' as such, some of its review functions, e.g., A-95 review, make it a participant in area-wide governance. �15 THE REGION (Muskegon County) LOCATION ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY COMMUNITY (Laketon Township) THE -+---------GOVERNANCE Figure 2 The Multi-Level Development Process illustrate this enormous world-wide interdependence and how it can affect the everyday lives of people living in a 'remote' neighborhood, one can mention that in the recent steel mill controversy one of the strongest arguments for a lakefront location was the opportunity for direct shipment to overseas markets of the mill's product. Another example is the decision of a British firm, Fisons, to locate its new American plants in Muskegon because of the unique capabilities of its wastewater management system to accommodate chemical industry. �~-- .a.; ...... .•.._· -.. ·- -···....··~- ...-.: . .- .. * "' -, - 1 .-.. ■iii ._ ■ • I • 'I '' -. ·-. - ,i· .: I . -.........,-I: • I .. • ,..,. :,. .. , -. tr · t 1 :• J."I •.1 • - .• • -.-1111~••L · - ■ - . -. .. . "i'. - .. •'.. '2'"" -11-•"'- -·~ - ~~;-..-..... ·- - i!.. •• - •..- c' - . _, •· -~ --- ;·-1 ~. _; l -.l _- -lt'li,::'~.:S.~..,." _'p. . ,I' ■:_;,.___ - •• - ■ - ~ l/-~ •,1 -• p I •'I • I ! fl_,,/, •• I I • ~ . �16 THE NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE As pointed out in the preceding chapter, a community does not exist in isolation. Laketon is no exception to this rule. Most importantly, as a suburban community, its dependence on the region of which it is a part is even stronger than that of more peripheral rural townships which may possess a degree of economic self-sufficiency thanks to agriculture or that of the central cities which tend to dominate the �17 urban economic scene. Similarly, the Muskegon urban region of which Laketon is part, has been and is being shaped by forces which, for the most part, are national, if not international, in scope. The following provides a brief glance at these forces, how they have affected Laketon's development and how they may affect it in the future. From the point of view of planning they give an indication of what alternative 'roles' Laketon may assume and they may indicate opportunities for development beyond those perceived at present. This information thus - becomes one - of the first building -blocks in the tool kit for Laketon-'-s .development guidance. A. IN HISTORY: THE INDUSTRIAL ERA SINCE INDEPENDENCE THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY STEADY ECONOMIC GROWTH AND RAPID URBANIZATION. This steady expansion enabled American society to attain an unparalleled standard of living. The market-oriented values of individuals and establishments were compatible. The future was assumed to be a bigger and brighter reflection of the present. Public decision-making primarily attempted to resolve problems only after they occurred. INDUSTRIAL AMERICA RELIED ON THE EXPLOITATION OF RAW MATERIALS IN A "LINEAR" ECONOMY, WHICH ASSUMES THAT THE EARTH IS AN "OPEN" SYSTEM WITH UNLIMITED ENERGY RESOURCES, RAW MATERIALS, AND CAPACITY TO �18 ABSORB WASTES. The shift from human labor to machines greatly increased productive capacity. The industrial economic system was based on mass production and characterized by a high degree of specialization. THE MODEL OF LIFE FOR INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY WAS ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AND GROWTH. THE SPATIAL DIMENSION OF THESE INDUSTRIAL THEMES WAS ONE OF URBAN GROWTH. This was a time of increasing urbanization, both suburban and internal (the -expansion of urban industry). It_was also charac- terized by fragmented suburban governments appearing to protect highly localized and divergent interests within the structure of an urban area. The growth of individual income and the availability of inexpensive products created a society of "mass consumption". THE COMBINATION OF RAPID URBAN GROWTH, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY, AND THE ARTICULATION OF ANTI-URBAN SENTIMENTS, INCLUDING THE DESIRE TO BE NEAR NATURE, LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF SUBURBS IN ALL LARGE CITIES BY 1910. At the center of the city, residential density was declining as the area converted to industrial or commercial use. Meanwhile, on the urban edge, residential development was increasing as metropolitan regions tended to spread themselves out. Overall residential density continued to decline with distance from the central city, while the wealth of peripheral areqs increased �19 relative to the core. Many residents of large cities who could afford to live anywhere had decided by this time that the "good life" - beauty, cleanliness, and nature - could best be found on the edge rather than in the center of the city. BETWEEN 1900 AND 1945, TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS ELECTRICITY, AUTOMOBILES, TELEPHONES, RADIOS, AND SEPTIC TANKS INCREASED THE APPEAL OF OUTLYING AREAS BY MAKING THE CONVENIENCES OF THE CITY AVAILABLE TO WIDELY SCATTERED SUBDIVISIONS. After the Depression and World War II, expansion of the money supply through mass creditprovidedfamilies with the financial means to purchase their own homes. Highway construction opened hundreds of thousands of acres of land to residential development. Factors such as zoning and Federal home-loan policies institutionalized suburban growth. B. THE PRESENT: AN AGE OF UNCERTAINTY RECENT GROWTH TRENDS INDICATE MAJOR SHIFTS FROM LONG-TERM STABILITY TO UNCERTAINTY AND AN UNPREDICTABLE ECONOMY. Growth as it is presently interpreted is ending in certain "saturated" areas of production such as energy-inefficient gadgetry and the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources. Service activities now command a larger portion of employment than does manufacturing industry. For example, rapid growth is occurring in such service areas as health and recreation. �20 NEW SOCIAL PATTERNS ARE EMERGING WHICH CREATE A DEMAND FOR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO PUBLIC DECISION-MAKING. The transition from a production-oriented to a service-oriented society requires a shift to flexible and innovative forms of decision-making. Traditional planning reflects the values of efficiency and economizing, and is directed towards problemsolving. It relies heavily on the notion of cultural homogeneity and is thus not designed to acconnnodate pluralism or diversity. New ~forms of planning which account for the limitations and uncertainties o~ the period must be -<leveloped to cope----with the conditions of transition. THE EMPHASIS OF TRADITIONAL ECONOMICS ON EXPLOITATIVE RESOURCE ALLOCATION NEEDS TO BE RE-EXAMINED. In no way is the concept of a "linear" economy more inappropriate than in its definition of the world and its constituent national units, like the United States, are relatively "closed" systems, limited in their capacity to assimilate pollutants and in their supply of many non-renewable resources. A recognition of this "closed" condition demands a reassessment of resource utilization patterns and more efficient new and innovative approaches to dealing with a declining resource base. THE REGIONAL ECONOMY NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK. IT IS BECOMING EVIDENT THAT SIMPLY ATTRACTING OUTSIDE DOLLARS INTO THE REGION DOES NOT ALWAYS LEAD TO GROWTH. GROWTH OFTEN IS RELATED TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH INFLOWING DOLLARS ARE SPENT AND RE-SPENT WITHIN THE �IL 21 REGION. A "linear" regional economy is oriented towards production of goods for export and purchase with "outside" dollars. The new concept describes a "circular" economy in which inflowing dollars make many internal cycles before being used to purchase outside goods and services. Thus, there are large amounts of internal sales and purchases with fewer purchases external to the region. The result is that considerable income is generated within the region. THE CONSUMER IS BECOMING SATIATED WITH "MASS-PRODUCED''. SUBURBIA AND FINANCIALLY ABLE TO TURN TO HIGHER AESTHETICS OF LIVING AND LIFESTYLE. THE FARTHEST EDGES OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA - THE EXURBS - ARE GRADUALLY BEING DEVELOPED. The spatial dimension of current trends in economic development and urbanization suggest a continuation of the "megalopolis" phenomenon. Residential and non-residential locational decisions are increasingly being based on considerations of amenity. Tech- nology has made the basic necessities of home and business so uniformly available that recreation and aesthetics are becoming primary considerations. The forces of decentralization can thus be linked to this "quality of life" ethic. This is not only an exurban movement, but also a regional shift to areas rich in these desired amenities. CURRENT ECONOMIC THEORY AND POLICIES ARE, IN A SENSE, RELICS OF THE INDUSTRIAL ERA AND HAVE NOT ADAPTED TO THE CHANGING PATTERNS AND VALUES �22 WHICH CHARACTERIZE OUR CHANGING SOCIETY. The emerging "quality of life" emphasis is no longer synonymous with the continued maximizat,i on of quantitative growth; nor is specialization widely accepted as essential. to growth. The mono- tony of the assembly line has contributed to declines in worker satisfaction and quality of output. As a result, some firms have experimented with various innovative production schemes such as flexible work hours, worker teams assigned to a variety of different tasks, etc. The debilitating effects of over-speciali- zation have been especially acute in those economies with an overcommitment to basic industry with non-basic or ·service activities· relegated to a secondary role. Basic export - industries do not necessarily produce self-sustaining economic growth. The service/ commercial activities may be critical for developing a strong foundation of external economies for the economic system, whether regional or national. C. THE FUTURE: A POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA IN POST-INDUSTRIAL AMERICA THE NOTION OF "CIRCULAR" ECONOMIES WILL BE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT. CIRCULARITY IS ACHIEVED BY PROMOTING INTERNAL LINKAGES AMONG THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF A LOCAL ECONOMY. The economy is now viewed as a closed system in which all parts affect each other. Circularity requires a move toward more self- sustaining regional economic systems. Both industrial and service/ commercial functions are integral to economic well-being. The role of industrial activities has declined in terms o~ employment. The service/commercial/government area has emerged as the job-generation �23 sector. SOC~ETY HAS BECOME MORE HETEROGENEOUS, COMPLEX, AND SOPHISTICATED. Political demands and human rights have multiplied, and orientation to the future is eroding traditions. This is exemplified in the increasing role of women and minorities in skilled and professional work-roles, the rise of the two-income household, the drop in the birth rate, and increases in communal and non-traditional forms of living. WHILE THE RATE OF URBANIZATION IS SLOWING, METROPOLITAN AREAS CONTINUE TO EXPAND INTO SPRAWLING REGIONS -OF COMPLEX ACTIVITY WITH MANY CENTERS SEPARATED BY LESS DENSELY DEVELOPED AREAS. THIS SPATIAL CONFIGURATION IS KNOWN AS MEGALOPOLIS. Locational decisions of the past - both residential and nonresidential - were consistent with values based on efficiency in terms of closeness to work, to transportation, and the market. The values of "post-industrial" society, in particular the quality-of-life ethic, have considerably altered the nature of the demand for lifestyles and living quarters. The above discussion represents a summary of materials collected from our recent corporate long-range planning reports, e.g., General Electric's "Our Future Business Environment"; the Institute of Life Insurance Trend Analysis Program Reports, in particular, report 12 (Fall, 1975), entitled "A Culture in Transformation: Toward a Different Societal Ethic"; and a series of articles in the Wall Street ~ournal in the spring of 1976 entitled "The Future Revisited" in which a similar series of �24 articles published ten years earlier was re-examined in the light of events during the past ten years. Unfortunately, this kind of infor- mation is seldom presented and discussed in local government planning reports, supporting the consultant's earlier contention that public planning and decision-making has primarily attempted to resolve problems after they have occurred, and based plans on projection of past trends assuming the inevitability of such linear progression. The West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Counnission's recent land use analysis showing areas of "projected development pressures" is a local example of traditional information dissemination in the govern-_ ment sector. The preceding outine of national trends in urbanization and economic growth shows that the era in which we are now living presents several general and specific concerns to current planning efforts in Laketon. First, the economic changes accompanying the shift to post-industrialism imply uncertainty about the direction of future development. This suggests that it would be unwise to engage in long-range plan-making for very specific types of growth. Secondly, the growing individualism, diversity and complexity of· American society must be accommodated. Both these conditions are in support of the open-endedness inherent in the building block approach initially proposed for Laketon's planning program. Additionally, Laketon's physical amenities and fringe location can now be identified as consistent with the residential and recreational lifestyles of a growing number of Americans. suggest developmental opportunities. is needed. These characteristics begin to However, more e.xplicit information The regional level usually provides the bridge between broad �25 n~tional perspectives and local opportunity realization by identifying how much local conditions differ in time, space and intensity from the national experience. �26 THE REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE The formal West Michigan Shoreline Region consists of the counties of Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa. These counties are distinctly different in their social, economic, and political-institutional characteristics. They also differ in scale and in the nature of developmental pressures. The regional communality lies in sharing a location along the shore of Lake Michigan and the environmental concerns emanating from this �27 location. Because of the great differences between the three counties, the term "region" in Laketon's context is applied to Muskegon County and to the northwest corner of Ottawa County - the Grand Haven area which is an integral part of the Greater Muskegon Urban Area. In the following, the region will be examined from the point of view of its geographic setting and economic and social trends. A. THE GEOGRAPHIC SETTING To establish the geographic context for development in Laketon requires a recognition of the several -geographic levels in which such development -· must exist. THE BASIC FRAME OF REFERENCE IS THE WEST MICHIGAN SHORELINE REGION, A SERIES OF THREE COUNTIES SHARING A UNIQUE MIX OF AGRICULTURAL, RURAL AND INDUSTRIAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT WITH A PRICELESS ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE ALONG ITS LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE. The fine sand beaches and windswept dunes extend northward and southward along major portions of the state, but at no point are they combined with such a populous urban area as that which centers on the Muskegon-Holland-Grand Rapids triangle. THE MAJOR RESOURCE OF THIS AREA IS PRIMARILY AN ENVIRONMENTAL ONE. Planning has proceeded to maximize this resource potential and to interlink development in such a way as to provide for careful staging and control of the exploitation of this potential, for the recreational value of this shoreline is further increased by proximity to metropolitan centers of the midwest such as �28 Detroit and Chicago. AT THE SECOND LEVEL, SHOWN ON THE MAPS ON THE NEXT PAGE, THE LOCATION OF THIS AREA IN RELATION TO THE NATIONAL EAST-WEST SYSTEM OF GOODS FLOW OFFERS A SUPERB OPPORTUNITY FOR NON-RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL. On the northern edge of the urbanized belt stretching from Ohio through Illinois and bending around the western border of Lake Michigan into Wisconsin, major goods transportation routes pass near the Muskegon --area on their way from the east to Chicago; Milwaukee-;- ··· and - beyond. A MOD~RN FERRY SERVICE CONNECTING MUSKEGON WITH THE INDUSTRIAL CENTERS OF MILWAUKEE, RACINE, AND KENOSHA WOULD PROVIDE A SHORTER AND MORE DIRECT ROUTE BETWEEN THESE CENTERS AND THE DETROIT INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. It would make it possible for truck traffic to bypass the congestion of the Chicago area, drawing an amount of this east-west goods traffic northward to the Muskegon area. Secondly, this east- west goods traffic is crossed by the north-south route of access to the recreational opportunities of northern Michigan, and the proposed trans-lake connector would place Muskegon precisely at the crossroads of these two major movement systems. THE CROSSROADS LOCATION ON THE NORTH-SOUTH RECREATION ROUTE SUGGESTS CONCERTED DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURIST-ATTRACTING RECREATIONAL RESOURCE POTENTIAL. With the fine deep-~ater harbors and superb recreational resources close at hand in the form of the shoreline dunes and the local �29 Figure 3 The West Michigan Shoreline Urbanizing Triangle '• { , !IUI, Figure 4 l 1 The Lower Great Lakes Megalopolis 1 ll1 d PIT'l'SB ,I .....: ·.... ·:. �30 lakes, the Whitehall-Muskegon-Grand Haven urban area is in a unique position to capitalize on one of the fastest growing industries in the country. THESE ADVANTAGES ARE FURTHER ENHANCED BY THE FACT THAT THIS CROSSROADS LOCATION IS WITHIN FAVORABLE RECREATION TRAVEL TIME FROM THE 12 MILLION PLUS URBAN DWELLERS IN THE DETROIT-CHICAGO-MILWAUKEE MEGALOPOLITAN COMPLEX. In terms of motoring, the area is within three driving hours from Detroit and Chicago. In terms of waterborne pleasure craft, it is within the range of a one-day cruise from the dense crest of urbanization along the southwestern bend of Lake Michigan. THE THIRD GEOGRAPHIC LEVEL TO WHICH LAKETON MUST RELATE IS THE WHITEHALL-MUSKEGON-GRAND HAVEN URBANIZING A..'llEA (MAP 1). This area is characterized by an older three-node settlement pattern consisting of a center comprising the cities of North Muskegon, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Roosevelt Park and the part of Norton Shores which lies to the north of Mona Lake, and two terminal nodes: the twin cities of Montague and White- hall to the north and the city of Grand Haven and Spring Lake Village to the south. SINCE WORLD WAR II A WELL-ESTABLISHED REGIONAL TREND TOWARDS SUBURBANIZATION HAS EMERGED. This area covers the townships of Whitehall, Fruitland, Laketon, - Dalton, Muskegon, Egelston, Sullivan, Fruitport, Spring Lake and �32 Grand Haven, and the incorporated areas of South Norton Shores, Ferrysburg and the Village of Fruitport. THIS URBAN PATTERN IS THE OUTGROWTH OF SEVERAL SETS OF NATURAL CONDITIONS AND MAN-MADE FACILITIES. The most notable of these are: (a) the afore-mentioned shore opportunities in the form of dunes, a series of offshore lakes from Grand River-Spring Lake to White Lake, enhanced by four large state and several county and local parks; (b) an excellent north-south freeway (U.S. 31) paralleling the shore but at a distance from it; (c) large open space reservations immediately proximate to the urbanized area (the Muskegon State Game Area and the Manistee National Forest); and (d) a recently completed but already world-renowned wastewater treatment facility occupying a large area to the west of Muskegon's central urban core. THE UNIQUE FEATURE OF THIS URBAN PATTERN IS ITS LINEAR QUALITY. This linear distribution is a result of the shore location and the lack of a strongly dominating urban center usually found in most metropolitan areas. For example, the population of the central urban core is just over half of the total population. Retail activity is divided between three nearly co-equal centers located along the U.S. 31 highway corridor. TRADITIONAL PLANNING WOULD CONSIDER THIS DISPERSED PATTERN DETRIMENTAL TO THE EFFICIENT USE OF LAND AND PUBLIC SERVICES. Planning oriented to the maximization of opportunity and amenity, however, recognizes the potential in this linear pattern. L_ Compe- �33 tition and pressure to locate in a single center are minimized, thereby reducing congestion. This allows for a more balanced utilization of many public facilities; for example, major roads are less likely to experience uni-directional flows of traffic to or from a single center. As a corollary it allows for easier access to other iinear features of the region's geography, such as the Lake Michigan shoreline. B. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TRENDS IN THE REGION The courses of economic de~elopment and urbanization in the region have closely P?-ralleled ,many of the __nat.:J.onal trends outlined in the preceding section. THE MUSKEGON REGION IS GRADUALLY BECOMING MORE TIGHTLY LINKED TO THE GREAT LAKES MEGALOPOLIS. Muskegon lies on the northern edge of an urban belt which extends from the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, including the entire Great Lakes Region. Historically, the region enjoyed a locational advantage with regard to industrial and commercial activities because of its access to major transportation routes and markets. We have seen that currently the trend is toward locational decision-making being based increasingly on non-economic, physical amenity factors rather than on accessibility. The Muskegon region, with its unique environmental amenities, thus stands to augment its economic growth because of its locational advantage and potential for industrial attraction. - HISTORICALLY MUSKEGON 1 S ECONOMY HAS RELIED HEAVILY ON A SINGLE INDUSTRY. �34 The regional economy is heavily dependent upon manufacturing, especially of primary metals and heavy machinery. This concen- tration has been at the expense of all non-manufacturing activities. Retail and wholesale sales have traditionally lagged considerably behind other Michigan counties and metropolitan areas. Thus, the regional economy has been distinctly "linear" in nature. This means that the economy has developed very few internal linkages, i.e., that outside dollars coming in to purchase the area's main products do not make many internal cycles before passing through the regional economy. THE EFFECTS OF THIS OVER-COMMITMENT TO MANUFACTURING HAVE BECOME EVIDENT IN RECENT YEARS . The region has experienced severe unemployment for many years. This not only parallels a nationwide economic downturn, but also the overall decline of the manufacturing industry as a provider of jobs with a corresponding increase in the importance of service activities. Several other factors have specifically contributed to the decline in the region's economic vitality and in the competitive position of Muskegon manufacturers. Markets for the independent producers of the region were severely reduced by the auto industry's entrance into many of the same areas of production. In addition, changes in product transportation tech- nology (air cargo, fast freight, etc.) have tended to negate the transportation location advantage of Muskegon. In addition, the region has experienced substantial outmigration of the younger, more highly skilled and educated members of the labor force. This is a �35 result of the limited possibilities for advancement in local industry due to limited expansion and the seniority system of the unions. The manufacturing emphasis has limited the range of skills of the labor force, decreasing the likelihood of location of firms requiring more technical skills. The appeal of the region to other industries has been further reduced by the serious degradation of the valuable environmental resources of the region due to inattention to the effects of industrial pollution. MUSK.EGON HAS ATTEMPTED TO REVITALIZE ·. THE- REGIONAL .ECONOMY THROUGH CREATIVE INTERVENTION INTO THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM.. Central to the efforts at revitalization is the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System. The system has had imme- diate and pronounced effects on the water quality of the lakes and rivers in the county and has begun to generate substantial income and public/private cooperation with regard to its agricultural operations. Most significant, however, has been its ability to attract certain high-technology industries, particularly those with significant waste discharges that would normally have to pay the price of their own pollution abatement facilities. The System has the capacity to assimilate water-home industrial wastes and thus has encouraged a number of international chemical firms, such as Fisons, to locate in the Muskegon area. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS INDICATE THAT THE REGION HAS RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSITY AS A PRECONDITION TO MAINTAINING $ELF-SUSTAINING GROWTH. �36 A county-wide Economic Development Connnittee was formed to coordinate economic development and to promote the region as a whole as attractive to industry, rather than allowing individual municipalities to compete.....for particular industries. The curriculum of the Muskegon Community College was altered to emphasize particular skills that might be of interest to the chemical finns and other high-technology industries that might locate in the region. The downtown shopping mall in the City of Muskegon and the revitalization of other central business district activities show -signs of success -and represent positive steps toward bolstering the deficient retail sales sector of the economy. Finally, proposals have been made to coordinate and expand tourism, and to promote recreation as a future growth industry. OVERALL POPULATION GROWTH IN THE REGION HAS SLOWED. CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL TRENDS, THE GREATEST PERCENTAGE OF GROWTH HAS OCCURRED IN SUBURBAN AREAS. AS A WHOLE, THE POPULATION IS AGING. IN PARTICULAR, THE PROPORTION OF ELDERLY IN THE CITIES HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUBURBAN AREAS HAVE SHOWN A SHARP DECREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF YOUNG RESIDENTS (0-5 years). Between 1950 and 1960, the County grew approximately 25%. figure dropped to 5% between 1960 and 1970. This However, the region's suburbs showed high growth rates, reflecting an internal migration from the cities to these outlying areas. People born during the post-war baby boom reached adulthood by 1970, swelling the 15-24 age bracket. Both urban and suburban areas of the region showed �37 this general pattern. The statistics show that the greatest per- centage of elderly reside in older urban centers, such as Grand Haven, Muskegon Heights, Muskegon and Whitehall. Lower income, blue-collar areas show a high percentage of young (0-5 years). Wealthier suburban areas show a low percentage of elderly and a low percentage of young. The decrease in the proportion of young was more pronounced in the suburbs than in the cities, and more so than in the U.S., Michigan, or the County as a whole. THOUGH MANUFACTURING DOMINATES EMPLOYMENT IN THE REGION, IT I~ DECLINING IN IMPORTANCE. RETAIL, WHOLESALE, .J3ERVICE AND GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMEN-T- ARE INCREASING. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IS RISING THROUGHOUT THE REGION. SO ARE INCOME LEVELS IN BOTH URBAN AND SUBURBAN AREAS. In terms of educational attainment, the region's level compared to that of the U. S. is low. than the suburbs. Urban areas have shown slighter gains As can be expected, the wealthier suburbs show a higher proportion of persons with higher levels of educational attainment; the less wealthy, blue-collar suburbs show low percentages of college graduates or persons who did not complete high school. The most dramatic income increases occurred in the suburban areas of Laketon and Norton Shores. However, the urban areas have a greater proportion of persons in the extreme income categories (under $6,000 and over $25,000) while the suburban areas show more persons in the middle income ranges . The statistical tables on the following pages represent selected economic and social indicators for the region of which Laketon is a part. They �38 illustrate and support the preceding discussion. Though in some instances details are not available for small geographic areas like townships, regional information gives a general picture of the trends which prevail in the area and which influence development there. Comparison of these trends with national and state trends provides further insight into the changes which are taking place in the social, economic, and spatial structure of urban America. Every development decision should take into account the effect of these structural changes over time regardless of the- specific time context in which the decision is made. This is of particular importance- in hitherto sparsely developed areas like Laketon where long-term opportunity for new development outweighs the need for immediate remedial action for correcting deficiencies created by past unguided development. Tables 1-4 present county level economic data. nature of the regional economy. bleaker. They reflect the sluggish If projected, the outlook would be even However, the facts as represented by these figures do not por- tray the latent opportunities in the Montague-Whitehall-Muskegon-Grand Haven Urban Corridor and its corresponding shoreline region. Nor do they reflect changes that will occur in the future in such diverse phenomena as lifestyle, the ratio between work and leisure time, business location decisions, etc. Under these conditions of uncertainty the watch for opportunity becomes the critical dimension in plan-making as well as in plan implementation. Statistical indicators can only provide a benchmark for existing conditions. An assessment of the future can only be made on the basis of artful conjecture. �39 1960 MUSKEGON 1965 1970 UNITED STATES 1960 1965 1970 l.0 0.9 1.2 1975 1.0 Mining 2.3 2.1 2.0 0.2 0.7 0.5 0.4 Contract Construction 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.4 5.0 4.7 3.5 3.1 5.4 5. 4 4.7 li.5 55.0 55.2 45.4 38.1 41.5 41.4 35.6 31.3 30.3 29.8 26.5 23.8 5.5 5.0 5.4 5.1 5.8 5.2 5.0 4. 6 7.3 6.6 6.4 5.8 15.3 14.9 16.5 17.9 18.7 18.5 20.2 21.0 22.3 20.9 21.5 22.0 2.1 2.7 2.6 2.7 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.1 4.7 5.0 5.2 5.5 Services 9.3 9.7 11.3 14.5 9.9 12.1 14.4 16.6 12.5 14.6 16.5 18.2 Government 9.8 9.3 10. 7 18.2 14.9 14. 1 16.8 18.8 16.3 16.7 18.3 19.2 Transportation 1 'Wholesale and Retail Trade Finance and Insurance 2 1960 MICHIGAN 1965 1970 1975 0.5 Manufacturing 1975 1 2 Includes utilities Includes real estate Source: Table 1 Percent Employees on Non-agricultural Payrolls by Industry Division 1960-1974 MUSKEGON COUNTY OCEANA COUNTY 1960 7.6 10.6 1965 4.5 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976* 1977 7.5 8.1 7.8 6.5 7.6 13. 1 9.5 6.0 * Table 2 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; Emplo)'lllent and Earnings Month of September 9.1 9.9 9.7 8.2 9.5 15.8 11. 6 7.2 OTTAWA COUNTY MICHIGAN UNITED STATES 5.0 6.7 5.5 2.9 3.9 4.5 6.7 7.6 7.0 5.9 8.5 12.5 8.7 7.0 4.9 5.9 5.6 4.9 5.6 8.5 7.7 7. 1 5.5 6.0 5.2 4.5 6.0 9.4 7.2 4.1 Source: KENT COUNTY 6.0 6.6 5.7 4.9 6.6 10.2 7.9 4.5 Michigan Employment Security Commission, Annual Planning Reports Unemployment as a Percentage of the Total Labor Force - 1960-1977 �40 ;-;;,;;. MUSKEGON COUNTY OCEANA COUNTY OTTAWA COUNTY KENT COUNTY MICHIGAN UNITED STATES 1950 1,605 1,048 1,370 1,805 1,701 1,496 1959 1,993 1,383 2,091 2,329 2,287 2,161 1965 2,695 2,065 2,919 2,932 3,039 2,770 3,798 4,023 4,485 4,865 5,217 3,933 4.026 4,626 5,099 5,602 4,180 4,499 4,950 5,506 5,880 3,966 4,149 4,513 5,011 5,450 5,340 5,689 6,240 5,834 1970 1971 1972 1973 1~74 3,516 3,579 3,960 4,305 4,797 1975 5,037 4,122 Source: Table 3 Per Capita Income in Current Dollars 1 ~ t S - car.-.. lM),,,61 ltU-JJ .Jute . , "1dli.- ----..c-q Ott-C-ty .._c-., Clt'J•f .........,_ cit, ., c.,-, .._ Cl'f et c..-a ._'CJryef Li.Mi.tt-. Table 4 Michigan Employment Security Commission·, · Annual Planning Reports .. ...,., , ,.., ·- .... &1.1 S&.1,- "" ..... i,n ,.,._ ... ···... . ... ... . ... ... ..., ,.,,. ..., - - · - · • ...1- ... ...., , 11., ,. ... ,., ··. .... ... ,_,.,."''" .... ..,.,. ,.,,.. ,1.....,,. ,.... .... ..., ,. 1. 7 U,.t 1.n, 1• l,OU l , J.U 1. Ju 1.u, • 1. 0 t,on -.l. . 1 - t .J .su 1.1.. J,J'7 J, JU 1, lJI 1 ,11, u., n., u., 1.:11• 1. ,.. 1 . ... lt.1 n., JJ . t 2,no ,.uo J, UO J, )00 n .1 ,, ,._ u .s u .o u .o l 0 1H m 1 . .. , 1950-1975 J. tl.D - J, 1 l ,.JJO 1 , ... 10. , -u .> l, lt) 1, Ul ) , HO m Per Capita Business Indicators "" 11 . 1 -u ., u ., '1 .o , 1, SlO l,.UO ,,. 4,4t,O 12 . S ,S . J "·' , ,.., ,.. lll 1.. ....... ......" ...'" 0 .2 -1 . 1 '1, 0 1963-1973 ,l e l < t c t - ~1m m n .t n., 10> "' "' •11 l'1 ,., n .1 U .J 14 , 1 '"""- , n .1 no 1.01' 1, llJ 11., u., ,,., n.• ltl.S M 141 . 0 M uo. , ~ ., o., . o.,..~ ., c-n: • . ...,•-•ft ... C - , c....,., ._.&e!!! The groupings are based on the urban structure concept discussed in the geographic setting section of this chapter. lQJ .1 ..... . .. ... . . . . .,. ,, These statistics are presented by minor civil divisions as shown on Map 2 on the next page . z.1n t,JU 1. 11, The following Tables 5-9 provide detailed information about population characteristics of the area. un 1.... , 4J.O ·- ................ .... ··.... . , �41 v~~~-;l-~:,-+ ~ y\ -,- I,-- I ----->-- __ _J __ _ ' -- J ·r-~:. \ Ir;--\ -~-; ~--·-~ ' ,_ ',• .. -... _ ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTIONS KEGON URBANIZING AREA --~---------------------------------------------..-----·--r---'- ,•'' _________ """'"°'""""°""' 2 3 .J LAKETON TOWNSHIP. Map 2 MICHIGAN U O .J,t,l(CIISON _, _ t'061..1.TAHT .,. l.ABAH I ' \ . ~ ~ Al'C> OEStGN �42 Acre•/ Per•on Pop . 19SO Area Pop. 1960 Acres/ Ch•n9e in Pop. ' Per ■ on Pop . Acre ■/ 1970 Per aon Chan9• ' in Pop . Nort.hern Urban Node Whi t.eha.11 Cit.y 1878 Montaque Cit.)' Nort.h•rn Suburban sector Whi teha 11 Tvp. Fruitland Twp . Dalt.on Tvp. Lake ton 1'vp. Total Cant.ral Urban Core North Mu•ka9on Mu•Jca9on Cit.y Mu•keqon Hai9ht.s Roosevelt Park North Norton Sbor•• Total £a•t.ern Suburb&n Mu•keqon Tvp. E9elaton Tvp. Sullivan Tvp . Total l.Ol l. 10 lS JO ~ I":06 2590 2366 0. 7) 4956 C>.72 16.S l. l s,. 6 tt.O )01 7 2)96 0. 62 0 . 10 i'iTI 0.66 9:-i 42. 4 0 . 71 6111 2S1 24 . JS .96 12. 12 97. 6 1064 S 1-i 114.S 22. S18 1S48 14 . S9 2574 8.77 1200 llll 1901 6. 81 S. 84 40.2 SJ61 24.] 22 . 8 2 . 70 68U -.-:-is 116.4 u,o 7.06 l. 9S 60. 990 4lb6 4114 11,SSD ,.a, 66. l 21. 197 11.10, 69.S 10911 7312-+9228 2018 661 ]847 2424 ,1.,2, o. 45 11,828 1254 1000 0 . 11 18S5 46,485 O. lS o":13 19,552 2571 6799 79,269 l. Jl S. 61 14. 82 17,537 6104 1S77 O. SJ l.28 i7.Ti7 7l.9is" "T.Te o. 28 2. 04 12.2 lS , 06S .:OS ll.8 S9 . 0 4241 44,611 0.26 0.21 l. 8 10S. 6 126.6 17 , 304 4176 0 . 12 0 . 16 0.39 - ,.o - - 0.16 o. 10 0 . 26 0. 57 , .o 9129 10.l ll.S 62 . 0 4◄ . 6 1-:T ~ io:1ai o7JO 0. 9S l. 62 9. 59 l7.5 SC. 9 54 . 6 ll , 754· 6690 2051 1.07 l. J1 7. )7 2.72 'i'i":J° TI:m J7os -10.8 o. ,. 39 . 1 78 . 1 92.4 74. 2 12. 2 12,442 10,214 4979 S489 2196 35,320 0.87 1.88 1 , 86 1. 68 0.89 12., 28.5 1S.2 S7 . 8 34,6 o":"30 s ■ ctor 16.655+14,7)9 22.119 15.120 68,633 Southern Suburb•n Sect.or South Nor ton Shor•• Fruitport Tvp. Spr1.n9 Laite Tvp . Cr and Haven T"Wp. Ferrysburg: Tot.al WH I TERA.LL-NUS ltECON-GJlAND HAVEN URBAN AJtEA 12.757 3941 1020 10 , 880 19,194 9240 9216 1955 50,485 southern Urban Node Spring Lake Village Cr and Haven C:it.y Tot.al IT:"Tia "T.TI Em 1. 37 4. )0 4 . 11 4 . 61 1. l ◄ l l , 01 7 7949 4322 )479 16)1 7921 446 ◄ 2246 1997 1454 18,082 ~ 'i":7i 182 ◄ 660 3270 9536 o . 36 0. 34 IT7iio 2063 11, 066 l9lO o":'TI" ll.129 211,757 lll,257 1.61 162, S20 Source , Table 5 1119 1677 ms Total o. s . Oepart•ent ot Co•••rce, 2. 41 2 . 14 2 . 65 l.20 SM I":7i lJ.l 16 . 0 0. 32 0.30 o73o 1. 30 Bureau ot - r:-o ~ 47 .1 7.0 0 . 22 0.28 JOJ ◄ ll ,844 rr:r; ~ o."26 . u":"J 2]. 8 173,lS4 l. 22 , ... 7 Census of Pooulttio~ tho Census, 1950-197 Area, Population, Development Intensity and Rates of Growth 1960 Under Northern Urb&n Node Whitehall City Montague Cit.y 12. S 14 . l s 1970 5-1 ◄ 15-24 25-34 35-64 21. 4 12. 2 11. 8 ll.2 12 . 8 l l. l 29 . 0 10 . S 12 . 9 ll.4 1S.9 ll.6 12 . l 11. S 11. 4 ll . 8 ll. S 2J.) 21.6 9.6 ]0 . 1 6S+ ... Under s S-14 lS-24 2S-34 JS-64 )1.0 31 . 3 10 . 7 7. 1 ll.2 7.1 9.1 7. 1 S. l 65+ 9.6 8.l 8.2 23.0 26.9 19 . 2 16 . 0 12 . 2 10 . S 14.9 JO . )0 . 29 . 29 . 0 6 7 8 7. 7 6.6 S. 7 S. l tl.9 9.1 9.] 7.8 2l. S 23.6 26.0 26 . l 15. 7 14.6 16 . 6 15 . 4 12.5 lJ. s 12. S 12. 6 40 . 4 )4 . 8 33. l JO. 1 ll. 2 7. s 10 . S 7.S J. l J.8 6. 8 8.8 9.9 8.0 8.0 19.0 H, . 4 lD . 0 10 . 7 22 . ) 26 . 6 15. 7 18 . J 17.8 lJ . 9 15.2 10 . 6 22 . 2 9.8 11. 5 ll. 9 29 . 8 JS . 2 )◄. 0 11. S 12.8 9.9 9.1 4. l 29 . 0 26 . 2 s. ) 9. l 10 . 6 ll. 7 24 . 6 26 . 9 29 . 6 17 . 3 17 . 9 14 . l 12 . 4 12.6 16. 2 JO . 8 27 . 4 24 . 7 S.8 4.6 l.S 16 . 2 1 S. 6 15 . 2 l l. 8 18 . l l l. 13. 14 . 15 . 12 . 5 2 0 6 2 30 . 4 J l. 7 30 . 1 ] l. 4 North•rn Subu.rban Sector Wb1.teh•ll Twp . P'ruitland Tvp . Dalton Tvp. L•keton Tvp . 14.7 21. 4 25 . 2 25.6 24. 0 Cent.ral Urban Core North Muskegon ttualteqon City "usk•9on Heiqht• ltoosevelt. Park Hort kl Norton Shor•• 10.0 ll.2 13.2 16 . l 1S. S 21. 4 19. 2 21. 8 23. 4 2◄ . 2 10 . 2 9.l 10 . 5 10. 8 17. J 14 . l Eaatern Suburb•n Sector "uske9on Tvp . E9elston TYp . Sullivan Tvp . 1S.O 1S . J 16 . 6 24 . 5 27 . 6 26 . 2 12.6 14 . 0 13.8 l 3.7 ll. l 1S . 2 23. 8 l. 8 4.6 13.7 15.4 24. 2S . 22. 23. 11. 9 1l . 1 12. 4 ll . 8 12 . 7 14. 6 17 . l 14. 8 32. 28 . 28. 28 . S. 2 l. 9 •. 0 S. 7 9.0 9.2 9.• 9.8 8.9 2l . s 13 . 8 15.6 26 . 24 . 25 . 2). 8 9 7 9 Southern Urb•n Nod• Spring L•k• Vill.aqe Cr•nd N•ven Ci i:y 10 . 2 11. 0 22 . 9 11. J 11 . 0 12 . 7 11.9 11.l 12. 6 9. 9 33 . 1 10 . ) 7.6 8.2 22 . 4 19 . S 17 . 6 18 . 0 10 . S 10 . 7 )2 . ) 8. l 11. 2 Oceana Count.y Muskegon County Ott.aw• Count.y 11. 6 ll . 2 lJ . 2 22 . 2 22. S 22. 7 12 . 7 l l. 0 14. l 10. l 12.l 12. S JO . 7 12. 6 ll . 9 7. l 29. l 8. l 8.6 9. 1 9. 6 22. 8 ll. l 2 l. 6 lS . 8 16 . 9 18. l 10 . 8 12 . l 12. 9 ]0 . 1 ll . 0 28 . l 11. 8 8.5 ,. 6 Nic:h.a.9.an Unl.t.ed St.at.es 12 . 4 11. l 20 . 7 19 . 8 12 . , ll. 0 12 . 1 ]2. 8 33 . 4 9.1 8.C 21. 4 19 . 9 17. 7 17 . 8 12.2 12. l 31. 0 )1.8 8. S 9.8 Southern Suburban sect.or Sout.h Norton Shore• Fruit.port Tvp . Spr1n9 L•ke Tvp . Cr and H•ven Twp . terrysburq 14 . 5 13 . 3 ll.9 Source : Table 6 1 0 J 2 •.s ll . 6 u.s . 4 l 2 9 8.l 9. 2 D•partaent. of co .. inerc:e, Bureau of 19.S the C ensua . Census of Age of Population, by Groupings, % of Total Population l0 . l Jl. 2 ]3 . 0 ) ]. , ] ). 6 6 .1 ,.8 4.8 • . 9 S. l Popu l ation �43 Below Sch . Graduate H19h Northern Urb ■ n 1960 Hi9h Sc h. Crad1.1ate 1-J yr• . Co1l•9• 1 970 lel·ow ffi9h Sch . Craduate • or •ore yrs. Coll . Hi gh Sch . Graduate 1 -l yrs . Colleqe • or y rs . aore Co ll. Mode Whit.ehall City ,1 .2 Montague City 44 . 6 LLD 12. 2 ,o .1 ll. l 1 2. 2 1 4. ◄ ll. 8 10 · ' l 7. r. 4) . 2 11.9 ':' . l ll. 2 5. 2 • •7 7.7 l.6 5.6 2. 0 , .6 52 . 9 )l.6 JO . 6 33 . 7 JS . 7 8. 8. 9. 10 . 2 4 0 3 7 .) ll . l 2. S ll.9 16.2 7. 7 , .8 14 . 2 ll. 2 19 . 4 4. 8 3.2 12. l 1O.O 33.) 19 . J 8.5 22.7 17. 2 6.1 ) .5 l.l 25 . 8 24 . 1 25 . 6 25 . 8 7.• 5.7 9.8 S. 2 21 . 6 )J.0 Northern Suburban Sect.or Whit.•hall Twp . rrui t.land Tvp . Dalton Twp. Lak. ■ toc Tvp . S6 . 5 62.l 68 . l 5S . 5 Central Urban Core North Muakeqon Muake9on Cit:y Nuak ■ 9on E• ■ tern 25 . 0 )2 . 2 34 . 6 Park North Norton 27 . 0 29 . 8 8 ,, .1 Hei9ht• R.oo• ■ velt. JO . S Shor ■■ 22 . 19 . 37 . Jl . 72 . 2 )6 .7 4S . l 8 0 4 49 . 8 s, .• 42 . 2 24 . 57 . 69 . 36 . JO . 7 5 0 0 2 23 . 0 )9 . , ]9 . 2 l.S o. 9 l. 2 57 . 7 66. 0 )0 . ) 25.l , .1 56 . 7 34 . J 6. 6 l. 2 7.6 ◄9. l S5.9 14 . 7 27.7 5.2 6.) 2. 7 14 . l 10 . 2 15 .5 lS . 2 8. 2 6.9 3.8 4.6 2.0 9.• 7.6 10 , S 9. l 10 . 4 ll.O S. 2 ll . 8 Suburban Sector 66 . O 81.0 78.6 Nu ■ ke9on TVp . Tvp . Sullivan Twp . l9el ■ toa 24 . J H .6 ... Southern Suburban Sector south Norton Shor•• Fruitport. TVp . Sprinq Lake Twp . Grand Haven TYp . 60 . 2 67.0 57.0 6 ◄ .6 ... rerryabarg )2 . 0 38 . 0 40 . S 41 . 8 36 . 8 ◄5 , 0 )2 . 9 l8 . 2 6.6 Southern Urban Nod• l l. l 24. 6 9. 0 I .) •• • 8 38 . 8 )l.6 11. 9 58 . l 11 . 8 11 , 8 65. ◄ ll. 7 a.1 so . 1 33. 8 Ott•"'• County 63. 7 63. 7 23. 9 22 , 9 7.3 7.6 l.6 5.l 5.8 SJ. 5 49. S 32 . S 10 . 0 8. 9 9.5 5.5 6 .8 8. 5 Michigan Un i ted Stat.ea 59 . l 58 . 9 26 . 0 24 . 6 1. 1 8.8 6. 8 7. 7 47 . 2 47 . 6 ll . 7 Jl.l 9.7 10.6 10 . 7 Spring t.•ke Village Cr.and Haven City Oceana County Muskegon County JO . 8 9 . • Source i Table 7 Educational Attainment,% of Persons 25 Years Old and Older 1960 White Collar Northern Urban Node Whitehall City Monto1191,1e Ci ty Nort:hern Suburh•n Sector lrfh.it:.•h•ll Tvp . Pruit:land Tvp . Dalt:.on Tvp . l..aket:.on Tvp . Central Urban Core Nort:.h Huake90n Muste9on Cit:.y Nuate9on Heights Roo••"'•lt: Parlt North Norton Shor•• Eeat.ern Suburban Sector Mu•lr.e9on Tvp. E9el at:.011 Tvp . Sulliv•n Tvp . souchern Sub,aban Sect.or South Norton Shore• Fruitport Tvp. Spring- Lake Tvp . C:rand Haven Tvp . rerryeb-ur9 Southern Urban Node Sprin9 Lake Vil1•9• C:rand Haven City Service Collar worker ■ Workers Collar 50 . 0 44.8 ◄ :Z .l 7.5 9. 2 o. s ◄4 . 9 l. 6 5S . 2 16.9 ◄ )6 . 2 9. ◄ 8.5 12 . 9 O. l 0.6 28 . 8 26 . B 28 . S 6l. 7 63 . l SB . 9 52.3 9 .7 ll. J 6.4 2.4 o. 6 l. 3 J1 . 8 42 . 6 46 . 4 48 . 4 ll.5 55 . 7 ◄ 8.2 42 . 8 15 . 8 8.9 ll. 7 6.6 2.1 67 . S 25 . 43 . 54 . 29 . 7.1 16 . 5 19 . 4 0.1 0 .7 32.7 8.0 8.e 0. 4 41 . ◄ 69.2 25. 7 1.1 43 . 2 cs . o 28 . 4 55 . 5 61.l 4, . S ll.4 42.4 S.l ll. 9 lS. 9 5.S 8.1 J6 . l 19 . 7 lS . 8 55 . 0 68.5 72.9 8.S 10 . 5 9.6 )5 , 4 Jl.l 4l.5 29 . 4 56 . 7 61 . l 47 . S 57.l 7.7 6.0 9 .8 9.6 White F.ar ■ J9 . 9 25 . 7 62. 3 SB . 0 )8 . ) Blue Service Far• Collar Workers Work•r• l 5 0 5 l.O l. 2 2.0 2 1. 3 24 . 1 48 . 6 60.9 70 . S 12 . 7 17 . 0 4.7 0.) 0.4 0.6 40 . 9 34 . l 4 7. l 48.9 l. . 0.9 54.) ,1 . 6 9. 7 10 . 7 0.5 o. e 0.2 JS . ). 7 s 44 . 8 52. l 47 . 6 9.2 10 . l 7. 7 .. 2 .l 43 . 6 10 . 4 1:0 54 . 9 4 J. 7 38 . 8 45 . 0 42. 5 l) . 2 0.6 Oceana County Muskegon County Ott:.ava County 28 . 2 ] '7 .8 6.2 19 . 2 )0 . 7 10 . l 9.7 l.) 6.) 39 . 5 39 . 2 47.2 46 . 6 45 . 0 ll . l 13 . 2 12 . l 8.8 )4 . 6 41 . 4 so . 8 49.J Kichi9an United St.at•• 41. 9 43. 2 43 . S 38 . 7 ll.J ). ) 4◄ . 9 40. 8 12 . 9 11 . 7 6.• 48 . 2 36 . 0 12 . 8 l.S J . l Source : Table 8 1970 Blue U . S . Depart••nt of Co ■ aerce . Aureau of Major Occupations, % of Persons Employed t he Cen.,u•, Cen•us of ) o.a l.5 Populat. i on �44 196.0 1970 Und•r Sl,0OO $6 , 000 $2 , 999 -S,999 -9 , 999 ll, 8 ll.J 18 . 6 lS . 7 so. 4 12 . 2 42. 7 24 . 7 44.2 J6 . J ll. l 42 . 9 SlO , OOO - 14 , 999 SlS,000 Over -24 , 999 S25,OOO Dnder S l , 000 $6 , ooo $10 , 000 $15,000 S2 , 999 - S, 999 -9 , 999 -l·L 999 -24,999 S. 7 •. 3 ll.8 17 . 2 29 . 6 J0.2 16 . l 16. l 10 . 2 ]. 7 2.S J. 0 7.0 1'46 12. J ll . J 8 .S J7. J ]0 . 0 )1 . 1 21. a 40 . 7 10.5 211. l 16 . S 4.S ll. l 10.2 2l.J 2. l 2.6 1. 7 3.l 9. S ll. S l.2 ).0 a, l 16 . 6 19 . l S. l 17 , 4 ll.2 Jl. 8 18 . 0 19 . 0 ll.l 21 . S 25 . 4 2S . S 11 . 9 8. l 14. 6 2. 2 41. 6 ll.7 27 . 6 4.6 8.2 6.9 ll. 6 l.S .1 7.0 46. 4 42. 2 32 . 2 2S . J ll . 6 l l. 4 6.8 10 . 9 a.s ll. 2 )0 . 1 24. 2 39 . 6 31. 4 12 . )1 . 11 . JS . 10 . ov • .,. $25 , 000 Hort.hern Urb•n Node Wh1.tehall City Kont. ■ 9ue City Morthern Suburban l.7 • . 2 ]. J l.. 6.7 9.6 S. l 2.7 .7 8. 2 l.O 20. 5 10 . l l.. .7 4.S )2 . .. Sector Whiteh ■ ll 1s. a Laketon Tvp . 7.. 10 . 8 a. J T"P • Fruitland 'l'vp . Dalton Tvp . Central Urban Core North Kuske9on Muakegon City Nuske9on He19hta Rooaevelt Park llorth Norton Shores Suburban Sector Nuske9on Tvp . E9el•t.0n 'rvp . Sulliv•n Twp . 9. l 1S . 4 18 . 0 6.8 8.0 £ ■ •tarn Southern Suburban S•ct.or Sout:h No rt.on Shor•• Pruit.port. 'rvp . Sprin9 Lake Tvp . Cr and Haven Tvp . F•rryabur9 .. 10. 9 16.9 , 8. l 10 . 0 12.l 11. 0 cs . , 11. 2 29 . S so . s 18.0 JS . 6 39 . 7 ll . 9 17 . 4 ll , 8 26 . J 27 .1 44 . 7 43 . 6 39 . 0 36 . 6 46 . 0 ll , 2 19 . 0 39 . 8 ' .5 6.0 • .7 J9 . l 36 . l ll.6 38 . 1 36 . 5 41. l lB . 5 J9 . l l2 . l 9.8 1.7 .s .. .. .. 9.6 7. 8 l 7. I 14 . 9 ) 8. l 2. 0 ). 2 l. 9 l.S ..' 2. 0 2. 2 ) .7 6.7 6.1 S. l .. ... s.o l.S ·' 4.S 4.0 l.9 ). 6 s.o ·-· •-• ll. 2 8 . l 4. l JS . 2 t 0 2 5 , 31 . 6 11 . ll . 20. 14 . l l 6 9 19 . J .. •7 l.2 LO ·-· l. 2 S.l 2.0 5•• south•rn Urban Node Spring Lake Vill•qe Cr and HaYen City S. l 14 . 3 30. 7 18 . 8 ll. S ).0 l. 7 6 .a 9.2 10. 7 24. 2 21 . 2 15 . 2 ll . l 22 . 6 17 . 9 ). 7 4.l Oce•n• County Muak.e9on County Ot.tava County 21 . 5 13. 4 ll . l J7 . S 29.8 38 ..o 36 . 6 S. 4 10. 0 .7 l.l 1, . .s 7. 7 S. l 1s . , a. a l.4 2. 0 2.2 .s JS •.• )8 . 1 13. l 9.8 ll.l ll-3 ll. 4 25 . l 30 - • 34 . 6 7.• 14 . 3 15 . 9 l. l 2.8 l. J Nichi9aa Onit:.•d St:.•t•• lS. 8 ll. l 12 . 8 35 . 7 30 . 8 12. 7 1O . S l.S l .l l. 2 l.) 7.S 10 . 3 11 . 2 15 . 7 24. l 16 . 7 lO. S 16 .. 6 21 . 4 16.0 U. S . D•p•rt:.•ent of 21 . 4 sourc• : Table 9 Coa ■ erce , ... S. l Bureau of t . . Census , Census of Population Family Income, by % of Total Families Statistical tables are difficult to read let alone to interpret. To facilitate the understanding of the significance of the changes that are taking place in the social characteristics of the Muskegon area and how they affect Laketon, the most important variables are presented graphically on the following pages. The variables were selected with respect to their importance for planning; they indicate needs for community services or, conversely, suggest trends that may reduce the need for services or increases or declines in the capacity of human resources to support such services. These variables are: development intensity; rate of growth; percent elderly, 65 years and older; percent pre-school children; �- w 45 percent college graduates; - percent adults not having completed high school; - percent white collar workers; percent blue collar workers; percent high income households; and - percent low income households. The maps show how these variables affect the different local governments in the urbanizing part of Muskegon County. is attached to each map. An explanatory note In particular, it is important to note where a combination of "positive" variables occurs, e.g., few elderly, few pre-school children, high percentage of college graduates, low percentage of adults with low formal educational attainment, not having completed high sc~oo1, high percentage whit~ collar workers and high percentage of high income households. (The words "positive" and "nega- tive" are used in a planning context only. For example, a low percen- tage of elderly is "positive" only because it reduces the need for community services in this category.) Equally important is to note where the reverse occurs, where one or more positive indicators combine with negative indicators, and the "blank" areas where no extremes of on kind or the other yet occur. In summary, the regional analysis presents positive as well as negative features. Among the positive are the geographic location of the area, the environmental resources and opportunities and the recently initiated management programs to ensure a pollution-free environment. On the negative side, a one-sided economic base characterized by many outmoded, if not obsolete, production processes and facilities has not only tarnished the image of the area but also contributed to chronic unemployment and low levels of job opportunity for the young. �46 BECAUSE OF THE SLOW GROWTH RATE FOR THE URBANIZING AREA AS A WHOLE--6.7 PERCENT FROM 1960 TO 1970-MOST OF THE GROWTH LABELLED "HIGH" AND "MEDIUM" IS THE RESULT OF OUTMIGRATION FROM THE OLDER URBAN CORE AREAS, IN PARTICULAR FROM MUSKEGON AND MUSKEGON HEIGHTS • . . -,- (' ...,~ ....:..:.. I ~ ' -.--.."im,-,,i :..... .• RATES OF GROWTH 1960-1970 ~USKEGON URBANIZING AREA ■•■ HIGlf , OYER 25% : •: •: • MEDI UN. 10·251 JVV\. 000 SLOW, 5-11)% D STAG/WIT, LESS THAN 5% (includes decl 1n t n9 a,eu) ..... . • .• ii -•. '• • • • 1AKETON TOWNSHIP. Map 3 MICHIGAN �47 THOUGH LAKETON ON THIS MAP SHOWS A LOW LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY, THE CURRENT (1976) LAND PER PERSON RATIO HAS DROPPED FROM 2.1 ACRES PER PERSON TO ABOUT 1.5 ACRES PER PERSON. IF BUILDING ACTIVITY CONTINUES AT THE LEVELS OF 19751976 UNTIL THE END OF THIS DECADE, IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT LAKETON BY THEN WILL BE IN THE 0.51.25 ACRES PER PERSON CATEGORY COMPLETING THE CONCENTRIC RING PATTERN OF SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT SURROUNDING THE CENTRAL URBAN MOOE. -·.\•..--. ,. f • -~ ·• '•:. INTENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA ■ ■■ LESS TllAA 0. S ACR£S PER PERSON :•:•:• O. S-1.25 ACR£S PER PERSOH 0, n0nr 0 1. ZS-3 ACRES PER PERSON " // OVER 3 ACRES PER PERSOH - ..-.------------------------~:---------' 1 ~ 0 '..AKETON TOWNSHIP. Map 4 MICHIGAN LfO .wc0ll5()III 1 2 3 �THE SELECTED AGE INDICATORS, PERCENT ELDERLY ANO PERCENT PRE- SCHOOL CHILDREN, ARE OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE FOR PLANNING. A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ELDERLY MAY INDICATE A NEED FOR SPECIAL SERVICES. A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN MAY REQUIRE EXPANDED SCHOOL FACILITIES, AT LEAST TEMPORARILY . THE MAP SHOWS THAT EGELSTON AND SULLIVAN HAVE A YOUNG POPULATION STRUCTURE WITH LARGE FAMILIES THAT CORRESPONDS WITH OCCUPATION, EDUCATION AND INCOME IN THESE TOWNSHIPS . IN CONTRAST, NORTH NORTON SHORES SHOWS A YOUNG POPULATION WITH SMALLER FAMILIES. THE MAP ALSO SHOWS THAT THE MAJOR CONCENTRATION OF ELDERLY IS FOUND IN THE CENTRAL CITIES--WHITEHALL, NORTH MUSKEGON, MUSKEGON AND GRAND HAVEN--A FACT WHICH CORRESPONDS WITH NATIONAL TRENDS . . •. . -. . , •· . . - ~-. I . .. AGE STRUCTURE MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA •·• '-··· "''"°""'Y'irT.1 \•.· ,_■ ■ • OVER !OS 65 AHO OlDER •:•:•, LESS ntAN Sl 65 AHO OLDER ~ ~m ~ O~: :-.:-:•.\ tm ~::: :! ~t~~OOlo:;OER ~5 AHO ~~A~~DAHO ,vv Q Q . OYER lln 0-5 TEARS OLD \ ·•:•:•: , ./. LESS THAN 81 0-5 TEARS OLD LAKETON TQ\NNSHIP. Hap 5 MICHIGAN +-··· ····t.;· " ' - i • . •• ·-·-·-· CXlJrlCSU.TAHT .. l.RWil I I \ . ~ ~ Al'C) O(SOIII �49 THE MAP CLEARLY SHOWS THE CONCENTRATION OF THE HIGHEST EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT GROUP IN THE "PRESTIGE" SUBURBS OF NORTH MUSKEGON AND NORTH NORTON SHORES. MUCH LOWER EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT LEVELS DOMINATE THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. MUSKEGON HEIGHTS IS THE ONLY LOCAL UNIT WHERE A LOW PERCENTAGE OF COLLEGE GRADUATES COMBINES WITH A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS WHO HAVE NOT FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL. . ~ ~ '. ~-:f_ \- 't 7. ~~ . ·-,-..,__,__.:...;..J_;:_-L - - EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA ■ ■ ■ OVER 14: COLLEGE GRADUATES MD LESS TlfAII 301 BElOW HlGH SOtOOL ••••". OVER 141 COLLEGE GRADUATES OR • • • LESS TlfAN 301 BELOW HlGH SCHOOL >0 0 LESS TlfAN "r,' 4t COLLEGE GRAOUATES OR OVER 601 BELOW HIGH SCHOOL LESS TlfAN C1 COLLEGE GRADUATES ANO OVER 601 BELOW HlGH SCHOOL - LAKETON TQ\NNSHIP. Map 6 MICHIGAN �50 r'--,--- - --=-=~ 1--+--":fr"-:rs-""1 ,-.._ ___, ~ _l::.,.. I -.;:..:.._ _ NATIONALLY, IN 1955, THE NUMBER OF "WHITE COLLAR" WORKERS--PROFESSIONAL, TECHNICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE , SALES ANO CLERICAL WORKERS--FOR THE FIRST TIME EXCEEDED THAT OF "BLUE COLLAR" WORKERS--CRAFTSMEN, OPERATIVES AND LABORERS. IN 1970, THE PERCENTAGE OF THESE nlO MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS WAS 48.3 FOR WHITE COLLAR JOBS AND 35 . 4 FOR BLUE COLLAR JOBS. THOUGH MOST AREAS, IN GENERAL, REFLECT THIS NATIONAL TREND , THERE ARE DISTINCT TRENDS IN THE SUBURBANIZATION OF THE n/0 OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS: THEY SETTLE IN DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. IN THE MUSKEGON AREA THE EASTERN TIER OF TOWNSHIPS-FRUITPORT, SULLIVAN , EGELSTON ANO DALTON--ARE DOMI NANTLY BLUE COLLAR. THOUGH ONLY A FEW WHITE COLLAR AREAS WERE RECORDED IN 1970, IT IS QUITE LIKELY THAT THE 1980 CENSUS WILL PRODUCE A CONTINUOUS WHITE COLLAR SETTLEMENT BAND ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE FROM WHITEHALL TO SPRING LAKE TO INCLUDE LAKEj TON, FRUITLAND, SOUTH NORTON SHORES , WEST SPRING LAKE ANO FERRYSBURG . 1_• --i- . ::-. ::-_ ._....~. .:,. 1 ~·~- ni· ~ ...... . ,- •. ;:: -,-- - -+-'-+D OCCUPATIONS MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA •■• • OVER 601 lolllTE COI.LAR :•:•: OVER SO: ~HT£ COLLAA >,...o,...~ OYER S<r. 81.UE COLLAR ' // . OVER 60: BLUE COLLAR :..AKETON TOVVNSHIP. Map 7 MICHIGAN lfO ~OflSON c::o&.l.TANT ti! \Jll8Allf P l ~ trNoHAQEMENT Mi,fJ 0lSIGN �51 INCOME IS STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH OCCUPATION ANO EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT . THE NORTHERN PART OF NORTON SHORES FOLLOWED BY NORTH MUSKEGON SHOW THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF UPPER INCOME GROUPS . MUSKEGON HEIGHTS AGAIN rs THE ONLY LOCAL UNIT WHERE THE ABSENCE OF HIGH INCOME GROUPS COMBINES WITH THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH INCOMES BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL. ' ·--t _J_;' , __J_ ' , i - l _.__ ,'--'' - ...1 .... _,;:,.J;;i_,:;;rl.;:;_c...::;_a.;:.o..;:J::......!:.../.=-_;:::;:,,...._...:.:4J!.---':2~•1 ! . -!-..C.,...__.--+"",-C-'+----, .. =I (_/ ::t _~-i I - • • l- --j--'7~ ,.,'.,. r-'.:r_-r:-,,:.-~ - ; ' -· .. } ~1 :- . ,. - . ' ' HOUSEHOLD INCOME MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA ■ ■ OVER 301: OF INCOMES OYER SIS,000 AND ■ LESS lllAN 101: OF !NCOM£S BELOW $6,000 ••••• OYER 301: OF !NCOl1ES OVER SIS,000 OR • • LESS THAN 10% OF INCOMES BELOW $6,000 ) O O U:SS lllAA 10% OF INCONES OYER SIS ,000 ,..,,..,, OR OVER 25% OF INCDHES BELOW $6,000 '// ~~\~z~~\~\~~~~\i~~ Wo:1 , )1 0 1 _ _ _ ________________________________...1_...._ ......2,_ _..._ _ _~_J LAKETON TOvVNSHIP. Map 8 MICHIGAN UO ..1-UORSON _ _ CCNSU.TAHT ,,. I.Mottlf " - ~ ~ AN) O(SGN """""°' w.scoc,o, �52 There are signs that the region is beginning to move. However, unless the current efforts to revitalize the local economy bear fruit in the not-too-distant future, the momentum created by the inventive wastewater management system will be lost. Expectations have been raised. For example, in the Attitude Survey, nearly half of Laketon's residents expect that because of effective environmental management programs, such as the wastewater system, Muskegon County in the next ten to twenty years will have attracted numerous "clean" industries to the area, and will become an industrial research and development center. Another third expect the County to -have changed its current negative image and, though st-ill industrial, it will have a greatly improved environment · and be a good area for i.ndustri-al investment. �53 THE LOCAL PERSPECTIVE Laketon's character and regional role have been shaped to a large extent by its geographic and social relationships with its surroundings. The regional structure of which Laketon is a part is, as we have seen, linear in form due to its shoreline orientation and its lack of a strongly dominating center. Laketon's location in this linear structure is an advantageous one. Although it is not directly within the north-south �54 corridor of economic activity, Laketon is affected by its presence along Whitehall Road. A. THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The physical characteristics of the region as a whole, and of Laketon in particular, suggest several opportunities for development. They must be weighed carefully in formulating a plan for Laketon. The topography of the Western Michigan Shoreline is a unique natural resource. The combination of a large lake - Lake Michigan - and impounded valley lakes such as Muskegon Lake represents a rare natural phenomenon. In addition, the steep dunes and shore bluffs are almost unique; These resources present opportunities for conservation and development in harmony with each other. The Muskegon area has developed a set of policies and plans to take advantage of these opportunities. Glacial activity in the Muskegon County area produced a pattern of land surface features that can be grouped into five major physiographic units, each with its own characteristic features. Laketon overlaps two of these units, the Glacial Lake Plain and the Dunes area.· The Glacial Lake Plain is characterized by a level surface and fairly low elevation. The Shore- line Dunes form a nearly continuous ridge along their Lake Michigan shoreline, extending in places to more than 50 feet above the level of the Glacial Lake Plain upon which they have been formed. Surface drainage throughout the region is not well organized or integrated and marshlands and lakes are prevalent. The permeability of underlying soils, particularly in the Glacial Lake Plain, contr~bute to the minimal �55 development of surface drainage. The high permeability of these under- lying deposits provides sub-surface drainage; as a result, groundwater levels are high, a problem which is particularly severe in Laketon. extent of this condition is shown on Map 9 on the next page. The The indi- cated hazard areas were mapped from information derived from the 1968 Soil Survey of Muskegon County. 2 The survey provided for each soil type three measures for the severity of groundwater hazard potential in regard to development. These were: (1) depth of groundwater table; (2) soil features affecting foundations for low buildings; and (3) soil features affecting filter fields for septic tanks. The hazard potential in each category was ranked as being either severe, potential, or non-existent ~ Each soil type found in Laketon was ranked for these characteristics. Soils classified as severe hazard soils on all three characteristics were mapped as severe groundwater hazard areas; soils with two of the characteristics listed as severe were mapped as hazard areas; and the remaining soils were classified as no hazard areas. In acres, of the Township's total acreage of 11,000 acres, approximately 1,000 acres have already been developed. About half of the developed acreage lies outside the designated hazard areas. Of the remaining 10,000 acres, only about 1,750 acres lie outside the two groundwater hazard zones. This suggests that severe limitations should be imposed on unrestricted development in the Township which has led to a situation where, according to the attitude survey, 46 percent of the respondents indicated that they 2 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Survey, Muskegon County, Michigan, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, October, 1968. �. . ·- ·- ·- ·, l i \ ! I I i z <{ C, :f u ~ a: w< z ~! ~ z!! 0 ~ ~< 0 ~, ::J ~ 1 i a.: :i: (f) ~ z ~ w ~RD (9 I I I I I �57 had problems with high groundwater on their property, e.g., water seepage in the basement, portions of lot submerged, improper drainage, etc. Fully 89 percent of those with problems claimed that they were unaware of the existence of the problem prior to moving to their homes. This information corroborates the consultant's field survey which counted 761 homes in areas designated as severe groundwater hazard areas and 40 in very severe hazard areas. This total of 801 houses represents 44.4 percent of the Township's 1933 housing units in 1976. The groundwater table in Laketon is also influenced by the cyclical and seasonal variation in the level of ~Lake Michigan and the corresponding fluctuation in the levels -of Muskegon Lake -~nd Bear Lake. ation is affected by two kinds of forces: This fluc-tu- natural and artificial. The major natural force which increases the water levels in the Great Lakes area is precipitation. The Lake Michigan basin receives an average of 31.2 inches of precipitation each year. The maximum recorded precipitation is 39.3 inches and the minimum is 23.5 inches. Figure 5 on the next page shows the correlation between above and below average precipitation and high and low water levels, respectively. It is important to note that the current high water level has been building up from a very low point in 1964 as a result of ·the above average annual rainfalls during ten years from 1965 to 1975 excepting 1971. This represents the longest consecutive period of above average precipitation on record, suggesting that water levels may remain high until a clear drop in the amounts of annual rainfall will restore the balance in the capacity of the Lake Michigan basin to regulate the inflow and outflow of water. There are two kinds of natural forces which decrease the level of water �SC 581 580 579 578 577 576 38 36 34 32 30 28 26 24 ,., I \ .. /''.... /',/ \ I\ ;, - 1•, J \ . • --__ :\..-t~ -- :\-. - - - .,,: - --- ----. - .-J.- - -- -\71'• -----···-----. I , .. , • \ / \/ \ I " \ v-·-· •-4 I . . l ~ \ 1 . f\ .... \ •' .·, .... ,,•, ' , '• f...J__ _J --- ,. __ ___ J------ lL- --' ---t -+---A-I i \ I\ ' I ~,! /\• • V\.! \/. ~ I \ \J \ I\ I • \ • • \j '• '•··I ; • c•-~-- ~-----..1. -- It----~-·,.1 \ v·, . I \ 578.3' •\.I• ,,. . Mean ~ I Mean 31.5" I \1 • Ii • 1CJ31 1921 Figure 5 19,1 1 '~41 1961 1971 1976 Annual Rainfall and High Water Level Mark, Lake Michigan - 1921-1976 in the basin: runoff and evaporation. Most of the runoff is through the Great Lakes basin to the Atlantic Ocean. There are three types of artificial forces that control lake levels. The first two, dams and channel dredging, are used only in the narrow areas where the lakes are connected. Lake Superior, for example, is artificially regulated by control works at the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie. The third artificial force is diversion into and out of the Great Lakes basin. The major diversion into the Great Lakes basin is the Long Lake- Ogaki works into Lake Superior. The major diversion out of the basin is at the Chicago River, at the bottom of Lake Michigan. The amount of precipitation and the water levels varies also by season, as shown in Figure 6 on the next page. These seasonal variations are much more predictable than the yearly variations. For example, annual variation �59 ' ' ' l~S '=t=1=r=l=l=t=::f::=1 - Figure -6 Monthly Variations in Lake Michigan Leve1~ in water level on Lake Michigan is 1 foot, 1 inch. variation is 2 feet, 2 inches. - l!!!.•~ :_l 1=,,,1,-~ =-.......:;;:;-:.---i---t ~,.,,!- 1974-1977 The record high The record low variation is one inch. The usual low month is March and the high month is July. S-ince the low precipitation months are in winter and the high months are in spring, the months of extreme water levels reflect the lag effect that is caused by the reservoir characteristics of Lake Michigan. As can be seen from Figures 7-12 on the pages to follow, Lake Michigan has a significant effect upon the weather and climate of the Muskegon area. The prevailing south and southwesterly winds tend to moderate the temperature, resulting in warmer winter temperatures here than farther inland. the summer the tendency is just the opposite; the predominantly westerly winds keep the temperature below the uncomfortable readings of the high nineties. Extreme heat or cold is rare in Muskegon. recreational potential of the area. This enhances the In ' �60 Jan/ July - " Apr/ Aug/Sept}\ , ' ~-=:.........::.~--.C"---'--'---'-- Figure 7 Muskegon, Prevailing Winds 9Cf Rt<: ,ORD REr ""D 0 80 IGH 99 ow 14" ~ ! , 600 Q 50 ' 30 ~ ti" .• ii•••• ••• 1 .• I I I - i"... ~-,- .:f , , 'MA~I , i '.. ' , " i'-,}._ \•. •. ~ ;/ /i ··... ... ~ I -' 1. . .l "- - - - ! """-~••..l ~ , 1./ y 0 .o ,~,,,,.. - , •....-·.. , ,,.... I 700 4 .- ~ I - FAE€, 4NI; _I I .... ~,E"j"l .. ...ff 2Q° - .. ~ .... ! • .. ~ Figure 8 Muskegon, Average Monthly Temperature - ... _ . J ~1'-- ...___ ~ ~.I'--- ... ... . ~ - �61 J F M A I M J I J A S 0 15 --- 10 ~ ~ L.,,,,_,,. 1"'111111,,,,. N D - 5 mph I ' I I Figure 9 Muskegon, Average Monthly Wind Velocity 90 80 7n60 50 I ... J,.- •11r::u DAY -. -.... i--....,.._ ..... ~ , ... ;- - 1 ....~ ,,,,,,,_ L..., ' - Figure 10 Muskegon, Average Monthly Humidity Figure 11 Muskegon, Average Monthly Cloudcover I ., ' ~ r- �62 2 \\\\Ill\\ !Il ~ Figure 12 Muskegon, Average Monthly Rain and Snow Fall The south and southwesterly winds which predominate six months of the year create a small problem for Laketon, which is located'to the north of the S.D. Warren Paper Mill, across Lake Muskegon. As the winds blow across the lake they tend to carry the odor from the mill's emissions into Laketon. However, the company is working on installing new pollution devices which they claim will remove all odors from airborne emissions . In general, lake breezes and relatively high wind velocities have assisted the Muskegon area to maintain high air quality despite urbanization and industrialization. Most recently, more stringent emission control measures have further i mproved air quality in the area, as shown in Figures 13 and 14 on the next page. - Large sections of the Township are wooded, providing the predominantly �--, 63 micrograms/ cubic meter 100 ;-;-,....,..,..::-· ::-· --==~------------------------ :1-· 780 -+-+·~·~·,1---,,~·~·---1_,..,.-e+----------------------....,....,.... · =. :_: :_:: 60 -1--~·~·+--1-~·~·~ · -+•:..;·+-..,_,....:+-+.:.-'--l-*::...:...,1-,-+~~ -~-+-+__,..~+------- ill .. 40+-TT•~•+--+~•~•+--+,:~+--+~•~•+--r~•~•-t--+,~•~•"'t--r-~•~-~•T·~•+-~.-,...,..t--t-'....,_..t0 0 0 )/ ... 20 +-f-.'.•~·~-4~-~-~ - '---h-"~·~ -~-""-'--.1--f-~ · -·~-·+ -i;·....,..-1--4"~·~--+--t'-"~-"'..+--~-~·~·,-----t........'+- ... 0 4-.J..:. " .:.. · .1.--1.:.·..:.·.:.a · 1.-...t..:·..:.·..:....--.1.:.;··:..;·.__c..:..··;..........1..:..:...;..,_~.;.;..~....-.:.·.:.·.,_.._:·...;·...· .........._ • "'-'"..,_ 1967 Figure 13 micrograms/ cubic meter 1968 1969 1970 1971 1973 1972 1974 1975 Muskegon County, Suspended Particulate Survey, 1967-1976 100 80 TT -:=:=. - 60 40 +-r.·~-~-f---E-~ - ·:+---,~·~-~-f---E-~~-+.-·~-~-f---+.-,,..,.-¾-+,..~··. i - .. ..0 .. 20 . ~ :{: ... ..- .. .. . .. /4 0 Figure 14 1976 ;-....i... · ;_ · -~ ---.;.·.:..· 1970 1971 ... ......1.., · ;.··;...i.._ 1976 ._...i.;..;.;.~,..i...;~-.i.;.. . . ;.i. · -~·..:.· 1972 1973 1974 1975 Muskegon County, Air Pollution Index, 1970-1976 �64 flat environment with interest and contrast. no commercial value. timber. Most of the wood cover has However, there are a few woodlots of good quality These are currently endangered by clear cutting which, because of the small size and location of these woodlots, is the only economically feasible harvesting method. To prevent the destruction of this environ- mental resource may be one of the objectives of this plan. Lastly, it should be mentioned that oil was extracted in the Township as late as in the mid-1960's. However, these shallow strata at a depth of about 400 feet were quickly depleted. The potential for oil in deeper strata--over 4,500 feet : deep~-has ·stirred a renewed interest in exploratory drilling, in particular in the counties to the north of Muskegon. At this time it is not known whether or not these deeper reserves are substantial enough in Muskegon County and Laketon to warrant exploratory drilling. 3 Despite the inconclusiveness of these reports, Laketon should be prepared for the possibility of renewed oil production in the Township. Provisions should be included in the revisions of the zoning ordinance to regulate the various phases of oil production, in the event that such production does occur. These provisions would have to be based upon Chapter 319, "Conservation, Oil, Gas and Minerals" of the Laws of the State of Michigan. B. THE MAN-MADE ENVIRONMENT Map 10 on the following page depicts the existing patterns of development in the Township. 3 As can be seen, most of the development, in particular The oil prospecting issue was recently discussed in the Muskegon Chronicle: "Potential Deep Oil Reserves Stir Interest of Well Drillers". �--, 65 I I -- - ~~~?T'I . ..-i w~7~m~;::r-l~1 ·-·-7 1 ! ! I i z <x: :E c., u ~ ;; ~ h,.x ~l H! H!AJ Hi w j },. UJ i § ~ wO□o□o l ~(/) I ~ ~ I ►~ l±: • ~ ◄ - -· <.J I Z 5- ,:::J o; u!~ <{ ~I ~....J u ~~t- n.· :r (/) z ~tz ~ I.I.' ~ <x: ....J 0 ..... 0. C1l l: �66 residential subdivisions, are concentrated in the southeastern sub-area. However, most of older settlement took place on roadside parcels of varying size and, naturally, along the shores of all three lakes, where virtually no undeveloped lake frontage remains. There is virtually no non-residential development in the Township except along Whitehall and Witham Roads where a strip of mixed commercial development exists. In regard to community facilities, the Township hall is new and is centrally located on a large site. Future expansion on that site of administrative and community service facilities is feasible. The religious needs of the community seem to be well served. Several of the churches are new and located on adequate sites adjacent to the major street system. As shown on Map 11, the entire Township is within the Reeths-Puffer school district. suggest This fact and the consultant's analysis of the district that the public school system will not become a major educational and/or fiscal issue in the foreseeable future. The analysis suggests that the district will be less affected by enrollment declines and subsequent financial problems because (1) Laketon's rapid growth will enhance the district ' s tax lease; (2) the changes in family structure toward smaller families associated with this growth will reduce pressure for new school facilities but will help to keep enrollment levels within fiscally tolerable limits; and (3) the location and condition of existing school facilities at the western edge of most existing development is pdvantageous in that �67 'ftj7i ::1-- -. .-;--- / .,~~:~,__,:~4'-'--'i. ~_:i.,...- -;.ijL- -~;:,,·:;.", . ·• L:j r ·.:,.,..,, .~ ·-- ~ -•. .--:, ·t·· ·~ ;: . - ~:i. SCHOOL DISTRICTS MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA --------------------------~-·-__...,.___.., l LAKETON TOWNSHIP. MICHIGAN Map 11 ~ 0 1 2 3 CXNSU.TAHT" .. LMNil I \ . ~ MN,&IQ:a.e,T A"D 01:SOw �68 new development will be further west and render existing sites more central. The internal traffic conditions in the Township are typical consequences of unplanned growth. The addition of new subdivisions and the general movement of all new development to the west increases traffic on the eastern sections of the road network causing hardship on earlier settlers who expected to live on a quiet residential street but now find themselves living on a major thoroughfare. This is particularly true in regard to Giles Road and Dykstra Road, where the eastern segments in 1975 carried daily on the average -8,000 and 3,500 motor vehicles, respectively. Stop-gap measures, like the extension of Dykstra Road to White- hall may expedite traffic flow. of the system. They do not change the basic inadequacies The layout of existing roads, however, suggests that with only very minor adjustments, the structure of the system can be altered to relieve the residents along the major eastern roads from excess through traffic. C. THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Laketon's social relationship to the region can be analyzed in comparison to Muskegon and the surrounding corrnnunities and urban centers. Population trends by region and regional sub-sectors reflect the historic trend of suburbanization in the United States. trend. Laketon is a good example of this The appended census statistics show that Laketon's growth was over twice that of the entire county between 1960 and 1970. Laketon's growth rates have been consistently higher than those of most other areas in the metro- �69 politan region. While the City of Muskegon's population declined steadily between 1950 and 1970, Laketon's nearly tripled. The following table shows rates of growth for the urban-rural fringe of the U.S. compared to those of Laketon Township and other selected sub-areas of the Muskegon Metropolitan Region. Population Place United States Laketon Twp. Dalton Twp. Fruitland- -Twp -. Norton Shores Table 10 Growth Rate 1950 1960 1970 1,901 3,113 1,548 10,921" 4,114 4,366 2,574 17 ,Br6 5,440 5,361 3,200 22,-271 19501960 19601970 19501970 85 % 116 % 40.2% 66.3% 63 .-17. 44 % 32 i. 22.8% 24.3% 25 % 161 % 186 % 72.2% 107 % 104 % Suburban Growth Rates, Muskegon County Since the 1970 Census, voter registration and building permits suggest that growth has continued at least at the rate experienced between 1960 and 1970, if not at a somewhat accelerated rate. Voter Registration Building Permits Table 11 1970 2422 40 1971 65 Growth of Laketon Township 1972 2822 56 1973 1974 1975 49 43 48 1976 3818 75 1970-1976 Assuming an average of 3.3 persons per housing unit, or slightly less than the 3.54 in the 1970 Census~ the population of Laketon has grown by 1,240 in the seven years since the Census to a total of about 6600-6700 persons. �--, 70 The rapid population growth and residential development in Laketon has been accompanied by shifts in the general characteristics of the population. For instance, between 1960 and 1970, the age structure of Laketon's population changed considerably, as shown in Figure 15 on the next page. Major shifts include a drastic reduction in the proportion of young children, more teens and young adults, more middle-aged and fewer in the 24-34 age group. As was discussed in the regional analysis, this generally upward shift in age patterns is repeated throughout the region and, _iri fact, in the u.·s. It is more dramatic in . central.. cities.: than. :. in ·--other areas; for ·instance., in Muskegon the percentage:. of--elde'.r ly .:. increased from 10.S ·to 12.8, and in Roosevelt Park from · 3.l to 9.1. In Figure 15, Laketon's change rates from 1960 to 1970 are compared with the corresponding regional, state and national trends. each bar indicates the direction of change. The arrow on As can be seen on each indicator, change in Laketon is faster than in Muskegon County and the nation. Of particular importance is the fact that the county's change rates are slower than the national and state rates. Laketon's change rates are, therefore, all the more important. Laketon's population has shown substantial increases in levels of educational attainment since 1960. In 1960, only 12.3 percent of the population over 25 had one or more years of college, and a full 55 percent of those older than 25 had not completed high school. By 1970, however, that number had diminished to 42 percent, and the proportion of residents over 25 with one or more years of college rose to over 22 percent - almost double in ten years. In part, these statistics reflect the type of people who moved �LAKETON TWP. -LA I: r:TON MUSKEGON co. 71 MICHIGAN UNITED STATES 5b 40 30 AGE 14 1 0 2 15 - 34 3 35 - 64 4 65 + 1' ·1' 2q)O· ·1- 1' -G- 2 3 ~ I 2. ..3 :i 4 3 4 2- 3 ,J., -1, J, 4 - 'V SO-· -4-0:. :5e EDUCATION l -Below- H. S. 2- High School 3 Some -College I<>- . 4 College+ - ~ 1' . I .. -.-..,. .50 ' 1' , '.2. 2. -l, .J, .3 2 4 3 I 1 2 3 4 :s -4 ·1 -4o 1' OCCUPATION 2 1" ~ I ::z_ 319 White Collar ?.a Blue Collar \G Service --eFarm 2. 4 2 3 -4 I ;2. 3 4 ·3 4- .J, ~ 6'0-4o- INCOME .J, -1, .J, .J, '1, 3o- 1 Under 6,000 '2P2 6,000 - 10,00R:>-310,000 - 15,oor 4 Over 15,000 ~- Figure 15 1' 1' 1' -1' 4 2. Socio-economic Change Rates 1960-1970 2. 3 4 2 :3 .3 I '.2. 3 4 . �--, 72 into the community between 1960 and 1970. The county itself showed only a 3.3 percent increase in those with one or more years of college, while in Muskegon Heights and Roosevelt Part, the number actually declined. D. THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT Between 1960 and 1970, the employment structure of Laketon residents by industry shifted away from manufacturing towards employment in the service sector. Employment decreased in the areas of construction, durable and non-durable manufacturing, and transportation, communication and utilities. Employment rose in wholesale - and retail trade services and governmen~. Changes in the labor force by employment type supported changes in f ' occupation by industry. Those employed in professional, technical and related jobs increased from 14.1 in 1960 to 16% in 1970. Those in manage- ment, administration and related fields increased from 5.9% to 17.9%, while the number of clerical workers also increased slightly. Craftsmen, foremen, operatives and farmworkers declined. In terms of major employment areas, Laketon followed the post-industrial trend of the nation between 1960 and 1970. In 1960, 52.3% of Laketon residents were employed in blue-collar jobs, compared with 41.4% in whitecollar positions. By 1970, the balance had shifted and white-collar employment had risen to 48.2% of the labor force with blue-collar jobs declining to 42.8%. It is important to note that Spring Lake Township was the only other community in the entire area, including cities, where this shift occurred. As a result of these shifts, household income rose substantially for �73 Laketon residents between 1960 and 1970, as shown in Figure 15. The trend toward higher family income is, in part, also influenced by a larger number of women participating in the labor force. For example, in 1960, there were 1.25 employed persons per household. This figure had increased to 1.37 in 1970, and, according to data obtained from the Attitude Survey, to 1.50 in 1976. Lastly, one could mention that the recently released building permit statistics for 1976 show that the average value of new homes in Laketon was =$35;000, the third ·-highest - figur-e. in Muskegon. County~ ... In North Muskegon, ·the figure was .$38;ooo ·and in Norton :Shores~$37,900. In con-. trast, the average value of a new home was only $20;000 in -Muskegon Township. The reconnaissance suggests that for secluded, recreation-oriented suburban living, Laketon is nearly ideal. The major physical obstacle to development is the problem of very high groundwater -levels in many areas. The major economic constraint is that the future demand for public services generated by a growing number of amenity-seeking residents must be supported from sources other than the traditional property tax. Lake- ton's regional location mitigates the tradition of increasing the local tax base by attracting extensive commercial and industrial development. However, it is clear that Laketon will continue to be subject to development pressures because of its attractiveness as a residential community, its easy access to major recreational amenities, its proximity to downtown Muskegon and other major employment centers, and its unique isolation from heavy commercial and industrial development. �--, 74 A number of other factors will increase pressures for growth and future residential development. Extension of the metropolitan sewer and water systems will work to accelerate development of currently vacant tracts of land. A system of ponds and canals to bring the high groundwater condition under control could turn this problem into an additional environmental amenity, providing an added element of attractiveness to the landscape. Finally, the growth of nearby industrial parks and a general revitalization of the regional economy would increase the demand for high-quality housing throughout the county and, in particular, in amenity-enhanced areas such _:as ·Laketon Township. �.....-- ..-~ • •. -,I' • • f •• .. .. ·· I ... . ..- • •I I • - ■-. ,. . i-.,.. r .. t . .' .. .,I • .,. • -· .. -. . -.-. ■ I I _.,....,.r,. ', ... _ . -- f ■' ~•.1 , , r '. lt■ll,111,, L ~ ·- .,,,,, l"I rt .- ... '; - . ~ ~_!. -{·- ■,..I .. - 0 , r .'.J - I .:: - I ' ,/II ,-",.,.;w·~- I!' ·- ,I - I JI ••. '~ -1:-i;;., . •, .>.' �--, 75 ' PURPOSE ANO DESIGN This section of the plan report presents the results of a connnunity attitude survey conducted during December, 1976. It was felt that a survey of this kind was the best method available for completing the initial data needs for plan development. It was also felt that the survey could be used effectively to further additional planning objectives. The purposes of the survey can therefore be -summarized as �76 follows: 1) Assessing Community Attitudes. The primary survey objective was to ascertain community values, perceptions and priorities. ment had a dual purpose. This assess- First, a community-wide survey would reveal general attitudes toward living in Laketon Township. Secondly, it would provide information in regard to the local impact of recent changes in general social attitudes towards development, the environment, and individual and family lifestyles. 2) Data UpdateandExpansion. Building permit statistics and field observations indicated that a substantial amount of new residential ~ development has occurred in Laketon during the period since the 1970 census. Information from the survey would update and expand housing and socio-economic data. 3) Problem Identification. Survey responses would provide a means by which to gauge the extent and seriousness of the high groundwater problem and other issues of concern to the community. 4) Citizen Participation. planning process. A survey provides a citizen input into the It provides a means for establishing broad-based communication with residents of the area and introduces them to the ongoing planning activities in their community. SURVEY DESIGN The survey was designed to produce a representative sample of the views and attitudes of Township residents. The examination of possible survey techniques within the constraint imposed by project schedule and budget suggested that a mail questionnaire reaching approximately every eighth - adult resident was feasible and would satisfy the purposes of the study. - �77 The technique employed consisted of drawing the sample from voter registration rolls using a random start. Though the utilization of voter registration can be questioned because it provides only a partial listing of the adult population, it was felt that lacking a more complete list of residents, for example, in the form of a city directory, voter registration rolls were preferable over such other address sources like telephone directories or tax rolls. For one, the questionnaire would be addressed to any randomly selected adult voter, not just the head of a household or a taxpayer. This would elimi- nate- much of the mal~ bias normally encountered in . surveys of -this kind.~ Secondly, voter registration in a community like Laketon is high. Finally, it was felt that voter - opinion on issues dealing with community services and development was important because many plan and management proposals may eventually require voter approval at the polls. The survey instrument was a structured questionnaire allowing for scaled and/or ranked answers. No open-ended questions were included. However, respondents were encouraged to comment on any of the issues covered by the questionnaire. Questionnaire content was developed using two basic sources. First, each staff member was asked to prepare a set of survey questions based on previous survey experience, stated survey goals, and specific informational needs. 4 Secondly, past attitude surveys in the Muskegon area were reviewed Survey results show an about equal sex distribution between respondents: 53 percent male vs. 47 percent female. �78 for additional questions. These question sets were edited and refined to yield a final survey instrument of 45 questions covering general attitudes about living in Laketon, housing, community services and facilities, recreation, and development alternatives. In addition, the questionnaire asked for basic socio-economic information, e.g., family income, duration of residence in Laketon, and the sex and age of the respondent. Also, it asked the respondent to identify the area in which resided. This ~question was incluaea to .allow for. the analysis · of survey results by the four dominant subareas of the city: the rapidly- developing south- east quadrant to the east of Buys Road and south of Giles Road; the southwest quadrant south of Fenner Road along the north side of Muskegon Lake; the mostly undeveloped northeast quadrant that includes the Lake Michigan shore area; and the northeast quadrant to the east of Buys and north of Giles Road dominated by development along Whitehall Road. 12 on page 82.) (See Map As these quadrants not only differ ·in their environmental and developmental characteristics, but also in regard to the socio-economic characteristics of the population, it was felt that subarea analysis would be helpful to plan formulation and the assessment of alternative plan and policy consequences. The general sample of 522 names was divided into two "sub-samples" containing 261 names each. One of these groups was sent a packet consisting of an explanatory letter, a questionnaire, and a brief report entitled "LAKETON TOWNSHIP: AN ASSESSMENT" which summarized the findings of the reconnaissance survey. The other group received an explanatory cover letter - �79 and the survey questionnaire only. By sending the summary to only half of the sample, it was hoped that the impact of the report, if any, on stated respondents' attitudes could be measured. As a control to general community attitudes, the survey was also administered to 33 community influentials. The purpose of this control was to ascertain whether or not the opinions of this active group of community decision-makers significantly differed from those of the community at large. The -list· of these ~ommunity _influentials _was developed during the reconnaissance survey. albeit well-tested: The method used for identifying · influentials was simple · it consists of tallying the number of times an ~ndivi- dual's name appears on lists provided by a small group of initial contributors from among elected and appointed officials, political representatives, and persons highly visible in community activities and organizations. this instance, half of these informants were residents of Laketon. In The other half were individuals from the Greater Muskegon area knowledgeable about the power structure in the Township. After the initial lists contri- buted by this group were compiled, a composite list was returned for~ second round of identification. This two-step approach yielded a final list containing 33 names. SURVEY RESPONSE The questionnaires were mailed on December 20, 1976. shows the number and rate of questionnaire returns. Table 12, on page 80, Based on current population estimates, these results show that about one out of every four Laketon households received a questionnaire and roughly one in every eight �80 Total Returned Returned Received by by Total by Jan . 14 Surveys Return Late Total Return Post Laketon and Mailed Office Residents Analyzed Rate Returns Returns Rate Report and Survey 261 4 257 76 30% 10 86 34% Survey Only 261 10 251 106 42% 7 113 45% Influentials 33 0 33 28 85% 1 29 88% 14 541 210 39% 18 228 42% TOTALS Table- 12 555 Laketon Attitude Survey: returned it. Response Rate The final return rate of 42 percent is high for a mail survey without extensive pre-survey publicity through the local media and with no follow-up mailings during the survey to remind the recipients to return . . 5 t h er i ques t ionnaires. The conclusion that must be drawn from this high return rate is that the residents of Laketon are vitally interested in the affairs of their community, and that they are willing to express their views by whatever means available. This degree of interest should facili- tate greatly public decision-making and administration; on the other hand, public awareness should also provide a constant challenge to the management of community affairs. In this instance, the high return rate allows us to draw inferences for planning purposes about community attitudes and expectations with confidence. 5 According to Dr. Harry P. Sharp, Director of the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a "normal" return rate is about 10 percent for a mail survey conducted without pre-survey publicity and with no follow-up mailings. �81 RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS To ascertain the representativeness of survey respondents, their socioeconomic characteristics and their residence location were analyzed. In terms of the subareas into which the Township was divided as shown in Map 12 on the next page, all four are proportionately represented in the returns. �32 TRAC I I I LAKE MICHIGAN - - - - MUSKE-GON LAKE Sub area Boundary 1111111111111 Precinct Boundary ••••••• Census Tract Boundary Residence Area, Precinct and Census Tract Boundaries Map 12 Subarea Survey Respondents % No. Precinct R~gistered Voters in 1976 % No. Census Tract Population in 1970 % No. SW 34 45 16.2 37.6 21.4 2 1330 38.0 16 1964 36.1 NE SE 57 74 27.1 62.4 35.3 3 1 785 1381 22.5 62.0 39.5 17 3476 63.9 5440 100.0 NW TOTAL Table 13 210 100.0 3496 100.0 Respondent Voter and Population Distribution by Subareas �83 Tables 14 and 15 below show length of respondent residence in Laketon and the location of their prior residence. More than a third of the respondents had moved to their current residence since 1970. Most of these relatively recent arrivals were attracted from other Muskegon County locations by Laketon's natural environmental amenities. Only 16 percent of the respondents indicated that low property taxes had influenced their original moves to Laketon. Respondent moved to Laketon after 1970 between 1965 and 1970 between 1950 and --1965 before 1950 Table 14 Percent Total 35 .1 23.7 34":-0 7.2 By Area of Residence NW NE SE SW 30.8 23.1 38.-5 7. 7 27.1 47.8 35.1 16.7 29.9 16.2 43.8 ~- 19_4 _ 43 ..2 _ 12. -S - 3 .-{) : 5; 4 Length of Residence in Laketon Township Respondent: Percent lived at present residence entire life 5.7 previously lived elsewhere in Laketon 21.1 previously lived elsewhere in Muskegon County 55.2 previously lived elsewhere in Michigan 10.3 previously lived outside of Michigan Table 15 3.6 Location of Prior Residence Responses indicate two primary waves of residential development in Laketon since 1950. The first, between 1950 and 1965, was dominated by intra- township and county-to-township movements to the northeast and southwest sections of Laketon. The northeast area appears to have experienced a second period of residential development after 1970. �84 The southeastern part of the Township shows the largest amount of recent development. 47 percent of that area's respondents have moved there within the past six years. Nearly all of those respondents moved to Laketon from elsewhere in Muskegon County or the state of Michigan. Most of the respondents in the southwestern quadrant of the Township moved to their homes between 1950 and 1965; most of them came from other parts of the county. 99 percent of survey participants indicated that they own their place of residence, and 70 percent- said their homes are owner-built. Although-0nly haH- of the respondent.s..:,,live -in. subdivisions, .65..percent indicated-:that · they live on ldts -0f ·-1ess than one acre in .size. These figures reflect the substantial amount of individual small-lot development in Laketon: the "frontage only" pattern along existing roads which dominates development in the western half of the Township. Size of Lot Percent of Total By Area of Residence NE SE SW less than l acre 64.4 23.l 75.0 83.6 54.0 l - 5 acres 23.7 34.6 18.7 11. 9 37.8 5 - 10 acres 5.2 15.4 1.5 5.4 larger than 10 acres 5.2 23.1 Table 16 NW 6.2 2.7 Lot Size by Area of Residence The majority (60 percent) of respondents who moved to Laketon in the period between 1950 and 1965 do not live in subdivisions. Conversely, 75 percent of those who said that they do live in a subdivision have moved to Laketon within the past ten to twelve years. �85 The majority of respondents were between 35 and 64 years of age. Six percent were between 18 and 24, and roughly 20 percent were between 25 and 34 years old. Another six percent of the responses came from persons 64 years of age or older. married. Nearly 90 percent of those who responded were The bulk of participants reported that they live in a household with one to three other persons. One-fifth said that they live in a "large" household of five or more members. 60 percent had children living at home; however, only 15 percent of those reported having children younger than five years of age. These family characteristics reflect the general trend toward smaller families. In - general, levels of educational attainment were high. Only a small percentage of the respondents had not completed high school. Approximately 40 percent were high school graduates, and nearly half had one year or more of college education. 6.2 percent of the respondent households earned less than $6,000 in 1976. Most of those were elderly persons on fixed retirement incomes. Another 8.2 percent earned between $6,000 and $10,000, and 21.6 percent earned between $10,000 and $15,000. However, the great majority of respondent households had a total income of $15,000 or more with nearly one-half of this group exceeding $25,000. In about one-fourth of the households there were two full-time workers and nearly 30 percent had one or more members employed in part-time positions. According to the survey, between six and seven percent of adult household members were unemployed seeking a job at the time of the survey. Thirty-seven percent reported one or more non- working students in the household, and in roughly 15 _percent, ·one or more �86 retired persons were present. Percent of Respondents Occupation Professional, Technical and Related Occupations Managers, Administrators, Proprietors Salesworkers Clerical Workers Craftsmen, Foremen, Skilled Workers Operatives Laborers Service Workers Farm Workers Table 17 26.3 15.9 6.9 19.4 10.0 10.0 2.8 8.3 .3 Respondent · Occupation · Table 17 shows the occupational breakdown in surveyed households. A majority of respondents indicated that they are employed in the city of Muskegon. The balance hold jobs in Laketon Township, elsewhere in the Muskegon Metropolitan area, or outside Muskegon County. Map 12 on the next page shows the spatial distribution of places of work and corresponding "journey to work" traffic flows. The overwhelming majority (90 percent) of survey respondents liked living in Laketon. Another five percent like living in the Township but expressed some reservations. Laketon. Only five percent indicated dislike for living in High property taxes, high groundwater, and poor Township admini- stration were reasons cited by this minority for disliking Laketon. The attractive natural environment, the conduciveness of the area to childrearing, and good recreational opportunities were the reasons most often cited for Laketon's appeal as a good place to live. �87 \ LAKETON TOWNSHIP. MICHIGAN Hap 13 LEO_,_,. Job Locations of Laketon Residents, in Percent of All Employed _,..,.. ""6CX>$< �88 Table 18 provides a summary of the socio-economic characteristics of Laketon residents since 1960. The apparent "skew" among survey respon- dents toward the upper end of the socio-economic scale is due to a number of factors. For example, the inflation rate of the last six years has had a major impact on household income. This is compounded by the increasing participation by women in the labor force. Thus, in Laketon, the number of employed persons per household has increased from 1.25 in 1960 to 1.5 in 1976. Characteristic Percent of Percent of Percent of 1976 -·survey 1960 Census - 1970- Census of PoEulation·: of EoEulation :_ ResEondents EDUCATION less than high school 55.5 high school graduate 32.2 1-3 years of college 7.7 4 or more years of college 4.6 42.2 35.7 10.3 11.9 12.9 38.1 23.7 24.2 11.7 28.8 36.5 21.3 1. 7 6.2 8.2 21.6 32.5 23.7 HOUSEHOLD INCOME less than $6,000 $6,000 - $9,999 $10,000 - $14,999 $15,000 - $24,999 $25,000 or more EMPLOYED PERSONS PER HOUSEHOLD 37.8 50.5 8.2 3.0 .5 1. 25 1.50 1. 37 MAJOR OCCUPATIONS White Collar Blue Collar Service Workers Farm Workers Table 18 41.4 52.3 6.4 48.2 42.8 6.6 2.1 Trends in Socio-Economic Characteristics 68.5 22.8 8.3 .3 1960-1976 Respondent characteristics reflect other trends as well. For example, according to the Census, the number of college graduates in Laketon �89 almost tripled between 1960 and 1970. of that proportion since then. tional characteristics. Survey respondents show a doubling Similar trends are apparent in occupa- Lastly, one must remember that mail survey results are traditionally biased toward those who are interested in the subject of the survey, toward those who are higher in socio-economic status, and toward those who have had more education. For planning pur- poses, this skew in socio-economic characteristics is not detrimental. To the contrary, in a society which is characterized by upward mobility and expanding opportunities for all, a response colored by the views of those who are at the upper end of the socio-economic continuum should be an advantage. in time. It may be indicative of general attitudes at a future point �90 THE GROUNDWATER, DRAINAGE, AND SEWERAGE PROBLEM Six questions in the survey dealt with the high groundwater problem. 45 percent of the respondents indicated that they had had problems with high groundwater on their property, e.g., water seepage in the basement, portions of lot submerged, improper drainage, etc. Of these, three out of four stated that it was a seasonal problem which took place only after periods of heavy rainfall or rapid melting of ~now in spring or �91 early summer. Nearly all of those with a high water problem claimed that they were unaware of the existence of the problem prior to moving to their home. Although some respondents in every part of the Township indicated the presence of high groundwater problems on their property, this condition was most widespread in the northeast and least felt in the southeast. About the same number of respondents from the northwest and southwest indicated high water table problems. The severity of the problem did not- differ much by .area- except .. that in the southwestern quadrant, three . out of four affected classified their problem as occurring continuously . through the year. Percent Total Percent respondents with high groundwater problem By Area of Residence NE SE SW NW 46.1 50.0 79.2 16.4 51.3 infrequently 24.7 29.4 24.4 33.3 17.4 seasonally 72.2 70.6 73.4 66.7 65.2 Frequency of high groundwater problem continuously 3.1 2.2 17 .4 Did respondent know about problem before moving to residence? yes 10.3 11.8 13.3 8.3 4.4 no 89.7 88.2 86.7 91. 7 95.6 Table 19 Extent of the High Groundwater Problem The problem seems to affect people living outside of subdivisions more than subdivision residents, although the difference is not great. However, �92 only 25 percent of the respondents who lived in homes built by a developer were affected. The size of the homeowner's lot does not seem to have an effect on its susceptibility to the problem. A majority of participants judged drainage to be "very important" in the section of the survey concerning community services and facilities. This attitude was most often expressed by respondents from the northeast section of Laketon, followed by those from the southwest, northwest, and southeast areas. This attitude pattern was repeated with respect to drainage adequacy. The majority of respondents from the northeast judged existing drainage to .be wholly . inadequate-, but only 16 ~.p-ercent-.o.f . : . . the respondents in the southeast felt that strongly. A majority of respon~ dents in all areas agreed that drainage was generally inadequate. Adequacy of Drainage Facilities Very adequate Percent Total By Area of Residence NW NE 2.7 SE SW 4.5 2.7 Adequate 15.4 11.5 8.3 21.0 18.9 Don't know or no connnent 27.5 30.8 22.9 34.2 13.6 Inadequate 29.1 38.5 29.2 23.9 35.1 Wholly inadequate 25.3 19.2 39.6 16.4 29.7 2.1 4.5 5.4 Satisfaction with Drainage Facilities Very satisfied 3.8 Satisfied 14.8 19.2 10.4 16.4 16.2 Don't know or no comment 31.4 30.8 20.8 38.8 27.1 Not satisfied 29.1 23.l 37.5 26.9 29.7 Greatly dissatisfied 20.9 26.9 29.2 13.4 21.6 Table 20 Respondent Attitudes Toward Existing Drainage Facilities �93 In regard to sewerage, most of the respondents rated sewer provision to be "important" or "very important". Half of the respondents also felt that existing sewerage conditions were either inadequate or wholly inadequate, and over one-third said they were dissatisfied with current sewer provision. Adequacy of Sewerage Facilities Very adequate Percent By Area of Residence _T_o_t_a_l_ _NW _ _ _N_E___S_E___SW_ 4.4 2.1 6.0 8.1 Adequate 14.8 3.8 14.6 16.4 21.6 Don !..t Jcnow -or no comment _ 46.-2 31.3 29.8 21.] _ Inadequate - 32.4 19 .-8 26.9 - 20:g --~ 19;4 : 16:2 Wholly inadequate 28.6 23.l 31.2 28.4 32.4 4.4 3.8 2.1 4.5 8.1 Satisfied 13.2 11. 5 14. 6 14. 9 10.8 Don't know or no comment 40.1 50.l 31.2 43.3 32.5 Not satisfied 22.5 23.l 27.l 19.4 24.3 Greatly dissatisfied 19.8 11.5 25.0 17.9 24.3 Satisfaction with Sewerage Very satisfied Table 21 Respondent Attitudes Toward Existing Sewerage Conditions As shown in Table 22, survey participants felt that the responsibility for solving problems associated with the high water table should be borne by the county, township government, or a combination of the two. Only a small minority felt that the property owner or the developer should bear the responsibility. When questioned in greater detail about the responsibilities and costs of drainage provision, most agreed that all parties in ~he development process (property owner, developer, township government, county government) �94 should share responsibilities and costs in some manner. Typically, those most affected by the problem tended to emphasize governmental responsibility and those least affected wanted more of the responsibility in private hands. Nearly 80 percent of those who advocated developer responsibility came from the southeastern section of Laketon, yet half admitted that they knew of the problem before moving inr. o their homes. In general, however, the notion of shared cost and shared respon- sibility for alleviating the high water table problem was supported by all groups. Does respondent· WHO · IS ·RESPONSIBLE? have a high ground~ Property County~. Combination Township water problem? of these Developer Government Government Owner Yes 4.8 2.4 23.8 30.9 29.8 No 16.3 16.3 11.2 27.5 24.1 Table 22 Respondent Attitudes Toward Responsibility for Solving High Groundwater Problems Finally, the problems associated with the high groundwater table has not affected general attitudes toward living in Laketon Township. However, of the few who stated that they disliked living in the community, nearly all had a groundwater problem. On the other hand, of those who liked living in Laketon, as many as 43 percent had a similar problem. �95 ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMMUNITY SERVICES This section of the survey covered a list of 24 community facilities and services. Respondents were asked to rate each on a scale of one to five in terms of importance, adequacy, and satisfaction. A rating of "l" indicated a high level and a rating of "5" indicated a low level of importance, adequacy, and satisfaction. In general, respondents seemed satisfied with existing types and levels �96 of services and facilities in Laketon. For example, the facilities and services felt to be "very important" by a majority of respondents were neighborhood appearance, the child-raising environment, quality of public schools, drainage, sewer facilities, water supply, administration and management of the Township, and police and fire protection. All of these were judged to be adequate, with corresponding levels of satisfaction, except drainage and sewer facilities. Opinions were split regarding the adequacy and levels of satisfaction with police and fire protection in Laketon. Attitudes toward -community services and facilities did not vary significantly by respondent occupation. Higher educational attainment seemed to be related to lower ratings of service adequacy and greater dissatisfaction with existing facilities. This tendency may be associated with rising levels of expectation of college graduates. Community influentials were also more critical of the adequacy of existing services in the Township and displayed correspondingly low levels of satisfaction. Influentials were especially dissatisfied with existing parks and playgrounds, shopping facilities, road maintenance, and sewer facilities. On the other hand, community influentials showed slightly higher levels of satisfaction with the administration and management of the Township. Attitudes toward community services and facilities did vary somewhat by respondents' areas of residence. These differences are particularly important with respect to drainage and sewerage, as discussed in the preceding chapter. �7 97 IBPORTANCE SATISFACTION ADEQUACY . ... . .,. .•..,.,. ..,. .... ............,•. . ..• ... •,. ..,. ... .... ., ... -0 C: ~ -0 ..,C:. 0 0 ! C: ::, ::, ..,. ...• < -0 4.1 -52.l . u ....... CD .. "O . u • ....i:l 23. 7 10.3 54.l 16.0 9.8 C: -0 C: ::, "' -0 C: ::, Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds 75.2 10.3 Neighborhood Appearance 90.2 .s .5 70.1 10.8 7.2 66.5 13.4 5.2 Coamiunity Organhations 46.4 17 . 0 24.7 29.4 13.4 34.5 30.4 10.3 32,5 Religious Organizations 63.4 10.3 13.9 60.9 2.-6 15.5 59.3 1.0 14.9 Youth Organizations 65.5 3 . 6 15 • .5 34.5 14_9 28.9 33 . 5 10.8 28.9 Child-Raising Environment 83 • .5 . 2.0 63.4 62.0 · 13;9 63.4 7 .2 . 10.8 . Day Care Opportunities -- 21.7 30.4 6. 2 . .: 54 .-6 . • Quality of Public · Schools . 87.6 .5 Library Services 70.1 7.8 Doctors and Health Clinics 71.6 12.8 5.2 Shopping Facilities 79.9 7.3 Restaurants and Bars 43.8 Outdoor Recreation Facilities 5.2 36.l 11.3 10.3 53.4 11.3 66.0 9.8 11.3 61.8 12.9 9.8 11.9 34 • .5 25.8 20.6 ·34,5 18.6 23.2 3.5.6 32.5 13.4 37.7 27.3 12.4 4.6 40.2 40.2 4.1 41.3 36.l 3.6 36.6 10.3 47.0 18.6 12.4 49.5 17 . o 10.3 76.3 7.8 6.2 47.9 18.1 18.0 52.l 15.0 13.9 Indoor Recreation Facilities 56.2 16.5 18.0 27.8 27.8 26.3 29 . 4 23.2 27.3 Road Maintenance 88.7 1.5 1.5 45.4 37 .l 5.7 45.3 36.l 3.6 Street Lighting 76.8 10.3 4.1 46.9 28.8 7.7 47.5 26.2 8.2 Garbage Collection/Disposal 83.0 4.1 4.6 63.4 15.0 7.2 65.5 12.9 5.7 Public Transportation 28.9 41.8 19.1 14.4 28.8 29.4 18.S 22.2 30,9 Traffic Control and· Regulation 74.2 7.2 8.2 46.4 23.2 12.9 46.4 18:5 14.4 Police and !'ire Protection 90.7 .s 2.1 35.6 42.8 10.3 35.l 39.7 9.3 Administration and Management of Township 88.2 1.0 2.6 41.8 22.6 23. 7 40.2 23.2 19.6 Table 23 • u ! -0 -0 -0 -0 3.1 Respondent Attitudes Toward Community Services and Facilities �98 RECREATION: PARTICIPATION AND ATTITUDES Survey results suggest that Laketon residents take advantage of the various recreational opportunities in the Western Michigan Shoreline area. Popular recreational activities appear to be hiking, bicycling, camping, golfing, picnicking, snowmobiling, fishing, canoeing, swimming, hunting, and motorboating. Of these, hiking, biking, picnicking, snowmobiling and swimming usually took place within the Township. Participation in motorboating, �--, 99 fishing, and golfing usually took place somewhere else in Muskegon County. Almost all of the respondents visit Pioneer County Park and/or Muskegon State Park on an occasional or regular basis. It doesn't seem to matter where the respondent lives - although, predictably, residents in the southwest corner show the highest visitation rate of Muskegon State Park and participants from the northwest corner show slightly higher rates for Pioneer County Park. Location of Activity Frequency of Participation Type of Recreational Activity Table 24 Re~larly Sometimes usually in Laketon Never _ Township Usually in Muskegon County Usually Elsewhere Swimming 33.5 48.5 9.8 34.0 26.3 9.8 Fishing 32.5 37.l 17 .0 16.0 27.8 13.9 Golfing 25.8 19.1 40.7 l.l 35.l 5.2 Hunting 24.2 27.3 33.5 7.2 5.2 32.5 Motorboating 22.7 29.9 33.0 13.4 19.6 8.2 Snowmobiling 22.2 23.7 40.2 28.9 6.2 3.6 Bicycling 19.l 54.l 12.9 64.9 3.6 1.0 Camping 14.4 37.6 32.0 7.7 5.7 33.0 Motorbiking 11.3 12.9 56.2 10.3 6.7 4.6 Picnicking 10.3 67.0 8.8 32.5 25.3 11.9 Canoeing 6.2 37.6 38.l 6.7 11.3 19.6 Hiking 6.2 54.6 22.7 41.8 7.7 7.7 Sailing 5.7 16.5 57.2 6.7 9.3 4.1 Alpine Skiing 5.7 8.2 64.4 .5 13.4 Cross Country Skiing 3.1 8.8 66.5 1.5 3.1 5.7 Participation in Recreational Activities �100 Type of Vehicle Number of Vehicles Owned by Household 4+ 1 2 0 3 Automobile Van, Truck Camper Motorboat Sailboat Canoe, Rowboat Motorcycle Snowmobile 2.1 70.6 81.4 60.8 89.7 69.6 76.3 65.5 Table 25 43.8 28.9 18.0 36.6 9.8 26.8 16.0 19.6 40.7 8.2 4.6 .5 1.5 1.5 .5 1.0 2.1 3.1 5.2 11. 9 Motor/Recreational Vehicle Ownership Typically, in each survey household there was a car and at least one recreational vehicle. Nearly 30 percent indicated they own a van or truck, and 20 percent own some type of camper. Nearly one-fourth own one or more motorcycles, and a full third own at least one snowmobile. Finally, many of the respondents said that they own some type of boat, either a motorboat (40 percent), sailboat (ten percent), or canoe or rowboat (30 percent). Most respondents keep their boats in a garage during the off-season, but many keep them in the rear or side yard. Many keep their boats at home year round for the sake of convenience. Those living on the shore most often have moorings located on their property. Although Muskegon Lake is the most popular launching spot, a substantial number launch their boats in Beer Lake. �101 ATTITUDES TOWARD GROWTH An important section of the questionnaire dealt with attitudes toward the future development of Laketon. The vast majority of participants indi- cated they would like to see "guided growth" with the help of planning and zoning in the Township. A small percentage (13.0%) preferred "no more growth", but barely one percent felt that growth and development should be unrestricted. These attitudes were consistent among respondents regardless of length of residence or location of prior residence. - �102 When questioned on specific types of development, respondents showed a conservative attitude towards growth. Most wanted to see a continu- ation of the present pattern of single family residential development. However, nearly a quarter of the survey participants preferred a mix of single family houses with condominiums, townhomes, or garden apartment development. This alternative was strongly supported by community influentials (60%). When analyzed by respondent location, those from the northwest were most split with regard to residential development preferences. Twenty percent were against further residential growth - more than in any other area. Others preferred a continuation of present trends, but with a relatively large percentage supporting mixed residential development. Respondents from the southeast section of the Township were also amenable to mixed residential development. However, all areas showed preference for single family development. Approximately one-third of the respondents were against any kind of industrial development in the Township, but a substantial number would like to see research and development firms or other light industry locate in Laketon Township, and many more indicated that a mix of industry types would be acceptable. Despite these attitudes, the majority of respondents in three of the four areas of the Township preferred no industrial development. Only in the southwest, where one-fourth opposed industry, did a majority of respondents prefer some light industrial development. Most respondents felt that some commercial development in Laketon was desirable. Northwest area respondents appeared least enthusiastic about �103 development of complete commercial facilities, but one-fourth of those from the southeast and one-third from the southwest preferred this alternative. In no area did more than ten percent of the respondents feel a need for the development of restaurants, bars, or movie theaters in Laketon. In all areas except the northwest quadrant, survey respondents said they Publicly would like to see further development of parks and open space. owned recreational areas were much preferred over privately owned. Table 26 gives a complete breakdown of attitudes towards development by subarea and respondent totals. Area of Residence ~ -1. • No 20. 8 14. 9 13 . 5 78.0 1.0 69.2 7. 7 72.9 82.l 83.8 8.2 53.8 19.2 38.5 12.5 56.2 3.0 55.2 2.7 62.2 19.8 2. 7 26.9 3.8 10.4 25.4 3.0 16.2 5.4 29.7 1.1 14.3 23 .6 17 . 6 42.3 31.2 2.1 10.4 27.l 14.6 25.4 LS 19.4 17.9 20 . 9 24.3 13.4 10.4 26.9 6.0 11.9 19 . 4 21.6 2.7 32.4 10.8 2.7 21.6 7.7 15.4 23.l 16.2 35.l 10.8 17.6 8.2 23 . l 6.0 11.0 21.4 23.l 15.4 3.8 11.5 30 . 8 16. 7 6.2 20.8 4.2 16. 7 18.7 20 . 9 24 .2 42.3 3.8 16 .7 22.9 13.4 28.4 21.6 32.4 20.3 23.l 22.9 20 . 9 16 . 2 1.6 13.2 3.8 15.4 10.4 14.9 5.4 10.8 Recreational Development Preferences recreational developnent Parks and open space Publicly-owned beaches , marinas , golf courses, etc ~ Privately-owned beaches , 111&rinas , golf courses, etc . Combination of types Table 2G 15. 4 Coirmercial Development Preferences No commercial develop:nent Convenience shopping Complete shopping facilities Entertainment facilities MiJCed coucercial development Combination of types -5. 16. S Industrial Development Preferences No industrial development Heavy industrial manufacturing Research and Development Light industrial development Combination of types -4 . £ Residential Development Preferences NO residential development Continuation of present pattern Continuation of present pattern with some condominiums, townhouses, and apartment communities Combination of types -3. £ General Attitudes Toward Growth No more growth Guided Growth with the help of planning and zoning Unrestricted Growth -2. ! Respondent Attitudes Toward Various Development Types, By Area �104 During the design of the survey, it was suggested that one should not only ask what kind of development respondents preferred, but also ask them to think where such development should be located. For that pur- pose, a map of Laketon was included in the survey questionnaire and the respondents were asked to indicate where they would like to see new industrial, commercial and/or recreational development. Though the inclusion of a map with a request to "plan" for a stated preference is not connnon in survey research of this kind, 67 percent of the respondents participated in this mapping effort. All mapped responses were collated and the composite "peoples' plan" is shown on the next page. It shows considerable agreement with respect to the location of non-residential activities and provides useful suggestions for future land use planning. Crosstabulation showed that education and occupation had no noticeable impact on development attitudes. When attitudes were crosstabulated according to selected services and facilities, several relationships did emerge. Those who advocated "no more growth" tended to feel existing services and facilities in Laketon are adequate, most notably in the areas of shopping facilities, drainage, and sewerage. "Guided growth" supporters showed slightly higher levels of dissatisfaction with current Township management than no-growth advocates. Lastly, respondents were asked what they thought the Greater Muskegon Area would be like ten to twenty years from now. As shown in Table 27 nearly half felt that because of effective environmental management programs like the County Wastewater System, the area will have attracted numerous �. \J ~ i r r- 1d r. l r- r t_ Lake Michigan I i I' I L. 1 I' _ __ ____ ____ __ .J LOCATIONS FOR DEVE~ LAKETON ATTITUDE S l_ - RECREATION - COMMERCIAL - INDUSTRIAL Muskegon Lake �106 "clean" industries to become an industrial research and development center. A significant number also believed it would improve i ts nega- tive image and its environment to become a good area for new industrial investment in heavy manufacturing. "Alternative Futures" for the Greater Muskegon Area: Percent of Respondents -:.n Agreement: It will continue to grow at a slow pace as an industrial center with high chronic unemployment, a polluted environment, and having the image of a depressed, undesirable area. 13.4 It will have changed its current negative image and, though still an industrial area, it will have a greatly improved environment and the reputation of a good area for new industrial investment in heavy manufacturing. 32.5 It will be a bustling, year-around recreation, tourism and convention center. 17 . 5 It will be the connnercial--wholesale, retail and banking-center for the Lake Michigan shoreline counties from Allegan to Mason at the crossroads of U.S. 31 and an Interstate 96 extended from Muskegon by a modern, fast and frequent rail-truck-automobile-passenger ferry service to Milwaukee. 18.0 Because of effective environmental management programs like the County Wastewater System it will have attracted numerous "clean" industries to the area to become an industrial research and development center . 46 . 4 7.2 Other Table 27 Attitudes Toward the Future of the Muskegon Area �107 THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The formulation of a comprehensive development plan takes into account many aspects of the human and physical environment. In addition, it must be compatible with community role as it is defined by community goals, resident attitudes and perceptions. An understanding of these aspects is fundamental to the design of a meaningful plan. In Laketon Township, physical, economic and social analyses were con- �108 ducted as part of the reconnaissance and the community attitude survey discussed in Parts I and II of this report. A major conclusion of the reconnaissance was that Laketon's unique environmental amenities work to enhance the Township as a place in which to live. This finding was supported by resident responses to the attitude survey, indicating a high degree of concern for the maintenance of the natural environment while simultaneously supporting further growth in the community. In rejecting the no-growth and unrestricted growth alternatives, the attitude survey made it clear that the only development alternative is guided growth within a framework of environmental management. The con- cept of "guided growth" simply means a managed allocation of physical resources and development in space over time. The space and time dimen- sions of growth are directed by principles in land economics, conservation and municipal finance. When applied to a particular geographic location, the concept takes on a third dimension--environment--to create a framework for planning. The economic, social and physical conditions of an area define the way in which planning unfolds within this framework. Laketon's outstanding physical characteristics provide the rationale for a guided growth development plan based on environmental management principles. Under such a plan, environmental conditions traditionally per- ceived as problems, e.g . , the high groundwater table conditions, become opportunities which facilitate high quality development. Not only is the environment protected, but it may actually be enhanced through appropriate development measures. By following a plan for incorporating inventive environmental management, the Township can create a setting in which abun- �109 dant natural amenity, large tracts of open land, a high water table and new physical development can coexist peacefully and productively. This approach is consistent'lri.thand supported by the attitudes of large segments of Laketon's population. In the attitude survey, the attractive natural environment was the highest scoring reason for respondents liking living in Laketon. Similarly, the natural amenities of Laketon were among the three most often cited reasons for moving there. Laketon's environmental system could be managed in two ways to achieve this end. One approach views the existing environment and its charac- teristics as constraints and uses traditional development controls such as zoning to guide growth. The environment is protected with its domi- nant characteristics preserved under this approach. The second approach interprets the environment and its characteristics as opportunities and develops innovative approaches to the utilization of environmental resources. Under an innovative approach, the environ- ment is not only preserved but is also enhanced as a result of more effective resource utilization. Though tradition and innovation are seemingly at the opposite ends of any set of alternatives, it is proposed here that a plan can be designed that accommodates both. The difference between the alternatives in essence becomes one of interpretation, timing and administration. They become linked by common elements of equal importance to both alternatives . Diagrammatically, this is expressed in Figure 16 on the following page. �I"' Environment ' Traditional Management ' Innovative Management / Ii\ ' / Plan ---:3 Common Elements \/ Attitudes Figure 16 / The Plan Design Framework It follows that the plan identifies those elements which are basic to the environment and expressive of resident goals and expectations. In the case of Laketon, attention to the following concerns would meet these requirements: a. the identification of distinctions in environmental amenity; b. the recognition of floodplain and high water table constraints and concomitant drainage requirements; c. the need for sewerage; d. the need for improved access and concomitant traffic requirements; e. the need for improved commercial and recreational services; f. the desire for quality residential development enhanced by and compatible with Laketon's environment; and g. the need to enhance Laketon's tax base. The plan elements described in the following sections suggest a set of responses to each of the above issues. The natural amenity inherent in the physical environment, and its importance to Laketon residents, has provided the framework for each plan element. This links each set of recommendations to principles derived from concepts of environmental management. The specific proposals have been designed accordingly. �111 THE ENVIRONMENTAL ZONES Laketon has an outstanding natural environment enhanced by abundant open space, vegetation and water resources. Detailed analysis of this environ- ment suggests that although most of these common characteristics are found throughout the Township, certain physical distinctions are present and should be recognized by establishing districts for policy purposes. environmental districts can be grouped into two major categories: shorelands and Laketon's interior lands. These the ~ �112 THE SHORELANDS Laketon's extensive shorelines are a great resource for the coDllllunity. However, the unique problems and opportunities associated with shoreline development require special attention. This was recognized in Muskegon County's shorelands study which identified 18 policy zones for the County on the basis of differences in environmental characteri stics, the extent of development and the nature of private and governmental jurisdiction. 6 Three of the identified zones are in Laketon Township (see Map 15 on the following page): 1. The Laketon Bluff and Dunes Zone This shorelands district contains the Ganges-type bluffs along Lake Michigan in the northern half of the Township and the several layers of rolling dunes in the southern half, including Muskegon State Park. The management objective in this district should be the preservation of the current development characteristics in the bluff section and conservation of primary windward dunes in their natural state in the dunes section. Strict regulations will be designed to support the proper management of this critical environmental resource. The type of restric- tions appropriate for the bluffs were described in the county shorelands policies plan . Non-residential uses would be prohibited, except for a service commercial node described later in this report. 6 New residential Leo Jakobson, A Shorelands Policies Plan: Recommended Policies. Report No. 1, Muskegon County Shorelands Study, Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin, December, 1971, p. 63. �·- ·-·-·-, i i ! I i i i V, w z: ,J ·.; ~ .:.'--r. :, /. ~g": ·.p .:J:_ y .· 0 N u>- ..... 0 Cl•.' V, (/) cC _J w et::: 0 :::i:::: V, w :i:: t-- I ~ 2 a.. z: i ::i::: _J Cl ~ z<{ Q :i: z ~ ~ z 0 I- w ~ <{ _J 11"1 ..... Cl. Cll ~ ~ �114 development would be restricted to one acre lots with a minimum shore frontage of 100 feet. Regulation of development in the dunes should differ for primary and secondary dunes. For example, the county's plan for the Urban Dunes Area differentiated five dunes areas with specific development· controls appropriate to each. 7 In Laketon, development should be prohibited on the windward slopes of the primary dunes in which beach grass and other vegetation exists or could be encouraged. nated as arboretum-type shoreline parks. These areas could be desigDevelopment would be restricted to secondary leeward dunes for low density residential cluster development. • Such development should be designed so as to preserve the natural plant cover holding the sand . Wherever possible buildings should be fitted to the land and placed so as to minimize all sitework. Where grading is necessary, contours should be shaped insofar as possible to merge with existing terrain. and sharp corners should be avoided. Steep banks Care should be taken to determine the direction of groundwater runoff and to disperse it. Where intensive runoff is unavoidable, crushed stone, flagstone or other means should be employed to prevent erosion. Building designs which are least disturbing to the natural environment, such as platform houses, should be encouraged. 2. The Muskegon Lake Residence District The Muskegon Lake Residence District includes all property south of • Scenic Drive and M-213 from Muskegon State Park to Bear Lake Channel . 7 Greenbie, Barry and Leo Jakobson, General Plan for the Urban Dunes Area. Report No. 2, Muskegon County Shorelands Study, Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin, September, 1969, pp. 9-12. �115 Currently this area is primarily residential with some commercial establishments near Muskegon State Park. An opportunity exists for additional recreation and service development in this vicinity; proposals for this type of commercial development will be discussed briefly in the following section and in greater detail later in this report. The remainder of property within this district should be maintained as residential, subject to appropriate zoning and building regulations. Such regulations are discussed in the Muskegon Lake Study Report and at the end of the section on the Bear Lake Residence Zone. 3. 8 The Bear Lake Residence District The Bear Lake Residence District is comprised of the southern section of the Township oriented to Bear Lake. The western part of the district is bound by Bear Lake Road to its intersection with Fenner Road, including the large tracts of un-subdivided land south and east of that intersection. It includes all waterfront and some adjoining water-oriented pro- perties between the Fenner Road-Bear Lake Road intersection and Witham Road. In addition, it extends inland to include waterfront properties along the "finger" tributary in Bear Lake Subdivision. The principal development guidance objective is preservation of the current residential character and proper management of the shore. This objective is to be attained through the enforcement of district-specific zoning and building regulations and the encouragement of appropriate property management on the part of homeowners. 8 Leo Jakobson, et.al., Muskegon Lake: A Study of Opportunities, Muskegon, Michigan: West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, June, 1974 . �116 Non-residential uses will be prohibited in both districts, except for a commercial service node in the Muskegon Lake District. This commercial development should be designed so as to have minimal impact on the natural environment, and will be subject to regulations which are modified from the controls on residential development. New residential development in both zones should be limited to sites providing a minimum lot width of 80 feet. Clustered development and the construction of community piers and boat-docking facilities should be encouraged. All buildings should be elevated at least two feet above the experienced high water mark. Water-related structures will be permitted provided they are constructed of materials and are of such height and color so as not to detract from the natural beauty of the shoreline. Preservation of the natural shore cover along navigable waters is necessary to protect scenic beauty, control erosion and reduce run-off from the shore. Filling, dredging, grading or lagooning which would result in a substantial detriment to navigable waters due to erosion, sedimentation or impairment of fish and aquatic life will also be prohibited. THE INTERIOR AREA As shown on Map 16 on the next page, the interior area of Laketon Township is characterized by two distinct development patterns which provide the basis for dividing the Township into two environmental districts. East of Buys Road an extensive pattern of single family subdivision development prevails; thus this area has been designated as an intensive subdivision district. The western half of the Township is proposed to remain a low density residential and recreation district comprised of large lot resi- �117 o::E: :zw c::rlV') V') LLJ>- :z V') 0 NW u _Jc::r c::r C. I- V') E5:z ::E: w :z 0.. 00 :=:o >W :z V') WO - ' ■ C. WO :z:: 0::: 1-C. ....'° 0. Cll l: �118 dential development and public and private recreation facilities. The two districts are bisected by Green Creek, which forms the spine of a sixth environmental district: a two-level open space system. The first level of this open space system includes the Green Creek floodplain and adjacent severe groundwater hazard areas. This estab- lishes a north-south linear open space with branches to the east (including Mullally Field) and to the southwest via a tributary which branches off from Green Creek to Bear Lake. To the west from this spine an open space corridor is proposed from Green Creek to Pioneer County Park through the severe groundwater hazard and marsh areas located there. This environmentally-determined open space system is augmented by a second level of open space comprised of existing public recreation areas. The proposed open space system serves several objectives: (1) it is designed as a partial response to floodplain and high water constraints and the need to protect natural drainage courses; (2) it organizes the Township into coherent development policy and growth management zones; (3) it provides recreation and open space; and (4) it enhances liveability and the aesthetic qualities of the Township. All subsequent plan elements are based on or have been derived from these formalized distinctions in environmental amenity. It is proposed that these environmental management districts will be recognized in the forthcoming revisions to the zoning ordinance. The ordinance will incorporate provisions designed specifically for these districts, including different �. 119 provisions for the Bear Lake, Muskegon Lake and the Lake Michigan Shoreland Districts. In addition, the environmental districts concept addresses the need for differentiated policy responses in areas in which the groundwater problem is of varying severity. HIGH WATER TABLE AND POOR DRAINAGE: FROM CONSTRAINT TO OPPORTUNITY As discussed in the preceding section, Laketon's natural physical charac- teristics provide the basis for a meaningful division of the Township into distinct environmental planning, development and growth management zones. However, because most residents perceive the high water table and poor drainage conditions as serious constraints upon development, it is necessary to review these issues in greater detail. 9 Although these conditions may be thought of as a major obstacle to development, they can also be transformed into a great opportunity for Laketon. First, high groundwater, floodplains and poor drainage provide a rationale for regulating development so that it occurs in an orderly fashion. Such regulation may take the form of traditional controls such as large lot zoning or a total ban on construction in severe hazard areas. A less traditional concept, based on the legal procedure of informed consent, may also be used, either alone or in conjunction with more traditional zoning controls. This concept has been explored in Discussion Paper #1. lO In this situation, the Township would undertake the responsibility of 9 For example, in response to questions about these issues in the Attitude Survey a majority of residents rated these conditions as "severe", clearly indicating their concern. "Opportunities for Development: Resident Attitudes", pp. 17-22. 10 "Construction and Drainage in Groundwater Hazard Areas", Discussion Paper #1, Laketon Planning Services Program, August 2, 1976 . ~ �120 informing land owners of the existence of a high water table, the risks and consequences of building under given conditions, and the availability of construction techniques which would guard against groundwater damage. This information would be made available when a landowner filed an application for a building permit. The applicant would then sign a statement indicating his awareness of the groundwater conditions. This affidavit would be recorded with the title to the property so as to provide notice to subsequent purchasers. Such methods, however, still basically accept the environmental conditions as negative constraints to development. An innovative approach based upon comprehensive water management could turn what is now perceived as a problem into an opportunity for high quality development and to augment Laketon's attractive environment. For example, a system of man-made lakes and canals could bring the groundwater conditions under control while providing an added element of attractiveness to the Township's landscape. The feasibility of this approach as well as other solutions to the groundwater problem are currently under study and may lead to proposals for experimental demonstration projects in the Township. �121 RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT The plan's reconunendations concerning residential development are contingent upon the development of traditional and innovative environmental management techniques . Initially, the groundwater hazard wil l be used as the principal determinant of future development. Using the constraints imposed by this hazard, distinct development categories have been defined. For example, in sewered areas and in areas with no �122 groundwater hazard, development will not be restricted except for a 12,000 square foot minimum lot size. Other areas, restricted by high water table levels and limited on-site disposal capacity, are restricted to a development density of one unit per acre. Finally, in areas desig- nated as severe hazard areas, no development will be permitted. In hazard areas, no building permits would be issued unless an affidavit of informed consent, as discussed in the preceding section, is filed by the developer. For some areas to the east of Green Creek, a two step approach to density is proposed. apply. Initially, in hazard areas, one acre minimum zoning will However, when public sewer becomes available, the one acre lot size restriction can be lifted and the area developed with 12,000 square foot minimum lots. Approved and recorded subdivisions would be excluded from these provisions. During work on the proposed plan and the zoning ordinance, a proposal for an innovative pilot project in comprehensive groundwater management was generated. Proposals for a first pilot project are currently being prepared and after further review by and consultation with water management experts, they will be submitted to the Planning Commission and Township Board. In addition to attempting to alleviate high water table constraints, the pilot project could be based upon energy conserving site planning principles and test the use of district heating and the harvesting of solar, wind and waste energy sources. If successful, developments which incorporated comprehensive groundwater and environmental management concepts could be exempted from the one acre minimum lot size to allow for �.;_\·r \..,_ r11 -~, ~- ' wW~~/,llf§_,U...61-"'~ :::::::UNRESTRICTED ,ff///, RESTRICTED - UNSEWERED :}f:f:W RESTRICTED - SEWERED _ ___ __ __ __ \ v\ i i i __ _j MuP•aon LIM ..... PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS N w LAKETON TOWNSHIP. Map 17 MICHIGAN , �124 higher densities. Due to the emphasis on environmental management principles for guiding residential development, the plan has . deviated from other traditions in residential land use planning. Thus it does not delineate and group residential areas into neighborhoods centered around an elementary school and neighborhood services such as shopping, parks, etc. The open space concepts discussed in the previous sections provide more than adequately for outdoor recreation opportunities in a generally low density suburban setting. The same applies to schools. If and when additional schools are needed in Laketon, they can be located adjacent to the open space system and/or the proposed service nodes, allowing for easy access from the surrounding residential areas. It should be pointed out that the emphasis on environmental management renders traditional population and growth projections obsolete. How- ever, growth beyond the limits of the environment's capacity begins to destroy the amenity base which generates this growth in the first place. For the purpose of Township management, some broad estimates are necessary to indicate the holding capacity of Laketon at full development based upon the residential development principles articulated in this plan. As can be seen in Table 28, under traditional development controls Laketon has the capacity to triple its population without impairing the quality of its residential environment. If current regional growth trends continue, it is unlikely that Laketon will reach its population holding capacity within the foreseeable future because the internal �125 Development Potential Under Traditional Development Controls Development Potential Under Innovative Development Controls Approximate Acreage Homes Persons Homes Persons Unrestricted (R-1) 1,875 4,690 14,500 4,690 14,500 RestrictedUnsewered (R-2) 4,225 3,400 10,500 6,800 17,000 875 700 2,200 2,200 6,800 6,975 8,790 27,200 13,690 38,300 Developed (1977)* 1,360 1,960 6,800 1,960 6,800 6,830 20,400 11,730 31,500 Residential Development Zones RestrictedSewered (R-3) TOTAL REMAINING CAPACITY** 5,616 * Consultant's estimate **Of this undeveloped acreage, about 20 percent is in the area to the east of Green Creek. Table 28 Laketon's Holding Capacity at Full Development migration which currently accounts for most of Laketon's growth cannot continue indefinitely. However, if in the near future the region is successful in its economic development efforts, Laketon's growth rates could accelerate. Under these conditions, Laketon could well begin to reach the limits of its population holding capacity by the tum of this century. If the innovative controls prove successful, the larger holding capacity would probably be filled in the same time span because a more attractive environment would likely contribute to an accelerated population growth rate. �126 COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT In planning a response to the need for commercial and recreational services, the consultant was guided by general commercial development principles which were applied to Laketon's particular situation. The Attitude Survey results indicate a great deal of dissatisfaction with existing coilll!lercial facilities in the Township. In addition, the ana- lysis of Township population characteristics suggests that demand �127 levels for commercial services will continue to increase in the future. The proposed plan offers a two-market response to the need for improved commercial services, with all commercial development located at strategic intersections on Laketon's periphery to relieve pressure and prevent . i n t h e i nterior . congestion areas o f t h e Towns h'ip. ll simple: The principle is in addition to meeting the local residential needs and demands for neighborhood and community level shopping, all commercial development also serves the tourist and recreation trade. Combining residen- tial service demands with the commercial service needs of the tourist strengthens the capacity of each node to provide 1) better and improved services; 2) a greater selection of merchandise; and 3) greater investment incentive. As with other plan components, all commercial develop- ment would be carried out in compliance with appropriate environmental management regulations. The principles and objectives of commercial development outlined above provide a rationale for the designation of two distinct levels of commercial activity in Laketon: two service commercial nodes and a major commercial district as shown on Map 18. THE SERVICE COMMERCIAL NODES Two sites are recommended for development as service commercial nodes 11 This concept was first presented in "A Transportation Corridor Study" developed for the City of Norton Shores in 1971, by Leo Jakobson, I . Katherine Benzinger and Hans K. Lingsom. Recommendations made by this study were very general in nature and geared primarily towards the commercial tourist trade. As applied to Laketon, the concept becomes more specific and the concept of a linear major commercial district has been added. �128 ·- ·--, I i i i i I V) I- u ex: I- V) z <t Q Cl :r _J ~ ct: u ex: w ::i::: ::l:: 0 u Cl w ~ ~.- :i: U) z ~ 0 a 0 !>:: V) a.. ex: a.. f'- w <t ..J co ..... 0.. <1' ;:;: �129 and are located in areas which link residential and recreational demands to create a market threshold for satisfactory service provision: 1) about 80 acres at the end of Giles Road south of Pioneer County Park on Scenic Drive; and 2) about 100 acres on Memorial Drive (M-213) at the foot of Peterson Road. road system. Both proposed nodes are located along the major peripheral Location along these major scenic routes enhances invest- ment opportunities for the commercial real estate developer. Appropriate businesses in these areas might include vacation motels, lakefront restaurants and marina facilities, as well as smaller establishments such as gift shops, bait and tackle shops. Local needs would be serviced by a grocery, drug store with a soda fountain, and a service station . All of these commercial activities would strengthen Laketon's tax base. It is important to note that both proposed service commercial nodes are located in designated environmentally sensitive shorelands districts as described earlier in this report. Zoning for these nodes would there- fore have to be consistent with all shorelands development requirements primarily designed to minimize disruption of the natural environment. MAJOR COMMERCIAL AREA A major commercial area of approximately 375 acres is recommended as an extension and expansion of the strip commercial development along the west side of Whitehall and Witham Roads. This second level of proposed commercial development is also located on the periphery of the Township and serves regional as well as local commercial demands. Along Whitehall Road, Laketon's eastern boundary forms a segment of the employment activity corridor linking the cities of Whitehall and Muskegon. Commercial �130 development along the corridor is supported by a regional market drawing on cities and townships in the northern and eastern areas of the Muskegon region. Existing land use patterns, growing demands for improved commer- cial services, installation of sewers in this area, and increasing levels of local traffic all support expanded commercial development along this route. The plan recommends that natural expansion of the Whitehall commercial strip be continued, subject to appropriate zoning regulations. In addition to expanded commercial development along the frontage of Whitehall and Witham Roads, most of the proposed acreage is at the intersection of Whitehall and River Roads. This area, adjacent to the northern end of the Whitehall commercial strip, is suitable for mixed commercial development based on several factors. First, its location at a major intersection with nearby large tracts of sewered undeveloped land is attractive to commercial development. Secondly, the suggested location is proximate to compatible land use activities (e.g., Fison's new manufactu~ ring plant in the Giles Road Industrial Park and the Whitehall Road Commercial Corridor). Commercial development here would support and be supported by these activities. Thirdly, River Road's link to U.S. 31 provides good transport access to the regional freeway system. Lastly, much of the property is held in relatively large parcels ranging in area from two to 59 acres. Although the area also includes small tracts, the Cooper's subdivision access from Whitehall and River Roads to the larger rear parcels can be easily accomplished, opening up the opportunity for shopping center development. In the interior of the Township, no commercial land designations are �131 recommended at this time. In the future, in particular in conjunction with planned unit developments, small neighborhood commercial establishments could and should be permitted. It is safe to assume that if neigh- borhood centers were to be shown on the land use plan and mapped on the zoning map, only premature marginal development would take place. Such development can, at a later stage, easily stand in the way of better and more effective businesses. This is one of .the main reasons why the plan does not include neighborhood commercial centers. �132 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT Laketon's opportunities to increase its property tax base in future years is limited by location and by specific environmental considerations. As previously discussed, some opportunity does exist for attracting taxable commercial development along Whitehall Road and at the Whitehall/River Road intersection. This location, enhanced by River Road's access to U.S. 31, provides a direct transportation link for delivery and shipment �133 /"'- of goods in and out of the northern half of the Township. This link may also create potential for limited industrial development to augment Laketon's tax base. The Master Plan does not provide for major industrial development in Laketon. However, it is suggested that limited industrial development (e.g., low nuisance, high technology industry not disruptive of the environment) be permitted in the area of the Township north of Giles Road and east of Scenic Drive. This recommendation is based upon envi- ronmental suitability as well as social acceptability. In the Laketon Attitude Survey, 70 percent of the respondents indicated that they would like to see some type of industrial development in Laketon. In addition, most of those who indicated an industrial location preference by mapping indicated they would most like to see development occur in the area north of Giles Road. Such development would only be permitted within the context of a planned unit development ordinance incorporated into the revised zoning code. Under the planned unit development concept, industry would be provided for as a "floating industrial zone", i.e., industry would not be zoned to specific properties but could .locate anywhere in the reconnnended area subject to 1) differentiation according to type (high or low technology); 2) performance and design criteria; and 3) general area restrictions. Thus specialized industry would be allowed to locate in Laketon only upon Township approval of industrial development plans subject to appropriate restrictions and the above criteria. �134 THE TRAFFIC PLAN In the main, Laketon's road system still meets current Township needs for safe and convenient traffic routes. However, as a result of the earlier growth patterns in the community, Laketon has developed new subdivisions and neighborhood access roads have been incrementally added to the basic rural road grid, which was not intended to handle today's higher intensity land uses. Therefore, as described earlier, some points of conflict and �135 congestion have emerged. The proposed two-level road system, as shown on Map 18, consisting of major and secondary roads, will alleviate present conditions and improve circulation with minimum modification of the existing network. The system, associated with Laketon's identified environmental districts, will facilitate access to already developed areas and enhance opportunities for new development. THE MAJOR ROAD SYSTEM According to the plan> Lakton's major road system will comprise a circumferential route around the periphery of the Township, augmented by two major internal roads. The outer system includes Whitehall Road as its eastern segment, with River Road, Scenic Drive and Memorial Drive completing the circuit. . 12 drive. Each has been recommended to be designated a scenic The use of River Road should be encouraged as the primary link to Whitehall Road for southbound traffic from Scenic Drive and Fruitland Township access roads. The use of Giles Road as a thoroughfare would thereby be discouraged and some internal conflict relieved. These circumferential roads would be linked by two major internal roads as the primary arterials for movement in and out of Laketon. The first of these, running east/west, is Giles Road between Scenic Drive and Buys Road. The second is Buys Road from Bear Lake to Giles Road, from where it would be diverted along a new right-of-way in a northwesterly direction 12 This recommendation originates in the Muskegon County Shorelands Study. Recommended Policies, Op. Cit. �136 ~ $~ "-::,_ I ,,,/ ' ~ i ~ I ~ \ ·- ·-·7 l i i i i I 1 i i t ·__ I _ L' i _; · ·! L w I- z V') ~ I a ~ V') >- <C u 0 a: a: 0 'J <C L a w V') 0 ci. 0 a: ci. a.: :i: (f) z ~ I- z ~ w ~ ....J -°' C. ~ ;.::: �137 following the Green Creek open space system. The new road would link Buys Road to Whitehall Road at a point approximately mid-way between River Road and Giles Road (shown as a dashed line segment on Map 18). The proposed diversion would serve two main functions. First, it would reduce traffic on the segment of Giles Road which lies between Buys Road and Whitehall Road. The current use of Giles Road as a major thoroughfare conflicts with the residential character of adjacent neighborhoods and poses a potential danger to children living and going to school in the area. Secondly, the proposed road would provide access from interior parts of the Township to the proposed major commercial development at Whitehall and River Roads. It should be noted that the Buys Road-Whitehall Road link is the only new road recommended in the plan. constructed immediately. However, it would not have to be At this time, Buys Road provides adequate access to River Road (a designated major through street) and thus to Whitehall Road. However, internal congestion will increase as a result of continued residential growth. Also, as commercial development expands along Whitehall Road and at the Whitehall-River Road intersection, more traffic will be pulled to the northeast section of the Township. It is estimated that the proposed link completing the major road system should be constructed at the time the first major commercial development occurs in that area. THE SECONDARY ROAD SYSTEM The second level in the proposed traffic system is comprised of existing roads to be designated "collector" streets. No new read construction is �138 necessary at this level. The existing streets would receive their new designations through identification as collector streets on the official Township map. Controls would be instituted to effectively implement these designations. For example, strategic placement of stop signs along existing thoroughfares can facilitate desired changes in street utilization patterns. Using this technique, a heavily travelled road segment such as Giles Road between Buys and Whitehall Roads could be changed to a collector street used primarily for ingress and egress by residents in adjacent neighborhoods. The recommended north/south collector streets are Benjamin Road, Peterson Road, Green Creek Road, the southern part of Horton Road up to Giles Road, Bear Lake Road, and Auble Road between Dykstra Road and the proposed new primary road linking Buys Road to Whitehall Road. Streets designated as east/west collectors are Fenner Road, Dykstra Road and Giles Road between Auble and Buys Roads. As shown, the plan for traffic in Laketon is simple and based on maximum utilization of the existing road system. In this manner, expensive and extensive new road construction will not be required. For the most part, the objectives of the plan can be accomplished by designation and by utilization of simple, inexpensive traffic control techniques: stop signs, speed control, directional signs, channelization, parking control and, later on, signalization at a time when traffic volumes warrant such measures. From time to time, certain major improvements in the designated street �139 system will be needed. For example, at some point sections of the primary road system may have to be widened to four lanes. Some of the secondary roads may require the installation of curbs and gutters and, possibly a stretch of sidewalk in areas of heavy pedestrian movement. There is one emerging rapidly growing need for public traffic improvement, however. This is the need to develop a safe and attractive system of bicycle paths through the Township to serve three purposes. First, to acconnnodate the youngsters who use their bicycles for school transportation. Second, to facilitate home to work bicycle travel for the growing number of adults who find in bicycling to work a combination of energy saving and health promotion. Third, to allow for multipurpose year-round recreation in the form of bike-hike-ski trails. Because of these recreational opportunities, the details of this proposal are presented in the recreation section of the plan. i �140 UTILITIES DEVELOPMENT The provision of sewer and water service is an important task which has already received attention from Muskegon County and the Laketon Township Board. It requires a response, based largely upon existing environmental conditions, which will address the needs of Laketon's present population and which will facilitate the realization of the desired pattern of future development. The main objective of the fol- �141 lowing discussion is to link the County's "201" sewer program to the land use proposals of this plan. The recotmnendations discussed in this section are based on several assumptions regarding public sewer provision. The basic assumption is that public sewer is not an absolute prerequisite to maintaining a high quality environment. In some cases, inappropriate extension of public sewer may actually result in the destruction of environmental amenity rather than in its enhancement. Additionally, sewer provision is an expensive undertaking in terms of construction and maintenance costs, as well as in terms of the undetermined costs of inconvenience incurred during installation. Finally, as methods for on-site waste disposal improve, the physical (i.e., soil-related) need for public sewer may decrease in some areas. A second assumption relates directly to the development guidance plan for Laketon. Extension of sewer lines to areas which are presently undeveloped would remove one of the physical constraints mandating environmental management as the predominant factor in Township development. In Laketon, the interrelationships among the environmental con- straints and the design of complementary reconnnendations of the plan are keys to environmental quality. Therefore, the elimination of one environmental constraint, such as waste disposal, can undermine the effectiveness of the entire plan. Finally, the rapid development and premature subdivision which may result from servicing raw land increases the need for additional costly services �142 and facilities such as schools, water supply and road maintenance. These assumptions have been used as a guide to define three criteria as the rationale for developing a sewer plan for Laketon. concerns the intensity of residential development. The first Areas in which intense subdivision has already occurred receive priority for sewer provision in the plan. The second criterion relates to soil conditions, particularly the capacity of different soil types found in the Township to absorb waste. Areas in which the underlying soils will not absorb waste have also been given priority to receive public sewer facilities. The third principle concerns point sources of waste, such as commercial or industrial establishments, which must have access to public sewer. Major commercial or industrial development may only be located in areas serviced by public sewer lines. Based upon the framework outlined above, the basic policy objective is that public sewer be provided primarily as a remedy for existing problems, rather than as a means by which future development is encouraged. Consistent with this objective and with the objectives of other plan components, it is recommended that no sewer lines be extended west of Green Creek except along Muskegon Lake. During the initial phase of the sewer provision plan, service would be provided only to existing development in the heavily subdivided eastern section of the Township where development intensity has reached critical levels in terms of the amount of waste produced and the capacity of the soil to absorb it. This "Phase l" sewer district would lie between Whitehall Road and the eastern-most edge of the proposed open space corridor. �143 -- -- ·-·-, i i i ! I i i 0::: 1..1..J ~ c:x:: 3 0 z: z <i <.? j: u ~ c:x:: a.: 0::: Cf) 1..1..J 3 1..1..J (./') 0 :i: z ~ ~ c.. z ~ UJ 0::: <i 1..1..J (./') 0 0 c.. ~ ...J 0 N 0.. co ~ ,, �144 It would include several large tracts of open land located in the southwest corner of the Whitehall/River Road intersection, thus improving their suitability for connnercial development. It is strongly recommended that any sewer provision subsequent to Phase 1 be contingent upon the emergence of increased development pr-ssures. Even in the event that such pressure develops, service would be extended no farther west than the eastern boundary of the Green Creek floodplain. Development in the extended sewer districts would also be restricted by groundwater conditions and floodplain development regulations. Sewer installation is prohibitively expensive in low density population areas such as those west of Green Creek. Therefore any development in this large-lot environmental district would be serviced by appropriate on-site waste disposal systems. Lot sizes would be determined on the basis of the capacity of the soil to support septic systems. Higher density or cluster-type development in the western half of Laketon would depend on "package" treatment facilities located on the development parcel. On-site waste disposal technology is advancing rapidly, making this approach increasingly attractive. The rationale and recommendations for sewer provision outlined above are currently being applied in the "201" sewer program developed by Muskegon County. The total cost of the original County plan has been estimated at $7.8 million, of which state and federal government would contribute some part. As mentioned previously, Phase 1 of the County plan would entail servicing the eastern subdivisions in the Township. As originally designed it would also have included the Bear Lake and Muskegon �145 Lake Residence Districts. However, project engineers have calculated that the additional expense incurred by extending sewer to these less intensely developed districts would raise the cost per hook-up for all residents in Phase 1 by $600-$700, placing a disproportionate financial burden on these homeowners. To prevent this situation from occurring, the Laketon Township Board has proposed breaking down Muskegon County's plan into three sub-phases. The first sub-phase would sewer that part of Laketon north of Dykstra Road and west to the Junior High School and Northland Park Subdivision. Extension of lines to the second area, Bear Lake Meadows, and to area three, the southwest section of Laketon along Memorial Drive to Muskegon State Park, would be postponed until population pressures increased so as to substantially decrease the cost of sewer service on a per residence basis. The County "201" plan as modified by the Township Board is currently under public discussion in Laketon. If approved, construction of sewer lines in phase 1 could begin in the spring of 1978 at a cost of approximately $2,200 per tap. The basic premises of the modified "201" sewer program are consistent with the principles and objectives of the consultant's sewerage recommendations. The County Plan also complements other elements in the environ- mental approach, particularly with respect to its recognition of distinct environmental districts and the overall policy goal of treating sewer service as a remedial measure rather than as a tool to encourage develop- ment. A piped water distribution system is also currently under discussion. �146 Though the provision of sewerage to the most densely populated areas of the Township will lessen the danger to wells from dense septic tank development, water quality in these wells should be continuously monitored. It is, however, quite likely that public water will become a necessity in the near future in the eastern half of the Township. The Township should take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the construction of a new metropolitan water trunk line in the Whitehall Road corridor. From that trunk line the Township can obtain all its water needs and extend local service as needed. �- .... . ... -:-:.. .. -. ...... . . . . I, . . . ' • l ~ •cl.•• v;- • .... .,.._ r •1•i, ,_ ,, ~,. L. ■ . .. --, ■- . I t ·:· . - ·- ' <l . _ -' - ■.I _,,.,..-!' =II'..... -'i~ -~ . ..,:,.lilta;,il, ·.' ,!-.:. ::.■"' ,I r • .. •., - t._• ~ . ' .... , - .... . .....,,, •Jfr. -, ' ,.! ' .. .,._I:,. ■ -• j .... , ..... ; I - : ...: ·-~ . r. ■ ■ . .... .A I '.I• �147 PURPOSE AND DESIGN Upon completion of the information and attitude gatheringphasesand the analysis of the various plan elements, a Concept Sketch was presented to the Township Board and Planning Commission. According to the design of the planning program, the Concept Sketch and the supporting documentation was distributed to the 33 identified community influentials in an attempt to elicit an exchange of opinions and attitudes instrumental to �148 the development of a plan for the Township which would enjoy broadbased support. A structured questionnaire was designed to measure the degree of acceptance of the plan as it had been presented. The statements on the ques- tionnaire were derived from three documents: "Opportunities for Development: A Reconnaissance", "Opportunities for Development: Resident Attitudes" and "Growth Management: A Concept Sketch". The survey questions referred to the reports requiring the respondent to read them while completing the questionnaire. The statements on the questionnaire were grouped into three major sections. Section I consisted of questions designed to measure agreement with the findings of the Reconnaissance Report. Three measures were used: one asked whether or not the respondent saw certain trends and characteristics in the Muskegon area; the degree of importance he felt they had for the region; and whether they were important now or were likely to become important in the future. Section II sought to measure respondents' interpretation of the results of the Resident Attitude Survey. They were asked to agree or disagree with the consultant's identification of three basic mandates for Laketon's planning program and, on the basis of resident attitudes on certain issues, to support these determinations. The statements in Section III measured agreement or disagreement with the proposed plan as outlined in the concept sketch. The first question in this section was designed to establish the rationale for the plan; the �149 remaining questions focused upon its various components. The returns from this survey were expected to provide an indication of the degree of acceptance or non-acceptance of the plan and each of its components. Upon review of the results, modifications were to be made in the plan to reflect respondent opinions, and a second survey was to be conducted in order to achieve full agreement on the plan, its underlying principles, and its proposals. Of 33 questionnaires mailed in early June of 1977, 19 completed returns were obtained. Three individuals asked that their names be removed from the influentials list and two others declined to respond because of time • constraints. For the purpose of identifying major areas of agreement and/or disagreement, the return rate is satisfactory. In fact, the de- gree of agreement obtained in this survey renderedasecond survey round unnecessary. The next section describes the results and highlights the unanimity of the response. �150 SURVEY RESULTS As can be seen from the tabulation of survey results on the pages to follow, there is general, and in many cases, unanimous agreement on the issues raised in the reconnaissance and on the consultant's interpretation of the results of the community attitude survey. The questions where some divergence of opinion occurs are related to economic issues, e.g., ques tions 4 and 8 and the complex problems of Muskegon's linear urban struc - • �151 ture (Question 9). However, even on these issues, a solid majority of respondents, 11, 11 and 13 out of 19, support the consultant's interpretations and conclusions. Social Trends !. AMERICAN SOCIETY HAS BECOME MORE HETEROGENEOUS, COMPLEX AND SOPHISTICATED. don't know ambivalent see trand Degree of Observation don't see it @] IT21 .J, I (go to question 02) ,..·m=J ""'ill"" important Degree of Importance unimportant now & in the future important now l3J Time Frame 2. will be important in the future RISING INCOME ANO EXPECTAT!Oll LEVELS HAVE LED MANY AHERICANS TO REASSESS THEIR DEF!NITIDN OF "QUALITY-OF-LIFE". don't know don't see it ambivalent see trend [Q] Degree of Observation I .J., (go to question 13) unimportanc important [QJ Degree of Importance unimportant 110w & i11 the future important now will be !1nportanc in the future IT] tlme Frame Econortic Trends 3. RECEUT U.S. TRENDS INDICATE fl TR,\NStTION FR01I /IN INDUSTRlflL (PP.UDUCTIONORIENTED) TO A SEflVICE-ORIWTED ECDflOf,1Y . dnn' t know ambiva]ent see trend don't se<? lt Degree of Observation ,. .,·:J (co to <1ucstJcn # '•) ambivalent important Degree of Importance G Ill unimportant now & in the important now Time Frame future [J [@ ------- -- unin1portant [u] will be important in the future [] �152 4. TIIE TRADITIONAL ECONOMY WAS PRIMARILY "L!rlEAR", I.E. ORIENTED TOHARDS PRODUCTION OF GOODS FOR EXPORT ANO PURCHASE WITH "OUTSIDE" DOLLARS . RECENT REGIONAL ECONOMIC TRENDS SUGGEST A NOTION OF CIRCULARITY IN THE ECONOMY, WHICH MEANS AN ECONOMY NOT TOTALLY DEPENDENT UPON ATTRACTING OUTSIDE DOLLARS INTO THE REGION. THUS GROWTH MAY BE RELATED TD STRENGTHENING TIIE INTERRELATIONSHIPS Al10NG DIFFERENT COf1PONEHTS OF THE REGIONAL ECONOMY (BUSINESS, MANUFACTURING & SERVICES), WHICH IN TURN INCREASES TH( NUMBER OF TIMES INFLOWING DOLLARS ARE SPENT AND RES!>ENT ,IITli!H THE REGION BEFORE BEING USED TO PURCHASE OUTSIDE GOODS AND SERVICES. aee tTend don't know ambivalent _____GJ don't see it [4J Degree of Observation _., ._, J; (go to question HS) don't know important DegTee of Importance l!QI import.int now Time FTame [] T unb,portant ambm::J [QJ unimportant now & in the future will be important in the future [Q] [] Geographic TTends s. WHILE TilE RATE OF URBANIZATION IS SLO\-/l l!C, METROPOLITAN AREAS CONTirlUE TO EXPAND INTO SPRAWLING REGIONS OF COl·iP LEX ACTIVITY WITH MANY CEriTERS SEPARATED BY LESS DENSELY DEVELOPED AREAS. see trend don't know ambivalent don't see it 4]._________.~ ;z;: Degree of Obse_rvation (go to question #6) don't know I important amb~::_J unim[i]tant important now unimportant now & 1n the Degree of Importance future Time Frame 6. will be impoTtanc in the future [] THE MIDDLE TO UPPER INCOME AMERICAN IS NO LONGER INTERESTED Ill "MASSPRODUCED SUBURBIA. RESIDEMTIAL AND NON-RESIDENTl.~L LOCATIOtlAL DECISIONS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING BASED UPOr, CONSIOERAT!Oil OF EIIV! RmiMENTAL AMENITY . AS A RESULT, THE FAnTHEST EDGES OF OUR METROPOLITAN AREAS - THE EXURBS ARE GRADUALLY BEING DEVELOPED. don't. know see trend don't see it ambivalent qJ Degree of Observation :i; w I (go to question #7) important i don't know ambival:J unimportant [oJ Degree of Importance important now Time Frame [a unimporta.nc now in the future & w [Q] Yill be important in the futur-e GJ �153 Geographic Choroctoristics 7. THE IIAJOR RESOURCE OF TIIE MEA JS TitE ENVl1'0lmENT. THEREFORE THE REG JO~ ltAS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR TOUR! ST-ATTRACTING RECREATIONAL OEVELOPMWT. agree Degree of Agremnent [ID don't know 11mbivalcnt disai;ree [] [] I .J., . . ,J i (go to question 18) important Degree of Importance [§) important now Time Frame 8. ~ amb{§jlent uaimporcant [] unimportant now & io che future w will be important in the future [i] AS SHOHH ON MAPS 1 AND 2 ON PAGE 28 THERE IS ALSO POTENTIAL FOR SUBSTAIITIAL ECON0:11C DEVELOPMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE NATIONAL EAST/WEST FLO\.l OF GOODS. agree Degree of Agrell1Dent don't know ambivalent disagree Ii] [] ..t, i (go to question 19) important [iJ Degree of Importance important now Time 9. Fra■ e don't kn~w ambivalent unimportant [zJ unimportant now & in the future [I) will be important in the future [I] ANY PLANS FOR LAKETON'S DEVELOPMENT MUST CONSIOER THE TOWNSIHP'S RELATIOllSHJP TO THE \o/HJ TEIIIILL-MUSKEGON-GRAND HAVE:! Ul<S,\N STRUCTURE . ai;ree Degree of Agreement (i] don I t knc,v ambivalent disni;He (ii] . I ;z; ,. .,:J 5J i (go to question •' 10) important Degree of Importance ~ important nov Time Frama ambmlent [a] unimportant 0 unimportant now 6. in the future [IJ will b• important in the future CT] �154 Socioecgn0111ic Characteristic ■ 10. ALTHOUGH STATISTICS INDICATE THAT MUSKEGON IS A SLOW-GROWTH AREA, IT IS NOT STATIC. MAJOR INTERNAL SHIFTS ARE TAKING PLACE WITH REGARD TO AGE STRUCTURE, SOCIOECONOMIC STRATIFICATION, SETTLEMENT PATTERIIS ANO FAMILY SIZE. agree don't know ambivalent disagree @] t>egree of Agreement [QJ t ;;; I (go to queation #11) ambli]~i don't know . important Degree of Importance [fil important now Time Frame 11. unimportant now & in the future un~ortant will be important in the future [iJ [!J EFFORTS TO REVITALIZE THE REGION'S ECONOMY SHOW SIGNS OF SUCCESS. agree Degree of Agreement [!zj r don't know ambivalent disagree @] II) I , ,., :J ;;; t (go to question #12) important Degree of Importance @] important no:w Time Frame ambmlenc rn unimportant [] unimportant now & in the future II) will be important in the future [] 12. THE CONSULTANT'S ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY RESULTS SUGGESTS THAT MANI\GEl1£1:T OF THE ENVIRONMENT SHOULD BE TIIE GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR PLA/l:IING IN LAKETON. agree don't know aiitbivalent disagree [] �155 13. LISTED BELOW ARE FOUR SETS OF C0tl-1UNITY ATTITUDES. IN THE CO/ISULTANT'S JUDGEMENT THE ATTITUDES OF THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS ON EACH ISSUE SUPPORT THE ENVIRONMENTAL MAIIOATE . (a) ATTITUDES TOWARD GROUNDWATER/DRAlNAGE agree /ia don't know aabivalent @] disagree fIJ (b) ATTITUDES TOWARD RECREATIONAL FACILITIES (c} agree don't know ambivalent LID @I ATTITUDES TOWARD COMMUNITY GROWTH AIID DEVELOPMEIIT •area (d) ,... [!J don't know ambivalent disagree [Q] [D REASONS FOR PEOPLE MOVING TD, AND LIKING LIVING IN, LAKETON •are• don't knov ambivalent disagree [] 14. THE CONSULTANT'S ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY RESULTS SUGGESTS THAT "GUIDED GROWTH" IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY IN WHICH TO 11ANAGE LAKETON'S FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. agree [i] 15. don't know aabivalent @] disagree [] LISTED BELOW ARE FOUR SETS OF COtfo1UNITY ATTITUDES. IN THE CONSULTANT'S JUDGEMENT THE ATTITUDES OF THE ~1AJORITY OF RESPONDENTS ON EACH ISSUE SUPPORT "GUIDED GROWTH" . (a) (b) ATTITUDES TOHAP.D GROUNDWATER/DRAINAGE ambivalent [i] [ill diaagree ATTITUDES TOWARD COl·V•1U1HTY SERVICES agree (c) don't know agree don't lcnov ambivalent disagree [] [] ATTITUDES TOWARD RECREATION agree don't know ambivalent disagree [oJ [j] �156 (d) ATTITUDES TOWARD LAKETON'S GROWTH ALTERNATIVES (IN GENERAL) agree fj3 don't know aabivalent fl] disagree [] and specifically concerning: (1) RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT dou't ltnov agree aabivalent di&a[lree ff.fl [!] IT] CIJ-1M[RCJAL (2) orvn Ol•tt[NT don't ►. now UJ~rPC" [Ls] agree u3 (I] dlHa)\r<H.• [I] Jon' t know <1mblvnl.:nt [] dluai;rc., IT] RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMl~T ag~ee luJ· (5) lw, ll·n t INDUSTRIAL DCV[LOPM(NT (3) (4) ; u,,b don't know a11biv<1lcnt m disagree [I] THE CO/IPOSITE "PEOPLE'S PLAN" don't know agree fi] ambivalent G] disagree m CONSULTANT'S NIALYSIS or TIIE SUUV[Y RF~lll.lS SllGf,l '.,lS TH/IT !t'~ "'JV I!, _; C01f11JNITY S(RVJC(S ~IIOULO Ill /\ IU\JOR COl-1/'UIIC:lf OF L/\U ll1N'S PL,;:1:.1:a; 16 •. THF. PROGIW~. agret! Jon' t knov tamhiv;alcnt m @] ~ �15 7 17 . LJSTED BELOW ARE rJVE SCTS OF COmUNITY Sf.llVIC[S . rn THE co::s:iL:-:-. ::T•s JUDGEMENT THE ATTITUDES OF A t-1/IJORllY OF R[SPONOEIITS surPOl!T T:-:: :.no TO U1PROVE THESE SPECIFIC SERVICES . (a) SEWER/DRAINAGE SERVICES don't know ambiv;ilcnt agree 118 (b) I[] [i] don't knov ambiv;ilent disagree FI RE PROTECTION agree (uJ (c) [i] don't knov ambivalent diaagree m PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS don't know aabivalent ~ 18. [Q] [I] a1ree (e) [J POLICE PROTECTION agree (d) d1aasrce disagree (I] @] agree don't lcnow &111bivalent m disagree [j] ROAD MAINTENANCE m THE SEVEN MAJOR ISSUES COVERED IN THE CONCEPT SKETCH ARE LISTED BELOW. FOR EACH INDICATE YOUR AGREEMENT OR DISAGREEMENT AS TO WHETHER IT SHOULD BE A FUNDAMENTAL COtlCERN OF THE PLAN . (a) IDENTIFICATIOtl OF DISTINCTIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL AMENI TY agree don't know m ~ (b) don't know luJ disagree @] [I] don't know disagree THE NEED FOR SEWERAGE agree [z] (d) @J RECOGNITION OF FLOOOPLAIN AND HIGH l~ATER TABLE CONSTRAINTS, AND CONC01'V1ITANT DRAINAGE REQUIREMEtlTS agree (c) dbagree [QJ [] THE NEED FOR ACCESS AND TRAFFIC REQUIREMENTS agree [z] don ' t know @J disagree [] �158 (e) THE NEED FOR !t1PROVEO COMMERCIAL ANO RECREATIONAL SERVICES agree [zJ (f) G [QJ [iJ don't know w disagree [I] THE DEMAND FOR HIGH QUALITY REIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT agree ~ 19. disagree THE NEED TO INCREASE LAKETON'S TAX BASE agree (g) don't know don't know disagree [] II] THE CONCEPT SKETCH IDENTIFIES SIX DISTI ':CT ENV!~O'iltENTAL OISTl!ICTS IN LAKETON FOR PLANNING ANO POLI CY-MAKING ,Ui-?OSE5. THESE 01 STRI CTS ARE LISTED BELOH. FOR EACH INDICATE ~W:Tr.:R Y(''J AGREE OR ll!SAGREE !illH ITS DESIGNATION AS A Utl!QUE rnv IRONitU:T ;l OIST;;rcT . (a) (b) (c) THE LAKE Ml Clll GAN BLUFF A!ID DUNES ZO;{E agree don't know luJ [] agree don't know disagree [ID @) [I] THE BEAR LAKE RESIDENCE DI STRl CT don't know disagree THE INTENSELY SUBDIVIOEO ZONE TO THE EAST OF GREEN CREEK agree lul (e) m THE MUSKEGON LAKE RESIDENCE DISTRICT agree (d) disagree don't know disagree !TI [] THE LOW DENSITY ZONE TO THE liEST OF GREEN CREEK agree don't know disagree [] (f) THE GREEN CREEK FLOOOPLAH! AND HIGH WATER iABLE OPEN SPACE ZONES agree don't know [] disagree �159 20 . THE PLAN RECOGNIZES FLOODPLAIN Arm HIGH WATER TAOLE CONSTRArrm SY STRICTLY REGULATING, ANO IN SEVERE CASES PROHIDITIIIG, OEVEL01'11ENT IN "PROBLEM" DRAINAGE AREAS . LISTED BEL~~ ARE A NU~~ER OF PROPOSED METHODS BY WHICH FLOOOPLAIII AND HIGH GROUNDWATER AREAS MAY BE REGULATED . FOR EACH INDICATE YOUR SUPPORT OR NON-SUPPORT OF THE USE OF SUCH REGULATIONS IN LAKETON . (a) PROHIBITION OF DEVELOPMENT IN SEVERE HAZARD AREAS support no opinion ambivalent ~ (b) oppose uJ LARGE-LOT ZONING •upport [§1 (c) @) no opinion ambivalant [I] oppo•e [Q] REQUIRING CERTAIN PREVENTIVE ANO/OR REMEDIAL MEASURES OF THE DEVELOPER OR INDEPENDENT BUILDER, THROUGH SUBOIVISION ORDINANCES AIID BUILDING CODES (E.G. COMPREHENSIVE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN; PONDING ; DRAINAGE NETWORKS) •upport no opinion ambivalent oppose [Q] (d) REQUIRING THE SIGNING AND FILING OF All AFFIDAVIT OF "INFORMED CONSENT" BY DEVELOPER/BUILDER support no opinion ambivalent oppose fol 21 . THE POLICIES AIID PRIORITIES OF THE C:"iC:PT SKETCH AilO 11USKEGON COUNTY'S PROPOSED SEWER PLAN ARE IN BASIC AG =c : ":'IT ~EG.~ROi i:G SEWCR PROVISIOtl FOR LAKETON . INDICATE YOUR AGRW1E',7 :q DIS,\GilEEMENT 111TH THE PRINCIPLES ANO RECOMMENDATIONS LISTD :: ::LOW . (a) SEWER SHOULD BE USED AS A REltCY ~OR EX1S7ING PR09LEMS RATHER THAN AS A MEANS TO GUIDE OR Er.~: ~:¼GE i'UTURE CEVELOPMENT . agree (b) disagree [oJ Ll) PUBLIC SEWER SHOULO BE PROVIDE'.) C"iLY HI THE 111TENSELY SUBDIVIDED EASTERN PARTS OF LAKE-:-:·1, ANO Oil -SITE \~ASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS SHOULD BE UTILIZED IN 7~ E: LESS DENSELY DEVELOPED AREA WEST OF GREEN CREEK . agree [j (c) no opinio:, ambivalent no opinion uabivalent disagree [I] CONSTRUCTION PRIORITY SHOULD 9: GI VEII TO THE AREA DESIGNATED "SUB-PHASE l" agree no opinion ambivalent dhagree [Q] (d) PROVISION OF SEWER TO BEAR LP' : "EAOo::s (BEAR LAKE RESIDENCE DISTRICT) AIIO THE SOUTliWEST s :::7 :0/l Cr THE TO:INSH!P (ltUSKEGON LAKE RESIDEIICE DISTRICT) S!!O '.:~~ :£ DELA'IEO WITIL POPULATIOII LEVELS IN THESE AREAS CAN SU?= J,T THE COST . agree no opinion ambivalent [I] disagree �160 ZZ. IMPROVED TRAFFIC CIRCULATION AND ACCESS THROUGHOUT LAKETON IS A MAJOR OSJECTIVE OF THE PLAN. PLEASE i':OICATE ".;HETHER OR NOT YOU SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING PROPOSALS REGARDIUG THIS OBJECTIVE. (a) (b) TI<E REC014~ENOATION THAT THERE BE A CIRCt.r.!FEREtlTIAL MAJOR ROAD SYSTEM ON LAKETON'S PERIPHERY, WITH RIVER ROAD AS THE PRIHARY LINK TO WHITEHALL FOR TRAFFIC cc:mm SOUiH FROM SCENIC DRIVE AND FRUITLAND TOWNSHIP ACCESS RO~DS . aupport no opinion ambivalent oppose [z] [] @] THE OESIGNATIOII OF THE WESTERN PORTION OF GILES ROAD, ANO THE SOUTHWESTERN SECTION OF BUYS, AS l•t~JOR INTERIIAL AP.TERIALS. THIS INTERNAL SYSTEI◄ WOULD BE CO:!PLETEO BY THE FUTURE CONSTRUCTION OF A ROAD LINKING BUYS ANO HHIWW.L, /,?PROXIMATELY MID-!-IAY BETWEEN RIVER ROAD AND GILES. aupport (c) no opinion ambivalent oppose A SECONDARY SYSTEl-1 OF "COLLECTOR" STREETS, Co:ISISTING OF EXISTING ROADS, TIIE USE OF WHICH J\S TIIR•1UGH ST•cETS WOULD [l[ OISCOURACiED BY APPROPRIATE TRAFFIC COIITROLS SUCH;_; STOP SIG:1s. no opinion support [i] 23. mabivnh•nt oppO!IC, [D THE CONCEPT SKrTCII DISCUS:.f~ A TII0-1 f.VfL R(Sl'ON~E TO TIIE ::! er> ron IMPIIOVED COl-1MEnCIAL NIil lffCIIF.J\T((J/1-lffLArtll sr.qv((f.S. lll'.ll(/\Tf. \()UH SUPPORT OF OR orrOSITION TO TIIE I OLLOWll:G ilAS(C co::l'(JN(tflS or TIIIS ArPROACH. (a) THE DESIGNATION OF A SERVIC[/COl:MrnCIAL NOD~ ( TO SERVE RES(OCIITIAL ANO RECREATIONAL '.IEEOS) IN THF. S!IC'HELA:ws BLUFF DISTRICT AT SCENIC DRIVE SOUTH OF PIOll[ER cot:::ry P/,hi(, support no opinion Sfflbivnlent oppo~e (] (b) THE DESIGNATION OF A SERVICE/COl11(EP.C!AL NOCE IN TIIE 1-:USKfGON LAKE RESIDENCE DISTRICT AT SCENIC DRIVE AT THE FOOT Or PETERSON . aupport no opinion ambivalent oppose f!J (c) THE DESIGNATION OF A 11AJOR COtt!ERCl.~L AREA TO SERVE REGIONAL AS WELL AS LOCAL IIEEDS AS AN EXWlSiOil OF SiRIP OEVELOP~·1E/IT ALONG !o/HITEHJ\LL ANO AT THE COR'.lER OF THE Wr.ITEHALL/RIVER ROAD INTERSECTION. aupoort no opinion ambivalent IT] oppose [Q] �161 THF. CONCEPT SKETCH STATES THAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING LAKETON'S TAX BASE ARE LIMITED BY SPECIFIC EIIVIRONMENTAL CONSIOE;::~TIONS. IT SUGGESTS THAT THE POTENTIAL TO IIICREASE THE TAX BASE IS TO BE FOUND IN EXPANDED COMMERCIAL ANO SOME l!GIIT IIIDUSTRIAL OEVELOPME/H. 24. 00 YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE ~/ITH THE BASIC PREMISE THAT LAKETON'S OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP A CO:-IVEIHIONAL PROPERTY TAX BASE IS LIMITED BY EIIVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS? no opinion ambivalent agree disagree [I] 25. [J 00 YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE PERMITTING LIGHT INDUSTRIAL (OFFICE ANO RESEARCH) DEVELOPMENT REGULATED BY STRICT PLArlNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS IN LAKETON? no opinion ambivalent support Gil [IJ (a) IF YOU SUPPORT SUCH DEVELOPMENT, DO YOU AGREE THAT IT SHOULD BE PERMITTED ONLY IN TiiE AREA BET,iWJ GILES f~ID RIVER ROADS? agree no opinion ambivalent fij] 26. dhagree [] THE CONCEPT SKETC/f ADDR[SSES RESIDrnnAL DE'.'ELOPME'.T av P!:OPOSING SPECIFIC LOT-S[ZE AND DENSITY GUIOEL!NES B,;sc~ UPC'. ~'!'/IR~:1:·rnTAL MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES. RESIDENT!.~L 1\REAS r·; :HE r: .,·:.jf!IP H,\ ','E BErn DIFFERENTIATED ACCORDING TO ENVIROt::IENTAL, ,A,HER 7;,;·1 NE:G1'GORHOOD CONSIDERATIONS. THE PLAN ~ECOGNIZES THAT T:iE USE •:c :-HE .',EI:;HBORHOOD TD ORGANIZE COMl1UNITY SERVICES (DESIGIIED TC ?;.:.t•'.OE ~;SIDC::IT!AL STABILITY I N ~ AREAS) rs NOT RELEVANT TJ LAKET::1 . INDICATE YOUR AGREH1ENT OR DISAGREE.'·IENT WITH THE FCLLOWING RECOK'IENDATIONS REGARDIIIG RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. (a) LARGE-LOT (l ACRE MINIMUM) ZONING WEST OF GRE~:; CREEK egree [!] (b) no opinion ambivalent []] no opinion ambivalent [] [[] no opinion ambivalent [J QJ DE-EMPHASIZING THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS THE 9ASIC U'.IIT FOR THE PLANNING OF COMMUNITY SERVICES agree - disagree PERMITTING GARDEN APARTMENTS, CONDOMil:!'.Ji"S A/10 rc:m-HOUSES ON SITES OF AT LEAST S ACRES, REGULATED I!: S!ZE c·:o DESIG:1 Bl' STRICT PROVISIOIIS UNDER A PLANNED UNIT :EiELOF'?E.',T ORO!i:M;CE agree (d) [QJ SMALLER LOTS (12,000 SQ. FT. Ml/lIMUM) t.'ID HIG~ER DENS!T!ES IN THE SEWERED AREA EAST OF GREEN CREE~ a,:ree (c) disagree no op1nion ai,bi Valent rn diugrce �162 ------- Most of the Concept Sketch proposals were strongly supported. The only exception was the recommendation that sewer should be used as a remedy for existing problems rather than as a means to guide or encourage future development. Only six respondents indicated agreement with twelve disagreeing with this policy recommendation. The positive response to the other sewer policy questions suggests that the negative reaction to question 24a may have resulted from poor phrasing of the question. In subsequent discussions with individuals who respon- ded to the survey, this assumption has been corroborated. The intent of the proposed sewer policy is to use sewer as a development guide and control tool but in the early phases of sewer construction provide sewerage to areas already developed. Thus the only issue which caused a negative response required explanation and clarification rather than a revision of the original concept sketch proposal. �I •• --. -. .. -· ■P ~I - • J. ... ==- . .. .. ..'.! ··• r/ • ■.I' - - I :lm. ~ •..-------.., ■ '"""'-="" ..- ,{- ir • I :r.:~ .......- - - · ; - ....,,.ta» .. • .. . -~ . .• ...... . V THE MAS"JrlER PLAN �163 • / PURPOSE, CONTENTS AND EFFECTS The Master Plan map on the following page presents a synthesis of the various plan elements and shows their integrated nature. Due to the overwhelming acceptance of the concept sketch by the community decisionmakers only minor technical modifications were made in the master plan • now proposed for adoption and shown on the fold-out map on the next page. �165 It is important at this point to discuss briefly the purpose of such a plan. First, in the Township Planning Act of 1959, the purpose is stated as follows: The purpose of plans prepared pursuant to this act shall be to promote public health, safety and general welfare; to encourage the use of resources in accordance with their character and adaptability; to avoid the overcrowding of land by buildings or people; to lessen congestion on public roads and streets; to facilitate provision for a system of transportation, sewage disposal, safe and adequate water supply, recreation and other public improvements; and to consider the character of each township and its suitability for particular uses judged in · terms -of such-·factors as the trend in land and population development; · In- addition to discussing the purpose of a Master Plan · (or - Basic . Plan) the legislature gave some attention to the contents of such plans: (1) The basic plan shall include maps, plats, charts and descriptive, explanatory and other related matter and shall show the planning commission's recommendations for the physical development of the unincorporated area of the township. (2) The basic plan shall include those of the following subjects · which reasonably can be considered as pertinent to the future development of the township: (a) A land use plan and program, in part consisting of land for agriculture, residence, commerce, industry, recreation, ways and grounds, public buildings, schools, soil conservation, forest, wild life refuges and other uses and purposes. (b) The general location, character and extent of streets, roads, highways, railroads, bridges, waterways and water front developments; flood prevention works, drainage, sanitary sewers and water supply systems, works for preventing pollution and works for maintaining water levels; and public utilities and structures. (c) Recommendations as to the general character, extent and layout for the redevelopment or rehabilitation of blighted districts and slum areas; and the removal, relocation, widening, narrowing, vacating, abandonment, changes or use or extension of ways, grounds, �166 open spaces, buildings, utilities, or other facilities. (d) Recommendations for implementing any of its proposals. The Act then goes on to outline procedures for plan adoption and to specify the powers which accrue to the Planning Commission as a result of adopting the master plan. First it is provided that: Whenever the planning commission has adopted the basic plan of the township of one or more major sections or districts thereof, no street, square, park or other public way, ground or open space, or public building or structure, shall be constructed or authorized in the township or in the planned section and district until the location, character and extent thereof shall have been submi~t-e-d to and · approved by the .planning commission. The ~lanning ., commission shall communicate -its reasons for approval or disapproval to the township board,-which shall have the power to overrule the planning commission by a recorded vote of not less than a majority of its entire membership. If the public way, ground, space, building, structure or utility is one, the authorization or financing of which does not, under the law governing same, fall within the province of the township board, then the submission to the planning commission shall be by the board, commission or body having jurisdiction, and the planning commission's disapproval may be overruled by resolution of the board, commission or body by a vote of not less than a majority of its membership. The failure of the planning commission to act within 60 days after the official submission to the planning commission shall be deemed approval. The planning commission shall promote public understanding of an interest in the plan and shall publish and distribute copies of the plan and of any report, and may employ such other means of publicity and education as it determines necessary. Second, in addition to these public works powers, the Planning Commission is given the power to adopt subdivision regulations and subsequently approve or disapprove plats. �167 STEPS IN IMPLEMENTATION The Master Plan is but one of several tools for managing growth which this planning program will develop. To supplement the Master flan, zoning and other supportive ordinances and a management manual are under preparation. As has been suggested, the approach to plan imple- mentation and management will be incremental, representing a gradual movement from traditional to innovative guidance, based upon the princi- �168 ples of sound environmental management. The first step in implementation is approval of the Master Plan by the Planning Commission and Township Board and enactment of a Master Plan Ordinance as outlined in the next section. This will be followed by gradual revision of the Laketon Township Zoning Ordinance, beginning with provisions relating to residential development, water table hazards, and planned unit development. Meanwhile, steps will be taken to initiate a capital improvements program for provision of future services in the community. Each step ,of the plan implementation process- wilL be .. iden.tified- and -~ discussed in a Township Management Manual to be presented in the Spring of 1978. The Manual will recommend appropriate implementation tech- niques with respect to ·priority and community need. In addition, it will suggest long-term management policies for effective Township governance . • �169 A PROPOSED MASTER PLAN ORDINANCE It is recommended that the Planning Commission and Township Board approve and enact a Master Plan Ordinance for Laketon Township as follows: MASTER PLAN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF LAKETON An Ordinance for the purpose of guiding and coordinating development of the Township of Laketon; in accordance with its pre~ent and future needs; to best promote the health, safety and general welfare by providing for �170 efficiency and economy in the process of development; to provide for adequate traffic regulation, good civic design, efficient use of public funds, adequate provision for public utilities, public open space, and other public requirements. THE TOWNSHIP OF LAKETON ORDAINS: ARTICLE I. TITLE, PURPOSES Section 1.00. Title. This ordinance shall ·be known as the Master Plan of Laketon Township. Section -1.10. Purposes·:· It is declared to be the policy of the Township of Laket~n to maintain a comprehensive plan for the orderly, efficient and economical development of the Township. This plan shall guide public and private develop- ment to meet the following requirements for harmonious growth: 1. Development shall be of such character that it can be used safely without danger to health, or peril from fire, flood, erosion, excessive noise or smoke, or other menace. 2. Proper provisions are made for drainage, water supply, sewage disposal and other appropriate utility services. 3. Safe, convenient, and functional systems for vehicular and pedestrian circulation. 4. Efficient land use in proper locations, in compatible relationships, and in compact, land-conserving arrangements. • 5. Proper environmental protection and the utilization and enhancement of environmental opportunities. �171 6. Preservation of adequate sites for schools, parks, playgrounds, and other community services in locations providing all with convenient access to such facilities. ARTICLE II. Section 2.00. MASTER PLAN DOCUMENTS Master Plan Report. The following report containing plans and studies prepared under the guidance of the Planning Commission of Laketon Township and adopted by the .Township Board -is adopted as, and incorporated into, the Master Plan=---for the Township:- ·_ Growth Management,: ·A Master Plan-t- and -- any--other reports-· which the .Planning Commission may .recommend to the .Township Board for approval as amendments to the Master Plan. Section 2.10. Master Plan Map. The attached map entitled Master Plan for Growth Management showing generalized land use including the location of service nodes, greenways, drainage corridors and conservancy areas; and the arterial road system; shall be designated the Master Plan Map of Laketon Township and declared to be part of this ordinance. Section 2.20. Identification of Reports and Maps. Printed reports and maps attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference and hereby made part of the Master Plan shall be identified by the following statement marked or stamped thereon: "Adopted by reference as a part of the Master Plan of Laketon Township, Muskegon County, Michigan, passed on . . • . 19 . . by the Township Board of Laketon Township." �172 ~ ARTICLE III. Section 3.00. 1. WAIVERS, MODIFICATIONS, CHANGES AND ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS Hardship. Where the Planning Commission finds that compliance with the Master Plan would cause unusual hardship or extraordinary difficulties because of exceptional and unique conditions of topography, access, location, shape, size, drainage or other physical features of a development site, the proposals and requirements of the Master Plan may be modified to mitigate the hardship, provided --that: the public interest is protected and the .development is in keeping with the_ g~neral spiriLand intent of the Master Plan. 2. No such modifications may be granted if it would have the effect of nullifying the intent and purpose of the Master Plan of the Zoning Ordinance and the Subdivision Ordinance. Section 3.10. Changes and Amendments. The Township Board may from time to time amend or change by ordinance, the number of Master Plan reports, and the shape, size, and location of districts and facilities established in the Master Plan. Said Board shall obtain a report from the Planning Couunission prior to adopting any such change or amendment and such change or amendment shall not become effective until a public hearing has been held as provided in the Public Acts of the State of Michigan, provided further that no change in the Master Plan Map shall be made when a protest against the proposed change or amendment is presented, duly signed by the owners of twenty (20) percent or more of the land proposed to be altered, or b_y the owners of �173 twenty (20) percent or more of the land within one-quarter(¼;) of a mile from the area or facility proposed to be altered, unless such amendment shall be passed by the concurring vote of at least three-quarters (3/4) of the Board members voting thereon. Section 3.11. Petition for Change. Any person or persons desiring an amendment or change in the Master Plan Map, or any person or persons desiring an amendment to any of the provisions of the Master Plan reports or this Ordinance shall present to -the Township Board through the. Township Clerk ..9. _ _petition .for such amendment . or -change . toge_ther -with- a fee __ iri the amount . of -twenty-five ~ dollars ($25.00) to cover the cost of holding the public hearing and publishing as required by law. ARTICLE IV. Section 4.00. ,.--.. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT Conflict With Other Laws. Whenever the requirements of this Ordinance are at variance with the requirements of any- other lawfully adopted rules, regulations, or ordinances, the most restrictive, or that ~mposing the higher standards shall govern. Section 4.10. Separability. The invalidity of any section or provision of this Ordinance shall not invalidate any other section or provision thereof. Section 4.20. Enforcement. This Ordinance shall be enforced by the Building Inspector. - No development proposal requiring Township Board action shall be considered without the �174 ,9 Building Inspector's report of conformity or non-conformity with the Master Plan. In case of non-conformity, the proposal shall be brought forward as a modification, change or amendment to this Ordinance pursuant to the provisions in Article III. Section 4.30. Violations. Any person, firm, or corporation who violates, disobeys, neglects or refuses to comply with or who resists the enforcement of any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be subject .~o a fine or imprisonment. Section 4~40. Penalties. Any violation of this Ordinance is an offense punishable ·-by a fine - notexceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by an imprisonment for a period not exceeding sixty (60) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each week a violation is continued shall be deemed a separate offense. ARTICLE V. EFFECTIVE DATE Section 5.00. Procedure. This Ordinance shall become effective ten (10) days after enactment and the Township Clerk is hereby directed to forthwith publish such Ordinance as required. Township Clerk Introduced: Adopted: Published: Effective: � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource 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. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Laketon-Twp_Master-Plan_1977 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leo Jakobson, AIP, SAFA Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-12 Title A name given to the resource Growth Management: A Master Plan Description An account of the resource The Growth Management: A Master Plan draft copy was prepared by Leo Jakobson, AIP, SAFA in December 1977. Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Laketon Township (Mich.) Muskegon County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e45b425400b8eb5d1c042ea2059d45c.pdf 70b2c7f4e6af808779a8e6904e12641f PDF Text Text NORTON SHORES MASTER PLAN PROGRAM 29 MASTER PLAN LEO JAKC8SON ., ,._ CCfllSU.TANT IN U!8AN f'LAl',l'...c;, MANACBJENT A1') DESIGN MADISON. ~ �FROM THE LIBRARY OFi Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. CITY COUNCIL Merrill S. Baile y , Ma yo r George Bruinsma Richard Dolack Larry Haig James Lindsey Robert McCartney Adolph Ross Gordon Todd Christel Williams Pl.ANNING COMMISSION Sherman R. Poppen, Chairman Wesley Anderson Howard Bailey Dan Lewis Gary Hasper Roxanne Kinney Beverly Barry Stephen Stream Carol Moore BOARD OF APPEALS Ruth Stevens, Chairman Max Green Robert Keessen Pete Burd Donald Gibbs Reverend Luke Wilson Fredri c Balgooyen CITY ADMINISTRATOR Herbert L. Freye BUILDING ADMINISTRATOR William Bradford PLANNING COMMISSION ATTORNEY Fredric Balgooven CITY ATTORNEY MASTER Michael E. Kobza PLAN May 8, 1981 LEO JAKOBSON AIP SAFA CONSULTANT IN URBAN PLANNING, MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN 1815 SU MMIT AVENUE MAD ISO N . WI 53705 ( 608 ) 233 - 7444 �PART II CRITICAL ISSUES Norton Shores in the National and Regional Setting . . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . 39 Consequences of Regional Demographic and Economic Shifts on Norton Shores 55 The Key Environmental Issues 58 Major Man-Made Problems 63 Jurisdictional Problems and Issues PART III • 69 ATTITUDES AND GOALS The Attitude Surveys 71 Comparative Survey Results. 74 Goals and Objectives: 82 PART IV An Interpretation. THE MASTER PLAN ELEMENTS Introduction . . . . 85 The Basic Elements: Land Use. The Basic Elements: Transportation 94 111 The Management of the Environment 119 Growth Management Issues 134 The Two Area Problems . . 144 PART V THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Background ..•... 155 Purposes and Methods of Assessment 158 The Assessment Matrices 166 Assessment Comparison and Conclusions 173 �PART VI PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Introduction. 182 Plan Adoption 184 Information Dissemination 187 Supporting Ordinances 190 Priorities for 1980-1986 . 192 Summary of Recommendations 196 APPENDIX .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 following page MAPS 1. Settlement Structure, Muskegon Urbanizing Area . 50 2. Environmental Issues . 59 3. Major Man-Made Issues 64 4. Jurisdictional Issues 70 5. Land Use: 1980-1986. 97 6. Land Use: Beyond 1986 97 7. Transportation: 1980-1986 114 8. Transportation: Beyond 1986 11 4 9. Environmental Management . 1 22 10. Public Utility Zones . . . 135 FIGURES page 1. The Plan Formulatton Process . 2. The Master Plan Framework . 86 3. The Plan Design Framework 90 29 �TABLES 1. Social Characteristics of Norton Shores 44 2. Social Profile, General Public and Influentials. 75 3. Reasons for Liking Living in Norton Shores 76 4. General Public's Goal Rankings 78 5. Influentials Goal Rankings 78 6. Comparative Weighted Goals Ranking 79 7. Comparison of Perceptions About Muskegon's Future 80 8. Norton Shores Growth Options 80 9. Job Location--City of Norton Shores Residents .113 10. Impact Assessment Scale 170 11. Plan Element Weights 175 12. Environmental Factor Weights 177 13. Environmental Factors Equalized Assessment Scores 178 14. Plan Element Equalized Assessment Scores. 179 �-i- PREFACE This report brings to fruition an effort which began in 1969 in conjunction with the Muskegon CountyShorelandsmanagement studies. During these twelve years, the plan formulation process involved several phases, the current phase beginning in June of 1978. At all junctures, however, each phase built on the experience and materials of the preceding ones. Though shifts in emphasis and concerns took place, the entire period can be viewed as a single continuous process of moving towards a plan which eventually would reflect the goals and aspirations of the community. In this long effort, several administrations and numerous individuals �... -2- local perspective where these issues become part of a person's immediate environment and daily life. During the plan formulation process, several surveys were conducted. The findings of these are summarized in the section on resident attitudes, followed by a statement of community goals and objectives and the support from residents that these goals received in the various surveys. The next section describes the plan and its four elements: land use, transportation, environmental management, and housing and community services. It is this part of the report which should receive the reader's closest scrutiny. However, it is believed that the introductory part cannot be ignored in forming one's judgement about the plan's proposals, because they are firmly rooted in the opportunities, conditions, expectations, and attitudes of the City and its residents. Equally important is to note that the plan's environmental impact is positive and its implementation easy and cost efficient, as described in the last two sections of the report. In summary, it is believed that the Master Plan accurately reflects the understandings obtained during the process of plan formulation. Though compromises have been made during this process, a plan has been produced which stands up to the highest professional standards and expresses the goals and objectives of the City of Norton Shores. �1 THE MASTER PLAN: PURPOSE AND CHARACTERISTICS �-3- CONCEPTS IN HISTORY Planning for any form of development, including the physical growth of a municipality, involves the choice of a process (either implicitly or explicitly) and of a series of concepts which define the nature and substance of that process. There is no one pianning process, for what is sought and what is understood varies from time to time and from place to place. What can be said, however, is that any planning process used �-4- should have a particular logic, and that the logic of the process affects the nature and substance of the results of planning. Planning, understood in its broadest sense, is an innovation in the mode of political discourse and action. What is recognized today as planning is of relatively recent origin, dating from just before the turn of the century. From the beginning, however, planning has provided a new dimension to the workings of the body politic. What was called "politics" (in the Aristotelian sense) and what was called "government" (in the pragmatic, day-to-day sense) had rarely been considered as having any necessary relation to each other. Consideration of policy and considerations of operations were essentially separate. The particular innovation suggested by planning is that indeed there is a relationship between policy policy implementation. formulation and The contribution which planning offers is to provide a mode of discourse and of operation at that nexus. It is of interest, however, to note that the mode of discourse and operation offered has not remained the same. As suggested above, a number of approaches to planning have been offered, each carrying with it particular processes and concepts which, when taken as a whole, lead to results tending in a given direction, and exclude results which might occur from utilization of processes and concepts tending in an~ of several other directions. this means, simply put, is that any approach has built-in biases. What It is, therefore, particularly important to make clear at the outset the conceptual framework being utilized in any given planning effort. The importance of undertaking such an initial definitional effort can be seen by a brief discussion of major conceptual approaches used by planners in the past. �-5- The first of these approaches, dominant during the earliest phases of professional planning, had as its central concept the notion of the "City Beautiful". Much of this derives from the efforts of Daniel Burnham and his colleagues in their work designing the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This was the era of "Grand Design", its watchword the words of Burnham: ''Make no small plans." The approach was decidedly normative, and at that from a particular perspective, for the supporters of planning during this era, as well as its practitioners, were from the upper social classes. They conceived of planning as a means through which the city could become decorous. The combination of the orientation to good taste and the disposition to grand design led to an emphasis on building form and shape, on green spaces, and on city structure. example, the park As an systems of most of the large Eastern and Midwestern cities (New York's Central Park, Boston's Metropolitan District Commission Parks, Chicago's Park system, Baltimore's Druid Hill Park) resulted from this approach. A second approach which followed the City Beautiful movement was motivated by the idea of the "City Functional". The endeavor of planners following this concept was to make the city functional by virtue of imposing a logical order on it. This notion was based on a primitive sort of scientism which sought cause-effect relationships between a multiplicity of apparently unrelated phenomena. Where cause-effect could be found (and given a connnitment to find relationships, some startling ones were found) actions which would produce order could be induced. put, was to regularize chaos. ' The endeavor, simply Again, the nature of the "regularization" �-6- was determined by the concepts employed by the planners, in this case the causal concepts of scientism. As expressed, this became the era of "technically" professional planners, whose view was ·"comprehensive" and whose decisions were "value-free." Zoning and the traditional Master Plan notion are the primary products of this approach, each being justified as providing "natural order," permitting the city to be functional. Within this approach, a single "best" was proposed, that "best" being determined by planners whose training and perception presumably had uniquely qualified them to provide the comprehensiveness of vision needed to do both technical studies and make determinations among options. In practice, this approach has stressed the comprehensive planning method, in which several elements are defined, data collected, trend surveys undertaken, and projections of future development provided. There tends to be a heavy emphasis on land use relationships, with very little emphasis on social and institutional relationships. The "plans" upon completion have a finite quality about them, especially in terms of goals, while projections tend simply to be direct extrapolation of existing trends and relationships. The existing is by and large accepted as normative; the attempt is regularization of its expansion. The idea of the "City as Satisficing" was the next major approach used by planners. In this approach, the optimization goal of City Beautiful or City Functional was abandoned as impracticable in favor of a notion of making the city at least satisfactory, at a given moment in time. Planning here is seen as adjunct to city administration, to be called on in moments of crisis. In fact, the history of American planning since World War II �-7- can be characterized as successive waves of "crisis planning": a search for some sort of satisfactory remedies after conditions have reached a critical state which not only is easily perceived but also is being felt in the pocketbooks and in the comforts of large numbers of people. This history is marked, for example, by the "slum clearance crisis" of the late 1940s, the "downtown crisis" of the early 1950s, the "freeway crisis" of the late 1950s, the "regional planning crisis" of the early 1960s, the "crime crisis" of the late 1960s, the "environmental crisis" of the early 1970s, and now the "energy", "suburban", and "tax revolt" crises. The "suburban crisis" is evident by, among other things, the surge of new books dealing with suburbanization, by the Federal and State administrative and legislative interest in a land use and urban growth policy, and by the simple fact that suburban conununities in large numbers are embarking on planning efforts of their own. The perceived state of an emergency legitimizes planning: it suddenly becomes the expected panacea for all problems. But serious limitations tend to render crisis planning difficult, if not unworkable. Often the phenomenon causing the crisis perception is new and therefore not well understood. to plan. Consequently, there is no tested theoretical base from which On the other hand, the social, economic, institutional and physical manifestations of the phenomenon have already taken place; they are real and cannot be easily changed or reversed. In searching for a conceptual basis for their work, "crisis planners" have borrowed from what is being called "decision theory," which deals with how choices are made between two or more options. The essential �-8- insight is that any given choice is prompted primarily by determining what is satisfactory (by some set of minimal standards) rather than what is optimal. Change is seen as incremental, and actions essentially independent of one another. In practice, this has manifestation in what can be called "planning by grant application guidelines". That is, if at any one point in time a Federal, State, or foundation program offers funds to do program X, which program a locality neither has nor has funds for, then it is obviously more satisfactory to "plan" for that program (i.e., submit a grant application) than not to do so. Gazebo" planning. At its extreme, this is "Golden The story, probably apocryphal, is told of the city which heard that money was available for Golden Gazebos. While no one knew what a Golden Gazebo was or did, a grant application was prepared for one. It arrived, and occupied a prominent position amidst the city's deteriorating streets, sewer system, housing, etc., about which nothing was done because the planners were busy preparing a grant application for yet another Golden Gazebo, for which funds were again available. While certainly an extreme case, this does represent the essentials of an approach to the City as Satisficing, where the focus is on the problem at hand, and determining the most satisfactory of options to resolve it. These then are the three major approaches used by planners in the U.S. Each of them--City Beautiful, City Fu~ctional, City as Satisficing--has been the conceptual source for many valuable contributions to societal form and operation, and the foregoing discussion in no way is meant to denigrate these contributions. What has been pointed out, however, is that by the very nature of conceptual definition, certain things are included, others excluded, and that when taken as a whole, a distinct �-9- emphasis emerges. All three are similar in that each accepts as given the existing traditional societal arrangements. City Beautiful rarely if ever even mentions social structure, rather emphasizing conditions of visual and environmental aesthetic improvement. City Functional tends more to order the shape of the city, irrespective of who uses it, though in practice zoning has tended to endow with the legitimacy of the courts the physical manifestations of social class structure. City as Satisficing accepts the existing social structure by default, as the approach sees change occurring only incrementally, and therefore marginally. Each is at root deterministic, or fatalistic, viewing things and events as "caused". City Beautiful proceeds under standards of taste, which are "naturally" determined and, therefore, in principle not susceptible to alteration. City Functional proceeds by technical standards of the one "best" way, which, because they are technical, are not open to review. City as Satisficing, of the three, is most fatalistic, as it proceeds from issue to issue, looking neither back nor forward, simply accepting whatever issues appear at a given moment. �-10- THE CITY AS OPPORTUNITY The approach which is proposed for this plan formulation effort can be characterized as the "City as Opportunity". Here the city is viewed as the arena in which opportunities are provided to reach desired ends, defined by and related to individuals on one hand and institutions and organizations on the other hand. An innnediate distinction between this approach and those discussed in the previous section is that here the �-11- present and future is shaped by a process of deliberate decision rather than being accepted as the inevitable consequence of essentially uncontrollable causation. In the City as Opportunity, planning becomes the innovation in the mode of political activity which facilitates intervention into and provides guidance of the direction of development. illustrated by use of the "XYZ" argument. city. This can be X is what exists now in the Z is what is determined to be ·a desirable goal. Y then becomes the substance, the process and the actions needed to move from X to Z. this context, planning provides Y. within the resources available In It also identifies if Z is attainable and the political will of the community. Thus a Master Plan will show what can be by viewing the what ought _!2. be through the filters of the reality of what is. The extent to which the possibilities of this approach can be realized depends on the specificity of the description of what entails creative intervention into and guidance of development. This definitional endeavor requires viewing the city as a complex system in which each part relates to all others and affects the performance of all others. The need for viewing planning fvom this broad perspective is of particular importance in the context of the "City as Opportunity" because applying the notion of a system to the city means that opportunity cannot be seen from a single-purpose perspective. For example, strategies adopted to achieve single purposes will most probably ignore multiple system relationships and be counterproductive. Thus, traditional interest group interplay, oriented toward single-purpose, marginal adjustments, and frequent piecemeal gains and losses must be replaced by multiple purpose, broader �-12- programs providing major shifts in substance and process. Information is important to defining and realizing opportunity. Infor- mation about the interplay of subsystems ideally is detailed, comprehensive, and simultaneous. The particular role of planning is to provide explicit- ness in system definition, relationship and consequence. Doing so increases the amount of knowledge in and about the overall system, increasing and broadening the potential to generate and implement opportunities. In principle, then, the greater the knowledge of the system and its processes, the greater the likelihood that decisions can be taken, the consequences of which are both intentioned and welcomed. The information most important to an opportunity approach is the determination of which forces initiate change through a system, and which depend on alterations in "initiating forces" to themselves to change. By determining the relative importance of various system variables, a better estimate can be given of what the probable importance of an opportunity is. Pulling a large range of apparently independent decisions into a single systems framework allows for the coordination and correlation of political, social, economic and environmental space and time. Consequences can be plotted, and decisions seen and made simultaneously. The precision of such effort at any particular moment in time is a function of the state of theart and its attendant technical apparatus. A conceptual framework based on the City as Opportunity emphasizes more the interpretation and use of information than its precision. There is no direct correlation between data precision and outcome, though certainly a base- �-13- level standard for data must be acknowledged. entirely new forms of information are required. Nor is it implied that The City as Opportunity does not emerge ex nihilo, but as the consequence of new interpretive needs and powers in a new era. �-14- THE SUBURBAN CONSTRAINT About half of all Americans live today in suburban communitiies like Norton Shores. This distribution developed dramatically during the post-World War II boom growth era when, from 1950 to 1974, the suburbs accommodated 70 percent of our total population increase. In the same period, central cities grew only 14 percent and the rural areas 16 percent. Despite this enormous growth, suburban planning, until very recently, did not �-15- receive much attention from the planning profession, in part because suburban communities themselves did not perceive the need for such services. This contributed to the theoretical void mentioned in the preceding section. As a consequence, under these conditions planning, in order to be effective, must be inventive and opportunity-seeking, and must address itself to specific local issues and resources. However, because of lack of theory and the relative newness of the practice of suburban planning, developing an appropriate planning scheme for a community like Norton Shores must first critically examine the historical dynamics and trends of suburbanization. In this way we can see why, and from where, suburbs evolved, in order to determine what direction planning for their futures should take. The advent of the twentieth century suburbanization was a result of several factors which caused people to want to escape the city, while being lured to the hinterlands. In the early part of the century, the pressure of growth at the cities' centers forced these areas to outwardly expand. These central business districts absorbed adjacent neighborhoods, which tended to be wealthy areas. Their residents, forced to relocate, were lured to the less developed areas on the city's fringe, which provided an escape from the congestion and "evils" of the city. This earliest phase of the process was slow: the wealthy were the only ones who could afford the transportation costs associated with suburban living; consequently the fringe served as their exclusive domain. �-16- Technological advances such as the connnuter railroad and the automobile accelerated this outward migration. This marked the emergence of the "modern" suburb--a residential subcommunity dependent upon the economic and cultural functions of the urban center. During the 20s--until the Depression interrupted the trend to disperse--the automobile became a major decentraliz~ng force. The World War II period evidenced a reassertion and acceleration of the trends toward suburbanization and decentralization. As the demands of wartime industry filled the inner city with lower income workers and minority groups, the desire to escape from the city was reawakened, especially among the Nation's growing middle class. When the war ended, a construction boom and massive "flight" to the suburbs were stimulated by the lifting of restrictions on residential construction, Federal guaranteed mortgage programs, and the advent of freeways, in particular the Federal Interstate Highway network. This was essentially a middle class migration reflecting a longing for a home in a garden in a homogeneous community, away from the city's evils but not too far from its economic and cultural amenities. The result--the so-called "bedroom" suburb of the 50s which existed as a satellite of the central city--has in part already become outdated. Suburbia is rapidly becoming urbanized. Its character is changing and diversifying as a result of economic decentralization along freeway corridors and circumferential beltways. This spatial pattern, highly dependent upon the use of the automobile because it cannot be serviced �-17- by public transit in an economical manner, results in a significant drain on energy resources. The widespread relocation of manufacturing, office and corporate functions and the connnercial trade and service industries to the urban fringe has altered commuting patterns (by dispersing endpoints) as well as the exclusively residential and consumptive nature of the suburbs. What has evolved is a sprawling, urbanized suburbia, no longer dependent upon central cities. A concomitant result has been a fragmented governmental system. had several important implications. This has Traditionally, it led people to believe that planning for suburbia was an impossible task. As a result, there has been little success in developing comprehensive and longrange plans for the future development of suburbs. What little "planning" there had been tended to be non-creative and accepting of the natural forces leading to sprawl. A laissez-faire approach on the part of local government was the tradition. What little control there was was justified on the basis of preventing or removing public nuisance, and the zoning ordinance was believed to be a sufficient tool to do so. This reliance on zoning ordinances tended to provide the basis for "planning" in most localities. For example, this has been true in most localities of the Muskegon suburban areas. ' Traditionally, emphasis in the suburbs was on family and personal interests rather than a broader public need or the development of community services beyond those of immediate family interest, e.g., schools. Physical development usually was exploitive and excluded environmental considerations. �-18- Planning and development decisions tended to focus exclusively upon local concerns, with little regard for geographically broader impact. A second implication is that ideas about how to cope with the problem of overlapping jurisdictions tend to be contradictory on several levels. One of these has to do with the push to centralize planning and governmental functions. This has been accomplished, for example, by creating special districts to solve problems on a functional basis, e.g., metropolitan sewerage districts or transit authorities, and by attempting to consolidate planning functions into regional planning commissions. However, there is an inherent contradiction in this approach; by creating new units to deal with special functional or regional problems, jurisdictional fragmentation is increased. This leads to the other contradiction to be noted. Paralleling the push for centralization and areawide planning have been pressures for local determinism and citizen participationinthe planning process. Obviously the opportunity to participate is greater in smaller governmental units; thus this concept emphasizes local planning. By allowing each neighbor- hood, village and town to plan for itself, however, fragmentation is easily maintained. A new approach which accommodates both concepts must be developed. Inter- vention in the development process through planning is most successful on the local level. However, two considerations must be emphasized. Localities must accept that they do not exist in isolation, and therefore should recognize their interrelationships with the region of which they �-19- are a part. The contradiction between local participation and centrali- zation can be bridged by a framework which recognizes the multi-level nature of planning and development. �-20- THE PLAN FORMULATION PROCESS Aside from the conceptual and philosophical changes discussed in the first two sections of this report, significant methodological changes have taken place in recent years in the practice of public planning. Five trends stand out most clearly among these manifold changes and improvements. First, and possibly foremost, is the shift toward an expanded concept of comprehensiveness which embraces social and economic concerns in addition to the more traditional interests of physical development and environmental management. Though social �-21- and economic indices have long been used as inputs in planning for comprehensive functional facility and activity systems and their spatial arrangement within geographically delimited areas, we are now moving towards an approach in which social and economic issues are evaluated as integral foci for public policy formulation, planning and programming. This expanded view of comprehensive planning, and in particular the added emphasis upon questions which relate to social policy and economic development, leads to a situation in which many issues cannot be analyzed within the traditional boundaries of geographic planning jurisdictions. It necessitates the inclu- sion of a regional, and often national, perspective in discussions at the local governmental level. Local concerns must be viewed within this broader framework, and decisions must be made on the basis of information that traditionally has been given little or no attention at the local level. A second trend which is particularly evident in the contemporary planning process is an increasing concern with the political environment in which planning must take place. Traditionally, the planner was assumed to be "endowed with technical competence that produces decisions which are rational and reflect the public interest" in an atmosphere of political isolation that set him aside from the business of bargaining over vested interests, which was presumed to characterize the realm of politics. In recent years, however, there has been a growing awareness that the formulation of any sort of public policy is certain to be accompanied by conflicts among individual and collective values and that the political process of dealing with these conflicts must be of concern to the planner if he is to �-22- have any hope of having his plans implemented. The increasing concern with the political environment and with the processes of government is closely related to the expanded concept of comprehensiveness in planning, for the necessity of a closer examination of the politics of planning has in l arge measure been an outgrowth of the move to include social and economic factors in planning efforts. Third, there is a strong trend towards the use of greatly improved analytic techniques in the process of planning. It is in part due to an improved planning technology that the move towards greater comprehensiveness discussed above has been made possible. However, the reliance upon improved and often sophisticated methods seems to have led planning in the direction of technocratic determinism which, at best, will allow us to repeat our mistakes of the past, albeit in a more skillful manner. Robert Heilbroner speaks to this point when he refers to the "fundamental failure of vision on the part of the modern model-builders who do not see that the social universe that they are attempting to reproduce in a set of equations is not and cannot be adequately described by functional relationship alone"; he calls for a more humanistic endeavor to describe the social universe as a "system of privilege", based on fundamental societal values. Some attempts have been made to offset the tendency to allow technical developments to obscure the more intangible concerns of planning; for example, techniques and methods from systems analysis, cybernetics, decision theory and work progrannning are combined with judgemental and qualitative planning practices in an operational approach in which scientific rigor and qualitative judgement become �-23- complementary. hensiveness Without such attempts, however, the gains of a new compre- of thought may be lost in a mechanical application of quantifiable infonnation. The fourth trend is the growing demand for flexibility in planning and in its application. We are slowly arriving at a recognition that in a dynamic society fixed targets, static plans and repetitive programs are of little value. The traditional approaches to planning have not produced satisfac- tory methods for dealing with the requirements of flexibility. The new planning technology has produced partial answers through systems analysis, gaming and simulation; however, in terms of concepts, little if any progress has been made. Though reference is made continually in planning literature to the need for flexibility in the planning process, the lack of specific attention to actual definition of the elements involved in achieving such flexibility represents a serious dilemma in terms of practical application. As one of several attempts to overcome the static nature of much past planning, the fifth most clearly discernible shift is towards the inclusion of policy fonnulation in the process of planning, rather than focusing solely upon technical planning for the solution of a specific problem or a set of problems. Policies planning is still in its evolutionary stages, and various emphases and approaches are being suggested an~tested. For the purpose of this discussion and of the approach recommended for this study, a policies plan is defined as a statement adopted by a governmental agency which identifies the means, the principles and the actions required for achieving certain �-24- agreed-upon developmental goals. The element which seems to be conspicuously lacking in the theoretical literature on planning as well as in professional practice is improvement in the concepts of the plan making process itself. On one hand, the term process has been interpreted simply as a time-related, linear progression of events that gradually leads to a terminal situation of one kind or another. This terminal may take the form of an end product such as an accomplished goal, instituted service, effectuated program or completed facility; or it may be considered the point at which evaluation, change and feedback takes place. On the other hand, some writers suggest that the process of develop- ment consists of a series of successive incremental steps. According to this concept of process, the role of planning is to minimize conflict and maximize efficiency of interaction among the increments. Though time is by definition a linear variable, it seems unsatisfactory to treat all other variables in the planning process as dependent variables in regard to this singular quality of time; in fact, this approach may represent a conceptual mistake that defeats the basic idea of planning as a process. In the first place, it limits the conceptualization of a process system to a two-dimensional cartesian plane on which many of the multidimensional concerns of planning cannotbeadequately described. For example, while in the traditional linear system each procedure is clearly positioned with respect to an ordered time schedule, the plan making process model must include descriptions of components that are constantly and rapidly changing; on the other hand, there are variables which are not affected by time at all, �-25- or are nearly static and thus hardly amenable to simple linear treatment. Examples of the former, fast-changing variables are technological and certain economic variables, such as disposable income. Slowly changing variables are represented by many of the physiographic features of the area and the manmade physical environment, as well as all those variables which affect man's social and political behavior. A second shortcoming of the traditional linear process concept is the suggestion that plan making should proceed methodologically in an inductive manner. Though the inluctive method is traditional in the social sciences, in planning it may represent an overreaction to the simplistic determinism that has dominated planning thought for nearly a century. The inductive method emphasizes fact and does not leave room for conjecture. It is most often applied through the use of techniques such as the "grass roots" survey of public opinion, which supposedly is valuable as a reflection of the will and desires of the people; in actual practice, however, the people are seldom aware of the full range of choice available in the present and of the consequences of such choice, much less of the succession of alternatives which the future may present. At best this approach can lead to a better future, but only to a future which approximates the present. Edmund Bacon recognizes the pitfalls of such an approach in his statement that with the enormous improvement in the techniques of mathematical manipulations of electronic computers applied to the problem of projecting past trends, we are in danger of surrendering to a mathematically extrapolated future which at best can be nothing more than an extension of what existed before. Thus we are in danger of losing one of the most important concepts of mankind, that the future is what we make it. (Design of Cities, 1967) �-26- In other words, the appraoch described above cannot anticipate change and a future that may be structurally different from the present and thus not subject to projection and anticipation by conventional methods or by the average man. The French political scientist Bertrand de Jouvenel makes it very clear that planning, if it deals with the events of the future, cannot be based on fact alone, but must include an element of conjecture, the artful intellectual construction of the likely future. One of the few contributions towards a non-linear approach to plan making was first presented by the Swedish planner Ingrid Jussil in 1966. In laying the groundwork for her process model, she cites two primary reasons for the failure of contemporary planning practice: first, work progrannning and planning methodology is deficient, and second, basic research and the applied work which is oriented towards practical planning are fragmented. As a result, many theoretical studies and analyses are performed without a clear program for application in the planning process, while actual planning studies often place too much emphasis upon the practical, generating solutions to specific problems only. In terms of the trends discussed earlier, these conclusions reinforce our assertion that improved analytic and technological methods have not necessarily brought simultaneous improvements in the concepts basic to plan formulation. Jussil advocates a planning method which emphasizes full coordination between the two processes of theoretical and practical plan formulation and, in particular, the incorporation of research findings into this process. The need for this type of method arises from the observation that too often �-27- existing conditions are accepted as the basis for planning rather than a well thought through formulation of goals for the future of the planning area; consequently as a theoretical base for her model she takes the position that through the development of hypotheses the planner should seek to arrive at an ideal picture of a future region or city. The formulation of goals for planning would be an integral element in the development of this theoretical plan or picture of the future of the area in question. According to this approach, the theoreticalpictur~is a summary and coordination of the trends and goals according to which the area should develop and serves as a basis for the transformation of these trends and goals into plan formulation. The method derives much of its appeal from the inclusion of these elements which guard against the tendency to develop future plans that are a mere extension of the present--a factor emphasized in the earlier portions of this chapter as one of the significant failures of contemporary planning methods. ' �-28- A MASTER PLAN FOR NORTON SHORES The design of the plan formulation process for the current Norton Shores program follows closely the principles set forth in the Jussil model. The process, as shown on the diagram on the next page, begins with three concurrent activities: (1) The examination of "what is" from three different geographic and scale perspectives--the national, the regional and the local. �-29- Goals "what ou National Regional "wh t is" t to be" REVIEW 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII REVIEW 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll REVIEW I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II111111111111111111111111111 Illlll Ill IIIII 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 ADOPT I ON 11111 II 11111111111111111111111_111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 ii Master Plan Figure 1. The Plan Formulation Process. �-30- (2) The establishment of "what ought to be" through the review of new goals and the assessment of community values and attitides; and (3) The preliminary assessment of "what can be" in the form of review and evaluation of the City's past planning effort, the "what has been". The findings from these analyses were brought together into generalized scenarios of alternative likely futures for Norton Shores. These scenarios also outlined the revised goals and objectives for City development. After review by the Master Plan Review Panel, the Planning Connnission and City Council, the scenarios provided the conceptual input into the formulation of concept sketches for each of the seven identified master plan elements: land use, transportation, recreation, community facili- ties, housing, utilities and environmental management. Combined, these elements provided a comprehensive concept sketch for the future of the City. Following review of each plan element separately and combined as a whole, more detailed draft plans were prepared for each element and synthesized into a Master Plan draft. Master Plan Review Panel. This draft was reviewed by the Through this review process the Master Plan as presented in this report was formulated. It contains: (1) a synopsis of relevant background studies; (2) a statement of goals and objectives; (3) a brief discussion of each functional plan element; (4) a description of the comprehensive plan; (5) an environmental impact assessment; and �-31- (6) a statement of proposed plan implementation strategies, policies, and priorities. Because of the proposed emphasis on "what can be" in this plan formulation program, questions related to plan implementation become integral to each step shown in the plan process diagram. Hence the diagram does not show a separate column or separate boxes for implementation measures like zoning, capital improvement programs, etc. This fusion of plan implemen- tation analysis can be exemplified by the nature of the discussions which take place in the past planning review component. Each issue under review is examined not only from the point of view of whether the proposal merits continued attention and incorporation into the new plan, but also from the point of view of its feasibility in terms of implementation, whether fiscal, legal, administrative, promotional, educational, etc., or any combination of these. Consequently, the reports at each stage of the process contained in a section summarizing the consequences for and the feasibility of implementation of each plan recommendation. Environmental impact assessment is analogously incorporated into plan making. Again, impact assessment sections appeared in each report. A complete environmental impact assessment, including the assessment of a "no plan" alternative, was submitted as a separate report, however. ' As shown in the process diagram, the various reviews by the Master Plan Review Panel occur at those critical points in plan making when the various analytic inputs have been synthesized into a comprehensive "scenario," "concept sketch," and "draft plan." It is believed that �-32- these points are the ones at which an overview of the total process is possible. On the other hand, it is proposed that the review of plan making by special interest groups is best accomplished at points where the plan proposal can be disaggregated by subareas of the City or by a specific issue. The review can be focused and undistracted. For example, the shore management problems on Mona Lake are quite different from those along Lake Michigan. To bring residents from both lakeshores to a review meeting of lakeshore management would diffuse the issues. To expose them separately to the specific management problems and proposals will allow for focused and issue specific discussion and review. It is believed that through the process outlined in this section the City will obtain a Master Plan which identifies opportunities, generates interest, stimulates investment, provides solutions for satisfying verified needs, and facilitates implementation. However, in order to be 11 do- able", content and the manner in which a plan has been formulated do not suffice. A plan must possess certain qualitative characteristics as well. These will be discussed in the next section. �-33- CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MASTER PLAN Aside from content and feasibility, a master plan must possess certain qualitative characteristics which will contribute to obtaining its purpose as policy document facilitating and guiding, and, if necessary, controlling development. This has been recognized in planning literature, notably by T. V. Kent who in his book The Urban General Plan (1964) suggests that a master plan for physical development must be: �-34- (1) long range, (2) comprehensive, (3) general, and (4) amendable. These views are restated by Alan Black in his essay "The Comprehensive Plan" in Goodman and Freund (eds.), Principles and Practices of Urban Planning (196 8) • This book, published by the International City Managers Association in their Municipal Management Series, is the classic reference found on the shelves of virtually every city manager's and city planner's office. Black defines the above terms as follows: (1) "Long range" means that the plan looks beyond the foreground of pressing current issues to the perspective of problems and possibilities 20 to 30 years in the future. (2) "Comprehensive" means that the plan encompasses all geographic parts of the community and all functional elements which bear on physical development. (3) "General" means that the plan summarizes policies and proposals and does not indicate specific locations or detailed regulations. The term "amendable" implies, according to Kent, a degree of flexibility so that the plan can be easily adjusted to the ever-altering needs and conditions of the City through an ongoing structured review process. As Kent points out, the above four characteristics were not his invention. Indeed, reference to these or similar plan qualities can be found in most plans since the turn of this century. They always seem logical and rational in the context they have been formulated and presented. For that reason, presumably, they have remained unchallenged for all these years. �-35- It is time, however, to take issue with this convention. The poor track record of master planning has been attributed to various factors: poor administration, lack of cormnitment, lack of resources, rapidly changing conditions, interests and value premises, etc. Rarely, however, does the literature suggest that in the analysis of failure attention be given to the role of the plan itself as a contributor to failure. The plan, regardless of its qualities, is considered good. So attention is focused on the institutional framework that is supposed to deliver the good. Thus plan evaluation and planning literature have bypassed what could be the central issue in planning failure--the quality of the plan itself. The rationale for this proposition is simple: if a product is to be sold, it must be of good quality and satisfy the needs and expectations of the buyer. If it does not sell, the product is usually wanting, not the manner in which it is packaged or the organization trying to sell it. In the following a substitute set of qualitative plan characteristics is presented and the rationale for each is given. First, the long-range focus should be substituted with the notion of timelessness. This means simply that the plan and its various elements are related to goal achievement which may differ from goal to goal. Some may be achieved in short order, some may require long periods of time until achieved, and some may only be partially accomplished before the values, needs and perceptions underlying a particular goal have changed and rendered the goal unimportant. Furthermore, beyond goal achievement, �---, -36- virtually all development activity is junctural in nature. It occurs at the most appropriate point in time, however perceived. A plan must be capable of facilitating these junctural events and capturing them at the most opportune time. A plan incorporating time in the traditional linear sense up to a specified terminal date, e.g., the year 2000, has limited capacity to absorb junctural opportunities and differential goal attainment. Second, a plan can never be comprehensive, it can only be selectively comprehensive, allowing for its contents to be determined by the specific conditions, needs and perceptions of a community, the role of that community in its regional context, and the particular period in time when the plan making effort takes place. For example, a traditional plan outline would suggest ?n economic base study as one of the basic inputs into plan making. To make such an analysis for a suburban community would be of little value because of central city and regional dependencies. comprehensiveness must also apply to plan disaggregation. Selective For example, a functional plan element, e.g., housing, may be of critical importance in area A of the city, whereas in area B, a housing element is not required. The subarea plans should reflect this selectivity in content. Third, the uniform notion of generality should be replaced with a concept of issue specificity along an abstraction-specificity ladder which allows for each plan element and issue to be discussed at its most appropriate level of specificity. For example, the plan may state in its transportation element that "sometime in the future a major road may have to be built to �-37- link areas A and B". This road could be shown as a dotted arc on the plan map or not be shown at all. At the same time, the plan would say that "street X from intersection Y to intersection Z must be expanded from two to four lanes by 1983 in order to relieve current congestion and to accommodate forecast traffic increase". This road section would be shown on the plan map as a proposed four lane road of high immediate priority. The requirements for flexibility and amendability should be retained, but complemented with two additional concepts: open-endedness and tolerance. The first of these terms suggest that any action taken now should not limit future actions. In opportunity terms, it means that the realization of an opportunity at present should generate new opportunities in the future and facilitate their realization. becomes a most difficult requirement. In physical planning, this Once the decision has been made to build a road and it has been poured in concrete, it will remain a monument to those who made the original decision and a possible obstacle to future actions. However, open-endedness, if accepted as a concept, will stimulate new thinking on the subject of plan flexibility. hand, deals with current decisions. Tolerance, on the other What this term suggests is that any actions taken now should allow for maximum latitude in accoilllllodating different needs, viewpoints and attitudes. should not be for the norm or average. Under this concept, planning It shouldspanand accommodate as many diverse viewpoints, interests and lifestyles as possible. In a heterogeneous, pluralistic society like ours, tolerance as a plan character- �-38- istic has been Hadly missing. Interestingly, only in homogeneous Sweden is attention paid to the need for tolerance in the design of plans. As an example of how this concept could be incorporated into a plan would be a recreation element which would define facility needs not solely on a per capita basis, but also on the basis of accessibility to lakes, residential density, and other factors. This could result in a plan which would not distribute facilities all across a connnunity, but may concentrate them in or near the areas of highest need. The traditional concepts of flexibility and amendability are further strengthened by the disaggregative nature of the plan. This allows for change in a functional, subarea or issue related component of the plan without necessarily requiring changes or amendments in the other components of the plan. In many cases in the past, the entire plan had to be thrown away because one plan element required reconsideration. It is believed that the proposed structure of the plan and its qualitative characteristics will assure that Norton Shores' new Master Plan will possess a longevity and utility beyond that of most other similar plans. �·2 · •, •.1. •• II CRITICAL ISSUES �,, -39- NORTON SHORES IN THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SETTING The concept that a community does not exist in isolation and that Norton Shores is no exception to this rule was presented in Master Plan Report Number 4, which discussed the purpose of the plan. As a suburban commu- nity, this dependence on the region of which it is a part is even stronger than in the case of more peripheral rural communities or of central cities. Peripheral rural communities often possess a degree of economic, social, cultural and political self-sufficiency, thanks to the~r economic base �-40- in agriculture and the unique characteristics of spatial systems in the United States. Similarly, central cities can maintain a high degree of self-sufficiency through specialization of economic activities and economies of scale. The rural periphery and the urban core have clear economic linkages providing for an integrated understanding of their respective roles. However, there exists as yet an insufficient body of theory to explain the role of the suburban community in the economic system. It appears that the symbiotic relationship between the urban core and the rural periphery, in which this mutual dependence co-exists with a certain degree of autonomy, is lacking in the suburbs' relationship with either entity. Thus, the dependence of the suburbs on the central city and the rural periphery is of a greater magnitude than that of the central city and the rural periphery on the suburbs. This high degree of dependence of a suburb on its surrounding region suggests the need to examine and assess the impact of regional development forces and their associated manifestations on Norton Shores. From the point of view of planning, these forces give an indication of what alternative "roles" Norton Shores may assume and they may indicate opportunities for development beyond those perceived at present. However, the Whitehall- Muskegon-Grand Haven urban area, the regional context of which Norton Shores is a part, in turn is shaped by forces of a higher order which are national, if not international, in scope. Therefore, it is necessary to first identify and discuss development forces from a national perspective as they pertain to the Whitehall-Muskegon-Grand Haven urban area and its suburban communities prior to examining development forces endogenous to �-41- the region. It is not intended to provide here an exhaustive listing of socio-economic trends discernible in American society today. The scope is limited to presenting only those trends which are expected to have an impact, directly or indirectly, on Norton Shores. Thus, trends which may be nationally significant because of their magnitude in large metropolitan areas are not mentioned here. For example, the movement of the affluent upper- middle class to rehabilitated inner city neighborhoods will have only minor impact, if any at all, in the Muskegon area, because of its geographic scale and population size. The forces that were responsible for the present condition of Norton Shores, and in fact for its very existence, were those of an industrial era. The process of development in the United States was characterized by steady economic growth and rapid urbanization. Industrial America relied on the exploitation of raw materials in a linear economy which assumed that the earth was an open system with unlimited energy resources, raw materials and capacity to absorb wastes. The model of life for industrial society was economic efficiency and growth. The spatial dimension of these industrial themes was one of urban growth. The combination of rapid urban growth, industrial development, improved transportation technology, and the expression of anti-urban sentiments, including the desire to be near nature, led to the emergence of suburbs in all large cities by 1910. Between 1900 and 1945, technological develop- ments such as electricity, automobiles, telephones, radios, and septic �-42- tanks increased the appeal of outlying areas by making the conveniences of the city available to widely scattered subdivisions. After the depres- sion and World War II, expansion of the money s upply through mass credit provided families with the financial means to purchase their own homes. Highway coustruction opened vast areas of land to residential development. Finally, factors such as zoning and federal home loan policies institutionalized suburban growth. The present is an age of uncertainty or transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era. This is supported by recent growth trends which indicate major shifts from long-term stability to uncertainty and an unpredictable economy. Service activities now command a larger portion of employment than does manufacturing, and consumption patterns have shifted toward the purchase of such services as health care and recreation. New social patterns are emerging which create a demand for different approaches to public decision-making. The transition from a production- oriented to a service-oriented society requires a shift to flexible and innovative forms of decision-making. Traditional planning reflects the values of efficiency and economizing, and is directed toward problemsolving. It relies heavily on the notion of cultural homogeneity and is thus not designed to accommodate pluralism or diversity. New forms of ' planning which account for the limitations and uncertainties of the period must be developed to cope with the conditions of transition. New demographic trends have emerged with uncertainty surrounding their duration and impact. Migratory trends indicate cross-currents in the �-43- movement of people both toward and away from metropolitan areas. Indices pointing to an older population, smaller families, multiple wage earners, and, more recently, an upsurge in one or two person households need to be monitored in terms of their social, political, and economic consequences. Norton Shores has been the recipient of population growth due to these migratory cross-currents. In analyzing the growth characteristics of the City, it is important to note that the attitude survey data indicate that most of Norton Shores' growth comes from intra-regional population shifts. Thus, 52 percent of survey respondents indicated that they moved to Norton Shores from other parts of Muskegon County. side the county. Only 25 percent came from out- The population's characteristics are illustrated in Tables 1 and 2 for selected years. These changes over time illustrate the impact that these national trends have had on the community. The aging of the population, smaller family size, an increase in the number of persons working per household, and an increase in one or two person households are the same demographic trends as those exhibited by the nation as a whole. The emphasis of traditional economics on exploitative resource allocation is being re-examined. The realization that the world and its constituent units are relatively "closed" systems, extremely interdependent and limited in their capacity to assimilate pollutants and in their supply of many nonrenewable resources has begun. A recognition of this "closed" condition demands a reassessment of resource utilization patterns and more efficient new and innovative approaches to dealing with a declining resource base. �-44- A. Age: 1960 Census 1970 Census under 5 14.4% 6.7% 5-18 30.6 33.8 28.2 18-65 50.5 54.2 58.7 4.5 5.3 8.0 100.0% 100.0% 100 .0% 3. 72 3.53 3.28 over 65 B. Average household size (persons per household) c. Percent one or two person households D. 1978 1 5.1% 31.0 36.7 41. 7 Renter-occupied housing units (in percentages) 7.8 9.0 N.A. E. Employed persons per household 1.27 1.31 1.48 F. Occupations: white collar 41.2% 48. 7% 71.2% blue collar 53.7 42.0 23.2 5.1 100.0% 9.3 100.0% 100.0% service G. Household income 3 1959 2 6.6 1977 1969 under $5,000 23.9% under $6,000 12.5% under $10,000 17.6% $5,000 - 10,000 58.2% $6,000-12,000 41.6% $10,000-20,000 33.9% $10,000 - 15,000 13.3% $12,000-20,000 33.1% $20,000-32,500 28.7% over $20,000 12.8% over $32,500 19.8% over $15,000 4.6% Notes: 1. 2. 3. 4. Table 1. Based on survey and other sources. The only figure at present available from the 1980 Census. More data will not be released until the spring of 1982! Income brackets represent a comparable purchasing power of the dollar when adjusted by the Consumer Price Index, which for 1959 was 87.3, for 1969, 109.8, and for 1977, 181.5. The increase in percent of households falling into this category is due to the aging of the population and subsequent reliance on fixed incomes which are quickly eroded by inflation. Social Characteristics of Norton Shores. 4 �-45:- The spatial dimension of current trends in economic development and urbanization suggests a continuation of the "megalopolis" phenomenon. Residential and non-residential locational decisions are increasingly being based on considerations of environmental amenity. Technology has made the basic necessities of home and business so uniformly available that recreation and aesthetics are becoming primary considerations. of this phenomenon other than increased freedom The indicators from economic constraints in location decisions include (1) increased geographic mobility of population and productive resources, (2) larger networks of social interchange, (3) larger numbers of decision-making centers, and (4) easier communication among centers. The problems engendered by the new economic geography of America are escaping the instruments and policies which are being brought to bear to deal with these problems. Yet we are still responding largely with short-range localized approaches. The decentralizing forces propelled by a "quality of life ethic" has led to a proliferation of many small governing jurisdictions. These suburban enclaves were formed with the intent of preserving the freedom to pursue their own image of a "charming community". The cumulative result of these actions has been to restrict rather than to enhance the control that these communities have over their future. The unnecessary duplication of locally provided government services, increasingly less efficient land use patterns, and a rapidly increasing demand for high quality government services, has resulted in a tax burden which is regarded as excessive and inequitable. As the costs of past locational decisions and counter-urban migration trends begin to surface in cities and rural communities as well as in suburban locations, the �-46- affected government units are increasingly more dependent on higher levels of government to finance the demand for these services. This reliance on higher government levels for financial support suggests that the freedoms enjoyed under a tradition of home rule and local government autonomy may become restricted in the future. National trends will continue in the future to have a significant impact on the City of Norton Shores. The increased importance in post-industrial America of "circular" economies will be achieved by promoting internal linkages among various components of the local economy.* Both industrial and service/commercial functions are integral to economic well-being with the role of industrial activities declining in terms of employment. The service/commercial/government area has emerged as the main job generation sector. Society will become more heterogeneous, complex and sophisticated. Poli- tical demands and human rights will have multiplied, and orientation to the future will be eroding traditions. This is exemplified in the increasing role of women and minorities in skilled and professional work roles, the rise of the two-income household, the drop in the birth rate, and increases in conummal and non-traditional forms of living. ' Far-reaching social and economic changes will continue to transform the American workplace. The work routine, or "jobstyles"--the intricate meshing of work with family life and leisure--will continue to change under * The "circular" economy is viewed as a semi-closed system in which all parts affect each other. It requires a move toward more self-sustaining regional economic systems. �-47- the weight of a better educated, more affluent, and aging workforce. People's attitudes toward life and work are changing, precipitating a "revolt against bad jobs." This employment revolution, while not as profound as the shift from agriculture to industry in the last century, will produce significant impacts, including: shifts in job opportunities toward service sector employment; a continuing decline in manufacturing as an employer; a shift from high unemployment to labor shortages; continuing pockets of unskilled, chronically unemployed persons; longer work life; more part-time jobs and job-sharing; "flexi"-time; more mid-life career changes; increased leisure time; and a still greater role for women in the work force. While the rate of urbanization will slow, metropolitan areas will continue to expand into sprawling regions of complex activity with many centers separated by less densely developed areas. is known as megalopolis. This spatial configuration Locational decisions of the past--both resi- dential and non-residential--were consistent with values based on efficiency in terms of closeness to work, to transportation, and the market. The values of "post-industrial" society, in particular the quality of life ethic, will continue to considerably alter the nature of the demand for lifestyles and living quarters. crisis in materials shortages. It will also reduce past fears of a The wasteful use of resources that charac- terized the past, in a world perceived as overladen with natural riches, will end. The total reliance on technological advances to resolve all problems in resource management will diminish as alternative lifestyles oriented toward non-exploitive consumption of environmental amenities �-48- increase. The notions of "voluntary simplicity" and "small is beautiful" will redirect research and development efforts twoards conservation and efficiency. The preceding discussion of national trends in urbanization, economic growth and social change shows that the era in which we are now living presents several general and specific concerns to current planning efforts in Norton Shores. First, the economic changes accompanying the shift to post-industrialism imply uncertainty about the direction of future development. This suggests that it would be unwise to engage in long-range plan-making for very specific types of growth. Secondly, in the area of social change, the growing indi- vidualism, diversity, and complexity of American society must be accommodated. Both these conditions support the notions of timelessness, issue specificity, open-endedness and tolerance proposed for Norton Shores' planning program. Additionally, Norton Shores' physical amenities and location can be identified as consistent with the residential and recreational lifestyles of a growing number of Americans. begin to suggest developmental opportunities. analysis is needed. These characteristics However, more explicit The regional level provides the bridge between broad national perspectives and local opportunity realization by identifying ' how much regional conditions differ in time, space and intensity from the national experience, and how they influence Norton Shores. There are a number of ways of defining the regional context. However, given the choices available and the great differences between the counties which comprise the West Michigan Shoreline Region, the term is best applied to Muskegon County and to the northwest corner of Ottawa County--the Grand �-49- Haven area. This definition recognizes the economic, environmental and social communalities that link this area. This regional delineation is felt to be particularly well suited to the Norton Shores Master Plan Program. It develops a regional context which distinctly complements the overall approach to the Norton Shores planning effort. The approach is one of opportunity-seeking, of scenario writing and evaluation, of forecasting of alternative futures from among which courses of action are selected and pursued. It is not one which accepts the inevitability of projected futures based on past experience and current conditions--a future which can only be a larger or smaller replica of the present. The Whitehall-Muskegon-Grand Haven urbanizing area has developed, since World War II, a well-established regional trend toward suburbanization. This urban pattern is the outgrowth of several sets of natural conditions and man-made facilities. The most notable of these are (1) the shore opportunities in the form of dunes, a series of offshore lakes enhanced by four large state and several county and local parks; (2) an excellent north-south freeway (U.S. 31); (3) large open space reservations immediately proximate to the urbanized area (State Game Reserve and Manistee National Forest); and (4) the wastewater treatment facility occupying a large area to the west of Muskegon's central urban core. The unique spatial feature of this urban pattern is its linear quality resulting from the shore location and lack of a strongly dominating urban center usually found in most metropolitan areas. (See Map 1 following page 50.) Traditional planning would consider this linear pattern detrimental to �-50- the efficient use of landandpublic services. Planning oriented to the maximization of opportunity and amenity, however, recognizes the potential in this linear pattern. Competition and pressure to locate in a single center are minimized, thereby reducing congestion. This allows for a more balanced utilizationofmany public facilities; for example, major roads are less likely to experience uni-directional flows of traffic to or from a single center. As a corollary, it allows for easier access to other linear features of the region's geography, such as the Lake Michigan shoreline. The physiographic characteristics are dominated by the glacial history of the region. Lake Mic~igan provides the main source of water supply for the City of Muskegon and the surrounding urban area. are the supply for the remainder of the county. Groundwater sources The permeability of under- lying soils and the subsequent high groundwater conditions pose ·a potential danger to groundwater drinking supplies from septic tank and other waste seepage. Where conditions of high groundwater and poorly drained soils exist, development should be highly restricted, if not prohibited. The seasonal variation of Lake Michigan has an influence on the groundwater table in addition to having an impact on the shoreline. Lake Michigan also exerts an infl~ence on the weather and climate of the region. Lake breezes and relatively high wind velocities assist the Mus- kegon area in maintaining higher air quality despite urbanization and industrialization. The climate is moderated substantially by the lake's cooling effect in summer and warming influence in the winter months. �I• , 1· ' ' ' . J__'._ ~ _· - . -i- - I • I .' , -I . _,,,, i. . 1 I ' ' _J SETTLEMENT STRUCTURE MUSKEGON URBANIZING AREA ..... ··- ■ OlW - . - --.--- L(',. .. -_. I URBANIZING AREA BOUNDARY URBAN NODE BOUNDARY MAJOR COMMERCIAL NODES INDUSTRIAL PARKS EMPLOYMENT AND ACTIVITY CORRIDOR MAJOR SHORE PARKS PERMANENT OPEN SPACE .. ~ i·, ___,:....,:._ • - - - - - - l. =~ MAJOR HIGHWAYS ~ ·w .. . ---- • J.4-_ I I l, .---. .i L �-51- The social and economic trends observed in the region closely parallel many of the national trends discussed earlier. The Muskegon region is gradually becoming more tightly linked to the Great Lakes megalopolis. We have seen that currently the trend is toward locational decision-making based increasingly on non-economic, physical amenity factors in addition to accessibility. The region, with its unique environmental amenities, thus stands to augment its economic growth because of locational advantages. Historically, Muskegon's economy has relied heavily on a single industry. Currently the regional economy is heavily dependent upon manufacturing, especially of primary metals and heavy machinery. This concentration has been at the expense of non-manufacturing activities. Retail and wholesale sales have lagged considerably behind other Michigan counties and metropolitan areas. in nature. Thus, the regional economy has been distinctly "linear" This means that the economy has developed very few internal linkages, i.e., that outside dollars coming in to purhcase the area's main products do not make many internal cycles before passing through the regional economy. The effects of this overcommitment to manufacturing have become evident in recent years. However, Muskegon has attempted to revitalize the regional economy through creative intervention into the economic system. Central to the efforts at revitalization is the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System. The system has had innnediate and pronounced effects on the water quality of the lakes and rivers in the county and has begun to generate substantial income and public/private cooperation with regard to its agricultural operations. Most significant, however, has been its ability to �-52- attract certain high-technology industries, particularly those with significant waste discharges that would normally have to pay the price of their own pollution abatement facilities. The system has the capacity to assi- milate water-borne industrial wastes and thus has encouraged a number of international chemical firms, such as Fisons, to locate in the Muskegon area. Other developments indicate that the region has recognized the need for economic diversity as a precondition to maintaining self-sustaining growth. A county-wide Economic Development Committee has been formed to coordinate economic development and to promote the region as a whole as attractive to industry, rather than allowing individual municipalities to compete for particular industries. The curriculum of the Muskegon Community College was altered to emphasize particular skills that might be of interest to the chemical firms and other high-technology industries that might locate in the region. The downtown shopping mall in the City of Muskegon and the revitalization of other central business district activities show signs of success and represent positive steps toward bolstering the deficient retail sales sector of the economy. Finally, proposals have been made to coordinate and expand tourism, and to promote recreation as a future growth industry. ' Overall population growth in the region has been slow. 1960, the County grew approximately 25 percent. five percent between 1960 and 1970. Between 1950 and This figure dropped to As a whole, the population is aging. In particular, the proportion of elderly in the cities has increased significantly since 1960. However, consistent with national trends, the region's �-53- suburbs showed high growth rates, reflecting an internal migration from the cities to these outlying areas. As mentioned earlier, Norton Shores received a large share of these intra-regional population shifts. When this is correlated with intra-city moving (16 percent) and lifelong residence (3 percent) one can easily understand why Norton Shores has been growing while the metropolitan area is at a virtual standstill. Similarly, one can understand the high ratio of respondents to the attitude survey, 29 percent, who have resided at their current address less than five years. Though manufacturing still is c!.Il important source for employment in the re- gion, it is declining in importance. ment employment are increasing. the region. Retail, wholesale, service and govern- Educational attainment is rising throughout So are income levels in both urban and suburban areas. In terms of educational attainment, the region's level compared to that of the U.S. is low. As can be expected, the wealthier suburbs show a higher proportion of persons with higher levels of educational attainment; the less wealthy, bluecollar suburbs show low percentages of college graduates or persons who did not complete high school. The most dramatic income increases occurred in the suburban areas of Laketon and Norton Shores. However, the urban areas have a greater proportion of persons in the extreme income categories (under $6,000 and over $25,000) while the suburban areas show more persons in the middle income ranges. In summary, the regional analysis p~esents positive as well as negative features. Among the positive are the geo~raphic location of the area, the environmental resources and opportunities and the recently initiated �-54- management programs to ensure a pollution-free environment. On the negative side, a one-sided economic base characterized by many outmoded, if not obsolete, production processes and facilities has not only tarnished the image of the area but also contributed to chronic unemployment and low levels of job opportunity for the young. There are signs that the region is beginning to move. However, unless the current efforts to revitalize the local economy bear fruit in the not too distant future, the momentum created by the inventive wastewater management system could be lost. Expectations have been raised. For example, in both a 1976 attitude survey in Laketon Township as well as in the recent Norton Shores survey, about half of the residents expected that because of effective environmental management programs such as the wastewater system, Muskegon County in the next ten to twenty years will have attracted numerous "clean" industries to the area, and will become an industrial research and development center. Another third expect the county to have changed its current negative image and~ though still industrial, it would have a greatly improved environment and be a good area for industrial investment. �-55- CONSEQUENCES OF REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC SHIFTS ON NORTON SHORES The demographic shifts being experienced by the region, and particularly by Norton Shores, have numerous consequences. In a planning context, the most prominent of these are: (1) The aging of the population will have an impact on the types of public and private services demanded in the future. The different patterns of consumption associated with older residents will change the nature of cnnnn~rcial and service establishments. This will have land use implications �-56- with an emphasis on convenience and improved accessibility to connnercial/ service centers. Public services will need to be re-oriented to deal with the health, social, transportation and recreational needs of an older population. The aging population pyramid will exert an increasingly powerful political influence in the City. As residents retire and become dependent on fixed incomes, future reliance on property taxation will become a less attractive source of local government revenues. In addition, opposition to capital expenditures and increasing the size of local government will intensify despite the need to re-orient local services to a maturing population. (2) Fewer children, as a part of an aging population, will require the scaling down of facilities and services now provided by the City. As this transition occurs, the opportunity to convert these facilities to the needs of an older population should be acted upon. Of course the largest and most expensive facilities that will be affected are the schools. Their control is out of the hands of city government. However, the City has a substantial interest here, suggesting that the City work with the school board to facilitate the transition of facilities to other uses when needed. (3) Increased affluence suggests i~reased financial and human resources to bring to bear on City problems and development opportunities. The challenge will be how to tap this increase in community wealth in an equitable fashion to promote the social, economic and environmental objectives desired by the City's residents. �-57- (4) Growth can be expected at rates lower than those experienced in the past. However, Norton Shores is expected to continue to be an especially desirable place to live and will continue to grow faster than the rest of the region. This, in light of the fact that much of the desirable land in the City is rapidly being developed, can occur in one of two ways. Either growth will proceed at the expense of environmental quality, or it can be managed and planned for in such a way that it complements environmental objectives. exclusive. Economic growth and environmental quality need not be mutually On the contrary, enhanced environmental amenities can be of great economic benefit to both the private and public sectors. (5) In general, the economic consequences of regional and national shifts are dependent on decisions that are beyond the control of the City. Norton Shores can only facilitate these trends since growth is by and large a function of private investment decisions. However, the City has several advantages which are expected to have a positive impact on the local economy. The priority expressed by City residents to pursue environmental objectives as the predominant guide for public decision-making can reinforce the amenities which have become prime locational factors for firms and residences. Secondly, the fact that the City is engaged in an active program for planning its future demonstrates a sense of stability and purposefulness in local governance which firms and individuals are beginning to regard as increasingly important. City. These factors taken together indicate a promising future for the �-58- THE KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The environmental issues of greatest concern to plan formulation are (1) the high groundwater table and poor soil suitability in the southern half of the City; (2) the shoreland problems along Lake Michigan, Mona Lake and Black Lake; and (3) the water quality problems of Mona Lake. Individually and in combination, these environmental and physical issues will have a significant impact on the future development of the City and resulting quality of life enjoyed by its residents. �-59- The majority of the City's soutbern half is characterized by high groundwater conditions and soil types that impose limitations of one sort or another on various types of land uses. (See Map 8.) That these limitations exist is, of course, nothing new, and is manifested in the types of development that have occurred in this area, i.e., some low density residential, agricultural, and the balance remaining undeveloped. As the most desirable sites, in terms of location and land suitability, become used up in the northern half of the City, increased development pressures can be expected on what were formerly marginal locations. (See Map 2 on the next page.) Continued development pressures must be assumed for the following reasons: (1) by emphasizing the creation and preservation of environmental amenities within the City, the community will continue to become a more desirable place in which to live; (2) given a continuation of the trend toward a high rate of household formation, albeit smaller in size, the demand for single and multi-family housing units will continue to be strong for some time to come; and (3) increasedaffluencewill fuel this demand for more housing units of higher residential quality and with access to the environmental amenities available in Norton Shores. These demand pressures will elicit a host of economic responses with very direct impacts on the community . Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the probable outcome of supply and demand forces as they mo~ toward an equilibrium situation, prepare to seize upon resultant opportunities as they arise and be in a position to ameliorate any undesirable consequences. Continued low-density, scattered development of the southern half of the City will present burdensome costs in providing and maintaining streets, �C1h IJ')O!>[Vc., Of I-ARI! (ITT MOSl!:[G()t,j Of' HTS 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 1111111111U111 G:e HIGH-RISK SHORELINE EROSION LAKE MICHIGAN DUNES -<:: DRAINAGE COURSES ~ HIGH GROUNDWATER AND SOIL SUITABILITY LIMITATIONS -·-·---- MONA LAKE BASIN AND CHANNEL BLACK LAKE BASIN -------------~----...;,,,--____,____,~-----------.,-Ja--'A___: NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN LEO JAKOBSON .,._ CONSl.l.TANT IN UUIAN PLANNNG MANAGEMENT ANO DESIGN MAOISCN WlSCON5'N �-6Q- police and, in particular, fire protection, due to the added costs of maintaining the dual capacity to fight fires in an urban and rural setting (see Report No. 10, Housing and Community Facilities). The value of land and improvements will remain at a low level, thus contributing in tax revenues considerably lower than their potential and possibly not enough to cover the cost of services received. The possibility that sewer and water might have to be provided to this area for health reasons, owing to haphazard and uncontrolled development, or for legal and/or political reasons, would create a situation of great inefficiency and an increased tax burden to be spread over the entire community. If, on the other hand, an innovative response to development pressures can be encouraged by the City, an outcome of a different magnitude and direction can be expected. By working with, rather than against, the natural conditions of the area, it is believed that: (1) a very pleasant and unique living environment can be created; (2) a pattern of land use can result which is more efficient to provide with public services; (3) a technologically based option for more intensive future development can be maintained; and (4) as a result of (1) above and the development of natural amenities as part of the living environment, there will be an increase in the value of land and improvements leading to greater community wealth as well as tax revenues. Viewed in this way, the southern section of the City promises to be an important asset in the City's future. The question becomes one of designing a response to these opportunities as part of the Master Plan Program. The issues related to the shorelands bordering on Lake Michigan, Mona Lake and Black Lake are somewhat different, but present opportunities �-61- similar to those that a planned response can recognize and capture with regard to the southern section of the City. The issues center on the environmentally fragile areas surrounding these water bodies, the most appropriate alternative land uses, and, of course, the manner in which the City chooses to enforce the agreed upon solution to these issues. (Map 2) The susceptibility of the dunes to erosion, as well as that of the shorelines of the inland lakes, is a familiar problem. There needs to be found a balance between the use of these land resources by the present population and preserving their value and potential use for the future. If the effect of market forces is to discount the future and disregard the social value of these resources, then government intervention on the part of society and in the interest of the City's future, not presently considered in the economic calculus, is necessary and justifiable. The problem with the dur1es is essentially one of stabilizing the vegetation and ground cover to prevent their erosion by man and nature. With increased pressures for development and the desirability of amenities associated with lakeshore proximity, these sensitive areas can become the focus of controversy. The City must again encourage innovation by pro- viding flexibility in terms of standards and development policies which recognize the uniqueness of these,areas. The desire for conservation and the growing scarcity of developable land can only be accommodated by planned development which ensures that both the public and private interest will be served. The shoreline of Mona and Black Lakes must be viewed as a private as well as a public resource management issue. Private ownership rights of �-62- shoreline property and the public's right to use and enjoy the lakes must be balanced in addressing present and future issues. These include types of permitted uses on and around the lakes, water quality problems, and the expenditure of public funds on recreational facilities, erosion control, and water quality improvement. These environmental and physical issues which confront the City must be incorporated into the Master Plan Program. This will enable the problems that they present and their associated opportunities to be confronted in a systematic and integrated fashion. �-63- MAJOR MAN-MADE PROBLEMS Of course all problems are man-made to some extent. because man perceives them as such. Some are problems Others are problems that have been created in the course of man interacting with others and the environment. The problems presented here are of the second type. Most of them are the result of man's lack of foresight--the inability to consider the future, partiality toward the present , and constraints imposed from the past. 3 identifies the most significant current man-made problems. Map �-64- Traffic problems in the City are a perpetual source of irritation, although generally not serious enough to pose a grave threat to the safety of motorists and pedestrians, nor of a magnitudewhichthreatens to paralyze economic and social activities of the area. Nonetheless the value of an efficient transportation system cannot be understated in a highly mobile and interdependent society. The problems being experienced today are numerous and result from a lack of foresight in earlier decision-making. The association between land use patterns and circulation requirements has not been carefully considered in public and private decision-making. In addition, the fact that decisions made relative to the physical landscape of a community saddle future generations with the cost of public debt and the resulting fixed spatial pattern is often overlooked or intentionally discounted. By recognizing these flaws in judgement and beginning to assess future implications of present decisions, today's traffic problems can be addressed in such a way that their solution will not impose similar constraints on the future. The one other consideration which is necessary is the need to view these problems as part of a broader set of transportation issues which encompass alternative modes of inter- and intra-city transport. Some of the specific circulati'bn problems that need to be addressed are: (1) the entire Henry Street corridor; (2) the impact of proposed land use activities on secondary and primary arterials; (3) selection of primary east-west and north-south roadways on which to encourage traffic flow; �11'h or ROO!,(ll"i'l l J·ARK \ \ 3 MAN-MADE ISSUES C) SAND MINING ♦ ♦ LAKE CROSSINGS DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS ~ ~ ~ ~ PRIMARY ROAD ACCESS CONTROL ■ ■ STRIP DEVELOPMENT : : : MIXED AND CONFLICTING LAND USES A :::::i AIRPORT APPROACHES -------------------i..:,_1,1-._.---_i.l-._,_.___....J__.--'/~~\-___, NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN LEO JAKOBSON ..,..$11,. CONSU.TANT IN ~BAN PLAN~G MANAGEMENT 4NO DESIGN MACMSON wtSCONS1~ �-65- (4) how to deal with natural and man-made obstacles to internal vehicular movement such as Mona Lake, Seaway Drive, U.S. 31 and railroad rights-of-way; (5) how to reduce the impact of traffic on residential areas while providing access to commercial and recreational activities; and (6) how to deal with the impact of higher energy prices and the transition from petroleum to other energy sources. In addition, the future role of mass transit and air traffic at Muskegon County Airport must also enter into the resolution of these problems as both alternatives and as determinants of land use activities in their own right. Other areas of concern that emerge as part of the local perspective are the mining activities of Nugent Sand, the Broadway Area, the northern portion of Grand Haven Road, and the Henry Street "finger". Although very different from each other, these situations have the common ancestry of a limited human perspective. As with circulation problems, it becomes the role of the planning process to place these issues in a broader perspective with regard to time and space. Nugent Sand poses problems similar to those of any resource management controversy. Being an extractive industry, it is necessary to assess the environmental impact of past, present and future mining activities, as well as the economic impact of modifying present practices and correcting past abuses. Recycling mined land into productive uses and en- couraging less environmentally damaging techniques for sand mining are necessary activities to be undertaken. Rather than the usual conflict �-66- between environmental quality and economic activity, these objectives can be accomplished with significant economic and fiscal benefits to the private and public sectors. The Broadway Area is characterized by a number of problems which must be addressed in the planning process. If present trends are extrapolated into the future, this area, in comparison with the remainder of the City, will continue to lag in political, financial and human resources that are present elsewhere in the community. Therefore, this area requires special attention directed toward influencing present characteristics to arrive at a changed condition for the future. The problems confronting the Broadway area include the following: (1) a deteriorated housing stock; (2) lack of identification with the City due to existing school district boundaries and a socio-economic mix different from that of the remainder of the community; (3) physical and geographic isolation from the bulk of the City's residential population; and (4) needs and priorities different from that of the remainder of the City's neighborhoods. Many of the problems involve solutions which are beyond the economic, human, and political capabilities of the City. This requires that the . h other levels ' City join f orces wit of government and the communities bordering on the Broadway area to develop solutions to these very basic, but complex, problems. The northern portion of Grand Haven Road is an area of mixed land uses with an overburdened roadway handling both local and through traffic. �-67- Mixed uses are not necessarily an undesirable phenomenon. In fact, under certain conditions, various land use activities with appropriate densities and buffers in well conceived spatial arrangements can be mutually supportive and produce a very efficient and pleasant environment. The northern portion of Grand Haven Road has not been so carefully planned and instead has seen a haphazard pattern of development. The result has been, and will continue to be, conflict--between residential, commercial and some industrial uses. Additional problems are caused by the location of the county airport. One is the requirements for a development-free glide path approaching the runways. This severely restricts land use along the approach corridor and has a depressing effect on more intensive potential uses. When weighed against the jobs and business opportunities that depend upon the airport and the transportation advantages which it provides, these problems seem insignificant. Nonetheless, a solution capable of capturing the benefits and eliminating any detrimental effects of the airport should be sought. The fact that development has occurred around the airport restricts its ability to extend runway length and any future expansion that the current increase in air traffic volume may necessitate in the future. This conflict between present and future access requirements (both air and land) and the need to make optimal use of the land resources in this area must be dealt with as a part of the Master Plan Program. The Henry Street "finger" is one of those situations where the City is constantly reminded that it does not exist in isolation. The "finger" �-68- is a peninsula of land running to the east of Henry Street which juts out between the cities of Roosevelt Park and Muskegon Heights. The street itself is part of Norton Shores, and so is the eastern side of the roadway with its well known commercial establishments. However, the western side of the street is the city of Roosevelt Park's and is subject to the codes and ordinances established by that city. Improvement of the area for commercial use and providing sufficient access requires intergovernmental cooperation as both cities have a substantial interest in the services provided by this area and the tax base that it represents. Map 3 suggests that the northeast corner of the City has a disproportionate share of the City's man-made problems. Mixed land uses, strip development, airport landing approaches, and traffic congestion problems all combine to create an unsatisfactory situation. This suggests the need to pay particularly close attention in the master planning process to this area. It will undoubtedly require different measures for guiding future development than elsewhere in the City where problems exist by themselves or in different combinations, as along t henorthernportion of Henry Street. �-69- JURISDICTIONAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES In the previous section, it has been suggested that a number of issues will require the City to work with other jurisdictions in designing and implementing solutions to its problems. necessitate intergovernment cooperation. There are two situations which The City has numerous isolated pockets of land either owned by or under the sole authority of another governing agency. These are illustrated on Map 4 on the next page, and include Hoffmaster State Park, Mona Lake Channel, property owned by the State Highway Commission, and the County Airport. �-70- The City also has several areas which are subject to overlapping governmental jurisdiction. The Lake Michigan Shoreline and dlllles, Nugent Sand, and the Henry Street "finger" are examples of areas subject to more than one governmental regulator. The interests of other governmental agencies in these areas present problems and opportunities to be explored in planning for future development. To the extent that these areas have a potential influence on the City, it is necessary to monitor the intentions of these other levels of government. Improved knowledge of the City's structure and dynamics generated during the Master Plan Program, combined with agreement upon connnunity development objectives, will permit an assessment of the plans being considered for these isolated pockets and areas of overlapping jurisdiction. The City will be in an improved position to react to the initiatives of others as well as to originate initiatives of its own toward a cooperative approach to problem-solving and planning. �' C1'rY ~ ~S[Vi.L"I' PARK CrTY MUSK[GOH Of HTS 4 JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES 1 CORPS OF ENGINEERS 2 STATE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 3 4 5 MUSKEGON COUNTY/STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT CITY OF ROOSEVELT PARK MUSKEGON COUNTY/FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ISOLATED AREAS 0 NORTON SHORES. MICHIGAN 1)()0 5000 1)()00 LEO JAKOBSON ,, .,_ CONSl.l.TANT IN Lfl81'N Pl.ANNNG MANAGEMENT N«J DESIGN �ATTITUDES AND GOALS �-71- THE ATTITUDE SURVEYS The examination of the community attitude survey in Reports 13 and 14 of the Norton Shores Master Plan Program expressed residents' views on current issues and the type of future that they felt would be desirable for the City. The discussion in Report Number 15 focussed on the current condition of the connnunity and likely characteristics and trends which will need to be considered in public and private decision-making. To- gether, these two perspectives provide the "what ought to be" and "what is", or "what will be". In the following discussion, these two views �---72- will be treated in an iterative fashion to begin to suggest the ''what can be" regarding the future of Norton Shores. In formulating these perspectives, great care has been taken to develop an accurate picture of the actual and desired community condition. One specifically suited to the purposes of the planning program has resulted. Accepting the notion that there are no absolute truths, and all facts must be interpreted to be useful in planning and decision-making, many sources and viewpoints have been incorporated into the program. The City's human resources have been organized to provide factual and attitudinal inputs as well as to review the synthesis and interpretations provided by the Master Plan consultant. An effort has been made to ascertain and differentiate between the concerns and attitudes of the community's influentials and those of the general population. Toward this end, the Norton Shores attitude survey was conducted during November and December of 1978. The specific objectives of the survey were: (1) to ascertain resident attitudes in regard to living conditions and community services; (2) to receive feedback from the population at large on the 1974 community goals and objectives and on new emerging planning and development issues; (3) to obtain intercensal information about the current socio-economic characteristics of City residents; and (4) to provide a basis for comparing current attitudes, expectations and priorities with those obtained in prior surveys, specifically a survey of attitudes on municipal services and development policies, which was conducted in 1972. In essence, surveys are among the few tools available to planners to commu- �-7 3- nicate with large numers of individuals in the course of plan preparation. Equally, surveys provide decision-makers with information helpful for assessing the political ramifications of plan related actions, specifically in the choosing of alternatives and in regardtosetting priorities. The idea of this survey was part of the original master plan preparation design. It was to be conducted at the time when the plan formulation process was moving from the review of past planning efforts, data collection and updating, and the analysis of the City ' s role and functions from national and regional perspectives, to the actual plan formulation stage. In the diagram on the next page, this survey represents the first horizontal screen line. The Master Plan work program incorporated the suggestion that parallel to the attitude survey the same questionnaire be sent to community influentials, that is, to the members of the City Council, the Planning Commission, and Master Plan Review Panel, albeit as a separate survey. The rationale for this was to ascertain how the attitudes and values of community decisionmakers might differ from those of the general public. Any differences, if found, would be helpful to the plan formulation process because they would pinpoint early in the process issues of possible disagreement and allow for timely attempts to find resolution to these conflicting viewpoints. �-74- COMPARATIVE SURVEY RESULTS RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS The first significant differences between community influentials or decisionmakers and the general population were in the respondents' characteristics. These differences appear in the socio-economic priorities of each group. Decision-makers are in their prime working and family life age: half of them are in the 30-50 year bracket and have a larger average household. There are more working members in their households, they are overwhelmingly in white collar occupations, and nearly half are in the top income bracket. �-75- A. Age: 18-30 30-50 over 50 B. Average Household Size (persons per household) C D. E. F. Table 2. General Public Influentials 12.1% 38.8% 49.1% 100.0% 50.0% 42.1% 100.0% 3.23 3. 41 Percent one or two person households 41. 7 Employed persons per household Occupations: white collar blue collar service Household Income < $10,000 $10,000-20,000 $20,000-32,500 > $32,500 7.9% 32.5 1.48 1.69 71.2% 23.2% 6.6% 100.0% 87.1% 10.0% 2.9% 100 .0% 17.6% 33.9% 28.7% 19.8% 100.0% 2.6% 18.0% 30. 8% 48. 7% 100.0% Social Profile, General Public and Influentials, 1978. The above suggests that decision-makers should be aware of these differences. They are not typical of the community average. dichotomy in their social profile. On There is also an important the one hand, they are representative of the leading edge of the socio-economic trends restructuring urban America. They are affluent, well educated, and in professional and managerial occupations. On the other hand, they are at a point in their life cycle which represents a diminishing factor in the overall population. The general �-76- trend is towards smaller families, more emphasis on adults than children, a larger percentage of older people, on fixed incomes, etc. The diffi- culty is to avoid projecting one's own world into decisions affecting the entire community. LIVING IN NORTON SHORES Co1IUI1unity influentials and the public at large like living in Norton Shores. However, the reasons given differed somewhat from those given in the general survey. Specifically, the influentials ranked the two "efficiency" factors Table 3 below summarizes these differences. higher than the public. General Public Reason No. Nice environment Proximity to lakes Good recn~Jtion 208 Total "Amenity" Reasons Nearness to work Efficient gove n1mcn t Total "Efficiency" Reasons Desirabk place to raise children Good schools Total "Family" RCJS0t1S TOTAL CHECKS Checks PL' r respondent Table 3. % Influentials No. z 37 29 21 16 108 23 19 10 11 6 577 52 77 43 144 27 13 24 14 2 15 9 171 15 39 23 191 182 17 16 32 28 18 ]6 373 33 60 34 1,121 100 176 100 261 3.48 4.51 Reasons for Liking Living in Norton Shores, General rublic and Influentials. �-77- In the area of the adequacy or inadequacy of governmental services, the ratings of the influentials and the public were in general accord. The notable difference was that both adequacy or inadequacy were expressed more strongly by the influentials. For example, the adequacy of water supply was rated good by 75 percent of the influentials in contrast to 60 percent by the public. On the inadequate side, leaf collection was considered inadequate or poor by 66 percent of the public. Influentials were more critical: 82.5 percent rated this service inadequate or poor. The adequacy of school services was generally ranked higher by influentials than the public. However, over half of the influentials and ove~ 70 pe~- cent of the general public did not rate school services because the survey asked that only those who currently had children in school or availed themselves of vocational or community college service should rate them. Influentials' responses to those services where the frequency of utilization was asked in addition to adequacy and importance correlate very closely with those of the public. In summary, influentials' responses to all questions about living in Norton Shores correspond to those of the population at large. ferences are one of degree. The dif- However, likes and dislikes are articulated more strongly and the deg~ee of no response is much lower among influentials. This is not surprising when one considers that the response comes from a community leadership group. h �-78- GOALS AND DEVELOPMENT All respondents surveyed as part of the general public were asked to rank the five goal groups in order of importance. percentages of this ranking. Table 4 below shows the As other parts of the survey suggested, the environmental goals group received the highest percentage of top rankings. 1 2 3 4 5 All Equal No Response Environmental goal 35 12 10 3 1 27 12 Economic goal 27 16 9 4 3 27 13 Physical development goal 14 18 16 6 6 27 13 Governmental services goal 9 20 15 11 5 27 14 Intergovernmental cooperation goal 9 18 15 10 8 27 13 Rankings: Table 4. General Public's Goal Rankings in Percent. In the ranking of goals by community influentials, a major difference occurs. As shown in Table 5, the economic goal ranks highest and the physical development goal second. 1 2 3 4 5 All E9.ual No Res:eonse Economic goal 50 10 13 2 0 23 2 Physical development goal 25 35 8 5 2 23 2 Environmental goal 23 18 25 7 2 23 2 Governmental services goal 13 15 10 25 12 23 2 5 15 18 17 20 23 2 Rankings: Intergovernmental cooperation goal Table 5. Influentials Goals Ranking in Percent. �-79- On a weighted basis, the comparative rankings are shown in the table below. Influentials General Public Economic goal 275 237 Physical development goal 249 208 Environmental goal 230 260 Governmental services goal 179 197 Intergovernmental cooperation goal 159 190 Table 6. Comparative Weighted Goals Ranking. These rankings must be given some consideration. They are indicative of the socio-economic difference between the influentials and the public There is no need for conflict between these rankings, however. For example, environmental quality is becoming an important factor in business decisions, e.g., where to locate a new factory. thens the economy. Thus, environmental amenity streng- The tradition of viewing them in conflicting terms must be overcome; it is more realistic to see them as complementary viewpoints, each strengthening the other. This point will be returned to, as it suggests the basis for a set of guiding principles for development. The last questions dealt with perceptions about the future of the Muskegon area and the growth and development of Norton Shores. Five basic scenarios were presented about al~rnative futures for the Muskegon area. responses are shown in Table 7 on the next page. The Within all of these perceptions, 87 percent of the general public suggested that Norton Shores should continue to grow, however, in a planned manner. The "no more growth'' option was supported by a mere 5 percent of the respondents. �-80- Unrestricted growth received no support either. Influentials % General Public % The Muskegon area will continue to grow at a slow pace as an industrial center with high chronic unemployment, a polluted environment, and having the image of a depressed, undesirable area. 9 12 It will have changed its current negative image and, though still an industrial area, it will have a greatly improved environment and the reputation of a good area for new industrial investment in heavy manufacturing. 40 28 It will be a bustling, year-round recreation, tourism, and convention center. 7 10 It will be the commercial--wholesale, retail, and banking--center for the Lake Michigan shoreline counties from Allegan to Mason at the crossroads of U.S. 31 and an I-96 extended from Muskegon by a modern, fast and frequent rail-truck-automobile-passenger ferry service to Milwaukee. 7 12 Because of effective environmental management programs like the County Wastewater System, it will have attracted numerous "clean" industries to the area to become an industrial research and development center. 25 28 Something else described by respondent. 12 10 1J 100 Table 7. Comparison of Perceptions About Muskegon's Future. Influentials No more growth Guided growth with help of planning and zoning Unrestricted growth No response Table 8. 100 Norton Shores Growth Options. General Public % % 0 5 95 87 5 2 0 6 100 100 �-81- As seen from the tables, community influentials have a more optimistic view of the area's future than does the general public. On the City's growth options, nearly all of the influentials opted for guided growth with the help of planning and zoning. ferred unrestricted growth. ' Two individuals, however, pre- �-82- GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: AN INTERPRETATION In the case of Norton Shores, given the attitudes of the citizenry and the constraints and opportunities presented in the local perspective, there is only one acceptable alternative future. That is to say that there is only one future where expectations will be brought into balance with the ability of local government to overcome problems and act upon opportunities. This future will be one characterized by a high level of environmental quality, a strong and responsive local economy, a stable and productive tax base, and local governmental services of a high quality. The City will be desirable to live in with the opportunity to reside in Norton Shores pro- �-83- vided to the maximum number of people compatible with maintaining this high quality of community life. As suggested in the last section, the greater priority assigned by community influentials to economic objectives and by the general public to environmental concerns does not represent conflicting positions. Rather, it suggests different perceptions on how to improve upon the living environment of City residents. Both of these emphases are correct; however, neither one alone is capable of enhancing the quality of life nor of providing a comprehensive set of guiding principles necessary to allow the City to participate in the shaping of its future. It is necessary to examine how these two objectives relate to each other and develop an approach for using them as guiding principles for development. THE APPROACH THAT IS PROPOSED FOR GUIDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY IS ONE THAT EMPHASIZES THE PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AMENITIES AS THE CITY'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE. The reasoning for this is that any city, specifically a suburban city, can ~eally do very little as a di~ect intervention to improve the economy~ Fiscal policy is at best an indirect and very imprecise tool for influencing the local economy. It is primarily concerned with housekeeping functions of local government and secondarily related to planning and land use issues-. If a city cannot generate jobs except by adding staff to the city payrQ!-1, then it can at least provide a basis for others to generate jobs by providing an environment (in a natural, as well as political, infrastructure, and human resource sense) which is conducive to attract private investment. �-84- The opportunity to use the environment as an inducement for economic development is greater now, particularly for Norton Shores, than ever. There is now more industry which economists term "footloose". It is high technology, much of it clean, production, assembly and research and development activities which go where management thinks it can satisfy the needs of its top personnel. The traditional concerns of industrial location-- proximity to raw materials or markets are becoming less and less important. It is really environment, in particular the nature of the physical environment and the way it is managed, which is going to enhance or strengthen the ability of this community to attract new jobs. Economic growth is dependent on how the community realizes its environmental goals. The link between these two objectives is the physical development of the City. �"I; THE MASTER PLAN ELEMENTS I �-85- INTRODUCTION Following the conceptualizations outlined in Part I of this report, the Master Plan as it evolved during the plan formulation process now consists of two basic functional elements, land use and transportation; six environmental management issues, e.g. shorelands erosion, dunes protection, flood hazards high water table and poor soil conditions; and three growth policy issues reflect cost efficiency concerns, e.g. �-86ljl the extension of public water and sewer service, and other social concerns, e.g. the provision of special housing for the elderly or disadvantaged, the location of various kinds of service facilities, etc. Lastly, the Master Plan identifies two subareas of the City where land use, transportation and environmental management issues coalesce in a particularly acute manner which warrant the highlighting of these areas. These are the Muskegon County Airport and the Nugent Sand mining area. All of the above functions, issues and concerns have been discussed and reviewed in the various reports issued during the plan preparation process. They are now summarized and integrated into a single framework which diagrammatically is shown below. r It represents the outcome of the Master Plan Process diagram first presented on page 29. Now the number of boxes in each row at the bottom of the flow chart have been established and their specific content identified. r?EVi!sW 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111111111111111111m n 11111111 mnn ~ },Jls;),.Cc~ J\,t>OPTio Figure 2. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IJ I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 The Mas ter Plan Fr amework . �-87- Before presenting the plan's recommendations for each of the functional elements, management issues and subarea concerns, the most important conceptual characteristics of the Master Plan should be restated. are: They (1) the separability of elements and issues, (2) the need to pro- vide for innovation whilst assuring that traditional approaches are properly controlled, (3) the requirement for openendedness and flexibility in an era of uncertainty about the future, and (4) the necessity to view the various proposals contained in the plan in the context of different time perspectives, e.g. an immediate, intermediate and long range future. In Part I of the report these plan requirements were dis- cussed as abstractions. Now their importance and relevance can be illustrated with concrete examples. SEPARABILITY OF ELEMENTS The "disaggregation" concept outlined in the discussion of Master Plan characteristics earlier in this report suggests that each element of the plan can stand on its own. It can be reviewed, discussed, adopted and utilized independently as a development and decision guide. The rationale for this unconventional approach is to obtain management flexibility by allowing the various issues included in the Master Plan to be dealt with in a focused specialized context without interference from exogenous considerations normally experienced in a comprehensive planning effort. Needless to say, a disaggregative approach to plan preparation is not easy. However, if one applies a systems approach to plan formulation, the Master Plan can be viewed as~ systems framework in which both �-88- plan elements--land use and transportation--are discrete subsystems, each operating at its own functional speed linked to the overall framework at a few critical points only. In the Master Plan system, these critical points can be expressed as goals and objectives, as policies, and as principles, standards and guidelines. As long as these are followed, the area of a particular land use, the location of a comm.unity facility, or a road designation is important only insofar as it affects another component in the same subsystem. In the case of Norton Shores' Master Plan, the proposed systems approach is facilitated by the fact that the environmental management issues of the plan is expressed in terms of management zones overlying the proposed land use pattern. The zones remain the same regardless of the underlying land use or any change of it. Conversely, as environmental conditions change or management techniques change, zonal boundaries and/or management practices can be changed without change in land use. As housing, community facilities and services are presented as sets of criteria and procedures akin to those in planned unit development, recommendations for specific locations for such facilities are not submitted in the Plan. This also contributes to the flexibility of the plan and allows for each proposal to be treated as an individual consideration at the appropriate time when a decision must be made. Overall then, the Master Plan shows only land use and major roads in terms of location. All other concerns are expressed as policies which apply to defined zones shown on the respective maps or as verbal guidelines only. �-89TRADITION VS. INNOVATION Norton Shores' environment can be managed in two ways. One approach views the existing environment and its characteristics as constraints and uses traditional development controls such as zoning to guide growth. The environment is protected with its dominant characteristics preserved under this approach. Future land use conflicts and potential damage to the natural environment can be anticipated and controls imposed to avoid these undesirable situations. The second approach interprets the environment and its characteristics as opportunities and develops innovative approaches to the utilization of environmental resources. Under an innovative approach, the environment is not only preserved but is also enhanced as a result of more effective ~esource utilization. The carrying capacity to support land use activities of varying intensity would be a principal determinant. However, the possibility of modifying natural and manmade site attributes or simply adapting to them by using new technologies and innovative design, engineering or site development techniques would not only be considered, but encouraged. Innovative management seeks to avoid future problems as well as to avoid overlooking or discouraging appropriate and timely development opportunities. Though tradition and innovation are seemingl¥ pt the opposite ends of any set of alternatives, it is proposed h~re that a plan can be designed that accommodates both. This is accomplished by using traditional land use controls like zoning as the basic management tool. Innovation is provided through the utilization of overlay zones which identify and specify the �-90unique environmental issues which pertain to a given area, e.g. the dunes or the high water table area, and suggest how through the utilization of Contract Zoning like Planned Unit Development the particular constraints of the site can be transformed into opportunities through the application of innovative design, new technology, etc. rl Environment ., r' ' , Master Plan Constraints ➔ and Opportunities 'i, ➔ Innovative ~ Management Overlay and' Contract Zoning Attitudes Figure 3. Traditional Management District Zoning The Plan Design Framework. OPENENDEDNESS AND FLEXIBILITY In traditional master planning three plan elements have seldom been implemented as proposed in the plan. These are the housing, community facilities, and recreation elements. The causes for this lack of im- plementation are many. However, two factors stand out. First, in contrast to the general land use element, which is controlled by economic and legal considerations, and the transportation element, which is controlled by technical and engineering principles, the housing, community facilities and recreation elements are linked to lifestyle, value preferences and social association. Second, because of this close link with social issues �-9-1- and attitudes, the specific needs and locations for these kinds of facilities and services cannot be accurately projected or their functions accurately described. The failure in past plans has been in the naive basic assumption that the future will be a simple extension of the present, albeit of a larger variety. As has been pointed out earlier in this report, the current era of economic and social uncertainty makes long-range planning difficult if not impossible. In particular, the social value and lifestyle transformations and the demographic changes which are taking place today suggest that detailed planning for housing and community service facilities, including recreation, in the traditional manner is futile. However, a master plan must provide a structure and guidance to connnunity decision-makers as to how to respond to special housing needs and to the demand for community services and recreation as such needs arise and as proposals for such facilities are presented. The recently enacted state enabling legislation providing f0r Contr~ct Zoning for special land uses gives the necessary structure and procedure for a decision framework which gives the City's administration, the Planning Commission and the City Council the necessary tool for judging and deciding on the need, location and conditions for development proposals for special land uses, e.g. housing, community facilities, recreation, etc, STAGING OF DEVELOPMENT The Master Plan concept as outlined suggests that the traditional notion of a master plan as a long range policy document be substituted with the �-92notion of the plan being timeless which simply means that the various proposals contained in the plan be related to goal achievement. This plan characteristic in combination with the requirements that the plan must be flexible, open-ended, and tolerant provide the basis for staging the plan. In the Norton Shores case it became clear that only a simple two level staging approach was necessary. The reasons for this were the modest size of the city, its relatively homogenous population structure, and consequently, relatively easy concensus on development goals and objectives. Also, the lack of major developmental problems facilitates the staging task. The two development stages are the "immediate future" from now to 1986, and the more "distant future" beyond 1986. There are several reasons for considering the immediate future as the next six year period. The most important is the requirement in Section 9 of the Municipal Planning Act which provides that for the purpose of furthering the desirable future development of the municipality under the master plan the city planning commission, after the commission shall have adopted a master plan, shall prepare coordinated and comprehensive programs of public st,uctures and improvements. The commission shall annually prepare such a program for the ensuing 6 years, which program shall show those public structures and improvements, in the general order of their priority, which in the commission's judgement will be needed or desirable and can be undertaken within the 6-year period. �-93- Michigan legislation is not unique in determining that six years is an appropriate timeframe for making specific decisions on development. Throughout the United States six year improvement programs are common. In many other parts of the world five year national development plans are being promulgated. In nearly all instances, however, the five or six year plans are based on longer range perspective plans. The two level staging is by now commonly accepted in planning practice. Staging of the Master Plan has also the advantage of providing a rational base for zoning by protecting the community of overzoning prematurely land for uses of limited current demand resulting in "arrested development" or in "leapfrogging" in which development bypasses partially developed areas in favor of locations in newly zoned areas. By providing a staged plan the conformity requirement between the plan and the zoning map can be obtained with the zoning map - the implementation tool - conforming with stage one of the master plan which should be developed first . �-94- THE BASIC ELEMENTS: LAND USE THE PROPOSED LAND USE CATEGORIES On the basis of the various studies conducted during this planning effort, three specific issues emerged, each of which sets its own distinct constraint on land use planning. These three issues are: (1) the constraints imposed on land use planning by existing development; (2) the opportunities presented to land use planning in the areas not yet developed; and �-95- (3) the constraints and opportunities created by the locational and environmental characteristics of Norton Shores' site. The analysis of these issues led to the conclusion that little or no land use change should be recommended for that part of the City in which most of the existing development was concentrated. Most of this development is sound, relatively new and representative of current community needs. Land use innovation should therefore be directed to the undeveloped parts of the City and related to locational and environmental opportunities. Lastly, the environmental constraints should be considered as opportunities facilitating the creation of amenity in the form of open space. Based on the above, the land use element of the Master Plan broadly divides the City into three zones: (1) the urban core; (2) the development zones; and (3) the open space zones. In addition, the county airport must be treated as a zone in its own right because of its unique characteristics and impacts on the surrounding area. In the following, each of these zones an& the various land uses within them are briefly explained. In SUillIDary, the land use plan is an attempt to reconcile the existing land use characteristics of the City with those opportunities for managing the future growth of the City which emerged during the consultant's assessment of national, regional and local trends. It is suggested that �the proposals also reflect the consensus of residents as identified in the attitude survey as well as the views of community influentials ascertained in the sketch plan evaluation survey. As pointed out earlier, the land use element stands on its own. Modifications in it, specifically in regard to the boundaries of specific districts, will not invalidate the overall concept, nor will they affect other elements of the Master Plan. Changes in concept, however, will have repercussions on the other elements. THE URBAN CORE This zone extends across the northern half of the City to approximately a line from Ellis Road in the east via Porter Road to Sternberg Road in the west. It encompasses nearly all of the developed land in the City. It is serviced by urban utilities like sewer and water. It is predomi- nantly single family residential and subject only to such developmental pressures like the infilling of still vacant land with new construction. As most of this new development conforms to the existing character of each subarea in this zone, it represents the last phase in the maturing of the zone into a fully developed stable urban area. For the above reasons it was felt early in the planning process that the condition of maturity and stability of this area must be recognized in any land use plan which may be considered for the City. It was subse- quently felt that this area should be treated as a separate land use zone for which no change should be proposed either in the characteristics of development or in the basic regulations governing development, e.g., . �-9]- zoning. This implies, for example, that no changes are proposed in existing land uses in this zone. Also, the existing zoning regulations will remain in force, including the current district delimitations as they appear on the zoning map. As can be seen from the land use plan on the next page, some exceptions have been made to the above principle. These apply, however, to some large tracts of land which have not been developed, e.g., the area south of Seminole Road between Henry Street and Vickham Road, or are currently being used for a non-urban activity, e.g., sand mining in the area north of Seminole Road and west of Lincoln Road. Also, the exceptions apply to specific situations, like the commercial corridors on Henry Street and on Grand Haven Road. Lastly, the environmentally most sensitive areas, the Lake Michigan Shore and the Black Creek estuary, are also excluded from the Urban Core Zone. All these exceptions present developmental opportunities which, if not identified, might be lost ir. tr.e matur.:1t:..on process affecti:ig the northern half of the City. and strengthen, through the process of g=~c~~l ir.filli~ 6 , the ?=esent characteristics of the area. The existi~; p~ttern ?CSe~ ~o sig~i£ic2~t community-wide ~roblems, but there may exist specific localized land use conflicts. In the Master Plan concept, as presented, these would be identified, analyzed, discussed, and resolved in the preparation of district plans for various subareas of the City. �' C1h Of" ~SCV(Lt PARK 5 MASTER PLAN LAND USE ~ I 1980-1986 URBAN CORE LOW NTENSITY RESIDENTIAL HIGH INTENSITY RESIDENTIAL IMllm APARTMENT/ OFFICE COMPLEXES l:.!lllll SERVICE COMMERCIAL mun, MAJOR COMMERCIAL LWIIII INDUSTRIAL I NlUSTflw. f'AAK b SMALL N>USTRIES @ AGRICULTURE (8 RECREATION & OPEN SPACE • LAKE MO-IGAN SHOR.NOS b BLACK Cl1EEJ< BASIN c HOFFMASTER STATE d llLACK LAKE e.fK>SS OQJ ARK BASIN ~ AIRPORT NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN 5000 ' "0000 ! LEO JAKOBSON_ ......, CONSll.TANT lN l.flBAN PLAN~G MANAGEMENT AHO DESIGN ~------ MAOtSCIH WISCONSIN �6 MASTER PLAN LAND USE BEYOND 1986 C!J URBAN CORE e:fil al) LOW INTENSIT Y RESIDENTIAL HIGH INTENSITY RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT/ OFFICE COMPLEXES amm SERVICE COMMERCIAL MAJOR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL - ·1 - a lhOUSTRIAL PARK EE b SMALL NOUSTRIES AGRICULTURE RECREATION & OPEN SPACE I LAKE MCHGAN St-lCfE..AM:>S b BlACK CREEK BASN c t-OfFMASfER STATE ARI( d lUC1C LAKE BASN CT[] •.ROs$ ""RK AIRPORT 1)(J() NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN t E0 JAKOBSON 5000 CONSULTANT IN LABAN PLANNNG MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN ~---- MADI~ W1SCONSIN �-98- THE DEVELOPMENT ZONES The location and physical and social environment of Norton Shores provides for a range of developmental opportunities. In land use terms, these can be identified as residential, commercial, and industrial. After specific locational and environmental opportunities and constraints were examined, the following developmental land use classification emerged: (1) dunes residential; (2) low intensity residential; (3) high intensity residential; (4) apartment/office complexes; (5) service commercial; (6) major commercial; and (7) industrial. Each of these is discussed in more detail below. 1. Dunes Residential Consistent with the environmental toncerns expressed in the various surveys and the City's past planning efforts, development in the dunes should be judiciously guided and controlled. For that reason, a special dunes management zone (see section on environmental management) is proposed which will provide the necessary assurances that development in the dunes will conform to the desires of the community, allowing for development in balance with the natural fragile ecology of the environment. In the main, the recommendations will follow those enumerated in 1969-71 in the various shorelands studies prepared for Muskegon County �-99- and the City of Norton Shores. The Master Plan suggests that as a matter of City policy the dunes be recognized as a unique environment. The subsequent work on a Zoning Ordinance will establish the specific regulations for dealing with this unique resource. 2. Low Intensity Residential The Low Intensity Residential district encompasses the area south of Sternberg Road to Pontaluna Road and is bounded on the east by a line about 600 feet to the east of Grand Haven Road and on the west by Lake Harbor Road. The area, identified by number 2 on the land use map, is characterized by high water table and soils in general unsuitable for intensive urban development. (See Report No. 9, Data Update II: Transportation, Land Use and the Natural Environment.) It is not served by public sewer and water. The Low Intens ity Residential land use category is conceived as a solution to these conditions. Development within this area is depende'nt upon the natural carrying capacity of the land, which, in the absence of public infrastructure or inexpensive private vastc disposal and building technology, is limited. For this reuson, it is suggested that only residential uses situated on large nd~quately spaced lots be permitted. ' However, other land uses, including service facilities and more intensive residential development, need not be absolutely prohibited. As the more desirable sites within the City become fully developed, more intensive pressures will come to bear on what were formerly marginal locations, including the areas designated "low intensity residential". Increased �-100- demand, combined with improved and less expensive technological innovations, may make more intensive development economically feasible and render obsolete the natural constraints on waste disposal, flooding, and soil bearing capacity at present regarded as limiting development. Since the Low Intensity Residential district is conceived in a dynamic rather than static sense, it is important to assess the constraints imposed by development in the present on opportunities for innovative and more intensive land use at some later point in time. Therefore, any site-specific development standards and criteria regarding site plans and environmental impact assessment are not proposed in the Master Plan. These issues can be best handled under the Planned Unit Development provisions of the City's Zoning Ordinance. 3. High Intensity Residential Three areas within the City are suggested as locations for ''high intensity residential" use. They are identified by number 3 on the map. The intent is to provide opportunities for diverse living situations, recognizing several important demographic and socio-economic trends exhibited at the local, regional and national levels. These include an aging of the popu- lation, changing life and job styles, and other housing demand and supply phenomena which will require adjustment and accoIIDI1odation in the provision of housing in the public and private 3ectors. The areas selected to accommodate development of alternative forms of housing allow for such concepts as single family housing in clusters, condominiums, town houses and garden apartments. The locations are �-101- . characterized by unique and/or sensitive environmental amenities which can be made accessible to more people than would be the case under a traditional pattern of single family housing. Because of a more intense concentration of human activity and thefragilenature of the environment, great care must be exercised in the design and implementation of development in these areas. High intensity residential development will require public infrastructure and services such as roads, sewer, water, schools, police and fire protection. The sites selected are either presently served by such facili- ties or can be in keeping with the utilities development policy and the recommendations contained in the other plan elements and management issues. Similarly, access to shopping, employment and other service facilities is judged to be very good in light of the existing or pro- posed land use patterns within the City. From a fiscal and economic point of view, the high intensity residential land use activity at these locations is expected to yield significant benefits. It is proposed that each proposal for development in this land use district be subject to site _plan approval, irrespective of the acreage involved. Therefore, no specific development standards are proposed. The details of administering development in this district, as well as any particular provisions uniquely applying to the intensive residential land use zone, will be spelled out in the forthcoming revision and amendments to the City's Zon_ing Ordinance. Also, it may be advantageous to prepare detailed plans for these subareas of the City. �-102- 4. Apartment/Office Complexes Limited locations identified by number 4 on the map are proposed for development of apartment and office complexes. These are sites which are proximate to complementary land use activities, e.g., business districts and the airport, which can provide adequate parking, access and egress, and can be efficiently served by public infrastructure and services. Because of the intense nature of these activities, they have been segregated from other less intense land uses as well as protected from possible conflicting activities such as industrial and major commercial uses. Apartment development will provide additional opportunities for alternative housing types over and above those in the intensive residential districts. Office complexes will provide employment and services which will strengthen the City's economic base as well as provide fiscal benefits. In- creased demand for both apartment units and office space in the near future resulting from demographic and economic shifts can be accommodated in the plan in a way which maximizes the positive impacts of such development. As in the High Intensity Residential district, it is proposed that all proposals for development in this district be subject to site plan approval. Therefore, no specific development standards are proposed. Any particular control provisions uniquely applying to this zone will be incorporated into the revised Zoning Ordinance. 5. Service Commercial In addition to the existing service commercial activities at the northern �-103- end of Grand Haven Road, several other locations of limited size are proposed. They are indicated by number 6 on the land use map. The concept of service connnercial nodes was first introduced in 1971 in the City's "Transportation Corridor Study." The principle was simple: in addition to meeting the local residential needs and demands for neighborhood and community-level shopping, all commercial development was also to serve the tourist and recreation trade. Combining residential service demands with the commercial service needs of the tourist would have strengthened the capacity of each node to provide (1) better and improved services; (2) a greater selection of merchandise; and (3) greater investment incentive. In the review of the City's past planning effort, it was recognized that although the emphasis given tourism and recreation in 1971 has subsided, the locational principles underlying the node concept were still valid. Therefore, parts of the node system for the southern part of the City as outlined in the "Transportation Corridor Study" have been retained. The nodes do not serve identical purposes and needs, however. The two nodes betwen U.S.-31 and Grand Haven Road at Pontaluna and Sternberg are primarily oriented to the service needs of highway users and the workers and establishmen,s in the industrial corridor, but they also serve the residential areas to the west of Grand Haven Road. The original two nodes at Lake Harbor and Sternberg Roads and at Pontaluna and Sternberg Roads have been combined into a single, more centrally located node at Sternberg RDad and Henry Street. Its role is that of a community shop- �-104- ping area serving the needs of the residential population south of Mona Lake and to the west of the airport. As the Master Plan spells out only the basic principles for development, no detailed specifications for land use control are presented. The district regulations will be incorporated in the revised Zoning Ordinance as well as the procedures for the approval of development in these nodes. 6. Major Commercial Major commercial uses, with extensive land and access requirements, are proposed to remain essentially where they presently exist: along Henry Street, north of Seminole Road (Area 5 on the map). This area, supple- mented by the several service commercial nodes located throughout the City, is expected to serve adequately the shopping and business service needs of local residents. No changes are considered in the regulations governing development in this district. However, it is suggested that development proposals for the remaining larger parcels in the designated areas be subject to site plan approval. This would ensure that the City's objectives could be expressed in controlling density, site development, traffic, landscaping, and environmental quality. If, under the disaggregation principles underlying the Master Plan process, it is deemed necessary to prepare a more detailed area plan for the Major Commercial District and its surroundings, specific guidelines for future development in this area may emerge. To include such guidelines in the Master Plan itself would introduce an element of unnecessary area-speci- �-105- ficity into a discussion of City-wide development policy. 7. Industrial The industrial corridor between Grand Haven Road and U.S.-31 from Ellis Road to the north to the City boundary in the south is a long-established fact in the mental mapping of land uses by Norton Shores' residents. was clearly demonstrated in the results of the attitude survey. This (See Map of Industrial Locations, Report No. 13, "The Community Attitude Survey".) There is a clear logic to this perception. The area is not in the path of other development, the land is well suited for industrial purposes with good highway and rail service, and it is now served by a high capacity sewer system which is particularly well suited for absorbing most kinds of industrial waste. In view of the above, the Land Use Plan merely restates earlier decisions and delimits the area in relation to other land uses. For policy and control purposes, the core of the district is designated as an "industrial park" (7a on the land use map). This designation implies strict environmental and use controls with respect to the kind of industries which would be allowed to locate in this area, traffic, building design and landscaping requirements, etc. The specifics of these will be presented as part of Zoning Ordinance amendments. ' In each connnunity there is a growing need to accommodate the small entrepreneur who often does not have the resources to comply with strict development standards or to locate in an industrial park. For that pur- pose, it is reconnnended that a light industrial district be established in locations marked 7b on the land use map. Aside from less demanding �-106- standards, it is suggested that only small industries as defined by a maximum number of employees, maximum building area and maximum lot size be allowed to locate in this district. Again, the specifics of these regulations will be incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance. THE OPEN SPACE ZONES Nothwithstanding the generally accepted view that open space is urban settlements is a necessity that provides for recreation and visual enjoyment and thus contributes to the health and welfare of a coraraunity, historically the designation of land as open space has not been easy because it has been considered a taking of land ~ithout due compensation to the owners. In recent years, the environmental concerns have added strength to the desire to preserve open space and to apply zoning powers to the enforcement of such designation in particular in cases where the natural environment supports such designation. In Norton Shores' proposed open space system, the environmental, recreational and general amenity interests congrue,leading to the designation of one primary open space district for the purpose of environmental conservancy, recreation and visual amenity. However, along the eastern edge of the City, an agricultural district is proposed to assure that environmental management principles be upheld in an area for which any other land use designation at this point would be premature. 1. Recreation and Open Space The areas proposed for recreation and open space are identified by number 9 on the land use plan. Not all of them are alike, however. In fact, �-107- one could subdivide them into five distinct areas: (a) the Lake Michigan Shorelands; (b) the Black Creek Basin and estuary; (c) Hoffmaster State Park; (~ the Black Lake-Pontaluna Road area; and (e) the Ross Park and surrounding area. The Lake Michigan Shorelands (9a) delimitation follows, in the main, the shorelands designation as established under the Shorelands Protection and Management Act of 1970. In some locations it extends eastward in order to include some of the environmentally most valuable dune formations. The primary purpose is to conserve the fragile dune environment. A secon- dary purpose is recreation. The basic principles restricting development along Lake Michigan fall under the environmental management zones described later in this report. Any specific land use regulations will be incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance. Existing development, buildings and structures will, under this proposal, become non-conforming and be subject to any regulations that apply to such uses and structures in the Zoning Ordinance, The Black Creek Basin and Estuary (9b) is a conservancy area primarily established from the poi~t of view of environmental management. the land is unbuildable and subject to flooding. Most of Whether parts of this area could be used for recreational purposes in the future should be �-108- subject to a detailed study at a later point in time if a demand for recreational facilities in that area should arise. Environmental pro- tection is, therefore, the sole purpose of this open space designation at this time. The Hoffmaster State Park area (9c), albeit inside City limits, is controlled by the State's Department of Natural Resources. The plans for the park have drastically changed since the early 70s when a peak day load of 15,000 visitors was anticipated. The current plan provides for only 3,000 visitors per day during peak SUllllller periods. This reduction in visitor loads will assure that large parts of the park will remain in their natural state. From the City's perspective, the City should support the current plan and develop a working relationship with the appropriate State agencies to assure that low intensity usage remain the primary goal in any future revisions of the park's master plan. The Black Lake-Pontaluna Road area (9d) is intended primarily for private recreational development. The area already contains the Elks Club and adjoining golf course and a riding stable. lands on the eastern shore of Black Lake. Also, the City owns some The ~City's primary objective should be to acquire, over time, all remaining shore property to assure complete control of the lake and its fragile shore environment. In the remainder of the area, various kinds of recreation-related land uses should be permitted, e.g . , camp grotu1ds, golf shooting ranges, etc. In addition, farming, garden shops and nurseries, and large lot (5-acre minimum) residential development should also be permitted. In the Zoning �-10.9- Ordinance, this area would be recognized as a special district with appropriate district regulations. The Ross Park area (9e) includes the major City-owned recreational area currently developed, the South Shores Junior High School property, and a suggested extension of the park· along the shores of Mona Lake. The pro- posed western extension as shown on the land use plan includes only land which is subject to flooding and zoned A3 on the Federal flood insurance map. Ross Park is primarily intended to serve the recreational needs of the built-up residential areas between Grand Haven Road and Henry Street to the south of Mona Lake. At this time the extension of the park can be given low priority because the floodplain designation of the proposed expansion are will keep that area undeveloped. The City's main objective should be an operational agreement with Mona Shores School Board to ensure that the school property remains "open space", in other words, that regardless of a future disposition of the school building, the grounds remain open for sports and other recreational activities. 2. Agriculture The proposed agricultural district has two purposes. First, it is an environmental device to control development in an area of poor soils and high water table. S~cond, it is a holding device to prevent premature expansion of urban activities into an area which, at present, cannot adequately be served by utilities and which is physically separated from the City by an effective manmade barrier--US-31. ,__ �-110- In the future, the City may consider three policy options in regard to this district. One would be to cede the area and have it annexed to Fruitport Township. The second option would be to annex an additional band of land to the east of Harvey Street to allow for satisfactory planned development along both sides of the street. At present it is felt that agricultural zoning to the east of US-31 would provide the necessary holding mechanism until such time when the future uses of this area can be meaningfully discussed. The third option is one of intergovernmental cooperation and coordination between the City and Fruitport Township on all development decisions in the Harvey Street corridor. alternatives, the second seems the most attractive. conditions and perceptions may change. Of the three However, over time As no immediate action is needed, no specific recommendations are made in regard to the administrative future of this area. �-111- THE BASIC ELEMENTS: TRANSPORTATION BASIC CONSIDERATIONS Until now, Norton Shores' road system has been viewed primarily in a northsouth perspective. This perspective was formed by the following: (1) Most jobs, services and co~ercial centers lie to the north of Norton Shores, in Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and in the Henry Street commercial strip; (2) The City was growing southwards, with much of recent growth concentrated in the area south of Mona Lake and to the west of the airport; and �-112- (3) No convenient access points to the regional highway system (US-31 and Seaway Drive) are available to Norton Shores' drivers except via north-south roads like Henry Street and Grand Haven Road. This north-south view has dominated all discussions and all planning of traffic and transportation facilities in the City. The transportation corridor study of 1971, the discussions of improving the bridges across Mona Lake, and the notion of a scenic drive in the dunes along Lake Michigan were all based on the underlying assumption that the primary direction of major roads in Norton Shores must be north-south. During the preparation of this plan, a number of new perceptions ha~e emerged which suggest that the north-south orientation may not be the only way to think about traffic in Norton Shores. The Concept Sketch suggested a balanced system of three north-south arterials (Lake HarborMcCracken, Henry Street, and Grand Haven-Getty) and three east-west arterials (Seminole, Sternberg and Pontalune Roads). Further analysis suggests to us that by differentiating the arterials by specific purpose, the balanced arterial system would provide the greatest benefits to the City. Before describing the proposed balanced road system, a few comments should be made of the analysis which preceded its inception: (1) A considerable shift in the location of jobs held by Norton Shores residents has taken place since 1972. The table on the next page lists the location of jobs as indicated by the respondents in two Citywide surveys conducted in 1972 and 1978. It is of particular importance to note that the central cities generating northbound traffic, in particular on McCracken, Henry and Getty Streets, have lost their dominant job location role, counting today for less than half of all job locations. �-113- (2) In a broader geographic context, the north-south structure of regional development along the US-31-Seaway Drive corridor from Grand Haven to Whitehall supports the notion of an east-west lateral feeder road system from the residential conmnmities along this intensive employment and services spine. (3) The existence of a high capacity regional transportation spine represents a considerable investment of public funds. This investment should be put into its fullest use by providing effective lateral access to it. (4) A balancing of major traffic flows would lessen pressure on the existing north-south system which originally never was designed to carry large amounts of vehicular traffic, This reduction in traffic loads in tum would eliminate the need for the kind of costly improvements which a continuation of the present flow pattern would force upon the community. (5) The new reality of high fuel costs introduces a change in patterns of recreational driving. While in the 60s driving for pleasure was one of America's great pastimes, today driving to pleasure and recreation is more important. In otherwords, a north-south scenic drive along the shore has lost its significance. Instead, east-west access to the shore with adequate terminal facilities on the shore, e.g., parks, is a much more desirable objective. Job Location City City City City of of of of Norton Shores Muskegon Roosevelt Park Muskegon Heights TOTAL CENTRAL CITIES Elsewhere in Muskegon County Outside Muskegon County TOTAL Table 9. Percent 1972 Percent 1978 24 40 5 16 27.5 32.9 3.2 11.6 61 47.7 6 8 15.3 9.5 100 Job Location--City of Norton Shores Residents. 100 �-114- THE PROPOSED PLAN The proposed plan, as shown on the map on the next page, consists of three basic designated road categories: regional highways, arterial roads and collector roads. In addition, but not shown on the map, we have residential and other local service roads. This latter category is not discussed in the Master Plan because its characteristics, and the criteria and standards governing design and construction, are established in the City's Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances. In the process of ordinance revision, changes may be made that could affect current practices in the tlesign and construction of these local roads. Of the three categories shown, the first is outside municipal jurisdiction. It is, however, an integral component of the overall plan. Also, plan implementation will require close cooperation between the City, the County and the State. The critical component in the proposed road system are the arterial roads. It is through this category and its links to the regional highway system that a balanced orientation in future traffic flows is accomplished. Three categories of arterials are proposed: (1) east-west arterials; (2) north-south arterials; and (3) business arterials. The roads recommended for designation as arterials in each of the above categories are: (1) East-West Arterials - Sherman Avenue Seminole Road Sternberg Road (from Harvey to Lake Harbor) Pontaluna Road �C1T'I' MUSK.EGON \ OF HTS \ 7 MASTER PLAN TRANSPORTATION 1980-1986 ..._ REGONAL ARTERIALS LOCAL ARTERIALS - •••• - EXISn«, PRCJIOseo B\JSINESs ARTERIALS MAJOR COLLECTOR STREETS - EXISTWG •• •• PfO:lose:o A MINOR COLLECTOR STREETS - •••• EXJSn«) PIIOPosEo , ~~ tt SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIOOS EXISTN; _,..i_____.__,J.:-.___,-.___,-""I: _ _....... ,~ ""----- ... ---._ oo_ _PROoosa, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _a i,.. , NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN LEO JAKOBSCW ,,,s..:.,_.. CONSULTA NT IN l.fl8AN PLANNNG MANAGE~NT ANO OESKiN MADISCW'II, wtSCONSIN �(II ~ l ~-~~~ I ,,' I I - J '( \ 1d 11 l 1 . \. • . •- I ="i ' -· ~ , . . .. . . . . \ .·. \ \ <l \ \ ', \ \_i -1 .... I \ I 11' 1 \ 1rrrrI ~ >0-- \',J ,/ ------- - \ \ \ I 8 MASTER PLAN TRANSPORTATION BEYOND 1986 - -•• - .... - REGIONAL ARTERIALS LOCAL ARTERIALS EXISTIIG PRoPoseo ~INESS ARTERIALS MAJOR COLLECTOR STREETS EXISTIIG ~ MINOR COLLECTOR STREETS - EXJSrto:; •••• PIIOPosEo * It ~ IN=:NGES SIGNAuzeo El<JSTN; INTERSECTIONS _o_o _PIIOPosEo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _---.o.....:,FNORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN .....,....._~ ~- - - - . - • - \ - - - ~~ - - - - - LEO JAKOBSON _ ..,,. CON.5Ll.TANT IN LflBAN PLANMNG MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN MADISON. WISCONSIN �-115- (2) North-South Arterials - McCracken Road (from Seminole to Sherman) Henry Street (from Sternberg to Seminole) Wood Road (from Sternberg to Airport terminal) Getty Street (from Seaway Drive to Sherman) Grand Haven Road (from Judson to Sternberg) (3) Business Arterials - Henry Street (from Seminole to Sherman) - Grand Haven Road (from Hile to Seaway) The above designations imply a differentiation in . purpose and in standards for each category. However, it is proposed that some differentiation is needed within the categories themselves. The reason for distinguishing between east-west and north-south arterials is for the purpose of priority. An early attention to the development of Sternberg Road as an east-west arterial including the construction of an interchange at US-31 is critical to the implementation of a balanced system. In regard to standards, it is proposed that both the east-west and the north-south arteries be developed into moderate speed, controlled access roads with preferential signalization at their intersections with business arteries. All intersections with collector and residential and service streets would have stop signs for trafficenteringthe arterial. Curb cuts from adjoining property would be strictly controlled and large setbacks of 50 feet or more would be incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance to apply to all development along the designated roads. The details of road design, e.g., number of lanes, sidewalks and/or bicycle paths, right-of-way width, channelization, etc., will be determined at the time of each improvement. �-116- In the complete system, the north-south arterials become the critical links between the proposed east-west arterials. But it should be pointed out that several segments of this road category would not require any major change or improvement, at least not in the foreseeable future. to this may be Grand Haven Road. An exception It performs a different ftmction in that it is the major road providing access to Norton Shores' industrial development areas. For that reason, it may require special design standards. Possibly it should be designated as an industrial arterial at a later date. The business arterials are a new and special category both from the point of purpose and from the point of design. It is proposed that the main pur- pose of these arterials is to serve the businesses on both sides of the roadway rather than to serve the demands of regional traffic flow. There- fore, these arteries should be developed into slow speed, high volume roads allowing for frequent and easy left and right turns into the various roadside establishments, Co-equal timing is reconnnended for both traffic directions at existing signalized intersections and, possibly, the utilization of four-way stop signs at intersections currently allowing for uninterrupted flow. Again, the details of design would be developed at the time of actual improvements. It is important, however, that the purposes and broad characteristics of these arteries be agreed upon at this time. The main purpose of collector streets is to channel traffic from local streets into the arterial system. Because of the overall objectives of �-117- the arterial system, attempts were made to designate as collector streets those segments of the existing road network which either already function as collectors or which, by designation and subsequent intersection controls, could function as collectors. The collector streets are envisioned as two-lane roads with stop sign control for traffic from intersecting residential streets. have sidewalks and, possibly, bike lanes. They would Again, standards would not be fixed beyond those incorporated into the zoning and subdivision control ordinances to allow for that variation in roadway design that is needed to accomplish environmental goals, for example. In presenting this proposal, it is hoped that, if accepted, it will provide an opportunity to discard old concepts in roadway designation and design. There is sufficient variation in the City's land use pat- terns--existing and proposed--to suggest that this flexibility in the transportation plan will support the City's environmental and economic goals: to enhance liveability and resource preservation and to provide cost-efficient technical solutions to municipal management problems. PUBLIC TRANSIT Only a small portion of the City along its northern edge is currently served by public transit, albeit in a most parsimonious manner. Our examination of the current situation with respect to an expansion of this service, including a deeper penetration of buslines into the City, comes out negative. �-118- The service provided by MATS does not meet any of the three critical requirements f or a success f u1 mass tran sit operation: low cost, high frequency, and good dependability. In addition, Norton Shores does not have the clientele for a public transit system, nor is the physical layout of the City supportive of such a system. We have not shown any potential routes for the future. futile exercise that may only stir up controversy. As It would be a we do not see other feasible solutions except in the form of a publicly supported system providing,free rides, any discussion of public transit should be deferred to a later time when, possibly, some of the proposals in the land use element, e.g., the office/apartment complexes between Stemberg and Ellis, or intensive residential development south of Seminole and to the west of Lake Harbor Road, have materialized. If such develop- ments occur, the proposed road system would allow for new bus routing loops to penetrate effectively into the City and to the areas south of Mona Lake. �-119- THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT Norton Shores has an outstanding natural environment enhanced by abundant open space, vegetation and water resources. Detailed analysis of this environment suggests that although most of these common characteristics are found throughout the City, certain physical distinctions are present and should be recognized by establishing zones for policy purposes. These environmental zones can be grouped �-120- into two major categories: the shoreland zones and the interior water resource management zones. They are shown on the Environmental Manage- ment map on the next page. THE SHORELANDS Norton Shores' extensive shorelines are a great resource for the community. However, the unique problems and opportunities associated with shoreline development require special attention. This was recognized in Muskegon County's shorelands study which identified 18 policy zones for the County on the basis of differences in environmental characteristics, the ex.tent of development, and the nature of private and governmental jurisdiction. Five of the identified zones were in Norton Shores. For current plan- ning purposes, we identify three major shorelanrls zones discussed below. 1. Lake Michigan Coastal Zone The County shorelands study treated the portion of the shoreline within the City of Norton Shores as two separate policy zones. The North Dunes district lies in the Urban Dunes zone which had been recognized as part of the most important, non-replenishable land resource in Muskegon County. This district encompassed the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Mona Lake Channel to Sherman Boulevard. The South Dunes district encompassed the shorelands south of MOila Lake Channel. Both the North Dunes and South Dunes districts were the focus of two separate but related studies done by the University of Wisconsin Department of Urban and Regional Planning for the City of Norton Shores. These ◄ �-121- studies were summarized and related to the conceptual framework of the current Master Plan effort in Fast Planning Summary: The Shoreland Plans (Report No. 2, July 1978). The current zone delimitation has a far more specific and limited, albeit very important, objective. That is to preserve the primary windward dunes as well as some of the less disturbed secondary formations in their natural state. By restricting the management zone to include only these natural formations and a necessary buffer zone, a number of problems associated with past efforts, in addition to anticipated future obstacles, can be overcome. Specifically, these include the following conflicting objectives: (a) environmental objectives of the public vs. economic objectives of the major property owners in regard to sand mining and other proposed land uses; (b) conservation. objec~ives of environmentalists versus development objectives of the City and County and the mining industry; (c) economic interest of government in terms of revenues and expenditures vs. economic interest of industry in terms of profits and costs; (d) immediate objectives of people living in the area vs. long term objectives of the public at large; and (e) long-range vs. short-range objectives of each interest group, internally and between the groups. These areas of conflict can be expected to intensify as the City experiences additional development pressure on an increasingly limited land resource from a private and public perspective. In considering these areas of conflict, three basic planning objectives emerge: .. �-122- (a) Maximization of Public Good--The resolution of the conflict between environmental and economic objectives involves the separation of disturbed and undisturbed areas so that the portions of the site having unique and irreplaceable qualities would be placed in a conservancy category. Other portions should be allowed to respond to the demand for the mineral resource, with controlled use. Areas adjacent to the conservancy districts should be permitted limited development while areas further in the interior should be allowed more extensive development and exploitation in accordance with the City's land use plan element. (b) Minimization of the Impact of Public (Governmental) Intervention--Only areas having irreplaceable qualities should be included in a conservancy category. The opportunity cost resulting from overzealous regulation and restriction must be recognized and minimized. For this rea~on, the Nugent Sand mining operations have been placed within this zone--not for the purpose of forcing a cessation of mining activity~ut rather to underscore the City's intent to preserve the primary windward dunes and shoreline and to see that the mined out lands beyond these dunes are stabilized and developed, recognizing the site's unique problems and opportunities. (c) Balancing Needs and Opportunities--In the case of immediate needs, there are two interests that require protection: the natural environment and the orderly development of urban land use activities, or the manmade and institutional dimensions of environment. The use and management of the Lake Michigan Shorelands zone must explicitly incorporate these concerns. To achieve the above objectives, a Lake Michigan Dunes Zone and a Lake Michigan High Risk Erosion Zone have been proposed as indicated on the Environmental Management Plan map. They have been conceived as two separate but integral parts, as described below. The Lake Michigan High ~isk Erosion Zone responds to the objectives of the maximization of the public good and minimization of the impact of public intervention. The rationale behind it is primarily environmental, and use is controlled by the degree of disturbance. A 120 foot setback from the bluffline is therefore, proposed to demarcate the High Risk Erosion Zone. In that band of land no permanent construction of any ______,.,jj �CtlY OF ROOS£VlLT ~:.Rk CITY 0~ ..USl([G(IN H T5 9 MASTER PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SHORELAND ZONES E0 2 eo, EQJ LAKE MICHIGAN DUNES ZONE LAKE MICHIGAN HIGH RISK EROSION ZONE MONA LAKE ZONE Bl.ACK LAKE ZONE EOS HIGH GROUNDWATER ZONES VERY SEVERE HAZARD SEVERE TD MODERATE HAZARD EQ 7 FLO()Qpt_A IN ZONES ..._.., DRAINAGE CORRIDORS ~ -_____ -------------------~_.=. ___,____.. .____~------~/cl~\ 0 NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN �-123- kind is permitted as specified in the Shorelands Management and Protection Act, Public Act 245 of 1970, as amended. A special overlay zone is recom- mended for inclusion in the new Zoning Ordinance to provide for the enforcement of this setback provision. The Dunes Zone concept attempts to minimize the impact of government intervention by balancing the need of environmental protection and conservation with the unique opportunities development in the dunes provides. Its primary purpose is to recognize the fragility of the dunes environment while fostering a balance between the natural ecology and human use. Specifically, the following guidelines are recommended: 1. No structures shall be built on the windward slopes of the primary dunes and the natural shore cover shall be preserved. 2. On the stabilized lee slopes of the primary dunes and on all secondary dunes where vegetation is firmly rooted and where grades exceed twelve (12) percent, development shall be permitted as follows: 3. a. Detached single family residential dwellings on lots of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet or larger. b. Where the house is situated on a steep slope of twenty four percent (24%) or greater, construction shall be based on platform or other non-disturbing building designs with no basements permitted. c. Building pads should be limited to a maximum of three thousand (3,000) square feet. d. Where more than one dwelling unit is to be constructed, common garage and driveway facilities should be utilized to reduce the amount of land which is disturbed. On the stabilized natural slopes of the secondary dunes, where grades are less than twelve percent (12%), development may follow conventional construction practices subject to the provisions below. �-124- 4. 2. a. Detached single family dwellings on lots of twelve thousand (12,000) square feet or larger. b. Townhouse development subject to site plan approval by the Planning Commission on lots of five (5) acres or more at a density not to exceed five (5) dwelling units per gross a cre. Each group is to be sited so as to mini mize land use for buildings, service roads, parking areas and utilities . Design and construction of all structures in this zone shall, to the greatest extent possible: a. preserve the natural vegetation holding the sand; b. fit structures to the natural contour of the land, so as to minimize land-disturbing activities and site work; c. shape contours so as to merge with the existing terrain, where grading is necessary; d. avoid steep banks and sharp corners; and e. disperse runoff, or where intensive runoff is unavoidable, utilize crushed stone, flagstone or other means and materials to prevent erosion. The Mona Lake Zone This policy zone was originally conceived and discussed in the form of two separate districts: the "Mona Lake Residence Zone" and· the "Seaway Drive Urban Waterfront Zone"-~ This <;list;inction ,is, still believed to be valid in light of changes that have occurred since the notion was originally dev~loped. (a) Mona Lake Resid~ce Zone (1) Environmental Objective: preservation of current character of the zone. (2) Development Objectives: limitation of new residential development to sites providing a minimum lot width of 80 feet; prohibition of non-residential uses; clustering of development whenever feasible; encouragement of home owners associations for the development of community piers and boat docking facilities. �-125- (3) Administrative Objectives: revision of local ordinances; improvement of ordinance and code enforcement. (b) Seaway Drive Urban Waterfront Zone (1) Environmental Objective: to repair with manmade forms the environmental damage done to this zone by haphazard development. (2) Developmental Objectives: provision of sites primarily for non-residential, water-oriented activities, e.g., fishing locations and supply establishments, restaurants, and other service sector facilities. However, there should not be any more boat-launching or servicing facilities developed in this zone. (3) Administrative Objectives: preparation of detailed plan for the area; encouragement of private development; guiding and controlling responsibility jointly by the cities of Norton Shores and Muskegon Heights. 3. The Black Lake Zone The original policy objectives for the Black Lake shorelands seem still valid. They were expressed as follows: (1) Environmental Objective: conservation of the lake and its surroundings in a natural state. (2) Developmental Objectives: expansion and diversification of recreational opportunities associated with Hoffmaster State Park. (3) Administrative Objectives: designation of areas for open space and recreational uses only through zoning to prevent further low-intensity residential encroachment from surrounding the lake and creating waste disposal, potable water, and access problems. In both the Mona Lake and Black Lake Zones the followjng specific environmental management issues should be considered and incorporated into the new Zoning Ordinance: (a) Water-related structures such as piers, marinas, boat houses, seawalls, revetments, and groins should be approved by the Planning Connnission provided they are constructed of such materials and are of a height and color so as not to detract from the natural beauty of the shoreline and shall not be used �-126- Preservation of the natural shore cover should be required to protect scenic beauty, control erosion and reduce effluent and nutrient flow from the shorelands. (c) Treecutting paralleling the shoreline should be limited. (d) Filling, grading, lagooning or dredging which would result in substantial detriment to navigable waters by reason of erosion, sedimentation, or impairment of fish and aquatic life should be prohibited. (e) Planning Commission approval should be required before constructing, dredging, or commencing work on any artificial waterway, canal, ditch, lagoon, pond, lake or similar waterway. WATER SURFACE USE POLICIES All of the zone-specific policy suggestions focus on the developmental opportunities and constraints of the shoreland proper. No attempt has been made here to discuss policies for environmental mangement of water resources, e.g., pollution control. It has been assumed that the county- wide environmental management programs will provide the basis for policy in that area. This study for the design of shorelands development, use, and control policy is correlated with the County's wastewater management policies and the City's utilities extension program, as well as the developmental issues raised by these public actions. However, there is another water-related control aspect closely associated with shoreland development and water management which is often overlooked ' . in the design of policy. This is the question of controlling the actual utilization of the water surface. Granted, the nature of shoreline development imposes controls of its own. For example, lack of public access can limit the use of a lake to the few who are privileged to own property on that lake. On the other hand, uncontrolled or unlimited �-127- public access can render water management programs useless. One must remember that unrestricted public access can destroy the opportunities which a body of water offers for enjoyable usage by all just as effectively as rigid private ownership. In the following, therefore, some zone-specific policies are recommended with respect to the offshore lakes: 1. Mona Lake It is recommended that Mona Lake be restricted for swimming, fishing, and small craft recreational boating only. Permitted small craft include canoes, rowboats, sailboats with up to 100 square feet of mainsail area, and single-engine outboard motorboats with engine capacity limited to 40 horsepower.* Public access to the lake should be restricted in terms of swimming beaches, fishing locations, and boat launches. Every effort should be made to upgrade the quality of existing public facilities rather than develop more points of public access. Water-related structures such as piers, marinas, boathouses, and seawalls should be regarded as conditional uses and permitted only insofar as they are constructed of such materials and are of a height, length, and color so as not to detract from the natural beauty of the shoreline or conflict with lake use. * The horsepower limitation for Mona Lake is based on a formula developed by G. K. Reid in Ecology of Inland Waters and Estuaries (New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1966). �-128- 2. Little Black Lake As a conservancy zone, boating on this lake should be restricted to canoeing and rowing. Fishing, except for trolling, should be allowed from permitted boats and from the shore. In summary, the detailed design of zone-specific policy is the prime responsibility of local government which will implement and enforce these policies. ordinance. It is recollllllended that these be embodied in the City's zoning Where it seems appropriate, these suggestions should be drafted into additional legislation to deal with issues of lake usage and certain regulations on the private use of shoreline properties. Any anticipated public improvements within these policy zones should be carefully reviewed in light of the stated management objectives for each of these environmental districts. A comprehensive development and management plan is not recommended for the entire Mona Lake Basin given the diversity of neighborhoods each having a unique set of circumstances. However, shoreline usage and lake management by themselves can and should be approached in the systematicandinterrelated fashion that their high degree of interdependency suggests. Black Lake, on the other hand, can be approached in a more comprehensive way in terms of an area development plan because of the smaller community of interests abutting the lake shore. ' THE FLOOD HAZARD ZONE The Federal Insurance Administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Commissioned in 1977 a study of flood hazard problems in the City of Norton Shores. In their report issued in �-129September of 1977 flood hazard areas where established and floor insurance rate maps provided. At the same time the City enacted a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. The flood hazard area covered under that ordinance is shown on the Environmental Management Plan map as flood plain zones. The controls governing development and construc- tion in this overlay zone are provided in the ordinance currently in effect. To facilitate environmental management it is recommended that the provisions of the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance be incorporated into the new Zoning Ordinance. From a Master Plan perspective no substantive changes are required. THE HIGH GROUNDWATER ZONE The interior area of Norton Shores south of Mona Lake is characterized by two distinct development patterns. The areas north of Sternberg Road are at present fairly intensively developed and have few high groundwater and flooding problems. The area south of Sternberg Road has not developed anywhere near the intensity of the northern sections. The buildings that have located in the south, particularly the older farm houses have tended to be on isolated sites with minimal groundwater constraints. As in the north, development has sought the best soil and groundwater conditions. Economics and common sense which have dictated against development in high groundwater areas in the past should continue to be considered in managing development in the areas affected by a high water table. Norton Shores' natural physical characteristics provide the basis for a meaningful division of the City into distinct environmental planning, development and growth management zones. Ordinarily, the high water �-130- table and poor drainage conditions serve as a serious constraint upon development. Development may be prohibited completely and the land remain unused; where it is surrounded by urban activities, it may become a nuisance or a dumping ground, incurring high social opportunity costs. Conventional developmmt may proceed in an incremental fashion which will transform an otherwise simple high groundwater situation into a major environmental health problem. The costs to the City of providing necessary public services such as police and fire protection, road maintenance, and perhaps even sewer and water, can become great. In either case, these natural constraints present significant problems to individuals and the community. Although these conditions may be thought of as a major obstacle to planned development, they can also be transformed into a great opportunity for the City. First, high groundwater, floodplains and poor drainage provide a rationale for regulating development so that it occurs in an orderly fashion. Such regulation may take the form of traditional controls such as large-lot zoning or a total ban on construction in severe hazard areas. A less traditional concept, based on the legal procedure of informed consent, may also be used, either alone or in conjunction with more traditional zoning controls. In this situation, the City would undertake the responsibility of inform;{.ng land owners of the existence of a high water table, the risks and consequences of building under given conditions, and the availability of construction techniques which would guard against groundwater damage. This information would be amde available when a landowner files an application for a building permit. The applicant �-131- would then sign a statement indicating his awareness of the groundwater conditions. This affidavit would be recorded with the title to the property so as to provide notice to subsequent purchasers. Such methods, however, still basically accept the environmental conditions as negative constraints to development. An innovative approach based upon comprehensive water management could turn what is now perceived as a problem into an opportunity for high quality development and to augment Norton Shores' attractive environment. For example, a system of manmade lakes and canals could bring the groundwater conditions under control while providing an added element of attractiveness to the City's landscape. As changes in economics and technology occur, it is conceivable that other alternatives for a more intensive use of the high grotm.dwater zone will become practicable. They can be dealt with under the procedures specified in the Planned Unit Development provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. At the present time, the land use element proposes that intensive development occur only in those areas already adequately served by utilities and local protective services. These areas should be able to accommodate growth in residential, commercial and industrial uses for some time to come. What is important now is that any development that does occur in the high groundwater zone be based upon the natural carrying capacity of the location so as not to needlessly endanger the health and welfare of prospective residents. In addition, any proposed development should be critically examined in terms of the constraints they impose and opportunities that may be foreclosed for future development due to poor siting �-132- and location of buildings and fragmented ownership of land parcels. In summary, this zone has the highest social value in future development, at a time when the natural locational and situs constraints to development can be more easily overcome and the costs of so doing can be internalized and borne by new potential residents. DRAINAGE COURSE CONTROL The natural drainage courses are a critical component in the Environmental Management Plan for Norton Shores. In the southern parts of the City south of Mona Lake, in particular in the high water table zone, the drainage courses play a critical role in regulating groundwater levels. For that reason it is most important that all drainage courses shown on the Environmental Management Plan map are maintained clear of debris and any organic or inorganic material to allow for uninterrupted flow of water. No filling or changing the direction of drainage courses should be permitted. The landscaping, stabilization, terracing of embankments, the construction of foot bridges across drainage courses and the damming of such courses for the purpose of creating articifial ponds should only be authorized by the Building and Zoning Administrator upon his satisfaction that such landscaping, terracing and construction will not reduce the capacity of the drainage course to fulfill its natural functions or affect adversely property up and downstream from the proposed improvements. ' The new Zoning Ordinance should include sections for the proper control of drainage courses as outlined above. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY As people learn to adapt to, rather than try to change or resist, their �-133- natural environment, a new set of environmentally related issues can be anticipated. These issues will involve access to certain environmental "rights", including, but not limited to, sun, wind, aerobic and anaerobic decay processes, and the natural heat and shelter provided by the earth. These rights will become valuable as they provide the key to various sources of inexpensive energy production and will be expressed in both economic and legal terms. We can see the beginning of this trend already, as the price of energy goes up and the vulnerability to disruption of central fuel and distribution systems and power generation increases. To compound these problems, the cost of building a conventional single family home is continuing to increase faster than people's ability to pay. There is a growing demand for alternatives and the supply side is beginning to bring forth numerous options. The transformation in housing types and energy sources will not occur overnight. Change will take place gradually, and so will the problems and conflicts associated with this transformation. To avoid possible problems that may arise and to encourage innovative housing concepts which attempt to capture solar, wind, geothermic and chemical sources of energy, it is recommended that the City adopt a formal alternative energy sources policy supporting the utilization of such sources, and incorporate provisions into the Zoning Ordinance and building codes to provide guidelines for (1) balancing private and public rights and (2) dealing with health and safety issues. By placing the community in a position to respond to these anticipated changes, the concept of environment as opportunity will become operational. �-134- GROWTH MANAGEMENT' ISSUES Both the Land Use Element and the Environmental Management Issues contain growth management components. or facilitates growth. For example, land use intensity constrains Similarly such environmental concerns of the ones expressed in dunes development or in dealing with the high water table the southern half of the City become growth management issues. There are however, two special growth related issues which will be discussed in this section. These are public utilities extension policy and the issue of special housing, community services and recreation. in �-135- PUBLIC UTILITIES EXTENSION POLICY The City of Norton Shores is in the process of completing a major public sewer program. At completion the area covered by public sewer and water service is shown on the map on the next page. It is proposed that this area be considered the City's utility management zone beyond which the City will not provide utility service in the foreseeable future. The rationale for establishing a service boundary beyond which the City will not provide services is based on environmental, 2conomic, efficiency and equity factors, as well as fiscal considerations. When combined, these factors clearly demonstrate that insofar as public and private interests are concerned, the management zone concept will prove to be a prudent choice on the part of the City. The utilities management zone concept will be shown to be useful for the con:nnunity to guide the timing, location and quality of development, while not constraining innovation and creative design, "taking" of private property, or directly engaging government in the business of development. The utilities management zone concept will enable local government to better respond to private sector initiatives in accord with community objectives. From an environmental perspective, the zonal boundaries follow those of the interior high groundwater zone and the Lake Michigan Shorelands policy zone. These a~e areas with either unique environmental amenities or fragile ecosystems. Any development occurring within these areas beyond that which can be supported by the natural site characteristics would create negative environmental and economic externalities or impose substantial opportunity costs from less than socially optimal use of �C•T't O• P~.:0S[Vt' l PAfl l( c,n or '-IUSKtGON Ht'> 10 MASTER PLAN UTILITIES MANAGEMENT - f'UBLIC UTILITIES MANAGEMENT ZONES EXISTING FlJTUAE fBE'IONQ 19861 AIRPORT APPROACH ZONEs -; EXISTING - ·, Fl.JTURE fBEYONJ 19861 0 NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN 1000 LEO JAKOBSON ....,. CONSULTANT IN l.fl.BAN PLANr-.lNG MANAGEMENT ANO DESIGN MAotSON WISCONSIN �-136- resources. The area included within the utilities management zone includes sufficient locations for the continuation and growth of all varieties of economic activities, thus the zone will not have any impact on foreclosing opportunities for community growth and development. Quite simply, the better sites, with respect to natural conditions and locational linkages, will be encouraged to develop first, reserving sites which economics and technology render presently marginal for future, potentially more productive uses. Finally, from a fiscal point of view, given scarce resources and unlimited wants, it is necessary to make optimal use of existing infrastructure before new investments can be justified. There are numerous areas within the City that can be served by marginal extension of existing streets, sewers, and water mains constructed with excess capacity for future growth that are presently undeveloped or underdeveloped . These areas should be encouraged to fill in first as they can be most efficiently served by infrastructure and other City/County services. The recommendations concerning the utilities management zone can be summarized as follows: l. No public sanitary sewer, storm sewer, or water mains shall be ex- tended beyond the proposed service boundary. The only exception are future extensions of the utilities management zone in the industrial district and along Lake Harbor Road as shown on the utilities management map. The extension of the zone along Lake Harbor Road is considered desirable for several reasons: �-137- (1) The natural carrying capacity of the land in this proposed extension area in terms of high groundwater problems and soil bearing capacity is not as severe as in those sites to the east of this location. (2) Because of less severe natural conditions, the additional costs of engineering, constructing and maintaining infrastructure facilities will not be significantly greater than in other areas within the utilities management zone. (3) The area, in addition to having more favorable natural conditions, has favorable locational qualities, in particular the natural environmental amenities offer potential for high quality residential and services development. 2. Developers who wish to provide at their own expense utility connections to the City's system (i.e., sewer force mains, streets, water mains) should be allowed to do so, providing that an environmental impact assessment is conducted, and subject to the review of the City in accordance with the concepts contained in the Master Plan and the standards, specifications and requirements embodied in the Zoning and other Ordinances of the City. THE PROVISION OF SPECIAL FACILITIES The solution between the demand for flexibility, open-endedness and timelessness in the design of a master plan and the tradition of rigid specification in regard to the location and function of various kinds of community facilities can be found in recent developments in zoning legislation, ' in particular in the concept of "contract zoning" which permits special land uses in a zoning district upon review and approval by an appropriate governmental body. The idea of "contract zoning" is not new. Its origins can be found in the �-138- longstanding quest for performance standards in zoning to replace rigid specification standards. The "Planned Unit Development" concept was an outgrowth of this quest and the first manifestation ·o f a "negotiated" or "contractual 11 agreement between a public governing body and a developer. State of Michigan legislation expressed this as follows: A city or village may establish planned unit development requirements in a zoning ordinance which permit flexibility in the regulation of land development; encourage innovation in land use and variety in design, layout, and type of structures constructed; achieve economy and efficiency in the use of land, natural resources, energy, and the providing of public services and utilities; encourage useful open space; and provide better housing, employment, and shopping opportunities particularly suited to the needs of the residents of the state. Most recent state legislation goes beyond the PUD idea which primarily was intended to permit more variety, flexibility and innovation in land use and site design by introducing the concept of special land uses as follows: A city or village may provide, in a zoning ordinance for special land uses which shall be permitted in a zoning district only after review and approval by the commission appointed to formulate and subsequently administer the zoning ordinance, an official charged with administering the ordinance, or the legislative body. The ordinance shall specify the following: (a) The special land uses and activities eligible for approval consideration and the body or official charged with reviewing special land uses and granting approval. (b) The requirements and standards upon which decisions on requests for special land use approval shall be based. (c) The procedures and supporting materials required for application, review, and approval. The special land uses provision presen~ a solution to the locational and �-139- functional problems associated with special housing needs, community facilities and recreation. time. First, uses do not have to be mapped at this Their location can be determined on a case-by-case basis at the time the need for a use arises. Second, only a general, illustrative list of uses needs to be established now. This leaves the door open for any similar or new uses which may develop over time as needs, perceptions and activities change. They can be fitted into the master list of special land uses without the long delays encountered in current practice which may require amending the ordinance. Utilization of the special land uses legislation would have another beneficial effect. It would allow a "cleaning up" of the Zoning Ordinance from allowing certain connnunity facilities, e.g., schools and churches, as permitted principal uses in various residential and other districts notwithstanding the fact that a church parking lot or a school playground can have considerable negative impact on adjoining residential property if no provisions are made to minimize that impact. Similarly, most con- ditional uses could be handled under special land uses. In other words. each zoning district could be an exclusive use district allowing for a single principal use, e.g., single family housing. All proposals for exceptions would be treated as special land uses providing for uniform procedures and clearly established and defined criteria for approval. It is suggested that tiis would greatly reduce the arbitrariness in current practice. For example, variance appeals would be limited to ordinance specifications only, e.g., set-back requirements, building height limitations, density and occupancy specifications, parking stall requirements, �-140- etc. On the other hand, variance in land use would be considered as a special land use case. Lastly, it should be mentioned that two special thorny zoning issues could be resolved under the special land use provisions. home occupations and historic landmarks. These are Both of these issues could be listed as special land uses and treated on a case-by-case basis according to the procedures and criteria established under a special land uses section in the Zoning Ordinance. THE PROCEDURAL FRAMEWORK The procedural framework for the proposed contract zoning is analogous to that of the current Planned Unit Development provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. Three significant differences must be considered, however. They are: (1) because of the great variety of facilities and function involved, no minimum acreage should be established for special land uses; (2) certain land use districts should be excluded from this overlay zone and in some districts only certain kinds of special uses should be permitted; and (3) the review procedures and the information requirements on the developer or proposer of a zoning change should be spelled out with more clarity than in the PUD provisions of the Ordinance. To facilitate classification and subsequent administration, it is proposed that three basic categories of special land uses be established. These are: �-141- (1) special residential uses; (2) community services uses; and (3) recreational uses. In the first category, one would deal with such social housing needs as housing for the elderly, housing for the disadvantaged, and group housing. However, certain other types of housing, e.g., mobile home parks and resorts, could be incorporated under this special residential land uses category. In the second category, one would include public, civic and private community services facilities, regardless of whether they are operated for profitornot. A partial listing of facilities in this category would include the following: - municipal service facilities, e.g., administrative center and police and fire stations; - educational facilities, e.g., schools; - cultural and religious facilities, e.g., churches, libraries, museums; - medical and health care facilities, e.g., hospitals, clinics, doctor's office; - child and youth facilities, e.g., nurseries, day care centers, youth centers; facilities for the elderly, e.g., nursing homes, senior citizens' centers; - social faciliti~s, e.g., fraternal lodges, clubs. In establishing a list of special land uses in the Zoning Ordinance, general categories only should be listed with some appropriate illustrations. This would provide for the flexibility and open-endedness �-142- necessary at this time to meet the everchanging needs of a society in transition. The special recreational land use category would include public and private outdoor and indoor facilities for both active and passive recreation. Among such facilities are golf courses, tennis courts, boating facilities such as mooring and marinas, parks and playgrounds, indoor sports facilities, bike and hike trails, etc. The general procedures fo processing special land use approvals are well established in the Planned Unit Development sections of the Zoning Ordinance. It is recommended, however, that each proposal for a special land use permit be supported by a statement establishing the need for the particular use, the estimated population, and the specific area or district to be served, and the proposed management of the proposed facility or land use. Also, the statement should establish that the proposed facility or use does not conflict, compete or overlap with existing similar facilities or uses in the anticipated service area. As stated before, it is believed that the new special land uses legisla- tion in the state statutes provides for an opportunity to deal with the housing and community facilities issues in a flexible and open-ended manner. Keeping with the intent of the Master Plan, only the principle of special land uses should be recognized in the plan. Similarly, only a broad classification of special land uses should be established, and only the concept of their selective applicability to basic land use �-143- districts be adopted. Accordingly, the details and specifications for special land uses will be spelled out in the revisions to the Zoning Ordinance. Also, if specific plans are prepared for any sub-area of the City, certain uses and facilities treated as special land uses on a city-wide basis may be incorporated as site-specific uses in an area plan. However, as part of the Master Plan, the concept of special land uses should be adopted in principle as a policy statement. �-144- THE TWO AREA PROBLEMS THE AIRPORT The Muskegon County Airport is the largest single land use in the City. Aside from this fact, the airport must be considered in land use planning because of plans for its expansion and the impacts that the expansion will have on surrounding land uses. Since airport improvement is by and large determined by the Federal Aviation Administration and its regulations relating to air travel safety and the important economic impacts that the airport has not only to the City but to the entire County, local government must be in a position to work with airport officials to mitigate any adverse effects of these expansion and improvement programs. Thus, existing and proposed land use activities �-145- in the proposed runway extension paths must be recognized. Currently access to the airport is confusing, if not bad, from most parts of the City as well as the region served by it. For example, access from the south is along Grand Haven Road from the Pontaluna interchange, instead of from a more proximate interchange. Traffic from the north along U.S.-31 must make some confusing gyrations prior to reaching the Grand Haven Road-Ellis Road intersection. multiplied. These examples could be They are mentioned here to point out the urgency for develop- ing safe, efficient, and easy access to the airport from all directions. The proposed arterial system would do this. The proposal thus not only serves the needs of the City, it enhances access to and from the airport for the entire county. This fact should be used as leverage in discussing such issues as the proposed Sternberg Road-U.S.-31 interchange or cost sharing for the construction of the airport entrance road from Sternberg Road to the terminal. It should also be pointed out that planned airport expansion will greatly affect the future of the Grand Haven Road-Ellis Road intersection. Future airport impovement plans may render that intersection obsolete so that eventually alternatives must be found to provide for a continuing flow of traffic. However, at this point, only an alert is raised, because the timing of the runway extension which would necessitate any change at this intersection is uncertain and may not occur until the distant future. In dealing with the airport, specific attention should also be given to =- �-146- the following: (1) minimize the nuisance effects of the airport on its surroundings; (2) minimize the restrictions placed on airport operations by surrounding development; (3) take advantage of the impact of the airport on land development; and (4) maximize the economic value of air travel, particularly with respect to the stimulating effect it may have in providing vital transport linkages between establishments in Muskegon County and elsewhere: In addition to these standard objectives suggested by the American Society of Planning Officials, it must be recognized that an airport plays a significant role in the colillllunity within which it is located. Because of this, these objectives take on a more localized dimension in addition to the broader public interest which those objectives are supposed to represent. It is these concerns as they relate to the City of Norton Shores that need to be addressed, although within the context of the surrounding region. There are many techniques for regulating development or bringing about conversion or modification of existing land uses to achieve greater compatibility between the airport and its environs. Some of these may be controls, such as zoning or building and housing codes; other methods influence development through acquisition or the taxing power. Decisions regarding land development and the use of land use controls are characterized by the fact that they are made at the local level and often are individual in character. Local actions may be made on the basis of �-147- narrow considerations which may ignore many important area-wide or metropolitan goals. The most common local issues center on the return that the owner or developer wants to obtain on his property, the local government's interest in increasing the tax base, and the interests of the residents in maintaining or improving the value of their homes. Generally, these decisions reflect the desire to maintain the community in its present physical form and to avoid radical changes and risk-taking in fosteriPg new kinds of development. For the airport environs, as well as for the total metropolitan development pattern, the cumulative total of such local decisions can seriously degrade a sound comprehensive planning approach and development policy. However, not all decision making at the local level is conducted in a disjointed and narrow fashion, nor is there always a desire to maintain the community in its present form and to discourage development and change. Norton Shores is a case in point. To the extent that a community can incorporate a broad perspective in addressing local issues and is prepared to react in a well considered and informed manner, it will be in a far better po~ition to work with other levels of government in resolving airport related problems in a manner satisfactory both to the directly affected locality and the larger geographical region. Currently the necessar)"height restrictions within the airport approach zones are incorporated into the City's Zoning Ordinance. These restrictions are set by the Federal Aviation Administration, adopted by Muskegon County through the County's airport zoning map, and used by the City in reviewing �-148- applications for building permits within the designated airport zones. If the City finds that a proposed structure intends to exceed these height restrictions, action on the permit is suspended and the matter referred to the County Airport Zoning Board. The County Airport Zoning Board functions similarly to a local zoning review or appeals board. There is a certainCEgree of discretion on the board's behalf in applying the FAA maximum height requirements. Because the same standard might be set for an entire quarter section within the approach zone, the restrictions placed on buildings and improvements on locations farthest from the runway may have a greater degree of tolerance, given the higher altitude of the descending aircraft. The City's present role insofar as the airport is concerned is simply to approve those building permits which comply with the FAA height restrictions. A negative determination by the City with respect to pro- posed structures within this zone is referred to the County Airport Zoning Board. Enforcement of the height requirements where building permits may not be needed or applied for is the responsibility of the airport, which receives its authority from the County's airport zoning ordinance. This applies to trees, antennas, lightning rods and the like. To allow for runway extension and installation of a landing instrument system, the airport is having land buyers from the State Highway Department negotiate the pruchase of properties that lie within the required development-free zone. During the process of land acquisition, it can be expected that speculation on the affected lands will take place with the expectation �-149- that windfall profits will accrue to the owners. In addition, property owners who are unaware of the County's intentions may build structures in future development-free zones or in areas with height restrictions. In both cases, the County will incur additional costs in its efforts to make necessary airport improvements. In the interim, the airport manager has requested that the City Building Inspector advise prospective builders of the airport's expansion plans and discourage development within these intended approach zones. To date the County airport zoning map has not been amended to reflect the new areas subject to development controls, thus the City has been understandably reluctant to amend its Zoning Ordinance to reflect the new areas subject to height and development restrictions. The role of the City and the Coi.mty with respect to the airport is limited insofar as both have not addressed the localized dimension of the five objectives presented earlier. Essentially the City is acting on behalf and with authority from the County, which in turn is delegated authority by the State (Airport Zoning Act, Act 23, 1950) to implement the directives and standards established by the FAA. down decision making and regulation. The process is one of top- The results of such a process can be illustrated to be less than optimal in several respects. By restricting itself to following the lead of the County, Norton Shores has unintentionally placed the concerns of local interest in the hands of the County, which has neither incentive nor ability to adequately address these types of issues. The result is that either these issues �-150- have not been dealt with at all, or that they have been dealt with in such a way as to have a negative impact on the City's residents and its plans for future development. These impacts include: (1) The impact of infrequent yet disruptive airport noise on urban activities. (2) The grotmd traffic generated by the airport and its influence on the City's circulation system and adjacent land uses. (3) The effect that airport expansion will have in terms of displaced land use activities, new areas subjected to development controls, and the effect on the use and location of existing infrastructure investment such as roads, intersections, sewer and water conduits. The inadequate treatment of these issues is particularly disturbing because of the very real presence of a substantial opportunity cost--i.e., opportunities foregone. The City has within its legal and administrative capacities the ability to confront these issues in a fashion that adds balance between the interests of the community and those of the public at large. The Airport Zoning Act of 1950 delegates certain powers to the counties, cities, villages and townships to determine that an area has the potential, if not regulated, to become an airport hazard, and to subsequently adopt, administer and enforce such regulations. Based on the County's intent, as stated in its Airport Master Plan, to extend the rtmways, it would be reasonable for the City to make the above determination and to proceed without awaiting action by the County Airport Zoning Commission, to place those development restrictions necessary to avoid future conflicts and land use relocations. The effect of amending the City's Zoning Ordinance to reflect these future influences brought about by airport expansion �-151- will be to enable present and future property owners to make informed decisions about use of their property. It should be noted that in addition to creating an atmosphere of certainty with respect to future permissible uses of private property, considerable expense and delay will be spared the Cotmty in pursuing its expansion plans. Beyond the safety considerations prescribed by the FAA and the need to provide adequate clearance for runway expansion, there is the concern of airport noise. The FAA has issued noise abatement regulations which have had at least some effect on this problem. Such measures as engine soundproofing, different landing and take-off procedures, and stricter requirements imposed on new aircraft performance have been implemented. Nonetheless, the noise problem is still one that exists with negative impacts on affected land use activities. Aside from restricting noise sensitive uses from the airport approach and takeoff corridors, the City should investigate the possibility of establishing, through the building code, noise attenuation districts. Insulation requirements should be part of the local building codes, without which the building permits cannot be issued. This becomes an even more powerful tool when it is linked to an occupancy permit and an appropriate housing code. One of the problems with noise insulation of the City and would Slii.mply operate to inflate the costs of housing, which are already high. However, it is equally obvious that homes and other noise-sensitive facilities will continue to be built in noiseaffected areas simply because of the demand for residential building �-152- sites in convenient locations. I, This being the case, it would be de- sirable to develop selective noise attenuation districts within which insulation would be required as a condition of issuing the building permit. The City can delineate such districts around airports, rail- road yards, expressways, and other such noise generators in a manner similar to the delineation of fire prevention districts, which is now practiced in most larger municipalities. THE NUGENT SAND MINING AREA In the early 1970's Nugent Sand Company and the City jointly developed a plan for the area in which the company is mining. Subsequently, after enactment of the Sand Dune Protection and Management Act, Public Act 222 of 1976, the company submitted a plan as required under the act including an environmental impact statement to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The current plan as submitted, in many aspects is similar to the 1972 plan. In reviewing the plan as part of the Master Plan pro- gram several observations were made and a special report was submitted. The report recommended the following: (1) The City should notify the Company and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources of its dissatisfaction with the mining proposals and specifically point out the total inad ,e quacy of the environmental impact statement. (2) The City should request the Company to present a detailed reclamation and re-use plan. (3) Regardless of the nature of the plan the Company chooses to advocate, �-153- the City should require that the environmental impact assessment include a complete analysis of the two most obvious alternatives to the proposed plan: (a) the immediate termination of mining in the area and development of the area for urban uses; and (b) continuation of sand mining but limited to the areas which have already been disturbed as was proposed in the North Dunes Plan in 1972. (4) In all instances, the City should require that the re-use plan contain information on the following: (a) dune conservation and open space: where, how much, how to be controlled and by whom; (b) land use by type, intensity and location; (c) a preliminary schedule of reclamation and re-use activities; and (d) a statement describing how the reclamation and re-use plan conforms to and supports the City's development goals and objectives, and the technical principles and standards as expressed in the City's Master Plan. (5) In the discussions with Nugent Sand and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the City should also bring up the question of gradual re-use of the mined areas as suggested in the 1972 report. From a municipal management point of view, it is most unsatisfactory to have a large area lying idle in a prime location for urban development and readily accessible to all services, With proper management controls, parts of the Nugent Sand property coul~ be developed whilst mining continues in other parts, This "overlapping land use transition" concept is now even more appropriate to pursue than in 1972 because of developments which have since occurred. The important ones among these are energy conservation �-154- which can be accomplished through more compact and intensive urban development, the growth limitations in the southern half of the City due to high water table, and the need to control utility extensions for a considerable period of time. �,· ·- ··.. I•• THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT •• .. I • �-155- BACKGROUND Since the National Environmental Policy Act became law in 1970, environmental impact assessment has become one of the critical parts in plan and decision making involving Federal µrejects, Federal funds or FedP.ral jurisdiction. Many states have enacted similar legislation extending the requirement for impact assessment to State projects and, in some instances, to the local goverrunent level. Current practice is to consider environmental impact �-156assessment a project level activity which is required only when a specific proposal for development and construction in the iIIllilediate future arises. There is, however, an emerging and growing recognition that environmental impact assessment should not take place at the project stage only, but should also be done at the stages when the foundations for most projects are laid: when long-range master plans are formulated and approved, and I, the regulatory measures to implement such plans, e.g., zoning and subdivi- ·I sion control ordinances, are adopted~ In some states this is now mandatory. For example, in California, the guidelines of the Resources Agency since 1972 require an Environmental Impact Report on the adoption or amendment of a master plan or element thereof and zoning ordinances~* These guidelines are mandatory and must be followed by local government agencies. Though the State of Michigan does not yet mandate environmental impact assessment as part of master plan approval procedure, it should be noted that under some recent acts the State reserves the right to review local government plans and ordinances to assure broad environmental protection needs. Thus, for example, under the Shorelands Protection and Management Act of 1970, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is authorized to review and approve or disapprove local zoning ordinance provisions in ~or a good discussion of ~his point see: Wise, Harold F., "The Environmental Impact Statement and the Comprehensive Plan," in Future Land Use: Energy, Environmental, and Legal Constraints, Burchell and Listokin (eds.), New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research, 1976. •I **state of California, General Plan Guidelines, Sacramento, California: Council on Intergovernmental Relations, September, 1973. �-157high risk, flood risk or environmental shore areas. The act does not make specific reference to environmental impact assessment, but many of its provisions require analyses and judgments similar or analogous to impact assessment. The language of these new acts and the concerns they address suggests that mandatory environmental impact assessment of the effects of master plans, zoning ordinances, and other similar public planning instruments may well be on its way also in Michigan. Even if such legislation were not to pass, it is in the best interest of a community and of prudent management of community affairs to be aware of the long-term environmental implications of today's actions, albeit the action is to adopt a set of basic guidelines for future development. It is for this latter reason that the environmental impacts of Norton Shore's Master Plan Draft and of three alternative growth management options are discussed in the pages to follow. �-158- PURPOSES AND METHODS OF ASSESSMENT The following presents a general discussion of the nature of an impact assessment of a master plan, and conversely of the use of the master plan in reviewing environmental impact assessment for various projects and developments in the community. Beginning with the latter purpose, it has been suggested that once a master plan, including or accompanied by an environmental impact assessment, �-159has been adopted, no impact assessment should be required for a project that is found to be in conformance with the master plan. This suggestion attributes greater foresight to the master plan than its nature and time frame make possible. It denies the primary purpose of an impact report, which is to present to a policy-making body a detailed analysis of the environmental impact of a proposal at the time a specific decision is under consideration. Certainly, conformance with the master plan must be a consideration in the action on a specific development proposal or program. However, considering the general nature of a master plan versus the specific nature of a proposed construction project, the environmental impact of the proposed action must be analyzed in appropriate detail. When a master plan and its accompanying elements are of sufficient detail they can be used effectively in the review of impact statements. For example, in Norton Shore's Master Plan, the Environmental Zones element provides for the identification of groundwater hazard areas. It recommends the adoption of special standards and zoning regulations for these areas. If these are adopted, then an impact analysis could be reviewed for consistency with those standards. This review should be done to determine whether the environmental values and standards identified in the plan will be diminished by a particular project or whether the project will reinforce the values as stated in the plan. In regard to the first purpose, environmental impact assessment should be an ongoing process in the preparation of the master plan so that in effect the general plan report becomes its own environmental impact analysis. process may well require the documentation and exposure of development This �-160alternatives with less detrimental impacts on the environment which may have been rejected in the interest of providing enhanced community facilities, economic growth and opportunity, or improved housing. It should be recalled that one of the general purposes of environmental impact assessment is to expose alternatives to public view and comment. The California guidelines suggest that, in the main, an environmental impact assessment for a general plan should address itself to the follaving:* a. The Environmental Impact of the Proposed Plan The policy alternatives generated by the plan development process which concern the commitment of land resources (particularly land use, circulation and housing) should undergo an environmental analysis so that the extent of the impact of varying levels of density and intensity of use can be projected. Where specific areas are treated in the general plan, the more specific the delineation of the policy, the easier it will be to evaluate the impact. Since the general plan is a long-term policy guide, long range impacts should be discussed in sufficient detail so that both beneficial and adverse impacts can be evaluated. b. Any Adverse Environmental Effects Which Cannot be Avoided if the Plan is Implemented The policy alternatives in the general plan and the options for specific action in the elements should describe advers impacts which may not be avoided if a particular alternative was adopted. Within this description, the benefits of a particular alternative should also be discussed. c. Mitigation Measure Proposed to Minimize the Impact This refers to the evaluation of proposals where and adverse impact may result but where agreement within the planning process determines that the option is of such community importance that it must be included in the plan. d. Alternatives to the Proposed Plan In the development of the general plan and subsequent elements, alternatives which are proposed should have a general statement *Ibid., pp. II 8-II 11. �-161on the relative degree of environmental impact on each of the alternatives. Where one alternative would create a greater impact than another, more detailed assessment should be made. e. The Relationship Between Local Short Term Uses of Man's Environment and the Maintenance and Enhancement of Long Term Productivity In preparing the general plan, there should be sufficient analysis to describe the relationship between short term uses of man's environment and long term productivity. These are fundamental long range policy choices which the planning process should address. Careful analysis of this issue will provide a sound balance between economic development and environmental protection. f. Any Irreversible Environmental Changes Which Would be Involved in the Proposed Plan Should it be Implemented The general plan commits various uses of man's environment. Where implementation of the general plan would cause any adverse irreversible environmental changes, the benefits to be secured by the changes should be clearly evaluated on balance against the environmental losses. g. The Growth Inducing Impact of the Proposed Plan The principles and policies of the general plan all have an impact on community growth and development. Evaluation of the impact of the population growth policies should be a primary subject of consideration in the formulation of the general plan. Given the nature of the plan document as a long-range set of policies and principles, it is not always practical to analyze each of the above points with the same degree of specificity. The master plan environmental analysis should take on broader scope than the analysis which is done on a specific project with well defined limits. This permits the systematic examination of potential secondary or indirect consequences which may otherwise be overlooked. ' A number of methods have been developed for environmental impact assessment. These are all relatively new, arising from pressures generated by the requirements �-162of the National Environmental Policy Act, and many are still in the process of testing and development. Evaluations and comparisons among techniques are few. One author has developed a typology of these methods dividing them into five classes:* - Ad hoc procedures - Checklists - Overlay techniques - Matrices - Networks Ad hoc procedures simply provide for experts to identify impacts in their area of expertise without any attempt to be systematic or assess the relationships between the various impacts. Checklist approaches are the most common. They attempt to list impacts typically associated with certain projects and the lists are augmented by guidelines for the evaluation of data on each item. Overlay techniques are common in planning and landscape architecture. They involve a series of overlaid maps which denote various environmental features and are useful in some situations for evaluating design alternatives. They are not useful in other cases such as evaluating different uses of the same land and do not permit the identification of interactions between impacts. *Warner, Maurice, Environmental Impact Analysis: 1m Examination of Three Methodologies, Ph.D. dissertation, Madison, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1973. �-163Matrix approaches take the checklist approach a step further. Typically proposed project activities are listed along one axis, and potentially impacted environmental conditions are listed along the other axis. An attempt is then made to sort out causal factors, i. e·., what action or actions are causing each impact. The technique also perm.its an opportunity to evaluate tradeoffs between positive a.qd negative effects. Network approaches carry the matrix method further. The matrix posits simple cause and effect relationships while the network introduces an I intermediary step which attempts to account for some of the complexity of •I I actual ecologic systems. The network approach then posits a cause- condition-effect relationship. 1· In selecting an appropriate method one usually balances the complexity of the project, the scale of the project, the availability or potential availability of data and the requirements of the technique. often add to the selection criteria. Local perceptions For example, the great concern in regard to environmental amenity and economy as expressed in the attitude survey of Norton Shores residents suggested that environmental and economic factors be given high priority in method selection. Given the above selection criteria, it was decided that the nature of the Master Plan and its alternatives required a technique that was more sophisticated than a simple ad hoc"Or checklist approach. Yet, the scale, generality and time frame of the plan are such that a very complex and detailed approach is not feasible, practiceable, nor necessarily desirable. For that reason, for example, quantification and costing of impacts are ruled out. The choice, then, was to identify the "environment" implications, including man made, institutional as well as natural concerns of the Master Plan �-164elements as discussed in the Plan Element Reports, and to sunnnarize these impacts using a simple network approach for discursive judgmental assessment. This satisfies the priority and intricate interdependency between environmental-economy concerns by attempting to identify and specify causecondition-effect relationship. On the other hand, tabulating these assessments in a matrix format allows for simpler presentation of the potential conflicts and complementarities between the various natural, man-made and institutional concerns affected by the plan elements. Most importantly this method subjects admittedly judgmental assessment to public scrutiny encouraging explication and dialogue between experiential and ordained experts. To assess the Master Plan without an assessment of some viable alternative courses of action would negate the rationale of environmental impact analysis, which should expose decision-makers to the relative consequences of their actions or inactions. For that reason, two initial alternatives to the "guided growth" concepts of the Master Plan were assessed. Though these options--"unrestricted growth", and "no growth",--did not receive significant support in the attitude surveys--2.3 and 4.6 percent respectively-nevertheless they are viable options with very distinct and very different environmental impacts. been assessed. To these two alternatives, one additional variant has That is the expected environmental impact of continuing to pursue the City's present policies and practices which have been labelled "strategic growth". In the case of Norton Shores, this alternative is both real and viable given the present administrative capacity of local government and the active role that it has chosen to pursue with regard to guiding the community's development. �-165- It should be pointed out that the method chosen focuses on the local impacts of each proposed plan element. exists in isolation. However, as discussed earlier no community Therefore, many community actions result in consequences and generate impacts which are felt beyond the boundaries of the community. Some actions may affect a neighboring community only, e.g., changes in the character of a road along a community boundary; others may have regional implications, e.g., the effective implementation of a "no growth" policy may significantly alter regional suburbanization trends. The inclusion of a regional perspective into the assessment process increases the complexity of the process. For example, "no growth" may be perceived as positive from a local perspective, but could well result in negative regional impacts. In the ensuing assessment, several regional impacts have been identified and have been discussed. However, for reasons of clarity, this third dimension is not explicitly included in the assessment matrices. It is believed that the method chosen and the growth management options assessed will provide the Planning Commission and the City Council with sufficient comperative information to act judiciously in adopting and implementing the growth management proposals of the Master Plan. �-166- THE ASSESSMENT MATRICES Among the best known matrix methodologies are those developed by the Battelle Institute and Luna Leopold.* These matrices represent a sound starting point, but have been validly criticized for minimizing social and *Dee, Norbert, et al, Environmental Evaluation Systems for Water Resources Planning, A Report to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Columbus, Ohio: Battelle's Columbus Laboratories, January, 1972; and Leopold, Luna, et al., A Procedure for Evaluating Environmental Impact, Circular 645, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Geological Survey, 1971. �-167economic considerations! In addition, an assessment matrix must include institutional considerations such as the consistency of the proposed plan with pertinent plans and regulations of other governmental jurisdictions, e.g., County, State and Federal. With these qualifications in mind as well as those discussed in the introductory section, four matrices were developed. Along the horizontal axis were listed the various plan elements as well as planning and development issues discussed in reports 18 through 24. The vertical axis lists sixteen environmental factors which could be affected by each of the proposed plan elements of issues. This list of factors was developed using the Corps of Engineers' Guidelines for Environmental Assessment and the Leopold Matrix as a basis. The choice of plan elements selected for impact assessment under each of these alternative development scenarios were based upon the particular assumptions and guiding principles either implicitly or explicitly associated with each alternative. For example, the Master Plan in its intent and purpose is tied to the concept of flexible 'service facilities zones' and therefore is considered one of three elements or sets of policies and actions with potentially significant environmental implications. would not exist under the unlimited growth Although such an element or most likely the no growth alternative development scenarios, residential land use development and growth restricting environmental zones, respectively could be expected as significant elements with particular environmental impacts. *Kusler, Jon A. and Farnum Alston, Environmental Impact Evaluation Procedures, Working Paper 8G, Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Institute for Environmental Studies, 1972. �-168- With the exception of the major elements of the Master Plan alternative, conjecture based upon professional judgement and practical experience has been used for formulating the significant characteristics, from an environmental impact perspective, of the alternative development scenarios. For purposes of comparison, weights are assigned to these elements in proportion to their importance in any scenario. The fact that some scenarios have more elements than others can then be accommodated allowing proposed and probable actions and policies to be disaggregated, thus improving the assessment of probable environmental impact. At the same time the use of weights can be helpful in emphasizing relative importance of individual elements within a given scenario and by equalizing the impact assessment ratings between scenarios to permit aggregate comparison between these packages of alternative development strategies. The planning and development issues selected for assessment under each of the alternative scenarios, similar to the elements just discussed were selected on the basis of the relevant assumptions and guiding principles likely to permeate each development scenario. For the most part these issues, given the constraints, opportunities and realities which characterize Norton Shores, are the same from one scenario to the next. These include management issues of sand mining, utilities development, airport, and environmental zones. These issues, if not addressed by the City will be abrogated to other levels of government who have legal jurisdiction over these matters. Under each alternative development scenario, these will be public planning issues. There will be differences, however, in the significance of these issues from one scenario to another as well as differences in probable environmental impact due to differing r~s-pooses �-169and levels of government involvement. To account for these variables, different weighting and assessment scores were used to provide for internal and external consistency within and between alternative development scenarios. Finally, it must be pointed out that the elements and planning issues selected as characterizing each scenario were of community wide significance, and assessed with respect to their connnunity wide environmental impact on each one of the sixteen factors listed along the vertical axis. This approach is entirely consistent with the purpose of achieving the environmental impact of the Master Plan vis-a-vis other development scenarios to systematically examine potential secondary or indirect consequences which may otherwise be overlooked in a conventional impact assessment of a specific project or proposal. Again this underscores the generality of the Master Plan and suggests the need for continued disaggregation of plan elements and issues by geographic sub-areas within the community to permit an assessment of their environmental impacts on the level of the planning district. The methodologies employed in the present Master Plan agreement offer a basis for a progressively more disaggregated environmental impact assessment at the sub-community and finally the individual project level. To assess the implications of alternative policies and practices on these sixteen environmental factors, a simplified multidirectional assessment scale was developed. The sco~es inside each box indicate whether a plan element or issue resolution has a positive, a negative, or no impact on each environmental factor. �-170To assess the magnitude of each impact the following scores were assigned representing degrees of significance: Impact Assessment Significance Positive major considerable moderate minor Score +4 +3 +2 +1 No Impact Negative Table 10. 0 minor moderate considerable major -1 -2 -3 -4 Impact Assessment Scale Impact on this scale refers to the net impact of a particular recommendation assessed on the basis of the likely change or difference the implementation of that recommendation might cause to the effects of no action. For example, the environmental zones concept will not stop development from occurring in environmentally management-sensitive areas. It will, however, greatly change the character of development by requiring a minimum lot size and requiring builders to familiarize themselves with building design construction and site development techniques which reduce high water table hazards, erosion risks, and the like. The net impact of enforcing this plan proposal can thus be assessed as positive and considerable, if not major. Due to the distinct difference between the four options assessed, the plan element component in each matrix is different. The Master Plan contains several plan elements and issues, some of which do not apply in the alternative options. Thus, in the "unrestricted growth" option, the concept of environ- mental factors is lost, because this concept cannot be implemented if growth would continue without controls other than those currently in effect . In �-171- contrast, the "no growth" option would certainly include an environmental zones concept because the concerns expressed in that concept are inherent to the no growth movement. However, a "no growth" plan would not include commercial and industrial development elements. Similarly, the floating zones concept, an important part of the Master Plan concept, is not a part of the present policies and practices alternative. One could argue that the proposed method, the number of environmental factors and the assessment scale are arbitrary and their application highly judgmental. ,I •] This argument can be countered on two scores. First, the selection of method and the selection of environmental factors is based on a critical review of the rapidly growing literature on environmental impact assessment. In that respect, the method selected and the design of the matrices are based on current and publicly accepted professional practice. Furthermore, this practice has been upheld in court, suggesting that it is rational and reasonable rather than arbitrary. Much of what is judged rational and reasonable of course can remain theoretically impoverished. To fill this void the methodology chosen here has been modified to account for the shortcomings of complacency in professional practice. The best example of this is the modifications made in the impact assessment scale used in judging alternative environmental impacts. Whereas many impact assessments employ a ten numeral scale in measuring impact significance with such fine distinctions range from 'insignificant', through 'minimal', 'minor', 'discernable', 'moderate', 'significant', 'substantial', 'great', 'major' and finally to 'extreme', the scale employed here attempts no such precision. Keeping the objectives of the environmental impact assessment in mind -- particularly �-172that of improving public decision making by facilitating informal choice among alternatives, the simplified, less semantics-laden assessment scale is more appropriate. Likewise, it is also necessary to include positive as well as negative impacts in the decision making calculus, something which is all too often omitted from environmental impact assessments of particular projects as well as master plans. Finally, one could suggest that the method be used by others applying different reasoning and different scores to each factor and each element. This exercise, by the nature of the method chosen and its mode of presentation is most welcome. It is believed, however, that the composite scores from such exercise will be very similar to those presented in this report, because differences in the assessment of particular issues will cancel each other when rigorous judgment is applied to all factors and elements in each matrix. �-173- ASSESSMENT COMPARISON AND CONCLUSIONS To allow for balanced comparison of the scores between the factors and the elements and management issues within a matrix and between the four options, in the ideal matrix set-up, all factors and elements on both axes should be co-equal, rank-ordered or scaled. In this instance, neither the plan issues nor the environmental factors satisfy this requirement. In the following, a weighting method is presented which equalizes the various elements and factors and facilitates comparison. The elements and issues characterizing each alternative scenario were �-174- weighted in proportion to the relative importance of each component given the assumptions, principles and objectives that (actually or hypothetically) would be associated with each respective de_v elopmen t scenario. In the Master Plan option, the environmental and utilities zones concepts and the residential development, service facilities, and circulation elements are judged to be the most critical, followed by the sand mining and airport issues and commercial development. Industrial development, recreation and open space, and agricultural land uses are the least important components. In the "unrestricted growth" option, the resi- dential development elementrankshighest, followed by the commercial development and finally the industrial development elements. The circula- tion, utilities and connnunity facilities elements are considered co-equal, with recreation, sand mining and the airport issues being last, with little or no importance. The highest ranking element in the "no growth" option is the environmental zones concept; the recreation and open space and utilities components are in co-equal position at a lower level, followed by the agricultural development component. The airport, resi- dential development and circulation concerns will be of equal importance, followed lastly by sand mining and community facilities and services. Insofar as the "strategic growth" alternative is concerned, the greatest emphasis can be placed on residential and utilities development, followed by community facilities and services, industrial development, and environmental zones all co-equal in importance. Recreation and open space and circulation facilities will follow with equal weights and finally, commercial development, sand mining and the airport issues will wind up at the bottom of the weighting scale. �-175- Because of the difference in the number of elements in the four options, one has to equalize the weighting factors to allow for inter-option comparison. This is done by keeping the sum of all ~eights constant for the four options. The following figure of element weights for each option can now be developed: Elements and Issues Master Plan Unrestricted Growth No Growth Strategic Growth Residential Development 3 6 2 4 Commercial Development 2 4 NA 1 Industrial Development 1 3 NA 3 Agricultural Development 1 0 3 1 Recreation and Open Space 1 0 4 2 Service Facilities 3 NA NA NA Circulation Facilities 3 4 2 2 Environmental Zones 4 NA 6 3 Community Facilities & Services NA* 4 1 3 Utilities Development 3 4 4 4 Airport 2 0 2 1 Sand Mining 2 0 1 1 25 25 25 25 NA: not applicable * included in "service facilities" concept. Table 11. Plan Element Weights In weighting the environmental factors, they were first grouped by their characteristics into three basic categories: (a) those representing natural environmental conditions, e.g., drainage and flooding; (b) those relating �-176- to the manmade physical environment, e.g., land use; and (c) those describing the institutional environmen~, e.g., the fiscal factor. Of the sixteen factors selected for the assessment, five each fell into categories (a) and (c) and six into category (b). One of the basic premises underlying this planning effort has been the belief that proper growth management strives at bringing conflicting forces into balance. This suggests that inweightingnatural, manmade and institutional environmental factors, the premise for weighting should lie in a balance between the three groups. In the particular case of Norton Shores, based upon the response to the counnunity attitude survey, discussion with community leaders, and the consultant's own professional judgement, it is felt that the manmade environment warrants particular attention relative to the other two sets of factors. To achieve a balance, the factor weights in each group must total the same group score. In this case, additional factor weights have been assigned to the manmade environment category, emphasizing its importance in the City's overall environment. This gives us the environmental facto~ weights in the figure on the next page. Finally, the weighted scores must be equalized and brought back to the original assessment scale which ranged from +4 for a major positive impact ' to -4 for a similar negative assessment. This was done by dividing the composite weighted scores by the product of the factor and element weights. When the above procedure was applied to the four assessment matrices, the composite scores turned out as shown in Figures 6 and 7 on the following pages. �-177- Grou:e Factors Natural Environment Air Quality Water Quality Drainage and Flooding Vegetation Wildlife 2 4 2 2 1 Manmade Environment Noise Waste Disposal Energy Visual Aesthetics Land Use Traffic 3 3 3 2 3 2 Institutional Environment Economic Fiscal Social Governmental Historic 3 4 2 3 1 Table 12. Weights Environmental Factor Weights. The results presented in Figures 6 and 7 allow for comparison between alternatives by environmental factor (or groups of factors) and by each of the alternatives' components. Interpretation of the comparative assessment is made easier and more meaningful by examining the scores in a relative rather than an absolute fashion. In the environmental factors table, it is of interest to note that even in the natural environment category the composite score of the Master Plan is more positive than that of the "no growth" option. The manage- ment opportunities for improving water quality, drainage and flooding conditions in the Master Plan cannot be realized in a "no growth" situation which severely limits changes in the status quo. The plan elements table shows a similar strong score distribution in favor �-178- No Master Unrestricted Growth Growth Plan Option Option Option Strategic Growth Option Air Quality +o.04 -1.32 +o.04 -0.32 Water Quality +1.80 -1.76 +1.32 -0.44 Drainage and Flooding +2.00 -1.20 +1.44 +o.80 Vegetation +1.52 -2.40 +o. 76 +o.32 Wildlife +o.24 -2.56 +0.60 +o.12 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT +1.34 -1. 77 +o.94 +o.38 Noise -0.56 -1.24 -0.40 -0.64 Waste Disposal +1.32 -1.08 +o.80 +o.20 Energy Consumption +o.84 -2.00 +o.12 -0.20 Visual Aesthetics +1.80 -1.92 +o.56 -0.08 Land Use +3.48 -2.24 -0.36 +o.60 Traffic +1.84 -2.80 -0.80 -1.40 MANMADE ENVIRONMENT +1.34 -1.82 +o.14 -0.19 Economic +3.40 +o.56 -0.44 +o.96 Fiscal +1.80 -1.36 -1. 72 -0.28 Social +3.12 -2.48 +o. 72 +1.56 Governmental +1.80 -0.64 -0.48 +o.68 +o.32 0.00 -0.43 0.00 INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT +2.42 -0. 72 -0.43 +o.63 TOTAL FACTOR SCORE +1.70 -1.44 +o.22 +o.27 Historic Table 13. ' Environmental Factors Equalized Assessment Scores. �-179- (/J (/J Q) i:: i:: 0 N Q) rl I'll rl 0 i:: > .w ~ Q 0 H ·n > i:: rzl Q) ·n .w a0. . > Q) Q . Q Q) Q "O -.-t (/J ~ rl I'll •n (.) H I 0 u Natural Environment rl I'll -.-t H .w (/J ::, "O i:: H Q) -.-t -.-t -.-t •n .w rl > Q) Q) (/J .w rl (.) i:: 0 -.-t .w I'll rl ::, (.) H -.-t u I'll ix.. (/J Q) -.-t .w -.-t (/J Q) (.) ;:,-.•n .w > •n H i:: i:: Q) (.) -.-t ffl H :::> u 0 "O i:: I'll H .w •n I'll .w Q) I'll ix.. Q) ::, C/) -.-t rl (.) 0 Q) (.) ~ -.-t > H Q) C/) ::, .w rl ::, (.) -.-t H 00 < 00 i:: .w H 0 0. H ~ •n i:: ·n ~ "O i:: I'll C/) ~0 E-◄ E-◄ z ~ rzl ....:i rzl 0.36 Manmade Environment Institut ional Env. MASTER PLAN N.A. Natural Environment 3.27 2.55 1.77 Manmade Environment 2.31 3.06 3.63 1.82 Institutional Env. 1.45 0.09 0.55 1.27 o. 72 N.A. 2.34 1.90 2.45 .57 0.88 1.44 UNRESTRICTED GROWTH Natural Environment .64 Manmade Environment 0.06 • 75 Institutional Env. 0.82 .55 0.08 .92 0.40 0.31 NO GRijWTH N.A. N.A. Natural Environment 0.00 0.73 Manmade Environment 1.50 0.81 Institutional Env. STRATEGIC GROWTH Table 14. Plan Elements Equalized Assessment Scores. .94 .14 .22 • 38 �-180- of the Master Plan. Though again one could argue that the weighted scores and the method of equalization is arbitrary and biased in favor of the Master Plan, it should be pointed out that the weighting system is based on a composite of judgements, all of which represent different viewpoints and value premises. For example, the weighting was heavily influenced by the attitudes and concerns of City residents as expressed in the attitude survey. The views of the Technical Committee, Plan Review Panel and City Council members ascertained at numerous meetings over a period of over a year are also reflected in the weights. A third influence has come from outside expert opinion as found in the growth management and environmental impact assessment literature. This combination of influences in determining the scores should greatly reduce, if not eliminate, any arbitrariness attributable to the scores. The conclusion one can draw from this environmental assessment is that the Master Plan stands out as a proposal which, if carried out, will have virtually no detrimental effects on the environment. It will, however, significantly improve environmental quality in several areas. The assessment suggests that the environmental concerns which dominated the plan-making process have been absorbed into the plan, its elements and reconnnendations. In this respect, the Master Plan as a whole stands as its own environmental i'1'act statement. This approximates the ideal general plan impact assessment procedure discussed earlier in this report. Finally, one last point should be made apparent, based upon this analysis. While the no growth and unrestricted growth alternatives are clearly inferior and largely adverse in their environmental effects compared to Ill,,,.__,- �-181- the Master Plan, this is not the case based on the assessment of the "strategic growth" alternative--a continuation of present policies and practices. In the case of the latter alternative, the administrative planning and decision-making capabilities of Norton Shores have not been mobilized in a concerted and purposeful fashion toward maximizing the amenity value of the City's environmental factors. The Master Plan program has been an effort directed precisely toward that end; hence the expectation that positive impacts of an even greater magnitude on the environment will be realized. �,, •• ·. ..••: 5· _: .r- l;:. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION �[ t -182- I ~ t INTRODUCTION Plan implementation consists of several different activities. Some can be labeled formal, e.g., the adoption of the master plan by the Planning Commission. Some are informational, e.g., widespread public informa- tion about the plan, its purpose and its benefits to the connnunity. But the most important among these procedural activities is the day to �-183- day use of the plan by elected and appointed officials in the management of the City's affairs. Management, in turn, is facilitated by other implementation instrumentalities such as ordinances. However, without a clear understanding of development strategy, here defined as the staging of development and the setting of priorities, all other plan implementation measures will only be partially successful, if at all. In the following, each implementation activity is discussed in brief and specific proposals and recommendations are made in each category. ' �-184- PLAN ADOPTION Under Michigan's Municipal Planning Act (Act 285, P.A. 1931) the Planning Commission is delegated the authority to make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality. The commission may adopt the plan as a whole by a single resolution or may by successive parts of the plan, said parts corresponding with major geographical �-185- sections or divisions of the municipality or with functional subdivisions of the subject matter of the plan, and may adopt any amendment or extension thereof or addition thereto. Before the adoption of the plan or any such part, amendment, extension, or addition the connnission shall hold at least 1 public hearing thereon, notice of the time and place of which shall be given, not less than 15 days prior to such hearing, by 1 publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality and in the official gazette, if any, of the municipality, and by registered United States mail to each public utility company and to each railroad company owning or operating any public utility or railroad within the geographical sections or divisions of the municipality affected. The adoption of the plan or of any such part of amendment or extension or addition shall be by resolution of the connnission carried by the affirmative votes of not less than 6 members of the commission. The resolution shall refer expressly to the maps and descrip- tive and other matter intended by the commission to form the whole or part of the plan, and the action taken shall be recorded on the map and plan and descriptive matter by the identifying signature of the chairman and/or secretary of the connnission. An attested copy of the plan or part thereof shall be certified to council and to the county register of deeds. ' Due to the active role of the city council in plan formulation and in subsequent discussions dealing with various proposals contained in the plan it may facilitate plan implementation if the council not only would receive the plan but would go on record as supporting the master plan and its recommendations. �-186- At its discretion the council may even pass a Master Plan Ordinance as was proposed in 1972 (Norton Shores Planning Services Program, Report No. 9, "Development Control and Guidance: Proposals for a New Ordinance Structure", The University of Wisconsin, October, 1972). �-187- INFORMATION DISSEMINATION Two kinds of information dissemination is proposed. First, it is recom- mended that a simple plan summary be prepared and printed as a flier with a foldout master plan map for distribution to every household in the city. A supply of these plan summaries should be kept on file for distribution to new residents, developers and potential investors. As �-188- part of this general information dissemination, large scale, mounted, and colored copies of the master plan maps and bound copies of the most important reports should be on permanent display at Norton Shores City Hall and Public Library. The second information dissemination activity should be directed to other governmental agencies and public and private organizations. These groups should receive a copy of the full Master Plan report with a transmittal letter identifying the Master Plan as the City's officially adopted development guide. Legally only the county register of deeds must receive formal notification of Master Plan adoption and a copy of the plan. However, as was pointed out in an earlier report, Norton Shores is blessed with overlapping jurisdictional issues (Report No. 15, Trends and Issues: Local Perspective). The The first step for avoiding or resolving conflict between jurisdictions is to maintain the flow of conununication open and to inform the other side of the City's goals, objectives, plans, and programs. The jurisdictions mentioned in Report No. 16 were: The Corps of Engi- neers, the Federal Aviation Administration, the State Highway Department, the State Department of Natural Resources, Muskegon County, the ' City of Roosevelt Park, Ottawa County, and Spring Lake Township. In addition, the plan should be sent to all other adjoining conununities, the various school boards, the regional development conunission, and �-189- various other state and federal agencies. On the non-governmental side recipients should include all maj@r businesses operating in the area, all utilities providing services to the City, civic organizations, etc. It is recommended that the city administration prepare an information dissemination plan immediately upon adoption of the Master Plan and submit it to the Planning Commission for review and approval. In preparing the plan one should be cognisant of the fact that within an agency, for example the Department of Natural Resources, there may be several branches with specific responsibilities affecting the City. As this information dissemination is specifically targeted at the operational staff levels in the various government and organizations, to make this effort effective each branch should receive a copy of the plan. �-190- SUPPORTING ORDINANCES State enabling legislation provides means for the enactment of ordinances which will facilitate plan implementation. The most common of these supporting ordinances is the Zoning Ordinance. The most recent amend- ment to the City-Village Zoning Act (Act 207, P.A. 1921) makes the link between the Master Plan and the Zoning Ordinance explicit by �-191- requiring that "the land development regulations and districts authorized by this act shall be made in accordance with a plan designed to promote and accomplish the objectives of this act" (125. I 581 Sec. 1(2) Mich. Comp. Laws). The City has already taken action ·I to bring its Zoning Ordinance into conformity with the above statutory requirement. The adoption of a Master Plan gives the City authority to enact two other supporting ordinances. One governs the subdivision of land, the other provides for the adoption of an official map. The current master plan program provides for drafts for both of these ordinances in Report No. 26, "The Official Map" and Report No. 28, "The Subdivision of Land." It is recommended, that both of these reports be reviewed and processed as provided in the statutes at the earliest after the Master Plan has been adopted. The statutes governing the preparation and adoption of these two ordinances can be found in the Municipal Planning Act (Act 285 of 1931); the Certification of City and Village Plat Act (Act 222 of 1943); and the Subdivision Control Act (Act 288 of 1967). �-192- PRIORITIES FOR 1980-1986 One must draw a clear distinction between staging and the setting of priorities. In general terms staging can be considered strategic in contrast to priority setting which is operational. This suggests that priorities be set only for the first stage of the plan, the .s ix year period from 1980 to 1986. �-193- The main tool for priority setting is the mandate for the Planning Connnission to prepare a six year investment program and to review this program annually. As prescribed by the statute the comprehensive coor- dinated program shall be based upon the requirements of the community for all types of public improvements, and, to that end, each agency or department of such municipality concerned with such improvements shall upon request furnish the connnission with lists, plans and estimates of time and cost of public structures and improvements within the purview of such department. This detailed procedure is clearly beyond the scope of the master plan program. However, during the preparation of the Master Plan some issues have surfaced which suggest that a preliminary list of major priorities for 1980-1986 can be submitted at this juncture. I , I Consistent with the conceptual model for priority determination which was prepared for the city in 19 73, is the following discussim1 of land use, transportation, environmental management and community facilities priorities not only from a priority perspective but also from an investment perspective. (Report No. 8, Norton Shores Planning Services Pro- gram, Capital Improvement Programming: A Conceptual Framework and Its Application, Chapter 5, the University of Wisconsin, August, 1973.) In regard to land use orf'e remedial and two developmental land use issues should be given high priority. The first is to promote office/apart- ment development and some public investments along Sherman Avenue in �-194- the East Broadway area in order to stimulate private rehabilitation in the area. In the second category intensive promotion of the Norton Shores Industrial Park and the development of the Swett property into an attractive park/nature preservation, should receive top rankings in any allocation of public funds. In the transportation element four developments stand out. First, and foremost, the development of Sternberg Road as the major eastwest arterial in the southern part of the City, must receive top priority, including the proposed interchange at US 31. This is a developmental priovity. Second, the Mona Lake Channel bridge must be given high priority not only as a remedial action but also as an improvement which may stimulate investment in the vicinity of the channel and south of it. The third and fourth high priority items are both remedial: the re- design of the Seminole-Norton-Seaway intersections and the provision to provide a connector road from Forest Park Road to Seminole Road to eliminate the problems currently encountered at the intersection of Henry Street and Forest Park Road. Environmental management is one of Norton Shores major goals. priorities The here then are to effectuate the environmental management principles underlying the Master Plan. This means speedy enactment and enforcement of the proposed zoning ordinance amendments, particularly those which apply to the Lake Michigan Dunes district . �-195- In the area of community facilities and services no critical priority issues currently exist. It is prudent, however, to point out three concerns which from time to time elicit heated community debate. The Master Plan does not contain specific recommendation in regard to solutions to the debate. It merely points out that at some point in the future a decision would have to be made in regard to the location of a new administrative center for the city; in regard to the nature and the location of fire protection services; and in regard to the provision of housing for the disadvantaged, specifically the elderly. To emulate an ostrich in the hope that these issues will disappear is self defeating. They will rise in a more acute form if not reviewed from time to time also during the 1980-1986 period although no immediate action may be required. ' �-196- SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS In sunnnary the following actions and steps are recommended for plan implementation: 1. Adoption of the Master Plan by the Planning Commission. 2. Ratification of the adoption action by the City Council in the form of -a resolution or the adoption of a Master Plan Ordinance. �-197- 3. The preparation and implementation of an information dissemination plan by the city administration. 4. Continuous utilization of the plan in the day to day management of municipal affairs. 5. The speedy enactment of supporting ordinances: the Zoning Ordinance, the Subdivision Ordinance, and the Official Map Ordinance. 6. The preparation and annual review by the Planning Commission of a six year development budget and the approval of this budget by the City Council. ' �-198- APPENDIX The following reports were prepared during the formulation of this plan. Copies are available at City Hall and the Norton _shores Branch of the Muskegon Public Library on Seminole Road. 1. Community Influentials Identification Survey. 2. Past Planning Summary: The Shorelands Plans. 3. Data Update I: 4. The Master Plan: A Statement of Purpose, Content and Characteristics. 47 p. September 15, 1978. 5. Past Planning Summary: Transportation Corridor Plan; North Henry Street; Industrial Parks; Utilities Development Plan. 43 p. August 1, 1978. Population. 14 p. 20 p. 52 p. July 14, 1978. July 7, 1978. September 5, 1978. �-199- 6. Community Goals: An Assessment. 35 p. October 1, 1978. 7. Past Planning Sununary: Housing--Analysis and Strategy; East Broadway Area Neighborhood Study; Open Space and Recreation; Preliminary Goals and Development Policies. 35 p. August, 1978. 8. National Trends in Perspective. 9. Data Update II: Transportation, Land Use, and the Natural Environment. 26 p. November 15, 1978. 22 p. August 25, 1978. 10. Data Update III: 17, 1979. 11. The Regional Context. 12. Data Update: The Financial Base. August 1, 1979. 13. The Community Attitude Survey. 14. Community Attitudes and Influentials: A Comparison. 15. Trends and Issues: 16. Goals and Objectives: 17. A Concept Sketch for Development. 18. Land Use. 19. Transportation. 20. Environmental Management. 21. Housing and Community Services. 22. The Environmental Impact. 23. Plan Implementation. 26 p. Housing and Community Facilities. 73 p. 29 p. January October 25, 1978. 41 p. April 15, 1979. Revised: 36 p. The Local Perspective. 49 p. Alternative Futures. 15 p. 20 p. 14 p. May 15, 1979. May 15, 1979. May 15, 1979. October 10, 1979. 16 p. October 10, 1979. 79 p. 60 p. 25 p. Revised: December 4, 1979. October 10, 1979. 16 p. October 10, 1979. September 20, 1979. July 15, 1980. 25a. The Concept Sketch Evaluation Survey. 23 p. 25b. The Master Plan Elements Evaluation Survey. 26. The Official Map. 10 p. 27. The Master Plan: A Draft Report. 28. The Subdivision of Land. July 30, 1979. 42 p. June 15, 1980. 40 p. 208 p. August 28, 1980. June 15, 1980~ � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource 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. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Norton-Shores_Master-Plan_1981 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leo Jakobson, AIP, SAFA Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-08 Title A name given to the resource Master Plan Description An account of the resource The Master Plan for the City of Norton Shores was prepared by Leo Jakobson, AIP, SAFA and was published on May 8, 1981. Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Norton Shores (Mich.) Muskegon County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/65e4fa90b551daf302f4f605c12f1632.pdf 1540a035cd167c081a4da38789840edc PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Carmen de Leon Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 5/14/2012 Biography and Description English Carmen De Leon is a Young Lord who grew up in New York City and today lives in Loíza, Puerto Rico. A strong advocate for women, Ms. De Leon worked closely with Young Lord Richie Pérez on a range of education and youth centered programs. In her oral history, she recalls her days working with the Young Lords. Ms. De Leon discusses how the Young Lords were infiltrated by government agents and how “ideology” was utilized to factionalize and create divisions within the Movement, including encouraging takeovers, discrediting, and purging leaders. She vividly describes members being taken hostage as well as how she herself was purged from the Young Lords. Her interview provides important insights into how these repressive tactics were carried out and how they ultimately destroyed the connections between the Young Lords and the barrio base. Spanish Carmen De Leon es una Young Lord que creció en la cuidad de Nueva York y ahora vive en Loiza, Puerto Rico. Soportará fuerte por mujeres, Señora De Leon trabajo cerca con el Young Lord Richie Pérez en programas de educación para jóvenes. En su entrevista comparte sus memorias sobre los días que trabajo con los Young Lords. Señora De Leon habla de cómo los Young Lords fueron infiltrados por �agentes del gobierno y como “idolología” fue utilizado para nublar y hacer divisiones dentro del movimiento. Esto también incluye soportando unos que tomen poder y descreditando los líderes. Con vivacidad describe como los miembros fueron tomados como rehén y como ella misma fue purgada de los Young Lords. Su entrevista nos da una prospectiva importante en cómo estos tácticos fueron pasados y últimamente destruyo las conexiones dentro de los Young Lords y el barrio. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: (inaudible) the same as (inaudible). Ready [John?]. P1: Recording. JJ: Okay, go ahead. CARMEN DE LEON: My name is Carmen [Iris?] de Leon [Quiñones?]. I was born on August 13, 1955 at Bellevue Hospital in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. JJ: Okay. And who were your parents? CL: My mom, her name is [Paula?] Quiñones. And my father, his name was José Antonio de Leon. JJ: (inaudible) were they also born in New York? CL: My father was born in Juncos, Puerto Rico, and my mom in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. But they did meet in New York. JJ: They met in New York? CL: Yeah. JJ: So what year did they (inaudible) CL: My mom was 16 when she arrived to New York, and she’s 79 now. JJ: [’30?] or something? CL: Yeah. Yeah, she [00:01:00] got to New York, I believe, like 1949, something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. JJ: And your father also came? CL: He was there. I don’t know what year my father... 1 �JJ: (inaudible) CL: I believe so, yeah. JJ: And what about your other siblings (inaudible)? CL: They’re all in New York. JJ: I mean how many? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Oh, okay. I had five sisters and two brothers. JJ: (inaudible) their names (inaudible) CL: My oldest sister, her name is [Inez?], a brother named [David?], a sister named [Nidia?], myself, sister named [Marixa?], sister named [Evelyn?], sister named [Josephine?], and a brother named [José?]. JJ: And you said the Lower East Side of Manhattan? CL: I was born and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. JJ: Coming from Chicago, I have no idea [about that?]. What is that like? [00:02:00] CL: The Lower East Side, it’s the lower part of Manhattan where a lot of immigrants resided there for work. And so a lot of Puerto Ricans, besides going to El Barrio in Manhattan, they also resided in the Lower East Side. JJ: So it’s part of Manhattan, so (inaudible) Square, that area? CL: Okay, it’s not far from there. JJ: Not far from (inaudible) Square, that area. CL: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Delancey Street housed in that area, close to Chinatown, not far from Little Italy. JJ: So what are your first memories? CL: My first memories of the Lower East Side, as a child, it’s so funny because to me, 2 �all the Spanish people that I knew were Puerto Ricans. [00:03:00] (laughs) That was it. And everyone worked. You know, that w-JJ: What kind of jobs? CL: Sewing. My father, he was a welder. My mom didn’t work. She took care of the kids. But everyone else, if you were not sewing, you were doing some sort of manual labor. JJ: What was the housing? (inaudible) CL: The housing, well, we never lived in projects, but my parents always rented apartments, which were like 35 dollars a month. So we lived on Ludlow Street, which is in the Lower East Side. We lived on Sherriff Street. JJ: How many bedrooms (inaudible) CL: Two bedrooms, three bedrooms. And they were very, very big and very nice. JJ: I know at one time they had a bathtub in the (inaudible) CL: Yes, my grandmother lived in an apartment [00:04:00] where the bathtub was in the kitchen and the toilet was in the hallway. JJ: (inaudible) CL: And they were like a railroad train type of apartment. You had, like, the kitchen, then the living room, then the room, so they look like a train. JJ: Like if you were in the (inaudible) CL: Uh-huh. JJ: But they were good sized? CL: Some small, some fairly large. JJ: So what was the grammar school? Grammar school? 3 �CL: Grammar school. JJ: Where did you go to grammar school? CL: I went to P.S. 160. When I started school, it was in first grade. JJ: So when they say P.S. 160, I’m not clear on (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: That’s an elementary school. JJ: Yeah. But I mean are all the schools called by number? CL: Public schools, yes. Well, in the Lower East Side, yeah. JJ: Is that (inaudible) CL: Well, I have no idea because we didn’t really live anywhere else. JJ: But they were all called by numbers? CL: By numbers, yeah. JJ: So in the school, it was all Puerto Ricans or...? (inaudible) CL: There were a lot of Puerto Ricans, [00:05:00] yes. But there were no Spanish teachers at that time. And, like I said, when I started school, I started in the first grade. JJ: Puerto Rican speaking Spanish or...? CL: Yeah. Puerto Ricans speaking Spanish. JJ: (inaudible) Spanish (inaudible) CL: Yeah, ’cause when I first started first grade, I didn’t speak any English. JJ: Where would they (inaudible) were they there (inaudible) Like what city did they (inaudible) CL: No. Yeah. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. To me, everyone was all the same. The parents spoke Spanish. 4 �JJ: Like, culturally, were they from cities or from the country, the rural area. CL: Oh, that I don’t know. That, no. No. JJ: But they had (inaudible) generation. CL: I believe like me, you know, I was the first generation. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) the late ’40s? CL: Yeah. JJ: (inaudible) late ’40s [in the end?] because I know (inaudible) Puerto Rico (inaudible) 19... [00:06:00] CL: Yes. JJ: But there was a big immigration in late ’40s. Is that what you’re saying? CL: Uh-huh. I believe that the Puerto Ricans that migrated here in the early 1900s mostly went to El Barrio. JJ: So that’s the old (inaudible) CL: Uh-huh. Yeah, because Tito Puente, he was born and raised, and his parents were, like, there. JJ: Yeah so there were (inaudible) Okay, so El Barrio was the older -- CL: Yeah. JJ: -- Puerto Rican section. CL: Mm-hmm. JJ: In the 1900s, so now the Lower East Side, there’s a new body that is forming? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Well, to me, you know, I never thought about that as a child, really. But I did know that the parents did not speak English, so if they didn’t speak English 5 �obviously, to me, they had just -JJ: So the most of the people didn’t speak English? CL: No. JJ: So they had to be new. CL: Yeah. [00:07:00] JJ: There was a new wave -- CL: Uh-huh. JJ: -- of immigration in that area, the Lower East Side? CL: Uh-huh. JJ: Okay. So remember, what are some of the stores? Bodegas (inaudible) CL: The bodegas owned by Puerto Ricans. JJ: What kind of (inaudible) CL: No, we just called it the bodega. I remember, where I grew up on Ludlow Street, the bodega, you would find [verdura, aguacate?], everything that you needed to cook Puerto Rican food. The rice, the beans. And it used to strike me kind of strange because he used to put hay on the wooden floor. JJ: Oh. CL: (laughs) JJ: In Chicago, they had hay (inaudible) used to say it (inaudible) because they used to put hay on the floor (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Especially when it rained. JJ: I don’t know why they did that. CL: No, no. [00:08:00] 6 �JJ: But the name bodega -- so what, Ludlow you said (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Ludlow Street was a fairly commercial street, mostly for Jewish store owners. And they sold a lot of figurines. Beautiful, expensive figurines. But there was just one bodega. JJ: So were there a lot of Jewish store owners, was there Spanish food and stuff like that? Spanish products? CL: No. JJ: Or were there Puerto Rican stores owners? CL: The Puerto Rican store owners were the bodega y la carniceria, the meat market, that was on the corner. JJ: Okay. So you went to P.S.? CL: 160. JJ: 160. And how far did you go in that school? CL: ’til the sixth grade. JJ: Okay, the sixth grade. (inaudible) CL: Well, that’s the first time I saw Bozo. JJ: Oh, okay. [00:09:00] Bozo the Clown? CL: (laughs) Yes. JJ: (inaudible) CL: I was like, oh. JJ: Now you see him and (inaudible) CL: That’s where -- 7 �JJ: He came to the school or...? CL: Yeah, he came to the school to visit. That’s where they sent me to speech class because, since I didn’t speak English, you know, they thought that I had just gotten there from Puerto Rico. So they sent me the speech class ’cause I couldn’t pronounce some of the English words the way they wanted me to pronounce it. JJ: So they had a special speech class? CL: Yeah, for a lot of us. JJ: For a lot of people? CL: Yeah. JJ: ’Cause other people, like, some people they would put back a grade. CL: Yeah, I was put back of grade as well in the fourth grade. Miss [Elwood?], I remember her clearly. JJ: Okay. Then you were also in a speech class? CL: Yes. JJ: And there were other (inaudible) you there? CL: Yes. Yes. [00:10:00] JJ: What about your friends and then what kind of social life? CL: Well, school friends, when we went to school and we played recess, Double Dutch, jumping rope. JJ: Double Dutch (inaudible) CL: You know, tag with the boys. JJ: Okay. So what about high school? 8 �CL: I didn’t go to high school. JJ: Oh, you didn’t go to high school? CL: (laughs) No. JJ: Oh, okay. (inaudible) CL: I went to the Young Lords high school. (inaudible) JJ: You went to the Young Lords high school? Okay, what was the Young Lords high school? CL: Well, let me first tell you how I got there. Again, like I told you, I was growing up in the Lower East Side and drugs was kinda very rampant in the neighborhood due to -- JJ: What kind of drugs? CL: Heroin -- JJ: Heroin. Okay. CL: -- mostly. JJ: What year was this? CL: ’70. JJ: ’70? CL: ’71. JJ: (inaudible) was all over [00:11:00] (inaudible) CL: Gentrification. JJ: Oh, gentrification, that’s... CL: Yeah, this was the beginning of -- JJ: Yeah, but you went from drugs to gentrification (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) 9 �CL: Yes, because -- Okay. Well, that’s why the drugs were put there because of the gentrification. And what they did was -- JJ: What do you mean? CL: Okay, they had a plan for the Lower East Side, and we were not included in the plan. So you have to first get rid of the Puerto Ricans that were there in order to execute the plan that they have now. JJ: Who is they? CL: The government, the rich -- JJ: The city? CL: -- the city. And so what they did was they -- JJ: Are you talking about the mayor or the alderman (inaudible) CL: Yeah, whoever was controlling it. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) who are you talking about? CL: Well, I’m talking about whoever wanted this gentrification, and planned and executed. JJ: Somebody had a plan, but it was a plan. CL: It was a plan. JJ: Why do you say it was a plan? CL: Because, after so many years, we see the results of the plan. [00:12:00] The Lower East Side is totally a home -- JJ: It looked like it was set up in a way that... CL: Yes. And so what they did was they infested the neighborhood with drugs. JJ: They came in with drugs? 10 �CL: Well, yeah. What they did was -- well, it was easy, accessible to get the drugs. So kids who didn’t have, they started to deal drugs. It was easy to get. So if you don’t have any money, and you wanted money, well, then you deal drugs. JJ: (inaudible) everybody was selling and there was no police trying to stop it. CL: No. JJ: Is that what you mean? Something like that? CL: Yes. JJ: I mean, that’s what you’re saying? CL: Yes, yes, yeah. The police were not really doing much about the drugs. They were very easily accessible to the kids. JJ: Okay. To the kids? CL: Yes, I was only 15, 16 years old. JJ: You were 15 or 16? CL: Yes. JJ: And then you started using drugs at 15 or 16? CL: I [00:13:00] started to experiment, yes. JJ: (inaudible) not snorting? CL: No, just the snorting. I never shot [sharps?]. JJ: You never fooled with that? CL: No, no, no. And at the same time, the youth was getting very, very fed up of what was going on in the Lower East Side. The Vietnam War. Our male friends were being drafted to the... JJ: You’re talking about street youth or college youth? 11 �CL: Street youth. Nobody was thinking about going to college. JJ: Okay, so they were upset. There was no college. CL: (laughs) No. JJ: There were no colleges at that time? CL: Yeah, there were colleges, but -- JJ: But [not enough motivation?] (inaudible) CL: -- no one was thinking about going to college. JJ: There was people in the street (inaudible) CL: And so, you know, we would take the garbage and we’d go burn it, and the whole social... JJ: But was this, like, before the Young Lords you were taking garbage and burning it? CL: Well the Young Lords were already -- ’cause in [00:14:00] ’70, ’71, the Young Lord’s Party was formed in New York. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: But there were other little groups coming about, like Movimiento Latino, that was in the Lower East Side. Carlos Feliciano, his case was something, you know, very big at that time in New York where they had placed a bomb in his car, etcetera, etcetera. JJ: Right, so that was big and a lot of people were talking about that? CL: A lotta turmoil. And we were not gonna take that. JJ: And then there were people talking about the war too or...? CL: Yes. 12 �JJ: On the Lower East Side, there was a lot of political work going on? People passing leaflets and stuff like that or...? CL: Yes. Yes, there were. See, it was a dual type of thing because the drugs were always there, and then on the other side, this was happening too. A lot of us were becoming rebellious against our parents, against the establishment. And so [00:15:00] I was becoming more aware. JJ: Against the parents? What do you mean? CL: Well, yeah, because, you know, our parents come from a generation that you do as you’re told. Where our generation -- JJ: So when you say a lot of others, you’re talkin’ ’bout women? CL: And the guys. JJ: And the guys. So, you got the parents that are telling you, “Do as you’re told.”? CL: Exactly. Don’t say a word. JJ: Yeah, and they’ll say you’re rebelling against them? CL: Yes. And the establishment as well. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Well, yeah. We would hit the streets, you know, we would go hang out, we would go do a whole lotta cra-- JJ: Hang out where? CL: Well, I used to go to this place called the [Latin House?] on Hester Street. JJ: What happened there? What was that like? CL: We would all come together, listen to music. At that time, the music was a lotta slow jams. The (inaudible), The Stylistics. And that started to become more 13 �[00:16:00] of a family. And so, again, the question of money was a big issue for kids, or for us then. And so when the Young Lords had the parade that they took over the front of the parade. That really -- I was so impressed behind that. I went. JJ: How did that happen? Because I wasn’t familiar with that. How’d it happen? The regular Puerto Rican parade? CL: Parade and the police used to march in front. JJ: (inaudible) CL: And so the Lords felt that that was not right. The people should march in front. JJ: Police shouldn’t march in front. CL: Exactly, and so we were gonna take it over. I wasn’t a Lord then, but I wanted to be a part of that, and so I went. And while I was there, my father saw me. And so I was fighting my [00:17:00] father and the police at the same time because my father was going to kick my butt. I was only 15 years old. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Yes. And they were not too keen with the Young Lords. They felt that that was a gang. JJ: Your father? CL: And my mother. JJ: But they thought it was a gang? CL: Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, and like I said, our parents’ generation come from, you do as you’re told. And you don’t say, you just do it. You don’t question it. You don’t do otherwise. 14 �JJ: So you guys took it over? Took over the front of it? CL: Well, there was a big riot. People got hurt, hit. The parade was -- JJ: Anybody got arrested or...? CL: -- stopped. People got arrested. JJ: People got arrested? But, I mean, did you eventually take it over or no? CL: No. JJ: Or just got (inaudible) CL: It was just a lot of craziness going on. JJ: So if it was stopped, it must have been a [00:18:00] (inaudible) CL: Yes. Of course, yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm. But, you know, when I saw my father, I was more scared of him. (laughter) JJ: I can deal with the police. (inaudible) CL: Exactly. JJ: (inaudible) Okay, so what other things that are going on? CL: Okay, so I start rebelling at home, like I was saying. You know, I would go to the streets and there was, like, hang out. There was no sense of direction in my life. I was just bouncing off the wall. And my mom, after us, you know, with the hard hand. It wasn’t let’s sit and talk and let me explain, I’m gonna hit you for what you’re doing. And so one day I got home about eight o’clock. When I got home, I got severely punished physically [00:19:00] because this is the way... JJ: Your mother or your father? CL: My mother. My father, they had separated. JJ: Split up. (inaudible) 15 �CL: So the next day -- JJ: Now all your sibling was living in the house (inaudible) CL: Yeah. Mm-hmm. JJ: The next day, what happened? CL: So then the next thing, I had gone, sometime before, to court for Carlos Feliciano, and I had met some of the members of the Young Lords, and I was like really impressed. You know, these -- JJ: What impressed you about them? CL: They looked like they had a direction, that they were going somewhere, that this is what it should be. And so, you know, I had met them, etcetera, etcetera. So, okay, I went home, whatever. So one day, a friend of mine says to me, “Well, listen, you know, I have a friend, and he has some drugs. You want to start dealing and make some money?” And I’m like, “Wow, yeah, why not? I can use a couple of dollars.” And so we were on the corner [00:20:00] of Hester and Forsyth Street. So there’s a park that goes from Houston all the way down to Canal Street on Forsyth. So this was Hester and Forsyth. And I was with this girl named [Elena?]. And we’re waiting there, and the guy just doesn’t show up. And we’re waiting. And the guy doesn’t show up. So it must have been about four o’clock, and I see this group passing by. And I see this guy that I had met at the courthouse for Carlos Feliciano. His name was TC, or is TC, [Tony Copeland?], who became my future husband. So as they’re walking by, I recognized him and he recognized me. And so he, well, you know, we were very happy to see each other. So he says to me, “What are you up to?” And I’m like, 16 �“Nothing.” Well, of course I wasn’t going to say here I’m waiting, [00:21:00] you know, to do something really bad. So he says, “Why don’t you come with us? We’re going to [Yihequan?] to see this movie.” CL: Yihequan is -- JJ: Yihequan? CL: It was a Chinese group and they were located -- JJ: (inaudible) CL: Dealing drugs. JJ: Oh, dealing drugs. Okay. So he walked in... CL: Okay, so he says, we’re gonna go see (inaudible) at Yihequan. So I says, “Yeah, okay. I’ll go.” And it was about four or five o’clock in the evening. So I left, and I didn’t do the thing about picking up drugs and dealing the drugs. Well, the movie was great. I think we were watching Women Hold Half the Sky, and we had a really great time. I don’t remember who else was there, but I do remember my future husband was there. So it was about nine o’clock. And I am like, “What time is it?” He says, [00:22:00] “It’s nine o’clock.” I’m like, “Oh my god. If I go home now, I’m really -- they’re gonna kill me. JJ: They’re gonna kill me. CL: So I says to him. “Can I go with you guys?” And he says, “Well, yeah. If you want to.” So I ran away with him and the Young Lords. So I call my sister and I says to her, “Nidia, I’m not coming home. I’m safe. Just let mom know that I’m safe.” So I went up to the Bronx, Cypress Avenue. 141st and Cypress. And so, the next day, Tony, you know, TC as he was known back then, takes me to the 17 �storefront or the office. JJ: Now you’re staying with TC -- CL: Yeah. JJ: -- himself or with -- CL: Oh, no. JJ: -- the other Young Lords? CL: Okay, no. [00:23:00] He was sharing an apartment. They were called collectives at that time. JJ: Okay. What are collectives. What is that? CL: Collective meaning several people lived together. It wasn’t just a man and a woman, or a man and man, or woman and woman. There were several. There’d been several couples, several friends. JJ: They were, like, couples. They weren’t (inaudible) CL: Yeah. Yeah. So it was him, [Lucky Luciano?], who’s [Felipe?] Luciano’s brother. JJ: Oh, Lucky Luciano? Okay. CL: Uh-huh. A girl that he was with then, and myself and Tony. JJ: And you were living together in that collective? CL: In that collective, yeah. Yeah. JJ: How did you pay them rent and stuff like that? CL: Oh, he paid the rent. JJ: Oh, he paid it? Okay, so [continue there?]. CL: So, that was September of 1971. JJ: (inaudible) September of 1971? 18 �CL: Well, it was late August beginning September [00:24:00] that I ran away that I ran away with Tony and the Young Lords. And so, a few weeks later, you know, I continued to call my sister to tell them, you know, that I’m fine. My mom was hysterical and, you know, I was so young. So my sister knew where I was, and she knew with whom I was with. And so, about three weeks later -- no. About a couple of months later in October. October 15, 1971, my father was killed, and so she needed to get ahold of me. JJ: How was he killed? CL: He was stabbed in a social club. They were drinking and one thing led to another, and a friend of his, in fact, that was raised with him here in Juncos, Puerto Rico, [00:25:00] stabbed him. And so when my mom tells my sister, then now she has to tell my mom where I am because she has to go get me to go to a funeral. And so I remember, I think it was a Sunday about seven o’clock in the morning, it’s a knock on the door. So Tony gets up and he goes to answer the door, and he’s in his underwear. And when he opens the door, it’s my mother. And when, you know, he comes and he says, “Carmen, your mom is there.” I totally freaked out. I said, “Oh my god, I’m in trouble now.” And so she was very, very, very serious and very upset with me too. And so she said to me, “Your dad passed away.” And I looked at her and I said, “So what am I supposed [00:26:00] to do, cry?” ’cause I lived a life very angry with my father. JJ: (inaudible) Why? CL: Well, because he was very abusive with my mother. He had a lot of issues. JJ: What do you mean? Hit her? 19 �CL: Yeah, he would. Yeah, physically -- JJ: [Violencia?]? CL: -- abuse of her. Yeah. So anyway, I left with her. And we did the whole funeral thing with my dad and whatever. So after all of that was over -- JJ: What do you mean the whole thing? CL: Well, you know, going to the funeral with the family. They buried him here in Puerto Rico. We didn’t partake in that. You know, there’s, like, this family feud. I was all right with that back then. I was so upset with him. It was like a relief, if you can understand. JJ: (inaudible) to get rid of your father? CL: Isn’t that a horrible thing to say? It’s just for my mom, you know. JJ: (inaudible) he was [close to?] your mom? CL: ’Cause he would -- Yeah. Yeah. [00:27:00] JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Very, very close to her. JJ: (inaudible) CL: So I went back home, and she thought that I was going to stay at home. And I said to her, “I just can’t do this anymore. You know, to me, I want to be there. You know, I want to change the world. I feel that that’s where I belong.” And so I went back to live with Tony and to become a Young Lord. JJ: While you were there living with Tony, you were still in the collective? Or no? CL: Yes. Yes. JJ: You were still living in the collective together. 20 �CL: Uh-huh. JJ: So what were some of the work that you were doing? What was some of the work? CL: With the Young Lords or...? JJ: Yeah. CL: Well then, [00:28:00] of course, I met [Panama?] at the time. I met [Augie Robles?]. I finally got to meet [Yoruba?] because he was in China during the time that I had -- JJ: (inaudible) China at that time? I was in China too. CL: With him? JJ: No, no. In the late ’70s. CL: Oh, okay. I met [Richie?]. But before my mom went (laughs) to get me, because she didn’t know where I was, she knew that I was with the Young Lords. So she took the police to the national headquarters in El Barrio to demand that they return her daughter. And, of course, they didn’t know that I was in the Bronx. They didn’t even know who I was. So they must have had a shock when they saw the police. (laughs) JJ: So she thought that the Young Lords [00:29:00] were taking you hostage or something like that? CL: I guess. Yeah. JJ: Okay. Now you said, Richie. What do you mean you called him Richie? Richie [Bredas?] CL: Richie Bredas. Yeah. (inaudible) Well, I knew that Richard was a teacher, that 21 �he taught typing. I know that he was the minister of defense or information. JJ: I think he was information minister. CL: Yeah. Minister of information. Yoruba, I was, like, in awe of him, you know. You’ve gone to China. JJ: You were in awe? What do you recall? I mean, he went to China? CL: Yeah. I remember him being a very, very serious individual. I had met [Mickey Melendez?]. We had gotten involved with, or they were -- JJ: What about Mickey? What are your thoughts about Mickey? CL: Mickey was very serious man too. JJ: Okay. Very serious? CL: You know, [00:30:00] they were all very serious. (laughs) Like, “Ooh!” Then again, I was only 16 years old. I was so young. JJ: You met Augie, you said? CL: Augie, we became the best of friends. JJ: What do you mean (inaudible)? CL: She became my (Spanish). [Auga?]. I liked her a lot. She was very staunch in her beliefs. Richie and her were together at that time. JJ: They were living together in the -- CL: Yeah. Uh-huh. I met [Iris Morales?]. JJ: Thoughts about her? CL: Iris Morales, I used to like her a lot back then too, and, I mean, I still like her today. [Valerie?], [David Perez?]. JJ: (inaudible) 22 �CL: Did you ever meet David Perez? JJ: David Perez? Yeah. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Okay, well, he was -- his companion. JJ: (inaudible) Did they call it (inaudible) [00:31:00] or...? CL: At that time, we called it, yeah, companion. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yeah, we didn’t... Yeah, exactly. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yeah, no. No one said wife or husband. You said, you know, companion. JJ: (inaudible) At Chicago, we had an underground [training for people trying to get?] (inaudible) collective, but we didn’t use companions. We used brother and sister (inaudible) CL: Oh, okay. Mm-hmm. We used brother and sister too, but, I mean, in terms of relationships, you know, “That’s my companion.” JJ: I gotta tell you (inaudible) term. CL: (laughs) It’s a good term. JJ: (inaudible) So tell me something about Tony (inaudible) CL: Tony. JJ: Yeah. CL: Like I said, I met Tony -- JJ: What impression (inaudible) CL: Well, I found Tony to be a very handsome young man at the time, smart, [00:32:00] and he was very friendly. And so we sparked a relationship that lasted five 23 �years. I have two children by him. JJ: What are the names of your kids? CL: My oldest son’s name is [Damien Copeland?]. My second son is [Eric Copeland?]. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Eric Copeland. JJ: Eric Copeland? Do they live here with you? CL: No, they live in (inaudible) JJ: What kind of work (inaudible) CL: Who, Tony? I believe Tony works for a union. I don’t recall. I mean, we have, really, no contact, and he’s into some sort of a -- JJ: Oh, you’re not together? CL: No. Oh, no. No, no. Our relationship lasted five years. JJ: Five years? CL: Yeah. JJ: So, how (inaudible) CL: Oh, well, that was 15 years ago. I had met someone else [00:33:00] when I was 38. JJ: You’re with someone else now. CL: Yeah. Uh-huh. JJ: Okay. (inaudible) 15 years ago, you (inaudible) CL: Uh-huh. JJ: (inaudible) 24 �CL: My life is good here. I’m into more spiritualism, more -- JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yeah. JJ: (inaudible) CL: No. No, no. JJ: (inaudible) CL: More the way of the yogi, the way of the monk. JJ: (inaudible) what, the yogi, the...? CL: More into working on my inner self so my externals could be in a better place. JJ: Okay (inaudible) I’m just kind of trying to think of a way to understand (inaudible) [00:34:00] So this is not like (inaudible) CL: No. It’s more like Tai Chi, more connecting yourself with the universe, with divinity, with the light. JJ: (inaudible) something like that? That’s the only thing I know. CL: Okay. JJ: So it’s more like that? Something similar to that? CL: It’s called the fourth way if you’ve ever... JJ: I’m not familiar with it. (inaudible) CL: Uh-huh. Well, you can Google it. JJ: So can you explain what (inaudible) fourth way or...? CL: Well, yeah. It’s more on working on yourself so you can be a better being so your being can grow. Because once your being grows, then everything around you will also change and grow. 25 �JJ: Sort of like [00:35:00] (inaudible) CL: Oh, he needs five minutes? (Spanish) JJ: (inaudible) P1: Well, I mean, you guys sound -- (break in audio) P1: And whenever you’re ready. JJ: You could tell me a little bit about Richie. We were talkin’ ’bout Richie Bredas. CL: Well, Richie, Richie was always laughing. A person who was a very happy, happy individual. Always laughing, cracking jokes, and serious as well and very smart. Very, very smart and people respected him. He carried that because he gave respect. [00:36:00] Didn’t matter how old you were, ’cause I was a young whippersnapper. And a very, very giving individual. I had gotten the opportunity to live with him, his companion Augie at the time, and Tony, who was my companion at the time. And we shared a lot of good, good times. And again, he was very, very, very good. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Well, he was with Auga at the time. JJ: Oh, okay. CL: And I was the Tony, and we made up the collective. JJ: So you were living together in the same collective? CL: Uh-huh. Exactly. JJ: He was a giving person and -- CL: Always laughing. 26 �JJ: ’Cause he was information deputy? CL: Uh-huh. JJ: So [he was in the?] -- CL: And he worked hard and he had a good job. He had gone to college and -- JJ: What kind of work (inaudible) CL: A teacher. JJ: He was a teacher? Okay. So he was a teacher, he was a Young Lord. CL: Uh-huh. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yes. [00:37:00] JJ: So he was doing community work at the same time? CL: That’s one thing about the Lords back then. That we were always in the community. People knew us. People bought the (Spanish). They knew us. We went door to door. You know, it wasn’t, like, an organization that locked itself up and talked a lot of rhetoric, which that did happen later on. JJ: But not at that time? CL: Not at that time. JJ: At that time it was (inaudible) CL: Out in the street and we were organizing. JJ: Talking to people in the neighborhood? CL: Exactly. And Richie was involved in organizing a lot of students. JJ: Students? CL: Yes. 27 �JJ: What school was he working at? CL: Well, at the time, he was still a typing teacher. So you know, at -- and what was that organization’s name? [00:38:00] Aspira. JJ: Aspira, Aspira. So he was worked with Aspira, with the schooling groups and that? CL: And he had recruited a lotta students as well. JJ: He definitely did a lotta work (inaudible) CL: He did a lot of work, yes. JJ: (inaudible) worked with Aspira. CL: Yeah. JJ: So we were talking also about PRRWO (inaudible) Puerto Rican (inaudible) CL: It was called Puerto Rican Worker Revolutionary Organization. JJ: And who were the leaders of that? CL: [Gloria Fontanez?]. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yes. The Central Committee. JJ: Where did she come from? Oh, the Central Committee was part of them? CL: Yeah. It was still, everyone there except Yoruba, [Juan Gonzales?], David. Okay. So the Central Committee consisted of Gloria [00:39:00] Fontanez, her cousin, [Carmen Cruz?], I believe Gloria’s husband, [Don Right?], who we all, then later on, believed that he was an agent. JJ: Why did you believe he was an agent? CL: Well, I mean, you know, I don’t have like documentation -- 28 �JJ: [You mean a rat?]? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: -- but everything that happened once this individual came into the picture just led to all of that. The Young Lords then felt that they needed to organize the workers. We needed to become a more of the workers organization than just a community, lumpenproletariat organization. JJ: So they wanted get away from the [metropolitan?]? CL: Yes. And so we -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: -- needed to be more ideological. And so we needed to be more ideological, we needed to be more Lenin, more Stalin, more Mao. And in order to do that, we had to change our name, [00:40:00] and so they did. They changed the Young Lord’s Party to the Puerto Rican Workers Revolutionary organization, PRRWO. And so, at the time, we linked up with a group called the MLN from Chicago. And they would come to New York and we would have these crazy debates. I mean, these seminars with these crazy, crazy debates. And when I mean crazy, it wasn’t about I’m gonna teach you and you’re going to teach you, no, I’m gonna put you down and you’re gonna put me down. It looked more like a war to me. JJ: Criticism and self-criticism? CL: It was more criticism than self-criticism. (laughs) JJ: I know, that’s what -- you know, the (inaudible) something similar. That’s what they were explaining to us. CL: So then that didn’t work. You know, MLN went their way. JJ: So that’s Movimiento por [00:41:00] Liberación Nacional? 29 �CL: Uh-huh. That didn’t last too long. They went their way. PRRWO went their way. Still looking for affiliation. Then they found the Revolutionary Union, R Union. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Majority white organization. And that’s when this individual Don Right comes into the picture. JJ: So he mighta just been a member of Revolutionary Union. CL: Yeah. JJ: Maybe he wasn’t an agent, he was just...? CL: I don’t know. It could be. JJ: (inaudible) CL: It could not be. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: All I know is a lot of crazy stuff started to happen after that. We would go to meetings. We no longer were in the community. So we had severed the ties with the community. JJ: Okay. What does that mean, that you were no longer in the community? CL: We were more in meetings debating with one another, with each other, about how wrong you are, how right you are. [00:42:00] And then it became very rigid. If you differed, then you were under attack. You could not differ because then you became the oddball, and you were under attack. And those were the things that were happening to me back then. JJ: But if can hold that thought first. CL: Yeah, okay. 30 �JJ: (inaudible) you became rigid. The whole (inaudible). But now, you said that you were no longer with the community. CL: Yes. That meant that we no longer went to the community to organize. We no longer had those -- JJ: You weren’t going door to door. You weren’t doing any -- CL: Or those health clinics or the -- JJ: Were you doing any programs or anything? CL: No programs. We weren’t doing anything. JJ: Just talking? CL: Just talkin’. Exactly. You know -- JJ: Did you get into the -- CL: -- still building the structure of the -- JJ: -- about Marx and Lenin? Did you get into the (inaudible) CL: Exactly. And that... JJ: Because before, I mean, the Young Lords -- I read books about Marx and Lenin. We (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: No, no, but this was -- JJ: But now it was all Marx and Lenin and nothing -- CL: Nothing else. JJ: -- about the community. CL: And if anyone disagreed -- JJ: That was just a different line. CL: Mm-hmm. [00:43:00] And if anybody disagree, or when they had these heavy- 31 �duty debates in the Central Committee and they purged someone. You know, like when they purged Juan Gonzalez, when they purged -JJ: They purged Juan Gonzalez too? CL: Yeah. Yeah. JJ: (inaudible) CL: And they purged Yoruba. So Yoruba left -- JJ: Yoruba they purged (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Iris had to leave because she was the wife, and when they purged David Perez -- JJ: The wife of who? CL: Of Yoruba. JJ: Yoruba (inaudible) CL: Yeah, at the time. JJ: (inaudible) CL: No. (inaudible) JJ: So that all started (inaudible) CL: Yoruba. And then, when they purged David Perez, Valerie had to go, too. JJ: So wait a minute, they were purging all the Central Committee? CL: Anyone who disagreed. JJ: But it looks like David and Yoruba and -- CL: And so what happen-- JJ: -- people like that, they were Central Committee members. They were purging the Central Committee. CL: And so what [00:44:00] started to happen in the body of the organization, most of 32 �the members started to leave because then it was no longer that zest, that passion to go to the community, you know, to become one with the community. JJ: Let me get this. Anybody that kind of was helping the Young Lords (inaudible) as leaders of the Young Lords were being purged at that time? CL: Can you repeat that? JJ: Most of the leadership was being purged? CL: Yes. Yes, yes. JJ: The old leadership of the Young Lords. CL: And so back with Richie, Richie was on the Central Committee. And at the time, we thought that was the right thing. So yeah, we started to even mimic or even believe some of these things until it just continued to happen. JJ: Some of these things? What were they saying? What were they putting forth? CL: Okay, like, let’s see. [00:45:00] It’s just like, let’s say, for instance, if at the moment they believed that we were not a party, we were an organization. That became the hot issue. Or which way were we gonna suppose to organize the factory workers? JJ: Okay, hold on a second. So we were not a party, and we needed to become a party? CL: No, an organization. JJ: We need to become an organization. (inaudible) back to globalization? Okay. All right. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: I don’t know. See, because remember, now, this is the Central Committee and these meetings, you really didn’t know because, you know, this was like -- 33 �JJ: The Central Committee was here and you were here? CL: Yeah, exactly. (laughs) We were here and they were up there. JJ: (Spanish) CL: Uh-huh. (Spanish) And now that you [00:46:00] talk about that, Gloria Fontanez, I grew up with her family. I didn’t know her. JJ: Yeah, what was she like? CL: Okay. Well, let me just say. I grew up with her family. Her brother was my best friend when I was 14, 15 years old in the Lower East Side. We hung out in the same places. When I get to the Young Lords, then I find out that she’s related to these people that I used to go visit her mom, eat at her house, you know, share, and you all her brothers and sisters, but I did not know her ’cause she had left. She was way older than they were and she had left way before I came into the picture. Gloria was -- JJ: But what were her brothers and sisters like? CL: They were really nice. They all knew how to dance. That was something. JJ: Lotta dancing (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: In the Lower East Side, you had to know how to dance some mambo. JJ: (inaudible) Oh, mambo. You didn’t do [split?]? You didn’t split? CL: No, no. Mambo. You had to dance Latin. You know? JJ: (inaudible) did the mambo (inaudible) CL: They were really good people, humble people. JJ: Humble people? (inaudible) CL: Yeah. I used to love her brother [00:47:00] dearly, dearly, and he got caught up 34 �with the drugs as well. JJ: One of her brothers, Gloria Fontanez? CL: Yeah, Gloria. JJ: So she was really, like, community (inaudible) CL: Huh? JJ: She was really before that community? CL: Yes, yeah. JJ: And then just get into (Spanish). (laughter) Nah, I’m just joking. I mean, ’cause the spiritualism (inaudible). So she got really involved in the ideological? CL: Yes. I mean, to the point that when they would do this thing, it was so insulting. And that started to turn me off. I would say to myself, “Oh my gosh, so what is it? You can’t express your opinion, your view? If you have a different opinion or something then that means you’re the bad guy?” So they had placed my husband, or my ex-husband, Tony in the Central Committee. And honestly -- JJ: Of who? CL: Of the PRRWO. [00:48:00] And I really thought that he wasn’t ready for Central Committee stuff. So I was wondering what was going on. But then again, okay, fine. He and Richie were arguing over something, and he never even said to me what, but they were in real hot water. So one day he comes home from a meeting and he says to me, “Things are really hot.” And I kind of felt it every time I would go to a meeting. And now, this time, Richie is married to [Diana Caballero?]. JJ: (inaudible) 35 �CL: So, you know, things were not going well in these meetings. And you kind of, like, sense when things are not right. But my husband comes home and he says -- JJ: What do mean you sense it? What are you sensing? CL: Hostility. JJ: You mean instead -- CL: And afraid. JJ: of friendship, hostility, [00:49:00] fear? CL: Yeah, among the [conjoint?]. JJ: Among the conjoint? They’re scared (inaudible) CL: Scared. Afraid to voice an opinion. JJ: Of what? They would be ridiculed, [but not included?] CL: Ridiculed. Well, no, not yet. Well, I never thought that things would ever get to that point. JJ: So they were being ridiculed for that kind of thing? CL: I would say shut down. JJ: Shut down. They were being (inaudible) CL: Exactly. Then you became the outsider. JJ: So you’re saying that (inaudible) CL: Exact on that. You know, you’re dangerous. Where you coming from? JJ: Are you an agent or something? CL: Exactly. JJ: So the agents are asking the agents, “Are you an agent?” The agent is saying, 36 �“Are you an agent?” CL: Yeah. It was all part of COINTEL. JJ: I don’t know if they were agents. I’m just saying that. CL: Yeah, I know. Well, but they were doing the job that COINTEL wanted to be done. So anyway, [00:50:00] my husband comes home and he says to me, “Things are not well in the Central Committee, and I’m a real hot water because I don’t agree.” He said, “Me and Richie are in hot water because we don’t agree with certain things.” And I already knew that Richie was not happy because he was the not happy person that he used to be when I met him and throughout the years that I had known him. So we used to have meetings on Thursday. So that Thursday, no, Wednesday, my husband comes home and says to me, “I’ve been purged from the Central Committee.” JJ: [Told him to come home?] CL: He tell me that he was purged. JJ: Did he say why? CL: He didn’t say why. He just said, “’cause I was not in agreement with what was going on.” So Thursday we were supposed to have a meeting with the conjoint, [00:51:00] and I was going to attend, Diana, and some other members of this committee. But something came over me. There’s such a bad feeling, and I said, “You know what, Tony? I’m not going to go to this meeting.” I’m gonna call these people, and I’m going to pack everything that they ever gave me, and I’m gonna tell them that they can come and pick it up downstairs.” Because they already knew that since they had purged him, I was going to be purged to 37 �because it had happened with Yoruba and Iris, it happened with David and Valerie. There was already a pattern. So I didn’t go. In not going, Diana went to the meeting. So she gets kidnapped at this meeting. JJ: Diana Caballero, you’re talking about? CL: Diana Caballero. JJ: She’s kidnapped at the meeting? CL: Well they take her against her will to keep her against her will to keep her hostage [00:52:00] in somebody’s apartment, her and Richie. JJ: So they had, like, [the own deal?] or...? CL: Well, you see, since I didn’t go to that meeting, and I know that if I would have gone to that meeting, they would’ve taken me too. JJ: But I mean they took her hostage, so in other words, [they’re posted?] in their own safehouse. CL: Yes, exactly. JJ: [Gone forever?] or whatever. CL: Exactly. JJ: (inaudible) well-organized group to have a deal like that. CL: Yes. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yes. And, and I’m talking about people that Richie knew for years that slept in his home, that ate his food. JJ: So these are people that Richie knew? So they were not (inaudible) these were just people that (Spanish)? 38 �CL: Yeah. They were very -- Exactly. JJ: (Spanish) CL: But yes, they were (Spanish), they lost their mind. They really lost their mind. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Because then they tortured him. They turned cigarettes off from him. They beat him. You don’t do that to someone [00:53:00] who... JJ: But then if they’re like that, somebody’s getting stuff [in their head?]. CL: Exactly. Richie became the traitor. He became the bad guy. JJ: Somebody’s feeding them -- you don’t know who? CL: Exactly. Well, COINTEL. JJ: Because most of the other people were people, they grew up together (inaudible) CL: Yeah. JJ: Somebody else has been (inaudible) CL: Exactly. JJ: And they’re part of (inaudible) CL: Well, no. They were not there. No. JJ: Oh, they’re not (inaudible)? CL: These were our own people. JJ: Our own people from the (inaudible) So somebody’s interested in being (inaudible) CL: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So, I’m devastated because now these are new people, but then they had also recruited some new people that we had just barely knew. And I had just given birth to my second son, he must have been eight 39 �months old. So I got a call from a female, one of them, stating to me that whatever they gave me for a baby shower, that they wanted it back. [00:54:00] Well, my street stuff from the Lower East Side, of course, came out. I was like, “You can take it all. And don’t you ever...” JJ: (inaudible) CL: Exactly. “Don’t you ever come here again. Ever again.” And so this was April 1976. Heartbroken, young girl from 16. I’m 21 years old now. Two kids. No direction because the direction was -- my life was the Young Lords. I go to Auga. Auga was working in Gouverneur Hospital on the Lower East Side. And she was my -- JJ: (inaudible) CL: (inaudible) She was my (Spanish). Someone that I loved. Loved her for many, many years, respected her. And it was so important for me to tell her [00:55:00] and to let her know that what they were saying was not true. Because then what they did was, is that they wrote this article in Palante stating that Richie Perez, Diana Caballero, [Felix Flores?], [Lydia Flores?], Tony Copeland, and Carmen Copeland, that’s how I was known back then, were meeting to overthrow the Central Committee. In the five years that I was in the Young Lords, not once did these three couples ever meet together alone. Ever. And never to talk about overthrowing the Central Committee. They had, or so they said because this is what came out in the Palante article, Lydia Flores, [00:56:00] she was the one that came forward and said that we were meeting. JJ: You were what? 40 �CL: Meeting. That the three couples -- JJ: Lydia Flores (inaudible) CL: -- were meeting to -- Uh-huh. And meanwhile, this young woman at the time, we used to share. They had a child, we had a child, we used to share, we used to go to the park together, we used cook dinners on Sundays together. JJ: Lydia Flores? CL: And her husband Felix. JJ: So she grew up with everybody else? CL: She was in student Aspira, part of the -- JJ: Student Aspira, but she didn’t grow up with anybody else? CL: Yes and no. Because in the beginning was Aspira, and then later on, it was the PRRWO. Felix did, he also came from Aspira, but I think he had more of the Young Lords because -- JJ: He was Huracan’s brother. CL: -- Huracan’s brother. JJ: Yeah. Felix (inaudible) CL: Okay, Felix. JJ: But not Lydia. CL: Not Lydia. JJ: (inaudible) [00:57:00] CL: Yes. JJ: (inaudible) CL: But, you know, these are things that hurt a lot, I mean, because when that 41 �happened, my husband and I, we split up right after that. JJ: But let me just, you know, say ’cause we had members in our group that we grew up with. Right? (inaudible) that doesn’t matter when -- whether they grew up or not. CL: Anyway, getting back to Auga. I wanted her to know that this was not true, that we were not doing that. So I go to Gouverneur. I muster up the nerve to go and see her. I was just afraid of her doing what she did. Because when she seen me -- I go, she was working in emergency. When I go there, I’m like, “Augie, I’m here to tell you that it’s not true. [00:58:00] You never even asked me. Does that matter to you?” She just turned and just walked away. JJ: What was her name again? CL: Auga [Goga?] (inaudible) JJ: She didn’t answer you? CL: She didn’t, no. JJ: (inaudible) CL: She stood with the PRRWO. You know, she stood with them ’til the end. ’til the end. JJ: Because you had purges of the members (inaudible) CL: Said I wasn’t going to stay with -- You know, okay, I got purged and everything, when my husband w-- I had already decided I could not do this anymore. You know, I could not be in an organization that was like that. This was not the Young Lords. JJ: It was not the original Young Lords that (inaudible) and you were very scared? 42 �[Marxist, Leninist?] CL: Doing horrible things, no. No, you don’t go around beating people like that. No, no. You just don’t. After that, to get a hold of Richie and Diana [00:59:00] was like mission impossible. Because, again, we wanted to write something in response to what had happened, and we did. We did do it. I don’t even have a copy of that ’cause after, you know, we moved -- JJ: But more or less, what did it say? CL: That it was not true. Oh my god, we took Gloria Fontanez and Carmen Cruz, and we also like dragged them in the street. You know, we were so upset with them. JJ: (inaudible) CL: How dare they? JJ: What kind of (inaudible) CL: Okay, you know, several things were not true. JJ: These are just feelings or...? CL: No, we had facts. JJ: (inaudible) CL: But I just can’t, like, you know. But it was a pretty large, you know, and I’m still trying to locate that pamphlet so I can read it and refresh my memory in what had happened. JJ: But basically, you were [01:00:00] saying what? They’re not relating to the people or...? CL: That we were, that the turn that the Young Lords Party had taken was not a 43 �correct turn. JJ: It was not a (inaudible) CL: That we had criticized so many groups in the movement. JJ: The turn of going to work with the workers? CL: The turn of changing its name PRRWO and divorcing itself from the workers and the community ’cause we were not doing proletarian organizing or anything like that. We were stuck in rooms doing (inaudible), you know, I don’t agree with you, you don’t agree with me, so I’ll kick your ass and you’ll kick mine. That’s what it was all about. JJ: (inaudible) saying that that was (inaudible) CL: But then throughout the years, after I left and of course after, you know, you can’t have an organization with one person. So you’ve got to dissolve the -- because eventually other people who have been there from the beginning, like [Miriam?], [01:01:00] had to leave too. And then throughout the years I ran into her, I ran into other people, I ran into people who hurt Richie, who regretted it, and they were, like, in a frenzy at the time. JJ: What were they saying about Richie? What were they trying (inaudible) CL: During the time that they beat them up? JJ: Yeah. Yeah. Well, what is the beating? We didn’t (inaudible) CL: Oh, okay. Well they turned cigarettes off on him, they hit him, they kept him against his will. JJ: Did you see this or...? CL: No, ’cause then Richie came out, and Richie told us. And the persons who did 44 �this. JJ: So they put cigarettes on him? (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) CL: Yes, turned the cigarette off on his skin. And the person who did it, he came out and he said it. He regretted it. JJ: Who was that? CL: Oh, gee, I don’t know if I should. JJ: Say it? That’s all right. Okay, you don’t -- It’s not important. Okay. You don’t want to say an identity? (inaudible) [01:02:00] CL: But Richie forgave that person. P2: (inaudible) Panama. Panama. CL: (Spanish) Richie didn’t -- P2: I’m sorry. For the record, Panama is [still another thing?]. CL: We’ll talk about it off camera. (laughs) JJ: (inaudible) CL: But then, you know, after that Richie -- we finally was able to get in contact with Richie, and he was very, very scared and very weary because his life was in danger. But we were able to meet and we wrote that pamphlet. We were very happy and satisfied with it. And then after that, everybody just tried to pick up the pieces and move on. JJ: So people kind of got together later on? CL: Right after the purge. Okay, they took Richie maybe about a month after, and then about another month when Richie came back and he finally was willing [01:03:00] to meet with us. 45 �JJ: And met with different people [and that?]? CL: Mm-hmm. JJ: So what happened to Gloria and Auga? CL: Well, Gloria, she kept on -- JJ: Gloria and (inaudible) CL: Then Carmen Cruz left, and she went on with her personal life. And Gloria, I think she started drinking a lot. I do know that I ran into her several times throughout the years. The first time I run into her, it was in a dance place called [Justine’s?]. JJ: What is it? CL: Justine’s, it’s a Latin joint that they had back in -- JJ: In the Lower East Side (inaudible)? CL: No, that was on 38th Street and 8th Avenue. JJ: (inaudible) CL: I’m in the bathroom and I’m just, like, I’m there. When I turn, I see her coming. When she seen me, she was, like, the smile. [01:04:00] I looked at her, my body just became so rigid, and my face dropped. She knew right then and there ’cause her smile went from smiling to frowning. And the energy, boom, was like, don’t you dare. I have nothing for you, nothing at all. And so I walked out. The next time I run into her we were -- My husband and I, we were invited to the John Leguizamo show, when he had the show on television, but we went to the TV show. JJ: John (inaudible) 46 �CL: John Leguizamo. And so when we’re there, when we turn, she’s there with the daughter, oh my God, the whole family. There was the daughter and friends. And so I had to explain to my husband [01:05:00] who she was. So I didn’t make it easy for her. I just kept going pss. (gestures indicating whispering) (laughs) The third time I run into her, we were doing some work to free the political prisoner Dylcia and the women and the guy. JJ: (inaudible) prisoner of what? CL: From the FALN. JJ: The FALN? (inaudible) CL: We were at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and we had, like, this side table. So I decided to go to the store to get a bottle of water. So I got my water, I’m coming out, and who’s coming in? But she is with some guy. I don’t know what she expected, for me to hold the door or something, but I slammed the door in her face. And the guy looked at me like (makes a face) and she was like, “Just leave well enough alone.” She went in, I went out, [01:06:00] and that was the end of that. I’ve never seen her again. JJ: (inaudible) proactive and everything? CL: Yeah, she is proactive. She does poetry. P2: (inaudible) last time I saw her. (inaudible) CL: She does poetry now. People don’t know -- in fact, I have a friend. His name is [Jeremy Delgado?], and I was on Facebook checking on his page, and he had made a comment, and she came out. And when I seen her, of course, every time I see her, I kind of, like, freeze. You know? So I went into her page and 47 �says, “Is that Gloria. Oh?” So I called him, and I spoke to him, and says “Listen, you have this woman on your page.” And he says, “Yeah. She’s a great poet, a great writer.” I’m like, “Well let me tell you a little story about Miss Gloria Fontanez.” Okay? He was in total shock that this woman partook in the downfall of the Young Lords Party, and how she [01:07:00] helped create a situation to hurt so many innocent people. All in what? You know? JJ: (inaudible) Is there anything else (inaudible) community? CL: His name is [Miguel Vasquez?]. JJ: Miguel Vasquez? CL: Uh-huh. JJ: And what [does Miguel do?]. CL: Miguel is a English teacher for elementary school. JJ: How did you meet him? What was that (inaudible) CL: I met him in New York on the train. JJ: Oh, on the train? CL: Yeah. JJ: So you guys moved and you live here. CL: Well, we met 18 years ago. And so, two strong-headed people. The beginning was very [01:08:00] hard for us. And so we decided to part ways in the beginning, and he came to Puerto Rico. And when he came to see his parents, his parents were old, and so he decided to stay. I’ve always wanted to live in Puerto Rico, and I’m like, “Gee, if I don’t move to Puerto Rico, I’m going to lose my chance to, you know -- 48 �JJ: Be together. CL: -- have a relationship with this man. And so I decided -- and my kids were already grown, out making their own life. And I said, “Well, let me move to Puerto Rico.” And I did. And here I am. JJ: So what does he do? (inaudible) CL: He’s a teacher. English teacher. JJ: Oh, yeah. English teacher. (inaudible) CL: Well, yeah, he was active in New York with, how you say (Spanish). P2: The United Bronx Parents. CL: The United Bronx Parents. P2: (inaudible) [01:09:00] CL: Very nice guy. Very decent man, taught me a lot of things that, when you grow up in a place like the Lower East Side, you tend to grow up with missing certain things like morals. And, you know, when you also are rebelling, you tend to move some of these things in your life because you’re willing to -- you’re rebellious, you’ll rebel against anything and everything. JJ: So do you think we made an impact at all in -- you guys made an impact in New York or...? CL: Oh, absolutely, yes. Oh, yeah. You know, it’s so funny. Moving to Puerto Rico, I couldn’t find the kind of work that I did in New York and the salary, so I decided to work in restaurants because they gave me the salary or the way [01:10:00] that I liked to live. So that’s what I’ve done in the last 18 years, or 15 years, here in Puerto Rico. I’ve worked in restaurants. So this youngster several years ago, 49 �he says to me, I did a paper on the Young Lords. Well, we were talking about the Young Lords, and I’m like, “You know, I used to be a Lord.” Oh my god, he was so amazed. And he says to me, “You know, I did a paper on the Young Lords.” He was excited. Oh my god. And I’m like, “Well, I want to read your paper.” And one thing led to another. And I’ve never read his paper, but -- and I did promise that I wanted you to meet him. And the kid is only 19 years old. JJ: (inaudible) CL: And look, he in Puerto Rico... JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yeah. JJ: Anything else that you want to add (inaudible) [landmark?] [01:11:00] CL: Well, to finalize, the experience, the people that I’ve met, what I’ve learned because, again, I didn’t go to high school. And my education came from the Lords. JJ: Did you get a GED or anything? CL: Yeah, I did get a GED, but after all the Lords, then I tried, you know, started to find my way. Because, again, you know, when you’re 16 and you’re 21, it’s an impact. JJ: But that’s (inaudible) you seem to be (inaudible) the Lords for them teaching you about life -- CL: The reading, understanding. JJ: You started reading? CL: Yeah. We had to read Lenin, Marx, Stalin. So you have to be at a certain level 50 �to understand, you know, and read this. JJ: (inaudible) CL: [In there?]. JJ: (inaudible) CL: Yeah. In fact, I never went to [01:12:00] take classes for my GED, and I passed it the first shot. When I went back to school, and I took a test, they could not believe that I didn’t go to high school. So yeah, of course it impacted. I learned a lot. And one thing I did say that after that happened, I would never join another group blindly, ever. If I were to join a group, I would definitely have to know exactly where they’re coming from, and I would have to truly believe. That’s why, when I left, that day that I told Tony, “I’m gonna call them and I’m gonna leave.” I no longer believed in the PRRWO. JJ: (inaudible) CL: And I still have good friends. Panama, Richie -- JJ: (inaudible) CL: And I’ve met you, you know, who started it all. JJ: (inaudible) END OF AUDIO FILE 51 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e59af5b7c5d0ea787e9221d510757b2.mp4 548a6e755aa65307ea2dbbac5d4b3686 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Carmen de Leon vídeo entrevista y biografía Descripción Spanish language Description entry Carmen De Leon es una Young Lord que creció en la cuidad de Nueva York y ahora vive en Loiza, Puerto Rico. Soportará fuerte por mujeres, Señora De Leon trabajo cerca con el Young Lord Richie Pérez en programas de educación para jóvenes. En su entrevista comparte sus memorias sobre los días que trabajo con los Young Lords. Señora De Leon habla de cómo los Young Lords fueron infiltrados por agentes del gobierno y como “idolología” fue utilizado para nublar y hacer divisiones dentro del movimiento. Esto también incluye soportando unos que tomen poder y descreditando los líderes. Con vivacidad describe como los miembros fueron tomados como rehén y como ella misma fue purgada de los Young Lords. Su entrevista nos da una prospectiva importante en cómo estos tácticos fueron pasados y últimamente destruyo las conexiones dentro de los Young Lords y el barrio. Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Narrativas personales Justicia social Puertorriqueños--Illinois--Chicago--Condiciones sociales Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Leon_Carmen_de Title A name given to the resource Carmen de Leon video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leon, Carmen de Description An account of the resource Carmen de Leon is a Young Lord who grew up in New York City and today lives in Loíza, Puerto Rico. A strong advocate for women, Ms. de Leon worked closely with Young Lord Richie Pérez on a range of education and youth centered programs. In her oral history, she recalls her days working with the Young Lords. Ms. de Leon discusses how the Young Lords were infiltrated by government agents and how “ideology” was utilized to factionalize and create divisions within the Movement, including encouraging takeovers, discrediting, and purging leaders. She vividly describes members being taken hostage as well as how she herself was purged from the Young Lords. Her interview provides important insights into how these repressive tactics were carried out and how they ultimately destroyed the connections between the Young Lords and the barrio base. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puerto Ricans--Personal narratives Social justice Puerto Ricans--Illinois--Chicago--Social conditions Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-05-14 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/44228e885046d296ec4ffeca9ae0aa21.pdf bd2db8a5cce555144dac1d4df09071f9 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones de sanctis [folium 52] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_052Utino1474 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Description An account of the resource One leaf of Sermones de sanctis by Leonardus de Utino. Printed in Basel by Johannes Solidi (Schilling) before July 25, 1474. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. [GW M17884; ISTC il00155000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Basel: Johannes Solidi (Schilling) Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1474 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1ffa0bdef4f77ed4402fedc36a6052f8.pdf 082a97c1d46775a4845a5f6b023dc729 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones de sanctis [folium 58] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_058Unito1474 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Description An account of the resource One leaf from Sermones de sanctis by Leonardus de Utino. Printed in Augsburg by the Monastery of SS. Ulrich and Afra in 1474. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. [GW M17882; ISTC il00154000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Augsburg: Monastery of SS. Ulrich and Afra Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1474 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71cb51573763f7c9396ba930c638ed81.pdf 939b9c265fd3f16f49e150d99168f736 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones de sanctis [folium 98] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_098Utino1474 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Description An account of the resource One leaf from Sermones de sancti by Leonardus de Utino. Printed in Basel by Johannes Solidi (Schilling) before July 25, 1474. Illustrated with red and blue rubricated initials. [GW M17884; ISTC il00155000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Basel: Johannes Solidi (Schilling) Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1474 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b8ab20d27b69ed88c10eac8e9782a372.pdf 3ec866faa654c2deb0e693e713e3d89d PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones de sanctis [folium 151] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_151Utino1481 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Description An account of the resource One leaf from Sermones de sanctis by Leonardus de Utino. Printed in Strassburg by Martin Schott not after August 3, 1481. Illustrated with red rubricated initals. [GW M17901; ISTC il00163000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Strassburg: Martin Schott Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1481 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d8084a7650129c25304f23dec7d4bae3.pdf 1c89b7f4dc6672eb4b458603b58e3be3 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sermones quadragesimales de legibus dicti [folium 162] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_162Utino1478 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leonardus, de Utino, active 15th century Description An account of the resource One leaf from Sermones quadragesimales de legibus dicti by Leonardus de Utino. Printed in Ulm by Johann Zainer on March 9, 1478. Illustrated with red rubricated initals. [GW M17922; ISTC il00146000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Ulm: Johann Zainer Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1478 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5d206b909834c2690c29e1b6615f8c33.pdf 36f4087b41868da9437e361db397d5ac PDF Text Text ~ - - - -- - - - • Master Plan Leroy ·rownship, Ingham County, Michigan ~ • • McKenna Associates, Incorporated ---- �LEROY TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN Prepared by the Leroy Township Planning Commission Ingham County, Michigan With Assistance From: McKenna Associates, Incorporated Community Planning ■ Urban Design 32605 West Twelve Mile Road, Suite 165 Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 Adopted March 26, 1996 �ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Township Board Neil R. West, Supervisor Wilma J. Whitehead , Township Clerk Roberta M. Hamlin , Treasurer Gerald E. Alchin , Trustee Gary L. DePue, Trustee Planning Commission Gary DePue Leonard Eisele Earl Griffes David Hall Jacqueline Hall Gary O'Neil Township Administration Gary O'Neil, Building Inspector Township Attorney Brian Goodenough ; Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith , P.C. Planning Consultant McKenna Associates , Incorporated Leroy Township I -i- Master Plan �TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Tables and Maps ii IV SURVEY AND ANALYSIS 1 Background Existing Land Use Population, Housing and Economy Circulation Environmental Concerns and Resources Recreation and Community Facilities GRAND RIVER AVE. CORRIDOR ANALYSIS & PLAN Introduction Inventory Analysis Future Land Use Corridor Development Guidelines 21 29 29 29 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 31 Introduction Development of Goals and Objectives Statements Township-Wide Goals and Objectives TOWNSHIP-WIDE DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Land Use Environmental 31 31 31 36 36 37 - ii - -------- 20 23 24 27 Introduction Regional Patterns of Growth - 12 15 21 21 REGIONAL ANALYSIS Leroy Township 1 1 6 Master Plan �---------------------II I ~ -I • • • •II FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 41 Overview Future Land Use Categories 41 43 IMPLEMENTATION 49 I Implementation Strategies 49 II • Leroy Township - iii - Master Plan �II • • • • • LIST OF TABLES AND MAPS Table Number~ 1 Change in Number of Persons -- 1990 6 2 Age and Sex of Population - 1990 7 3 Number of Housing Units and Vacancies -- 1990 8 4 New Housing Construction Permits, 1990-1993 8 5 Occupation of Residents 9 6 Population and Housing Projections, 1980-2000 Map Number Title 10 ~ 1 Regional Location Map 2 2 Existing Conditions 3 3 Wetlands 16 4 Future Land Use and Circulation Plan 42 Leroy Township - iv - Master Plan �I I I l I I 'I l I SURVEY AND ANALYSIS BACKGROUND Located along the eastern border of Ingham County, Leroy Township is approximately 50 miles west of the Detroit metropolitan area , and 20 miles east of the City of Lansing. Interstate 1-96, which traverses east-west through the Township, makes Leroy Township easily accessible for those who work and live in the community. Two state highways, M-43 (Grand River Avenue) and M-52 (Perry/Stockbridge Road) also run through the Township, providing additional access to local and intra-county travelers. Leroy Township , wh ich surrounds the Village of Webberville, is approximately 34 square miles. The most prominent natural feature is the Red Cedar River. The Regional Location Map on Page 2, illustrates Leroy Township in relation to surrounding communities. EXISTING LAND USE A fundamental step in preparing a community master plan is to analyze existing land use patterns . This analysis not only identifies what and where particular uses have occurred , it also provides insight as to where future development might occur and where conflicts may exist or develop. The Existing Conditions Map on Page 3, presents a generalized picture of existing land uses in the Township. A discussion of the land uses corresponding to the map is detailed below. l AGRICULTURAL I The predominant land use in Leroy Township is farming . Although portions of agricultural land has been gradually split and developed for single-family residential uses, it remains an important land use and occupation in the Township. l I The largest agricultural parcels are generally located in the southern part of the Township . These parcels range in size from 40 acres to over 500 acres, with the average being approximately 180 acres. The land in Leroy Township is particularly well-suited to agricultural uses: there is little topographic variation , little standing water, and relatively few low areas or wetlands. As a result, most of the land in the Township has been cleared of trees to allow for agricultural activity. These characteristics make the Township less susceptible to subdivision development or other more intensive residential development pressures . The Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act, Public Act 116 of 1974, is widely used in Leroy Township. This Act is designed to lessen some pressures to develop through the establishment of Agricultural Districts. Leroy Township - 1- Master Plan �• • • • • • • • • • • • c.., BASE MN> SOURCE: North American Road Atlas MAP 1 REGIONAL LOCATION LEROY TOWNSHIP INGHAM COUNTY ■ MICHIGAN 10/~ McKenna Associates, Incorporated Community Planning • Urban Deslr, n Farmington HIiis, Michigan ffi i 33 MILES MILES I �■ ■ • • n 'Ir ~ : ~ Cl ■ ■ Cl •• II JI ~~ 1 -·~--- ~1;-·-11·---r---~ i :/ ....... ~ ~- ~ - ■ -::::.:-1;. - ~ It: ~~ r·1 - I j •• ,,. ~.~f~~- I _:'( -'~ f~ _:-_-:- ·'.=--::__:·-=-~~~.. (% =:! ?: ·; ; ~ - II ¼ -- --~•:::iii: .--...:... ..... ,.: .. C .. I TWP. --~ a (1 :-,.._ 11,, -.. _ • Lt,r:f --·- ~ ~nrc~~'"':''TI ❖ ----- 1,,t ·:""'][ ' if,,?, •:;r ----- - N i·~ .f; ttlf~ ~~ ~.~, ,- ___ ~ __ ·v.~'"'~\ ·· ~~.;;-.,;.1c,;. r - -=eusrr.. lb:;,,,,=- ,c;tef, :;:;: ·,'. ~ffl~;.•g,-:::.,i:;;,,;;~r, - .. _'! i ~ •:jl '"'.'"' • ·- .'"'- -~-::.: ~ ll: ~~" 'f':J: ,,. '.-'~'/\•:?,::./,:._~ ,, •:.... •• : ~If{ ·-~,,..·.: - --- ,;:~ ....... :!I: ~:2,c~.::i~d!r ~ ~ .J .J d • (' -/NTERSTATE-98 ~ 11/., Ii · 1~--- l ) GRAND RfVE, ' ,~ ~i=imsri ----==.. .-~ .. -c-t- ·· -· ~--- ~ r- ~ . .~ µ . ·, J{\ ;/ ~t❖c❖• • • • • • • • ::• •;, •;,• ;, :• ;I ~.·········· i ~ii!!!! 'I ~ ······.·.eu :::::3 rI ■J IJ "",,.. ::iii! I HOLT :::::~ I I{~ ''II '-·--cF.t,n)~:{:=:::::f~ I - ~~! :H ·.!·•· I 't ! libCI INTERS7:4TE-96 I • ~ HC lff ).. + ~ ::Z•:•:•: "(} l { '·· C) f i fl: :I :~:~ ::~: ff : ! tr ~? i ~~ ~~' - ~ r · ,. ~, ,z d I :I ~ I ~ ~ __J~rl ~I ,,, I.J ~ s;: :;.i 3() ::.o :. ' ~ - OCFiWS' -~-.- .. ~ ·::c--=-- l -, X ~?,5 L. i ~ ~ :::.~, +-=- /'\ - · 1 ~A .. ~-~~:,!~---"' . l , s ~ ::J ., c: lfl: ~-.• ~")• j :~: ~ liJ -,' ·,.. 1134 .,/._• 3: 3(: 1 ~ I : ..I :> 0 •) ··, (Dot.Ht . z ~ " (I) HOWELL ~ ~ ~ I WHITE I [:!:!:i:!:!:!:!:i:i:!:] OAK TWP SOU'ICE: The Detroit Edison Company, Nowmber, 1991 SURVEY DATA: Field Survey. August. 1996 AGRICULTURAL/OPEN SPACE t:~\:~;··~:;·c;·;;: r.),_J t. , . .. t.'t ~· ~ RURAL RESIDENTIAL rm LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL MOBILE HOME PARK RECREATION GRAVEL PIT /MINE UTILITY STATION PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL - NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL ARTERIAL fiHmmm1 GENERAL COMMERCIAL COLLECTOR ~ \NDUSTR\AL E~Jj,ffl PUBLIC/QUASI PUBLIC PAVED LOCAL ROADS ••• ••• ·• · •• •• UNPAVED LOCAL ROADS EXISTING CONDITIONS LEROY TOWNSHIP INGHAM COUNTY McKonn11 Assoclato,, lncorpor111od Community Plannlno • Urbrln D011Qn Farmington HIiis, Mlchlo.1n ■ MAP2 MICHIGAN r--- • .,. t t �Under this program , owners of farmland receive a credit against their state income tax liability. In return for this credit, the State of Michigan receives the development rights to the property for a specified number of years, but not less than ten . For undeveloped , open land, the Act also allows an exemption of the development rights from ad valorem property taxation . According to records supplied by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, approximately 9,460 acres are currently preserved as open space and agricultural land under Public Act 116. Assuming no new contracts or extensions to existing contracts are made, 4,035 acres of the Township's land area will be under contract until the year 2000 , 3,233 acres between years 2000 and 2010, and 2, 192 acres thereafter. These areas are located primarily to the south of 1-96. Due to recent state property tax reforms, there is speculation that the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act will be eliminated. Regardless of whether Public Act 116 remains in existence, its importance to agricultural communities such as Leroy Township has greatly decreased. Incentives to maintain large tracts of agricultural land are dwindling . This could lead to pressure for residential development and radical change in the character of Leroy Township. RURAL RESIDENTIAL These areas include lands which have been split from larger agricultural parcels for large lot single-family residential development. Typical parcels range in size from 10 acres to 40 acres and are dispersed throughout the Township. Some concentrations of rural residential areas exist near the intersection of Meech and Holt Roads, along Webberville Road north of Pardee Road, on Allen Road between Webberville Road and Gramer Road and near the area where Grieb and Gramer Roads intersect. LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL These areas include lands which have been used for single-family residential development and are suburban in character. The density of such areas is typically one dwelling unit per acre. Most of the Township's low density residential areas are located along or adjacent to Grand River Avenue. However, there is a small subdivision south of Holt Road between Meech and Snedecker Roads. PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC Public and quasi-public land use in Leroy Township is limited to a sewage disposal facility in the Village of Webberville, a utility station, a cemetery, and a Michigan Department of Transportation maintenance facility . These uses occupy a very small portion of the land in the Township . The Township Hall is located within the Village of Webberville . Leroy Township -4- Master Plan �COMMERCIAL The need for commercial services is directly related to the population to be served. Most of the existing commercial uses are located along Grand River, in close proximity to the low density residential areas. They include Williamstown Township and the City of Williamston to the west, and the Village of Webberville . There are also neighborhood commercial businesses on the northwest corner of Vandorden and Wallace Roads next to the mobile home park, and at the northwest corner of Howell and Dietz Roads. As the population increases in size, the need for additional commercial uses will also increase. INDUSTRIAL There are a limited number of industrial land uses in the Township. There are two small industrial sites on Grand River Avenue and a gravel mining operation on the southeast corner of Dietz and Dennis Roads. WATER Surface water comprises a small portion of the total land area in Leroy Township . The Red Cedar River, which runs through the northern portion of the Township is the most prominent water feature . There are two small ponds located near the gravel pits on Dennis and Dietz Roads. Dietz, Doan and Kalamink Creeks are also located in the Township . VACANT The Township's vacant land is largely comprised of former agricultural tracts , which have not been recently cultivated , along with wetlands , rock outcrops or other nonproductive areas. These vacant tracts of land are not differentiated from the agricultural land uses on the Existing Conditions Map. RECREATION There is a forty-eight acre golf course located north of Pardee Road between Webberville Road and Gramer Road , and a YMCA camp located north of Grand River Avenue to the west of Dietz Road . Most recreation facilities are located within the Village of Webberville and are provided at the Webberville High School. Leroy Township I -5- Master Plan �POPULATION, HOUSING AND ECONOMY The purpose of this section of the Master Plan is to identify present and future trends in the population , housing and economy of Leroy Township and to determine future needs. The 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census reports are the primary sources of information for this profile. The census data provided for Leroy Township includes the Village of Webberville which is located in the north section of the Township. The Village of Webberville, is not expected to experience substantial residential growth because it is an established , fully-developed community. As a result, the use of census data combining both Leroy Township and Webberville should not skew the findings of the profile presented below. CURRENT POPULATION According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Leroy Township experienced an increase in population from 3,379 in 1980 to 3,861 in 1990; an increase of 182 people. The average population increase for the communities surveyed for this profile was 5.22 percent. As illustrated in Table 1, the population increase in Leroy Township was just above the average. All but one of the surrounding communities experienced a population increase significantly above the 0.4% average increase for the State of Michigan . Table 1 CHANGE IN NUMBER OF PERSONS 1980-1990 LEROY TOWNSHIP AND ADJACENT TOWNSHIPS Community 1980 19903 Williamstown Township 3,972 1 4,285 7.88% Wheatfield Township 1,523 1 1,571 3.15% Handy Township 2,392 1 2,840 18.73 Locke Town ship 1,456 1 1,521 4.46% White Oak Township 1, 1702 1,074 -8 .21 % Leroy Township 3,379 2 3,561 5.39% 0 /p Ch~nge Source: 1 1986 Leroy Township Master Plan, 2 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1980, 3 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 1990 Leroy Township -6- Master Plan �AGE GROUPS Table 2 consists of an age/sex profile for Leroy Township . Roughly 35 percent of the population is under 21 while 8 percent is over 65. The median age in the Township is younger than that of the State of Michigan as a whole. Overall , Leroy Township is a community comprised mostly of families with school-aged children . Table 2 AGE AND SEX OF POPULATION 1990 LEROY TOWNSHIP, INGHAM COUNTY Male Female Age Number Percent Number PerQent Under 5 years 172 9.64% 142 7.99% 5-13 years 297 16.64% 281 15.81% 14-20 years 184 10.31% 187 10.52% 21-44 years 729 40 .86% 744 41 .86% 45-54 years 171 9.58% 159 8.94% 55-59 years 27 1.51% 40 2.25% 60-64 years 68 3.81% 63 3.54% 65+ years 137 7.67% 162 9.11% 1784 100.00% 1777 100.00% Total Total Population Median Age 3561 persons 29.2 years Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1990 NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS AND VACANCY RA TE Table 3 illustrates the number of housing units and vacancies for Leroy Township. Eightythree percent of the total dwelling units were owner-occupied in 1990, while 13.6% of the total units were renter-occupied. There were 40 vacant units, which are units in which no one is living at the time of the census. A vacant unit may also be one that is occupied entirely by persons who have a primary residence elsewhere or a new unit not yet occupied , if construction has reached a point where all windows and doors have been installed. Leroy Township - 7- Master Plan �Table 3 NUMBER OF HOUSING UNITS AND VACANCIES 1990 LEROY TOWNSHIP, INGHAM COUNTY 1filK! % Qf Tot~I Total Units 1249 100.00% Owner-Occupied 1038 83.1% Renter-Occupied 171 13.6% 40 3.3% Vacant Units Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1990 RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS Table 4 details new housing construction in Leroy Township . Since the last census was taken in 1990, an average of 16.4 new houses have been built each year. If this recent rate of construction continues, 82 new homes will be built by the year 2000. Table 4 NEW HOUSING CONSTRUCTION PERMITS 1990-94 LEROY TOWNSHIP, INGHAM COUNTY Year New Construction Permits 1990 18 1991 13 1992 19 1993 Source: Leroy Township 18 1994 14 ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Leroy Township is primarily a farming community, but the employment centers of Lansing , Brighton, Ann Arbor, and the Detroit Metropolitan Area also offer employment opportunities to Township residents. Leroy Township -8- Master Plan �Table 5 identifies the occupational breakdown of the labor force in the Township . Leroy Township has a markedly different labor force composition as compared to Ingham County overall. Leroy Township has a lower percentage of professional workers including executive , managerial , technical, sales and administrative workers. Leroy Township also has a greater percentage of skilled workers, laborers, farmers and operators than does Ingham County as a whole. ~ ~ ~ ~ Table 5 1990 OCCUPATION OF RESIDENTS LEROY TOWNSHIP, INGHAM COUNTY ~ Ingham QQunty Diff~r~nce Executive/Administrative/ Managerial 5.02% 12.26% -7 .24% Professional Specialty 9.20% 17.39% -8.19% Technicians and Related Support 2.75% 4.41% -1 .66% Sales 9.08% 11 .23% -2.15% 14.81% 17.90% -3 .09% Private Household 0.12% 0.38% -0.26% Protective Service 1.55% 1.93% -0 .38% 12.72% 13.69% 0.97% 4.90% 1.37% 3.53% Precision Production/ Craft Repair 16.97% 7.83% 9.14% Operators/Assemblers/ Inspectors 11 .77% 5.34% 6.43% Transportation 6.57% 2.94% 3.63% Handlers/Cleaners/ Helpers/Laborers 4.54% 3.33% 1.21% Occupation Administrative Support Service, Except Protective and Household Farming/Forestry/Fishing Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1990 POPULATION PROJECTIONS The projection of population for a community over an extended period of time is subject to many variables, such as national population trends , migration and the regional economy. Leroy Township -9- Master Plan �The most significant factor affecting local population growth or decline is the availability of employment. Assuming local employment trends continue, the employment centers serving Leroy Township will at best remain similar to the employment patterns of the last ten years. Due to the large percentage of farmland in the Township protected from development by Public Act 116 and the national trend toward smaller family and household sizes, Leroy Township's population not likely to grow at a rapid pace. It should , however, continue to see steady growth attributable to suburbanization from the Lansing area. Each of the methods of population projection are based upon assumptions. The following table shows the results of several methods used to project Leroy Township's population at ten year intervals through the year 2010 . Table 6 POPULATION PROJECTIONS 1990-2010 LEROY TOWNSHIP, INGHAM COUNTY Method of Projection Year Straight Line Projection (a) 1990 3,561 2000 3,743 2010 3,925 1990 3,561 2000 3,684 2010 3,753 1990 3,561 2000 3,753 2010 3,955 Tri-County Projection (b) Geometric Projection (c) (a) (b) (c) Population based on nominal population decline which occurred between 1980-1990 based on Tri-County Regional Planning Commission's Population Forecast; number of persons per household based on projections by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments projections for Handy Township, which is directly east of Leroy Township. based on percentage rate of population change from 1980-1990 Leroy Township - 10 - Master Plan �If the average number of new houses (16.4 per year) constructed in the Township (as shown in Table 6) were to continue, and if the number of persons per household continued to decrease slightly in accordance with recent trends, population would be projected at 3,738 by 2010. This is 4.76% lower than the Straight line projection , 5.5% lower than the Geometric projections and 0.4% lower than the Tri-County Projection. The above projections were calculated to illustrate possible future population patterns in Leroy Township. However, the future population of Leroy Township will be determined, in part, by the goals and objectives of the master plan , the resources and constraints of the land including the areas of Leroy Township that are suitable for development. The decisions made by Leroy Township regarding water and sewer, transportation improvements, zoning controls and subdivision regulations, will ultimately restrict or promote the intensity and amount of growth in Leroy Township. Leroy Township - 11 - Master Plan �CIRCULATION OVERVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Land uses and transportation systems function interdependently. More intensive land uses require a higher level of circulation service; lower intensity land uses require a lower level of circulation service. A minimum level of service is expected for all land uses and must be maintained . The transportation system in Leroy Township includes an interstate highway (1-96), two state highways (M-43 and M-52), and the C & 0 Railroad which runs parallel to and south of Grand River Avenue . There is no public transit, nor are there any sizeable bridges in Leroy Township , although there are many culverts over creeks and drains. ROAD NETWORK The existing transportation network of Leroy Township consists primarily of roads under the jurisdiction of the Ingham County Road Commission . Of the 66 .97 miles of County roadways , 22.30 miles are classified as primary roads and are paved . Primary roads in Leroy Township consist of: (north-south roads) Dietz Road ; Webberville Road ; Elm Road between Holt Road and Grand River Avenue ; Gramer Road between Grand River Avenue and Allen Road ; (east-west roads) Howell Road ; Holt Road ; Allen ; Grand River Avenue (M43) from Perry (M-52) to Elm Roads, and Grand River between Gramer and Wallace Roads. The remaining 44 .67 miles of Ingham County roads are classified as secondary county roads of which nearly sixty percent are paved . Two state highways, M-43 and M52 , traverse the Township . Leroy Township has three private roads serving as access to residential lots. Two of the three private roads are paved . The private roads , all roughly one-quarter (1/4) mile in length, are Bowman Road , Elm Road Court (located partially in the Township with three homes along it) and an unpaved road located on the south side of Holt Road between Dietz and Stockbridge Roads. Private roads within the Township represent a small portion of all roadways in the Township. Nevertheless, private roads can be problematic due to the lack of proper maintenance. Since private roads are often unpaved , road cond itions can become poor in winter and spring, making access for emergency vehicles difficult. The Township has taken measures in the past to control the number of private roads . If private roads are permitted , the Township should consider requiring all private roads to meet County road standards or other appropriate standards to protect public safety, and require a maintenance agreement which can be enforced by the Township if needed . TOWNSHIP ROAD IMPROVEMENTS The basic source of revenue for road maintenance and improvement is the State-collected gas and weight tax. These taxes and fees are paid by motorists as part of the cost for gasoline and diesel fuel , and through vehicle registrations with the Secretary of State. Leroy Township - 12 - Master Plan �The Betterment Programs in Ingham County are 50 percent financed by Ingham County contributions of gas and weight tax funding . Betterment Program improvements are typically resurfaciny projects that occur on an as-needed basis . Leroy Township or property owners in Leroy Township, in coordination with the Ingham County Road Commission , may also initiate special assessment districts for subdivision street improvements or vote a road improvement tax levy. FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF ROADS Regional planning agencies and transportation agencies use standards set forth in the Highway Classification Reference Manual (U .S. Department of Transportation , Federal Highway Administration , 1989), which follow the guidelines of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 and the lntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) . The manual outlines a functional classification of streets for rural areas, small urban areas and urbanizing areas. Road classifications identify the type and volume of traffic that are appropriate for each segment of the road network. The classifications establish expectations among residents, Township officials, and transportation engineers concerning the operational characteristics of each road . The Existing Conditions Map shows the functional classification system as applied by the Michigan Department of Transportation to Leroy Township roads. Leroy Township falls into the rural area system, with components defined as follows : Rural Arterials: Leroy Township has two rural minor arterial highways, M-52 and M-43. Interstate 1-96, which runs east-west through the Township , may be classified as a principal arterial. The rural arterial road system should form a transportation network having the following characteristics: ■ Link cities and large towns and form an integrated network. Minor arterials provide intrastate and intercounty service. ■ Be spaced at such intervals, consistent with population density, so that all developed areas of the state are within a reasonable distance of an arterial highway. ■ Provide (because of the two characteristics defined immediately above) service to corridors with trip lengths and travel densities greater than those predominantly served by rural collector or local systems. Rural arterials therefore constitute routes whose design should be expected to provide for relatively high overall travel speeds, with minimum interference to through-movement. ■ Are eligible for federal aid . Leroy Township - 13 - Master Plan �Rural Collectors: The rural collector routes generally serve intra-county rather than statewide destinations and constitute those routes on which (regardless of traffic volume) predominant travel distances are shorter than on arterial routes. Consequently, more moderate speeds may be typical. Minor Collector Roads. These routes should : (1) be spaced at intervals consistent with population density, collect traffic from local roads and bring all developed areas within a reasonable distance of a collector road; (2) provide service to the remaining smaller communities; and (3) link the locally important traffic generators with their rural hinterland. I I I JI I I I I • • • • Minor collectors in Leroy Township include: (north-south roads) Dietz Road from Howell Road to Grand River Avenue; Elm Road from Grand River Avenue to Holt Road; Gramer Road from Grand River Avenue to Allen Road; (east-west roads) Howell Road; and Holt Road from Meech Road to Elm Road. Rural Local Roads: The rural local road system should have the following characteristics: (1) serve primarily to provide access to adjacent land; and (2) provide service to travel over relatively short distances as compared to collectors or other higher systems . Local roads constitute the rural mileage not classified as part of the arterial or collector systems. CIRCULATION PATTERNS Overall, the road system in Leroy Township is quite good and characterized by nonwinding and well-maintained roads. M-52 (Stockbridge/Perry) and Dietz Road are fully paved and run continuously through the Township. KaneM/allace Road and Meech Road also run continuously in a north and south direction through Leroy Township but are not fully paved . Grand River Avenue and Howell Roads are fully paved and run continuously through the Township. Dennis Road is the only road (other than 1-96) that runs continuously through the Township but is not paved west of Snedecker Road and east of House Road. The relatively regular and straight road patterns of Leroy Township provide good accessibility to all portions of the Township. Furthermore, Interstate 1-96 provides easy and quick access to the Township from surrounding metropolitan areas. Circulation patterns pose no substantial restrictions to development or growth in the Township. The current agricultural and limited residential land uses in the Township do not generate large amounts of traffic on the Township's roads. Some of the industrial uses, especially the gravel mine on Dietz Road to the south of Dennis Road , are traffic generators which require adequate access on roads able to carry large weight amounts . Leroy Township - 14 - Master Plan �ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND RESOURCES The natural features of the Township, such as hills, lakes, rivers, soils , and woodlands are an important resource to the community. Some value their aesthetic qualities and importance to human survival as reasons for preservation, while others view them as an obstacle to development. From any perspective, sound planning should examine the differences in the natural environment across the landscape of the Township to ensure that land uses are compatible with, and preserve and protect available natural resources . In considering the natural environment in the planning process, suitability of the land to accommodate development and improvements is reviewed . Data on natural features was assessed based on maps and surveys and described in terms of capability and suitability for development. The community's needs, presented through evaluation of existing land uses and local goals and objectives, are then used to generate the Future Land Use and Circulation Plan. For survey and analysis purposes, the environment of Leroy Township is divided into the following natural systems: woodlands, wetlands, topography, surface water, ground water, agricultural land, drainage patterns and soils. TOPOGRAPHY The topography in Leroy Township consists of a combination of nearly level to gently rolling land (elevations range from 890 feet to 960 feet). The areas with more noticeable changes in topography are generally located along Dietz, Doan , and Kalamink Creeks . VEGETATION/WOODLANDS • • • • • • • • When Ingham County was established in the mid-nineteenth century, logging was its primary industry. In addition, agriculture was a major part of the economy. As a result, the Township, along with most of Ingham County, has few woodlands . Areas of upland hardwood trees are found in Sections 15, 21 , and 33 and scattered throughout the Township. Woodlands are generally found in areas that are wet or unsuitable for agricultural use. Trees are an important element in creating and maintaining the rural appearance and character of Leroy Township and should be protected . WETLANDS Leroy Township has scattered wetland-marsh areas which retain large amounts of water and release it slowly. The Wetlands Map on Page 17 indicates that most of the wetlandmarsh areas are located along the eastern border of the Township and the northern area of the Township along Grand River Avenue. Sections 19, 21 and 28 also have a slight concentration of wetland-marsh areas . These areas are characterized by wet, muck-type soil conditions and can be identified by the cattails which grow there . Leroy Township - 15 - Master Plan �--~--~~ =a II 1/1 ~ if~ ~ / ~, ' '//, + . ~ 31 -- - aw ■ ~ ~ 'm'k/ %"¼ ~~- ~ t 33 ~ I 34 ~36p"'~ ~ ,, ~ /J ~ -r✓ ~ ~ ~ + ... •JJ ,d~~ ~--~'%- ~,- <h~ h ~ ~ ~ ,, ½ ·' /#/1 ~ -1/~ 17 ~ 46 0 ~/, r- ~ ~ . ~/ · , ,,,,, 2~ Y ~ 24 J r· f?19 I t-[ a ~ 26 ' . 29 ~ . 7 ,\ I • - 7 ~ .,. 26 ~ 32 ff✓- :; ' ~ ;, ;,, ~ ~~ .('t· t: . . -~1·:· ff/"-$, i 1 J, ., , ' 30 *- ' ,,~,J, ' ~ m w. .. ~ z-,, ~ 1., ' 24 23 ~ ~ ·. ·, 35 A! I ✓/4 -/; /, ? 20 ///-f. ~ 3 34 /I~ % • I .. T3NJR2E . 35 "• BASE MAP SOURCE: DNR / miris, January, 1990 [VA SHRUB, EMERGENT, AQUATIC BED (612,621,622,623) 9A LOWLAND HARDWOOD (414,611) WETLANDS MAP3 LEROY TOWNSHIP INGHAM COUNTY • MICHIGAN .. 0 McKonnn A5•oclnlo !I . lnco,po rnrod Comrnunhy PlnnnlrlQ • U1b.'\n Oo:il{Jn Formlno1on HUi s. M lch l(Jlln lII J �However, there are instances where wetland areas appear "high and dry", and the normal visual signs of wetland are not present. The US Soil Conservation Service, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources have mapped the Township's wetlands (Township Wetlands Map). Wetlands are an important resource for groundwater recharge and are protected under the Goemaere-Anderson Wetlands Protection Act. Development proposals in such areas should be evaluated thoroughly to ensure proper compliance with state wetland protection laws. SURFACE WATERS Leroy Township has relatively limited amounts of surface waters. There are two small ponds near the gravel pit in the area of Dietz and Dennis Roads. The Red Cedar River, Dietz Creek, Doan Creek, Kalamink Creek and several drains are scattered around the Township. I t Lakes and ponds are generally considered inland depressions, constantly filled with water which form a part of a larger drainage basin . The lakes are supplied by ground water sources and exhibit regular inflow and outflow patterns . Ponds often result from the side effects of small dams, spillways or other impoundments. Rivers, streams and small channels on the other hand , collect at the low points of a flow system . SOILS AND GROUNDWATER I I I l I I I I I I The soils in Leroy Township , as defined by the Soil Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, fall into four categories: - Capac-Marlette-Colwood association, one of two predominate soil types found throughout the central portions of the Township , is characterized as nearly level and undulating, well drained to very poorly drained loamy soils. - Marlette-Capac-Owosso association , one of two predominate soil types found in the northern and central areas of the Township , is characterized as nearly level to rolling , well-drained to somewhat poorly drained loamy soils. - Houghton-Palms-Edwards association found near the eastern boundary of the Township is characterized as nearly level, very poorly drained muck soils. - Marlette-Oshtemo-Capac association, found generally along the Kalamink Creek area is characterized as nearly level to steep, well drained to somewhat poorly drained loamy and sandy soils. Leroy Townsh ip - 17 - Master Plan �Soil Suitability In many areas of the Township , the soils have good potential for farmland and poor potential for non-farm uses. The Capac-Marlette-Colwood and Marlette-Capac-Owosso associations in particular provide high crop yields, most notably for corn . However, these soils have a seasonal high water table, which limits other types of development. The Houghton-Palms-Edwards association is well-suited for specialty crops such as lettuce, mint, onions, and potatoes. Undrained marshes and swamps in this association provide a habitat for many species of wildlife and are good as nature study areas . The Marlette-Oshtemo-Capac association, along the Kalamink Creek, is particularly wellsuited for parks and extensive recreation. Groundwater Leroy Township depends entirely on groundwater as its source of water for drinking and agricultural use. Contamination of this precious resource can happen through non-point sources of pollution from chemicals and activities associated with commerce, industry and farming . Groundwater protection must address the operational features of land uses. Groundwater contamination is most frequently the result of leaking septic systems, improper floor drains, improper storage of hazardous substances, leaking underground storage tanks , above ground spills, overfilling of tanks, condensation from air emissions, and improper waste disposal. Many of these avenues of contamination can be addressed in site plan review. The Zoning Ordinance must be revised to requ ire full disclosure (locations of tanks, floor drains and connections, etc.) and to require the best available technology to alleviate potential impact. AG RIC ULTURAL LAND Agricultural production has played a key role in the development of Leroy Township and contributes to the rural character and identity of the community. The preservation of agricultural land provides environmental, aesthetic, recreational and historic benefits to the community. Open farmland also assists in the replenishment and maintenance of groundwater supplies. Leroy Township has always been a predominantly agricultural community. The overall trend in the state is toward fewer acres in agricultural production . The effects of land speculation , increasing property values and taxes, and rural/urban conflicts tend to diminish active agriculture. As mentioned earlier in this plan, the Michigan Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act, (Act 116, P.A. of 1974) is designed to lessen some of these pressures . 'l Leroy Township - 18 - Master Plan �FLOODPLAINS The Federal Emergency Management Agency has not recently generated floodplain maps for Leroy Township. The northern portion of the Township, especially around the Red Cedar River is most heavily affected by the presence of floodplains. Floodplain area generally exist along the Dietz, Doan and Kalamink Creeks. In addition to the possibility of damage due to flooding, development in floodplains is undesirable because floodplains are important natural features which allow groundwater recharge and often are wildlife habitats. Leroy Township - 19 - Master Plan �I I I RECREATION AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES EXISTING RECREATION FACILITIES There is a 48 acre golf course north of Pardee Road between Webberville and Gramer Roads. There is also a 52 acre YMCA day camp located on the north side of Grand River Avenue between Dietz Road and the Chula Vista subdivision . This seasonal (open from April to October) day camp, also provides canoe rentals to residents in the surrounding area. Most of the Township's recreation needs are met through facilities provided at the Webberville High School. The site, which is approximately 40 acres, has a football field , a soccer field , two tennis courts (not completed fenced around the perimeter) , four ball diamonds, and some playground equipment for young children at the adjacent elementary school. The Webberville School District recently purchased approximately 80 acres of adjacent land for future expansion purposes. The National Recreation and Parks Association recommends 8 acres per 1,000 residents for a community park and 10 acres per 1,000 residents for a regional park. Based on the projected 2010 population of up to 3,753, Township should provide a 30.4 acre community park and a 38 acre regional park. SCHOOLS Leroy Township is included in three public school districts. Most of the Township (the eastern half) is part of the Webberville School District. The northwest area of the Township is part of the Williamston School District, while the southwestern area is part of the Dansville School District. There are no school buildings located within the Township . The presence of three different school districts can lead to people identifying themselves as part of the community in which their children go to school. School District boundaries are somewhat reflective of the subtle changes in character within the Township. Changes in the educational quality in Webberville Schools would most greatly impact the Township since most of the Township is included in this District. EMERGENCY SERVICES The Township has a volunteer fire department with nineteen fire fighters . The Williamston Fire Department provides supplemental emergency services if necessary. The Williamston Fire and Ambulance Service provides all ambulance service to the Township. General police protection is provided by the Ingham County Sheriff, although the two state highways, M-36 and M-52 are patrolled by the state. TOWNSHIP HALL Leroy Township Hall is located on W . Walnut Road within the Village of Webberville. The structure was recently built in 1987 after the previous Township Hall was destroyed by fire . The building contains a Boardroom, two offices , a main reception area , small kitchen, a storage area , and Township Fire Department facilities . Leroy Township - 20 - Master Plan �GRAND RIVER AVENUE CORRIDOR ANALYSIS AND PLAN INTRODUCTION More than any other part of the Township, the Grand River Avenue Corridor will convey the quality of the Township's planning efforts. With the exception of 1-96, most of the east-west traffic that passes through the Township does so along Grand River Avenue. In addition, most of the commercial-industrial development in Leroy Township has located in this corridor. ( ' I I I I I I I I I I Since a large amount of industrial and potential commercial land adjacent to the 1-96 interchange has been annexed by the Village of Webberville, it is important for Leroy Township to identify its own areas for future industrial and/or commercial districts. If such areas are to be designated, they must be located on a major thoroughfare for good visibility and access. They must also be located so there will not be negative impacts on adjacent residential or agricultural land uses. The two possible locations include Grand River Ave . or land next to the 1-96 interchange. In recent years, the Township has approved a series of commercial and industrial rezonings along Grand River Ave.; indicating demand for areas that are zoned for such uses. The Township is in need of direction so that future land use requests can be evaluated in light of a comprehensive strategy for development. It is for these reasons that this section of the Master Plan takes a more detailed review of this area and presents findings for incorporation into the Future Land Use Plan . INVENTORY EXISTING LAND USE The existing land use analysis revealed that frontage on the Grand River Corridor is predominantly agriculture or open space, with single-family residential and various forms of commercial and public uses interspersed (Existing Conditions Map) . The residential development is concentrated primarily near the western boundary of the Township on the northern side of Grand River Avenue. Housing construction has been in the form of both subdivisions and individual lots directly fronting Grand River Avenue. Since this area of Leroy Township is adjacent to Williamstown Township, it is assumed that the new residential development is a spillover from that community. There are also a number of commercial businesses scattered along Grand River Avenue outside the Village of Webberville. The largest concentration can be found on the south side of Grand River Ave . opposite the Dietz Road and Perry Road (M-52) intersections. Leroy Township - 21 - Master Plan �' ' 'I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I They consist primarily of heavy commercial uses such as a commercial greenhouse, auto and truck repair, auto body repair, asphalt paving, a natural gas regulator site, and a self storage facility. An MOOT maintenance facility is also located on the northeast corner of Grand River ave. and Perry Road . An animal clinic and farm equipment sales facility can be found farther to the west while a propane tank facility and construction company building are located to the east of Webberville. ZONING The majority of land fronting Grand River Ave. is zoned R-A, Residential Agricultural with a minimum lot area requirement of one acre. The uses permitted by right include singlefamily residential dwellings and various farming/agricultural activities . A variety of smaller zoning districts also front Grand River Ave. including agricultural, low-density residential, commercial and industrial districts. The industrial and commercial zoning districts were located primarily through rezoning approvals based upon demand for those uses. Cl RC ULA TION 24-hour traffic volume data was available for two locations along the Grand River Ave. Corridor: on Grand River Ave . to the east of the Perry Road (M-52) intersection and on Perry Road just to the north of Grand River Ave. With some annual fluctuation in volumes, the Grand River Ave. location has shown a gradual increase in traffic while the Perry Road volumes have remained relatively constant. While the latest figures are from 1992, it is expected that these trends will continue. There should be a gradual increase in east-west traffic on Grand River Ave. and little or no change in north-south volumes on Perry Road. Based on a functional classification of roads , both Grand River Avenue and Perry Road are considered arterial roads and intended to handle larger volumes of traffic. The close connection to the 1-96 interchange will place even greater demand on Grand River Ave. as additional development moves into Leroy Township and neighboring communities . As a result, it will become increasingly important to have a coordinated land use program for the Grand River Ave. Corridor that considers the relationship between traffic volumes and land uses. ENVIRONMENTAL AND VISUAL CONDITIONS Wetlands are scattered throughout the corridor, with the largest areas fronting Grand River Ave. being located : at the western boundary of the Township on the south side of Grand River Ave.; to the west of Chula Vista Drive on the north and south side of Grand River Ave.; at the southwest corner of the Dietz Road intersection; at the northwest corner of the Perry Road intersection; on the south side of Grand River Ave. to the east of the Perry Road intersection; on the northeast corner of the Webberville Road intersection ; and on both sides of Grand River Ave. to the east of the Webberville boundary. Leroy Township - 22 - Master Plan �I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I With the exception of the southeast comer of the Dietz Road intersection, development has taken place outside these wetland areas. This trend should continue and the uses in and around the wetland areas must be sensitive to the potential impacts of development. Some, or all, of the wetland areas appear to be at least five acres in size and would be regulated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) . Any proposed development in or abutting a wetland will be subject to MDNR review and require a wetland permit. Even with scattered commercial development, the Grand River Ave. Corridor still has a rural appearance. The area on the western edge of the Township is the only exception as residential development has made the north side of Grand River Ave. more suburban in nature. The south side is still agriculturally used as is the land between the western edge of Webberville and the MOOT facility at Perry Road . Most of the land from the eastern boundary of Webberville to the boundary with Handy Township is also vacant or agriculturally used . As lots are split and/or developed on Grand River Ave., the rural appearance of the corridor will change. Since this is the primary east-west road for local traffic through Leroy Township, a person's image of the community will be based in large part upon this corridor. It therefore becomes important to preserve as much of the natural character of the corridor as possible while ensuring a quality look to new development. ANALYSIS While somewhat scattered, the various land uses in the Grand River Ave. Corridor have tended to cluster together. Residential uses have located on the western edge of the Township and to the northwest of the Village of Webberville. Both of these areas are on the north side of Grand River Ave .; probably due to the presence of a railroad line on the south side, and parallel with, Grand River Ave. The heavy commercial uses have located on the south side of Grand River Ave. generally between the Perry Road and Dietz Road intersections. There has been no true industrial development in Leroy Township and the Webberville Industrial Park has just obtained its second tenant. With the exception of Christian's Greenhouse and Farm Equipment Sales on Grand River Avenue and neighborhood commercial uses on Vanorden Road and Howell Road , there are no true retail businesses in Leroy Township . All such uses are located in Webberville and Williamston . The land use patterns in the Grand River Ave. Corridor indicate the following trends : 1. The lack of sewer and water in Leroy Township and the presence of the Webberville Industrial Park has, and will continue to, discourage industrial uses from locating in Leroy Township . Leroy Township - 23 - Master Plan �i 2. Both use and cost restrictions for the Webberville Industrial Park have enticed heavy commercial uses to locate along the Grand River Ave. in Leroy Township . These uses tend to rely less on public sewer and water than industrial uses and can therefore be accommodated in the corridor. 3. Any future retail commercial uses are likely to locate adjacent to the 1-96 interchange. Since much of the undeveloped land around the interchange is in Leroy Township , appropriate land use planning and zoning measures are necessary. 4. A considerable amount of new residential development has occurred in the northwest corner of the Township recently. There is concern on the part of the community that the land uses surrounding this area remain compatible and do not intrude on the neighborhood . 5. While there has been little or no office development in the corridor, there may be a market for professional office uses on the western edge of the corridor. Williamston is fully developed along Grand River Ave. and there may be some spillover potential for Leroy Township . 6. While agricultural use of the land should be encouraged , frontage lots along Grand River Ave. will continue to be developed for commercial and residential uses. FUTURE LAND USE I l I I I I I I After a careful review of the above information with the Leroy Township Planning Commission and Township Board , a Future Land Use Plan was developed for the Grand River Avenue Corridor. This plan consists of the Future Land Use & Circulation Map and the following narrative. The findings presented here are incorporated into the Future Land Use Plan section of this Master Plan . CONCENTRATION OF USES One of the ways to ensure that the Grand River Ave. Corridor maintains its rural character is to concentrate similar uses together and separate conflicting uses, where possible, with areas of open space. It is especially important to ensure that the heavy commercial uses do not spread throughout the entire corridor. These businesses have the potential to negatively impact the residential and agricultural uses if allowed to locate randomly . WETLAND AREAS As mentioned above, there are a number of wetland areas that either front , or are located on lots that front, Grand River Avenue . Leroy Township - 24 - Master Plan �' 'I ' 'II I I I I I I I I I I I I I Retail-Commercial - The area identified under this category is on Stockbridge Road between 1-96 and Grand River Ave., opposite the Webberville Industrial Park, and to the south of the 1-96 interchange. It is intended to accommodate fast food and service retail uses that require the exposure and access provided by the 1-96 interchange. These uses may also require an extension of the public sewer and water service available in the Webberville Industrial Park. Land has already been developed for retail-commercial uses adjacent to 1-96 interchanges in neighboring communities. It is reasonable to expect that the same thing will happen to the Leroy Township interchange sometime in the future . The areas identified as retail-commercial are those most likely to be developed for such uses. Heavy Commercial - Several businesses identified as existing land uses in this section qualified as commercial uses but did not fit into an industrial land use category. They are , however, of a higher intensity than retail or general commercial uses. To accommodate these uses and provide for some expansion , a Heavy Commercial district is identified . Two locations have been designated for Heavy Commercial land uses. The first area is located along both sides of Grand River Avenue, east of Dietz Road to just east of Stockbridge Road . The other area is located along the east side of Perry Road , excluding the area near the Red Cedar River, which is designated for recreation land uses. The Heavy Commercial land use category is intended to accommodate uses such as auto/truck repair facilities , storage facilities , construction yards/offices and light manufacturing operations. The heavy commercial district is not intended to compete with the Webberville Industrial Park but instead will permit uses that do not fit into that location. Industrial - No locations for industrial uses are proposed in either the Grand River Avenue Corridor or elsewhere in Leroy Township. True industrial uses are best suited for the Webberville Industrial Park. Many of the uses currently classified as industrial uses in the Leroy Township Zoning Ordinance can be accommodated in the Heavy Commercial districts. Public and Quasi-Public - The only area designated for public and quasi-public uses is the MOOT maintenance facility near the Perry Road intersection . It is not anticipated that other areas will be needed under this land use category. Recreation - The area designated recreation to the east of Chula Vista Drive is the YMCA summer camp. This land is also the location of wetland and floodplain areas and is best suited for recreation activities. The area along the Red Cedar River and Doan Creek are also designated for recreational land uses. These areas are not currently used for recreation purposes, but future recreational uses may be possible as environmentally sensitive areas are set aside as open space as a condition of development approval for adjacent land. Leroy Township - 26 - Master Plan �II 'I ' 'I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES Equally important as the location of land uses, the development of individual sites must follow a set of guidelines that benefit both the applicant and the community. Development guidelines are intended to help improve the overall appearance of the corridor and minimize the impacts of new development on the road system . The guidelines presented here will assist the Township in developing specifir; standards for the Zoning Ordinance that can be utilized when reviewing site plans. • COMMERCIAL BUILDING SETBACKS Background: The Zoning Ordinance requires that the minimum front yard building setback that is "in accordance with the setback requirements of the 'Master Land Use Plan, Leroy Township, Ingham County, Michigan,' for the type of street upon which the lot principally fronts ." Guideline: Since a number of buildings have already been constructed in the corridor, it would be best to develop a maximum and minimum building setback for the Industrial and Commercial Districts. This will ensure consistency in building setbacks throughout the corridor and make it easier to provide vehicular access between sites. • PARKING & SITE CIRCULATION Background: The Zoning Ordinance currently permits off-street parking in the front setback area and has no provisions for shared access between sites. Guideline: Parking should be located in the rear yard for offices, and in the rear yard or side yard for commercial businesses. Parking should be permitted in the side setback area if such parking and access is coordinated with parking and access on the adjacent parcel. In the absence of such coordination, a minimum side yard parking setback of 10 feet should be required. Where the adjoining property is zoned or used for residential purposes, a 30 foot parking setback should be required on .the side and rear. The Zoning Ordinance should also provide the Township with the authority to require access easements to and from adjoining property on every site plan . Such easements are necessary for development of secondary access between sites. • SIGNS Background: The Zoning Ordinance currently permits one freestanding sign not to exceed 32 square feet in area or 26 feet in height. Wall signs are permitted but shall not exceed ten percent of the surface area of the building face to which it is attached. Leroy Township - 27 - Master Plan �II ' ' ' 'I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Guideline: While the use of wall signs is beneficial to the appearance of a commercial site, most businesses also request the use of a freestanding sign . The current maximum of 32 square feet may be too restrictive , especially in the Retail Commercial area . This can lead to a number of variance requests and circumvent the Ordinance . Separate standards should be developed for the Heavy Commercial and Retail Commercial areas; standards that encourage the use of ground (monument) signs. • LANDSCAPING Background: The Zoning Ordinance requires landscaping in both the Industrial and Commercial Districts but provides no specific standards. Guideline: A thorough set of landscaping requirements should be adopted as a part of the Zoning Ordinance. The landscape standards should address general site landscaping, landscaping adjacent to roads, greenbelts, greenbelts used for screening , berms, parking lot landscaping , irrigation, street trees, standards for landscape materials (size, quality), installation and maintenance of landscaping and credit for existing landscaping . Where a non-residential use abuts a residential district or use, a 30-foot wide (min .) greenbelt buffer should be required, which should be densely planted with evergreens and deciduous trees so as to form a complete visual barrier that is at least eight feet above ground within three years. • LIGHTING Background: The Zoning Ordinance requires that exterior lighting be deflected away from adjacent properties and so that it does not impede the vision of traffic along adjacent streets. Guideline: The appearance of an otherwise attractive commercial site can be destroyed by inappropriate lighting. Standards are needed that address fixture design , height, color-correction, intensity (maximum and minimum), and prohibited lighting (high pressure sodium, wallpacks). Leroy Township - 28 - Master Plan �I I I 'I I REGIONAL ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION Section 6 of the Township Planing Act (Michigan Public Act 168 of 1959) states in part that during preparation of the master plan the Planning Commission "shall consult, in respect to its planning , with representatives of adjacent townships; with the county planning commission , if any, with any representatives of incorporated municipalities within the Township ; and with the regional planning commission if any." In making these contacts, there are two important pieces of information that are sought: 1. ' 'I ' 'I I I -I I I I That are the patterns of growth in the region, and what growth pressures can the Township expect as a result of regional growth? This information is important because, by law, the Township must accommodate its regional fair share of growth, provided that there are locations in the Township where such growth can be appropriately located . 2. Is the land use proposed along Leroy Township's boundaries compatible with the existing and proposed land use in adjoining communities? Each of these issues are discussed below. REGIONAL PATTERNS OF GROWTH As presented in the population projections, Leroy Township is expected to grow by approximately 5% by the year 2010. Additionally, the communities surrounding the Township , with the exception of White Oak Township, have experienced a growth rate well above the state average. As suburbanization of the Lansing area and Livingston County continues to occur, it is anticipated that Leroy Township and the surrounding area will continue to experience a modest amount of growth. As the region continues to grow and develop, continuous evaluation of land uses along the Township's boundaries should be conducted to help plan for orderly development. The information provided below discusses growth and land uses in the Townships surrounding Leroy Township . WILLIAMSTOWN TOWNSHIP: Located northwest of Leroy Township, Williamstown Township's growth rate was twice that of Leroy Township over the past decade. This growth rate can partially be attributed to the recent high growth rate for the City of Williamston . Williamstown Township updated its Master Plan in 1992. Growth along the Grand River Avenue corridor is expected to continue eastward and is anticipated to have a significant impact on Leroy Township . Leroy Township - 29 - Master Plan �II -I ' 'I I I I I I I I I I I I I I The Williamstown Township Future Land Use plan designates mobile home park and single-family residential land uses along Grand River Avenue just east of the City of Williamston . The Grand River Corridor analysis discusses growth and land use trends in more depth . WHEATFIELD TOWNSHIP: Located to the west of Leroy Township , the rate of growth in Wheatfield Township has been slightly lower than for Leroy Township in recent years. Wheatfield Township adopted a new Master Plan within the past year. Future land uses along Wheatfield Township's eastern border, Meech Road , are designated for agricultural land uses. LOCKE TOWNSHIP: Located to the north of Leroy Township, the rate of growth in Locke Township has been slightly lower than for Leroy Township over the past decade. Locke Township does not have a Master Plan . The Township does have a Master Land Use map which was prepared in 1972 and is used as a guide for development. Locke Township is currently in the process of updating their Zoning Ordinance and preparing a Master Land Use Plan . Current land use patterns along the southern boundary of Locke Township include small single-family residential developments (2 dwelling units per acre) on the north side of Allen Road, and along Rowley Road near the City of Williamston . WHITE OAK TOWNSHIP: Located south of Leroy Township, White Oak Township is also a predominantly rural community with large tracts of prime agricultural land . In contrast to other surrounding communities, growth in White Oak Township has slowed over the past decade. White Oak Township, which revised its Master Plan within the past year, designates the northern area of the Township for predominately agricultural and rural residential land uses. There is a church located at the southeast corner of Dietz and Howell Roads, and a small area designated for local commercial land uses on the south side of Howell Road , between Dietz Road and Haywood Road . HANDY TOWNSHIP: Located in Livingston County to the east, Handy Township has experienced the highest growth rate of all the surrounding communities over the past decade. Livingston County, Brighton , Howell, and Fowlerville have also experienced high levels of growth over the past decade. Handy Township does have a Master Plan , which was adopted in the early 1980's. The current master plan , which is planned for revision within the next year, designates the area along its western border for agricultural land uses. CONCLUSION It does not appear that the current or future land use designations for surrounding communities present serious conflicts with Leroy Township . However, growth along the western portion of the Grand River Avenue corridor is anticipated to have the most significant impact on Leroy Township , and should be re-evaluated on a regular basis in the future . Leroy Township - 30 - Master Plan �-I -I I I I I I I I I I GOALS AND OBJECTIVES INTRODUCTION A primary purpose of the master plan is to give direction to the future use of land in a community. For the plan to work effectively, it must reflect the views of the people who live, work and own property there. This involves obtaining a consensus on a ide variety of issues and development of a common set of goals and policies. DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS & OBJECTIVES STATEMENTS Very early in the comprehensive planning process, the Planning Commission developed such a series of Township-wide goals. These are intended to not only direct future growth in Leroy, but also address those issues most important to residents of the Township. In addition, this set of goals gives the Planning Commission an agreed upon framework for the planning process to follow. Anyone reading the Master Plan can then be fully aware of the direction the master plan is taking. As the plan develops, however, there is a greater need to become more specific in how the various issues will be addressed. Objectives must be formulated that indicate how each of the goals will be attained . For example, a goal of the Township might be the preservation of open space, and the objective is to adopt cluster subdivision regulations. TOWNSHIP-WIDE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The following is a list of goals and objectives regarding future growth in the Township of Leroy: GENERAL Goals • • I ' ' 'I To preserve the rural character, charm and positive image of Leroy . To provide for lower intensity growth in harmony with the preservation of the Township's natural landscape and agricultural tradition . Objectives • Land use activities which alter the existing make-up of the Township will be discouraged. Leroy Township - 31 - Master Plan �' 'I ' 'I • • • • • • • • HOUSING Goals • In areas of existing and future development, sensitivity must be shown to those things that make-up the character of the Township including the preservation of open space and maintenance of neighborhood amenities . Objectives • Concentrate residential development, not directly related to agricultural uses, north of Interstate 1-96. • Require that all new housing development plans include provisions for planting of street trees where feasible . • Accessory structures should be proportionate to the primary structure and lot in question. • Locate higher density residential developments in areas of existing higher density developments, such as near the Village of Webberville and along the Grand River Avenue corridor . COMMERCIAL Goals • Any new commercial growth should be directed to planned commercial districts designated on the future land use plan in an effort to provide for quality development. • The quality of existing commercial districts should be upgraded to attract higher quality business uses and improve the diversity of goods and services being offered . Objectives • New commercial districts should not be created or commercial uses allowed outside the planned commercial districts identified on the future land use plan . • Plans for expansion or alteration of existing commercial uses, and the establishment of new commercial uses must be reviewed by the Township to ensure quality site design. Leroy Township - 32 - Master Plan �I I I I -I I I I I I I I I -I I I I INDUSTRIAL Goals • Any future growth in light industry should be orderly and located where there will be no impact on adjacent uses. This would include a separation from businesses that are more commercial in nature. Objectives • All industrial land uses should be directed toward the Webberville Industrial Park where adequate infrastructure is available to accommodate said uses. AGRICULTURAL Goals • To protect agricultural areas of Leroy from the pressures of development and encourage the continued use of land for farming . • Ensure that the integrity of agricultural areas is maintained and that any adjacent development is sensitive to such uses. Objectives • Allowable uses in agriculturally zoned districts must be reviewed to ensure compatibility with farming activities and the preservation of rural landscapes. • A closer review of residentially used and agriculturally zoned land should take place and the Zoning Ordinance amended accordingly. RECREATIONAL Goals • Provide recreational opportunities for all age groups at locations that are accessible to residents throughout the Township. • Increase the number and variety of recreational activities that are offered to the residents of Leroy. • To provide recreation facilities that are safe , handicapped accessible and meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission Guidelines. Leroy Township - 33 - Master Plan �II II I • -I ' I I Objectives • A recreation plan should be prepared for the Township that will determine the recreation needs of residents , identify potential locations for recreation facilities and indicate possible sources of funding for property acquisition and/or improvements . • Areas located along the Red Cedar River and other watercourses should be maintained as passive or active recreation areas. CIRCULATION Goals • Maintain the good road system that currently exists and ensure that any new development proposals consider the impact of additional traffic on this system . • Implement a circulation system that will promote safe and efficient movement within and through the Township without destroying the character of the Township . Objectives • Access management standards should be developed and incorporated into the site plan review requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. • Private roads should be discouraged, while existing or future private roads should be required to meet County Road standards to protect public safety. ENVIRONMENTAL Goals • Protect significant woodlands , wetlands, floodways and scenic views by restricting development in areas exhibiting significant environmental sensitivity or a high level of character. Objectives • Adopt residential density standards which reflect the land's physical and environmental capability to support development. • Provisions should be included in the Zoning Ordinance to protect sensitive environmental features such as woodlands, wetlands, floodways and scenic views , while also preventing soil erosion in locations with steep slopes . • Provide for the protection of the Township's vital ground-water supplies from the dangers of pollution and mismanagement. Leroy Township - 34 - Master Plan �• •I ' 'I 'I I I I I I I I I I I I CHARACTER Goals • To protect those things that give Leroy its charm and appeal including, but not limited to, the preservation of historic properties, maintenance of agricultural land and open space and control of visual amenities. Objectives • Develop a system of reviews within the Zoning Ordinance that ensures the continued protection of the features that make up the character of the Township . • Sign regulations in the Zoning Ordinance should be re-examined to ensure compatibility with the character of the Township . Leroy Township - 35 - Master Plan �-II II •II • ' 'II ' ' ' 'I I I I I I TOWNSHIP-WIDE DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES The Development Guidelines relate directly to the goals and objectives of the Master Plan . They provide specific methods of achieving the individual community's goals. The Development Guidelines (Environmental, Land Use and Circulation) dictate the form of the Master Plan Map and are also useful for future planning decisions. LAND USE AGRICULTURAL 1. Maintain existing productive agricultural areas capable of economic production without interference from non-agricultural uses. 2. Maintain agricultural lands on levels of generally less than 6 percent slope; and in areas of superior agricultural soils. 3. Include P.A. 116 farmlands as agricultural land . 4. Protect agricultural lands, regardless of tract or parcel size , as much as possible. 5. Preserve agricultural land in areas which are not proposed for increased density. 6. Consider agricultural land uses broken up by lot splitting for transition of agricultural to residential development. COMMERCIAL 1. Limit new commercial development to a level and nature as required by Township residents . 2. Locate commercial development on primary thoroughfares at major intersections on soils suitable for commercial development. RESIDENTIAL 1. Provide a wide price-range of acceptable housing units. 2. Maintain the environmental quality of all residential areas. 3. Preserve residential structures in sound condition , and encourage rehabilitation and renovation of deficient residential buildings . Leroy Township - 36 - Master Plan �II • • • • • •I I I I I I • 4. Develop residential density patterns which relate to natural and man-made environmental features . 5. Limit higher densities to areas which are served by improved public roads . 6. Discourage strip residential development and recognize the desirability of controlled access to the primary road system . 7. Provide facilities and services designed to stabilize and improve residential areas, including a level of public, semi-public and community facilities consistent with the needs of the residents . 8. Improve living amenities in all residential neighborhoods through high standards of housing design and construction, increased privacy and quiet, and protection of open space. 9. Locate higher density residential uses such as mobile home parks and multiple family residential in accordance with existing patterns of development, with access to improved roads, at reasonable distances from commercial and other services, and on appropriate soils with relatively low water tables . ENVIRONMENTAL WETLANDS Increasing development and its associated demands have the effect of encroaching upon and polluting wetlands, and other natural hydrologic processes. Similar to woodlands , wetlands, if preserved and maintained in an undisturbed and natural condition, constitute important physical, aesthetic, recreational and economic assets to existing and future residents of the Township. Wetlands in Leroy Township shall be treated with the following criteria : I 1. Development shall be limited to outdoor recreation , grazing , farming , forestry, the operation and maintenance of existing dams and other water control devices , and temporary alteration or diversion of water levels or circulation for emergency maintenance or agriculture purposes, and only in compliance with State, County and local statutes and regulations . 2. Conservation of soil, vegetation , water, fish and wildlife shall take priority over any of the aforementioned permitted development in a wetland area. 3. Less dense and less intensive development shall be encouraged adjacent to areas considered to be wetland . Leroy Township - 37 - Master Plan �4. Buffer zones along streams and swales shall be required by residential or other development to prevent run-off of man-made pollutants , erosion , and other negative impacts. SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER • •I ■ I I 'I I I I I I I I Providing and maintaining adequate water supplies to maintain a hydrologically balanced ecosystem is parallel with the importance of maintaining clean safe water. Development often generates chemical by-products which can contaminate both surface waters and groundwater aquifers . Maintenance of groundwater is an essential element in the future of Leroy Township. The following criteria shall be considered in making land use decisions in areas adjacent to surface waters or areas of known critical ground water supplies: 1. Increased minimum lot areas shall be imposed for single family residential areas adjacent to surface water or located in areas experiencing a high water table. 2. Septic systems and drain fields shall be located away from lakes and surface water. 3. Areas in the Township with higher water tables shall be considered wetland unless a suitable sanitary sewer disposal method approved by Ingham County and Leroy Township is provided to protect the surface and ground-water quality. 4. Development shall be encouraged in conjunction with fixed densities and open space areas which absorb surface water, control run-off, filter surface nutrients and recharge groundwater supplies. 5. On-site retention and detention ponds to reduce nutrients and sedimentation and promote groundwater recharge shall be encouraged where useful and practical. 6. Filling and dredging activities that may destroy wildlife and aquatic habitats and seriously effect water table levels shall be discouraged . 7. All non-residential developments shall include plans for waste disposal methods which prevent wastes from entering water-flow systems including groundwaters , lakes, streams and wetlands. TOPOGRAPHY AND SOILS The existing topography of Leroy Township can be retained by discouraging mass grading or extensive filling and land balancing . Leroy Township - 38 - Master Plan �•I •II Soil erosion from housing construction, road and recreation use improvements, extraction and agriculture may result in sedimentation of soils, impede road ditches, pollute streams, and silt lakes. Sedimentation resulting from erosion is a major water pollutant, therefore, preventative soil erosion and sedimentation techniques shall be employed in reviewing all land use proposals: 1. Development proposals shall be designed to relate with the existing topography and soils of the site . 2. Improvements such as streets, detention/retention ponds, swales or other features of the development capable of carrying storm run-off in a safe manner, shall be scheduled for installation to the greatest extent possible before removing the vegetative cover from an area . 3. Whenever feasible , natural soil covers shall be retained and protected . 4. Temporary and permanent provisions shall be made to effectively prevent erosion and accommodate the increased run-off caused by changed soil and surface vegetation conditions during and after development. 5. All extractive operations shall be designed to environmental impacts during the term of operation . 6. All permitted mining and extractive operations shall be designed from the onset of operations , to assure reclamation or restoration of mining sites after phase-out. I ' ' 'I I I I I I I I I I prevent negative WOODLANDS Because of the extensive agriculture use of land in Leroy Township , woodlands are a limited resource . Woodland growth , if preserved and maintained in an undisturbed and natural condition, will constitute important physical, aesthetic, recreation and economic assets to existing and future residents of the Township. Specifically, woodland growth protects public health through the absorption of air pollutants and contamination and reduction of noise; it has a cooling effect in summer, is a windbreak in winter, and prevents soil erosion , silting and flooding . Because environmental values, soil characteristics, tree growth, and related natural resource parameters are unique for each area or parcel of land in Leroy Township , the following criteria shall be considered and balanced with respect to each woodland area . 1. The preservation of woodlands, trees, similar woody vegetation and related natural resources and values shall take priority over all forms of development unless there are no locational alternatives. Leroy Township - 39 - Master Plan �However, this should not be interpreted to preclude selected harvesting of trees to maintain wood lots or harvesting as necessary for agricultural purposes . ' 'I I I I I I I I I I I 2. The impact of streets, highways and other transportation corridors on woodlands shall be seriously considered along with alternatives for new or expanded transportation routes and for the location of proposed development. 3. All development, including residential living units shall blend into the natural setting of the vegetation landscape for the absorption of noise, ctnd for the protection of environmental values. 4. Woodland areas shall be preserved for low density residential development, outdoor recreation , forestry or nursery practices, natural beauty areas, or areas containing significant historic or cultural value. 5. Density and intensity of development shall be reduced in woodland areas. 6. Roadsides containing significant tree growth should be considered for classification as scenic or beauty roads to maintain the wooded character within the thoroughfare right-of-way . CIRCULATION 1. Insure recognition of Township plans by County and State highway planners . 2. Coordinate circulation planning with land use planning and development. 3. Provide a hierarchy of primary and local roads spaced so as to accommodate desired development density without encouraging overdevelopment and disruption of the natural system and rural character of the Township . 4. Recognize the circulation relationships with surrounding communities and their employment and commercial centers . 5. Provide a system of secondary and local access with capacity to serve residential; industrial, and agricultural areas. 6. Protect natural beauty and scenic road rights-of-way . 7. Insure that the Township is consulted in detail on all circulation proposals . Leroy Township - 40 - Master Plan �FUTURE LAND USE PLAN OVERVIEW The Master Plan is a guide for the growth and maintenance of the community. The Future Land Use Plan is intended to guide development decisions through the next ten years ; however, the Future Land Use Plan is not a rigid document and should be understood as the basis for a continuing planning process. This process should include regular evaluation , adjustment, updating and amendment of the Future Land Use Plan . • •I •II I I I • •I •~ The Future Land Use Plan is comprised of both the map and supporting documentation which includes population and housing information based on the last ten to twenty years , circulation , environmental concerns and resources , and the commun ity's goals and objectives . Rather than a precise document, (like a zoning map) the Future Land Use & Circulation Map actually constitutes the development policy of the Township for land use, circulation and community facilities. The land use proposals identified on the Future Land Use & Circulation Map are generalized areas for development which do not necessarily follow property lines or define specific sites. The Plan is based upon several planning principles and has the following characteristics: • Long Range: Planning and responding to land development issues for the next 5-10 years . • Comprehensive: All major types of land use are considered . • Generalized : Land use allocations and relationships are general. The Future Land Use Map incorporates broad principals of land development and their interrelationship( s) . • Flexible: The plan is able to accept changes which do not affect the integrity of the total plan . • Site Sensitive: All land use designations must necessarily be subject to the environmental conditions of each particular site . • Regional : The plan recognizes regional development and needs of adjacent communities as opposed to isolated development within arbitrary political boundaries . Leroy Township - 41 - Master Plan �•• ' ! ~ t I ••-• ■ {;' I LOCK€ - TWP l_lUL◄ · ·•;•;• = ft:,,•,• ill II:::::;.:·~-~·:•;•~.:.~.~.:·:·:·:•:·:•:.~:,:;:• -GRAND RIVER* INTERSTATE-96 ~ ?]I ::::::: ,•.•.•, Cl --.+-- .. NOBL< •• != . ., ! f.\ )Ji ~•..i Si:~ 1{. j; 11111 ..J~ ·C ~ 1-. 14 IJ ~1• (/')~ :~ ~ n1 •• HOLT ,,•;•,•,•,'11,' ;•,•···· c:i INT£RSTATE-96lr _ q,_, • HOLT ...U•. , + ~ ~ ~-:, ,... . .:.:..•... • ~ ,Li C,: () . -' I« ., / '\ VANORDEN 3(:, <( :i:: -' [rm • ~ • ~r~~~~~ ).. c:i ~ - ~-\ L ,:,; :,; I~ •ifROST ::::::::: -•-•,•.-, .:. z 'i: •Z II \ ~:_ .:. I . -\I\\ " ~-. ...., ::, • ,.... ~ :t 1-. 29 6 ,x ,..., .., L i 26 :~;-.::! 2~ \ 3 i - - ~ - 1• .-,,c = = ~ ~~~~~, .. , = . ~ , ~ I - - - -- -• .!; ., () . • = ::1 : ; 31 ~~~= ~ ~ J .·- ·, ') lU 8~ J -~ if • ".J' • .-. • • r(S.ui"con • ·, 1· ·, r: ,1 ~> ) ) ·t o; ~: I WHIT£ ti OAK TWP HOWELL &OUAal 0,. o.t,o,11 Pd!MJr\ Cc,,,pen\,. ~ 8UM(Y 0,411A l'i.d ~ l>>><>?J I - - ~ HEAVY COMMERCIAL RURAL RESIDENTIAL mi) PUBLIC/QUASI PUBLIC •:'. &'ti'')~, RECREATION LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL Anoclato., Cotnrnunt'f PtMnlnO • \f,! t, ··:,.~· ~ . ; MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL MOBILE HOME PARK ARTERIAL PROFESSIONAL OFFICE COLLECTOR NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL = = = = PAVED LOCAL ROADS UNPAVED LOCAL ROADS RETAIL COMMERCIAL lncorpornlod Urbnn Doslgn Mlchlgnn . IIIQ I . Auo,M 1000 AGRICULTURAL/OPEN SPACE FUTURE LAND USE & CIRCULATION LEROY TOWNSHIP INGHAM COUNTY Fatnwt(Jlon Hil t, 3 I • I McKonna 36 Ci! ... fl) ■ HOWELL DENNIS 1 --~-.. : MAP4 ■ MICHIGAN ~II I I w O 1/4 1/2 1 MILE �FUTURE LAND USE CATEGORIES The plan proposes a continuation of the low density, dispersed land use character which has been established in Leroy Township. Modest orderly growth is recognized, especially in the Grand River Ave. Corridor. Rather than positioning the community for the provision of public water and sanitary sewer, the proposed pattern is a retention of agricultural land south of Interstate 1-96, a dispersion of rural residential land uses north of 1-96 and low density single family residential , commercial and professional office areas along Grand River Avenue Corridor. Retail Commercial uses will be directed to the land near the 1-96 interchange. This approach seeks to preserve the rural agricultural character of Leroy while permitting higher density development to occur in areas following current development patterns along Grand River Avenue and near the Village of Webberville. If urban services are ultimately required or demanded , the low density pattern , as established and continued, will become more expensive and less efficient. Therefore , the future development pattern must be continually monitored and plans revised to insure densities which will not require urban services: improved roads, public utilities, increased fire, police , recreational, public transportation and social services by government. A description of the Future Land Use categories is as follows : AGRICUL TURAUOPEN SPACE • • • The Plan maintains the primary existing agricultural areas of the Township. Generally, the area south of Interstate 1-96 is used for agricultural purposes or is maintained as open space . This includes residential development associated with agricultural uses. A minimum lot area of forty (40) acres is designated for the Agricultural/Open Space district. This category includes important farmlands and land protected under P.A. 116 . Agricultural uses such as crop production , dairy farming , raising of livestock, tree farms , nurseries, and limited extractive operations are appropriate in these areas . The Plan proposes that consideration be given to maintain and protect these agricultural lands as areas for food production without infringements by non-agricultural uses which may generate conflicts with this non-renewable resource . RURAL RESIDENTIAL The intent of these areas is to permit large lot single family residential land uses. These areas would consist primarily of lands split from larger agricultural parcels. This land use classification limits single family residential development to one acre or more per dwelling unit. Development within this category will keep the density low so as not to generate a need for urban services, and maintain the existing low density, rural character of Leroy Township. The intent of this classification is to generally limit further splitting of large area parcels down to a size of no less than one acre . Leroy Township - 43 - Master Plan �The frontage along Holt and Meech Roads in Section 19 is proposed for rural residential. The rural residential land use designation of this area would act as a good transition zone between the existing low density residential uses located south of Holt Road and agricultural uses in the surrounding areas. The frontage along Allen Road and a portion of the frontage along Webberville Road is also designated for rural residential. The remaining rural residential areas are generally planned throughout the area north of 1-96 and south of the C&O Railroad , and along the eastern area of the Township , north of the C&O Railroad between Gramer and Wallace Roads. LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL The low density residential land use category is intended to include single family residential development with a recommended one acre minimum lot size. Low density residential land uses should be located where there is easy access to shopping , employment centers, and transportation routes . • The districts designated for this use include: the frontage along Grand River Avenue west of Dietz Road to the eastern Township boundary, from the west side of Perry Road to Dietz Road, just north of the Grand River Avenue frontage designated for higher intensity uses, and the area just east of Stockbridge Road to a location east of Webberville Road . There is also an existing small area of low density residential on the south side of Holt Road between Meech and Snedecker Roads. The Future Land Use and Circulation map does not recommend an expansion of low density residential development in this area . The amount and exact density of development appropriate here will be dictated by housing demand and the level at which sanitary conditions may be maintained . Developments of this density should be located only on paved primary thoroughfares and close to commercial development. MULTIPLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL This land use category permits higher density residential housing , such as two-family attached dwellings or small apartment buildings . This type of development should occur in close proximity to available water and sewer service. Multiple-family residential uses are considered "transitional uses" and best located in such a manner to buffer lower density single family uses from non-residential uses or major thoroughfares. The Future Land Use and Circulation map identifies one area, just west of the Village of Webberville on the north side of Grand River Avenue for multiple family residential. MOBILE HOME PARK There is an existing mobile home park on the north side of Vanorden Road , near the Vanorden/House Roads intersection. This area is designated for mobile home park on the Future Land Use and Circulation map as well. Leroy Township - 44 - Master Plan �Generally, mobile home park uses are considered "transitional uses" and best located in such a manner to buffer lower density single family uses from non-residential uses or major thoroughfares. If any future mobile home park uses are proposed , they should occur in such transitional areas which follow current patterns of development. Areas lying near the boundaries of the Village of Webberville, where community facilities may be provided would be most appropriate for such uses. PROFESSIONAL OFFICE This land use category is intended to satisfy the need for professional office space for the service industry. Generally, the type of uses in these areas would consist of banks, medical offices and clinics, professional offices for occupations such as accountants, architects , engineers , insurance brokers, realtors, travel agents, etc. Professional office areas are also designed to provide a buffer from major thoroughfares and between higher intensity land uses and residential areas. A small area on the south side of Grand River Avenue on the western edge of the corridor is identified as Professional Office. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL ■ ■ ■ ■ • This land use category is designed to satisfy demand for retail and personal service uses. Generally , this type of development will include stores or offices to serve the day-to-day needs of residents in the neighborhood. The primary function of neighborhood commercial areas is to provide convenient shopping at planned locations in small retail centers and to discourage strip commercial development. The plan identifies two small areas specifically for neighborhood commercial: a small area on the north side of Vanorden Road adjacent to the mobile home park, and the northeast and northwest corners of Dietz and Howell Roads. RETAIL COMMERCIAL This land use category is designed to service the retail needs of residents on a communitywide or even regional basis. Generally, this type of development will include general retail , grocery stores, service uses, banks, restaurants, and other related commercial. Retail commercial areas will require more land and are intended to compliment existing commercial areas within and surrounding the Village of Webberville. Cluster commercial developments, which preserve the rural character of Leroy Township are recommended . Areas identified for retail commercial uses are near the 1-96 interchange, which provides easy access and the potential to expand water and sewer services provided by the Village of Webberville. HEAVY COMMERCIAL This land use category falls between what may be commonly considered general commercial and light industrial. Generally, heavy commercial uses may consist of agricultural supply sales and distribution , auto and mechanica l equipment repair, lumberyards and uses with outdoor storage , and other similar uses. Leroy Township - 45 - Master Plan �It is intended that heavy commercial uses promote and support agricultural land use and not create negative impacts upon residential or agricultural land uses. Two locations have been designated for Heavy Commercial land uses. The first area is located along both sides of Grand River Avenue, east of Dietz Road to just east of Stockbridge Road . The other area is located along the east side of Perry Road , excluding the area near the Red Cedar River, which is designated for recreation land uses. PUBLIC AND QUASI-PUBLIC Government owned properties, (Township Hall and MOOT maintenance facility) institutional quasi-public land uses (Consumer's utility station), churches and other quasipublic areas comprise this land use category. No new public and quasi-public areas have been identified on the Future Land Use and Circulation map. The maintenance of the Township Hall (located within the Village of Webberville) is expected to continue to further provide the local public needs and services as required by the Township residents. RECREATION The three school districts, which have all their facilities located within the Village of Webberville , provide the majority of recreation resources for Township residents . The future land use plan recognizes the need to preserve the existing golf course and YMCA camp, and provide additional recreational facilities for Township residents. The area east of the golf course along the Red Cedar River, and south of the existing YMCA camp along Doan Creek are identified for recreation uses on the Future Land Use Map. • • • • • The designation of these areas for recreational uses seeks to achieve two Township objectives: to provide recreational opportunities for all age groups and to protect significant woodlands , wetlands and floodways . Limiting development near water courses will help protect ground and surface water resources as well as provide passive and active recreation areas. It is strongly recommended that the Township develop a recreation plan to more clearly identify recreation needs. The development of a community park, near the existing Township Hall or another appropriate location within the Township should be considered . CIRCULATION Based on function, thoroughfares are classified in a hierarchial system which recognizes capacities and functions in a progressive fashion. The circulation system in Leroy Township consists primarily of Ingham County Road Commission maintained and classified roads with the exception of a few private roads . Leroy Township - 46 - Master Plan �The purpose of the Circulation Plan for Leroy Township is to recognize the circulation needs of the surrounding region and communities and to coordinate with them while protecting the Township from the negative impacts of traffic. PUBLIC ROAD SYSTEM Public roads in Leroy Township are classified on the Future Land Use and Circulation map. The proposed function of these roads within the scope of the plan is descrioed below: Principal Arterial The principal arterial within Leroy Township is Interstate 1-96. This highway carries local, regional , and state-wide traffic through the Township . There is an interchange at M-52 which provides access to the Township. Rural Arterials The rural arterials link cities and towns and form an integrated network. These roads also provide intrastate and intercounty service. The roads designated as rural arterials in Leroy Township are M-52 (Stockbridge/Perry) and M-43 (Grand River Avenue) . Rural Collectors The rural collector routes generally serve travel of primarily intracounty rather than statewide importance. Planned right-of-way for these roads are generally 120 feet. The roads designated as rural collectors in Leroy Township include: • North-south roads : • Dietz Road from Howell Road to Grand River Avenue; • Elm Road from Grand River Avenue to Holt Road ; and • Gramer Road from Grand River Avenue to Allen Road . • East-west roads : • Howell Road ; and • Holt Road from Meech Road to Elm Road . UPGRADES TO EXISTING ROAD SYSTEM The overall quality of roadways in Leroy Township is very good. To improve circulation within the Township and provide adequate transportation routes for non-agricultural, residential or industrial uses improvements or paving is suggested for roadways which cannot properly serve uses which are dependant on them . Leroy Township -47- Master Plan �PRIVATE ROADS Private roads through the zoning ordinance, should be constructed to county road standards which includes a 60 foot minimum right-of-way. Continued controls may be placed on private roads via the zoning ordinance. COMMUNITY FACILITIES Within the total development of a municipality, the provision of adequate community facilities is important. The Township Hall, school facilities, and emergency services appear to sufficiently meet current and projected future needs. Through the preservation of agricultural land and open space, and control of residential development, the Township can maintain these service levels without denying required services for its residents . The Township should consider developing a recreation plan to help better meet the current and future needs of its residents. Leroy Township - 48 - Master Plan �IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES Implementation strategies are a key component of any community master plan . They determine how the plan's guidelines and recommendations become reality . The Leroy Township Master Plan should not be viewed as a finished product. As events or needs of the Township demand , various adjustments or additions will need to be made. It is not anticipated that the Plan's major goals and objectives will require change, rather, as the plan is interpreted and implemented, certain aspects will require periodic adjustment. ZONING The Township Zoning Ordinance is a primary tool in the achievement of the Plan's goals. Although the plan map is not a zoning map , it should be used as a guide for zoning amendment decisions, whether they are initiated by the Planning Commission or by petitioners. The timing of changes to the zoning map is key to implementing the Plan . Further, the map's proposals should be viewed as flexible when considering the zoning of specific sites, especially if no pattern has yet been established . The Plan does not follow property lines and with the exception of environmental concerns and existing and potential land use conflicts, whether a zoning pattern is established on the east or west side of a thoroughfare is often not the critical issue - the pattern is. Depending on the rate of developmental change and requests for change in the zoning map, an annual appraisal of the zoning map should be made. It is generally accepted practice to provide zoning on the basis of a five year land use projection, whereas the Plan is a fifteen to twenty year projection . The current zoning ordinance should be reviewed to insure that the environmental , land use and circulation proposals of this plan are reflected in the ordinance, particularly under site plan review and special land use approval standards. LAND DIVISION REGULATIONS Like zoning , Subdivision Regulations, under the State Subdivision Control Act (Act 288 , P.A. of 1967, as amended) are tools for the implementation of this Plan . While zoning deals with land use on a site by site basis and activities in selected areas, subdivision regulations are concerned with the process of dividing land and maintaining the quality of individual developments. Subdivision regulations protect the needs of residents by providing both site design controls and improvement standards. Design controls deal with the arrangement and location of streets, widths and depth of lots, the provision of open space, and the sufficiency of easements for utility installations. Improvement standards insure adequate roads and physical improvements. Leroy Township - 49 - Master Plan �Most land divisions in Leroy Township do not come under the jurisdiction of the State Subdivision Control Act, but instead are regulated by the land division procedures and standards of the zoning ordinance sections dealing with private roads and the division of platted lots and unplatted acreage. ANNEXATION ISSUES • • • • • • • • • • Townships may have their geographical territory reduced through annexatior by cities and villages. Annexations often occur when areas of the Township are not serviced by infrastructure such as sewer and water lines. As stated previously, Leroy Township does not provide sewer and water service . The future land use plan designates more intensive land uses, which may eventually require such services , to be located near the Village of Webberville which provides sewer and water service. If more intensive land uses required such services, the Village of Webberville, which is a General Law Village, could petition to annex the property. It is the general policy of the Village of Webberville to extend sewer and water service only to areas that are within its boundaries . The Village of Webberville has a 400,000 gallon water tank and two wells for water service. The Village also recently constructed a four acre addition to their sewage disposal lagoon, which is located in Leroy Township. The Village anticipates that the existing water and sewer capacity can accommodate over 300 new homes and a fully developed industrial park. The Village projects it can also accommodate future commercial and industrial development in the Township near the existing Webberville Industrial Park. Section 6 of Public Act 3 of 1895 grants General Law Villages the authority to annex land . The process of annexing land into a General Law Village does not require review by the State Boundary Commission nor a popular election . A Village may initiate an annexation by passing a resolution and submitting a petition to the Board of County Commissioners . The Board of County Commissioners is required to hold a public hearing and subsequently make a final determination on the annexation request. If the Township is opposed to the annexation , it has an opportunity to state such opposition during the public hearing. If the Board of County Commissioners grants the annexation without the support of the Township , the Township may challenge the annexation through the jud icial system . Another option to annexation is to enter into an "Intergovernmental Agreement" under which the land is essentially "transferred" for a period of time not exceeding 50 years. This type of agreement was authorized by P.A. 425 of 1984. Under such an agreement, the Township and Village agree to share the area's tax base at some predetermined ratio and provide public services accordingly. This type of annexation , which is sometimes referred to as a "Temporary Annexation", may be a preferable option for the Township because it allows the Township to realize some of the increased tax revenue of new development without investing into the development of community services . Leroy Township - 50 - Master Plan �PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT The necessity of citizen participation and understanding of the planning process and the Plan cannot be over-emphasized. A carefully organized public education program is needed to organize and identify public support in any community development plan. The lack of citizen understanding and support can seriously limit implementation of the planning proposals. The failure to support needed bond issues, failure to elect progressive officials, and litigation concerning taxation, special assessments, zoning, and public improvements are some of the results of public misunderstanding of long-range plans. In order to organize public support most effectively, the Township must emphasize the reasons for the planning program and encourage citizen participation in the adoption of the Plan and the continued planning process. Public education can be achieved through an informational program involving talks, newsletter articles, and preparation of simple summary statements on plans for distribution. Participation by residents in various civic groups is evidence of community involvement. CONTINUOUS PLANNING A role of the Planning Commission is to provide planning recommendations to the Township Board. This planning function is a continuous process which does not terminate with the completion of this plan. Rural-residential areas are in constant change and planning is an on-going process of identification, adjustment, and resolution of problems. In order to sustain the planning process and generate positive results, maintain momentum, and respond to change, the Plan should be reviewed and updated every three to five years . Leroy Township - 51 - Master Plan �COMMUNITY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT McKenna Associates, Incorporated Community Planning ■ Urban Design 32605 West Twelve Mile Road , Suite 165 Farmington Hills, Mich igan 48334 Phillip C. McKenna, AICP, PCP .................................................. President Carmine P. Avantini, AICP ................................................. Project Manager Vicki Georgeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Project Planner Sabah Aboody .................. . ..................................... Maps and Graph ics JoAnn Casai ............................................................. Text Production Angela Laesser .......................................................... Text Production Theresa Mularoni ............. . .. ....... ....... .. ..... .... ........ ........ Text Production � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource 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. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Leroy-Twp_Master-Plan_1996 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leroy Township Planning Commission, Leroy Township, Ingham County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-03-26 Title A name given to the resource Leroy Township Master Plan Description An account of the resource The Leroy Township Master Plan was prepared by the Leroy Township Planning Commission with the assistance of McKenna Associates, Incorporated and was adopted on March 26, 1996. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McKenna Associates, Incorporated (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Leroy Township (Mich.) Ingham County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f756576e9bef9696fff35ca45191409.mp4 081e4dedef53289564557edb3db6e1dd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/62f61dba861decd0c5a90df5972bf191.pdf 8bf969ebebb9b042568af5728381d18f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University All American Girls Professional Baseball League Veterans History Project Interviewee’s Name: Jeneane Lesko Length of Interview: (43:08) Date of Interview: August 4, 2010 at the Reunion of the Professional Girls Baseball League Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Lindsey Thatcher, March 23, 2011 Interviewer: “Today is August 4, 2010. We are doing an interview with a former player from the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Jeneane Lesko currently of Kirkland, Washington. The interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Rapids University Veteran’s History Project. Now Jeneane, can you start by giving us some background about yourself. To begin with, when and where were you born?” I was born in 1935 in Springfield, Ohio. After I was 6 and my parents divorced then I spent a lot of time traveling. So I kind of have the traveling bug so the All American League was kind of a good place to land in my early years. Interviewer: “So how did you first get involved with sports?” Well I was always well during the war I was always imitating (01:00) the soldiers. They used to, when were living in Texas at one point they had parade guards in the parking lot and I would go out with my little toy rifle and do all the movements they were doing with the gun and I used to practicing much of the day. So I started that way and ended up in the way and ended up in the tree shooting the enemies with a play rifle, in my early years. So I was always a tom boy always running around and doing things that were very active and I just sort of just fell into sports and loved it and always played with the boys and participated as much as I could with all the boys that were playing out in the fields and the sand lot all that sort of playing ball. Interviewer: “Which sports did you play then? Oh I played, as a child growing up we had our basic sports were basketball and baseball for the men’s for the boy’s teams. So I would be practicing with them and I was always hanging out with the varsity team and of course they wouldn’t let me play (02:00) because I was a girl but I would give them competition enough that they let me participate in the practice and warm up the pitchers and that sort of thing. So I got a lot of practice and I got really good at throwing the ball and catching the ball and I didn’t ever play a particular position until I graduated from high school and I finally played on a softball team in Lima, Ohio which was nearby and that was the only team that I had ever played on and there I was playing short stop. So I certainly wasn’t a pitcher, where I ended up in with the league as a pitcher. Interviewer: “Now did you know anything about the league in high school or that kind of thing?” �I didn’t find out until I was a senior in high school and there was an advertisement in the largest town nearby where I grew up, Lakeview Ohio was Lima so you know in the Lima Newspaper there were little article saying there were going to be try outs in Michigan and so I decided that I would try to go up there. We had a local fella that had (03:00) ten sons who had played in the town’s team that I was a bat girl for and he encouraged me to go and I knew nothing about pitching but he did and he showed me how to pitch. I could throw a curve and my changeup was a knuckleball so if and when I got it over the plate it was hard to hit but I had a real control problem that first year so I was not a varsity pitcher until second year. Interviewer: “Now why did you become a pitcher if you were a short stop originally?” Well I was left handed and I didn’t think that I had a chance to try out as a shortstop because I was left handed. When I got to try outs I found out that these girls were really good ball players and in my town there was no one that could come close to being as good as I was. So I didn’t realize that there were women out there playing ball who were so tremendous at the game so I figured I had a better chance at (04:00) pitching because they carried about four or five pitchers on the team so I just said, well I’m a pitcher and I could show them how hard I could throw and they didn’t ask me to throw anything else so the Grand Rapids Chicks picked me up and Woody English was my manager, we didn’t call them coaches we called them managers. Interviewer: “As you were contemplating going into the league and you decided that you had a better chance as a pitcher, did you do anything to prepare before you went to the try out?” Yes, my friend Jack Hudson, he was about sixty five years old at that point, would come to my house and we would mark out how far it would be to pitch the ball, and we were doing 60 feet with a regulation baseball. I didn’t realize that they were playing with a 10 inch ball and they were throwing it like 56 feet in the beginning that first year. So it was a big change just in the size of the ball when I got to the league. I think when they changed the regulation baseball the second year I did much better and I had good control because that was what I was used to playing with. But yeah, he showed me how to throw those pitches and we would practice for about a month and half before I had to go to spring training so. (05:14) Interviewer: “Alright, now where did they do the spring training that year in ‘53?” They did it in Michigan; it just slipped my mind where I’m sorry. Interviewer: “Was it Battle Creek maybe?” Yeah that’s right, it was Battle Creek, right. Interviewer: “So how do they run the training then? Did people come in to try out?” �Well I came in on the field it was just covered with women and I think there were about a hundred women there trying out. And they had coaches I presume, you know, coaches from all the different teams. I was only eighteen and had never left my state before alone. And I had driven up there by myself and here I was in an unfamiliar place. Yeah, I was very very shy because I kind of been in sports and sort of, that’s what I did I played sports, I was really a Tom boy. (06:04) Interviewer: “Okay, so then when you drive up, you get to Battle Creek where were they doing the try outs was it a gym or a field…?” Yeah it was a ball field and it had, you know I don’t remember exactly where it was but it had a stadium and the stadium was covered and it looked like you know a miniature professional baseball league, that’s what it looked like and now I know that you know a lot of smaller towns had those kinds of fields in that day. Interviewer: “Sure, so you get there and then do they just check you off, tell you where to go? What actually happens there?” Well they put us into groups and then they would have us do certain things, run, they would have us run to bases, and they would have us slide, and they would have us doing all these different things. And pretty much the movie kind of showed the story there of what it was like at spring training. A lot of gals just all throwing a ball just trying to outdo each other to make it on the team (07:02). Yeah and then they did actually informed us who was to go to what field. I think that quite a few of the girls did make it because at that point at that year in fact in ’53 a lot of the girls that were a lot of the good players had gone back to play professional softball in Chicago leagues. So they had a need for a number of players that year. Interviewer: “Okay, did Chicago leagues pay better?” Well I believe it was the Bloomer Girls that were playing at that time and some of them had played in that Chicago league from the beginning and these were some of the girls that were playing in the very beginning and there were some differences of the opinion with some coaches and there were some problems and so they just quit. And I wouldn’t surprised that because the league was sort of declining at the time, which I at the time knew nothing about that they probably weren’t going to get paid as much so they probably left for that reason. (08:00) Interviewer: “Alright, so there is openings up, you make the team and which team do you get assigned to?” Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Chicks and that year 1953 they won the pendant. We had a terrific ball club so there was no way that they were going to let me do very much pitching that first year. If we get way far ahead or way far behind they would let me go in and play. I found �some of the news clippings because we had tremendous news coverage from the local papers and support from the people from the town and I was able to acquire some of those and it was just really funny to read some of the clippings. He would leave me in there, you know, I would be walking and walking and they would be walking in and he just left me out there to just humiliate me and make me realize that I had to get the ball over the plate I guess. It was hilarious to read thinking back. But one thing I always had, I always had confidence that I could do it (09:01) even when I threw it wild I had confidence that the next was going to be right over the plate and eventually the next year when I came at the beginning when I started college that next year so my first year out of college I came back and I went into a game that was a double header game so it was only a seven inning game but it was like the 6th or 5th inning and they put me in and the bases were loaded and there was only one out and I managed to get us out of the inning and when I went up to bat and I actually hit the ball and the score, the running runs scored so I actually did something well so immediately I was made a starting pitcher and I lived up to it, I was not wild that year at all. And I was a starting pitcher, so it was great. Interviewer: “In that first season when you were wild, would you get hit much, would they just duck or… ?” Oh I had one really bad experience with that. This one gal and I have been trying to recognize her ever (10:00) since and I haven’t been able to determine which catcher or which team it was we were playing at the time but I threw the ball and it was a really hard fast ball, right at her head and she hit the dirt and I was, and she got up and she started coming after me at the mount and I started backing up I had no idea what was going to happen next but my teammates come up off the bench to try to protect me and then of course the umpires came out and broke it all up but I was nervous the rest of that game because she scared me, I thought she was going to be after me after the game. Interviewer: “Now, could they hit your pitches? Or were you wild enough that they had a hard time with that?” Oh that first year I don’t think I got close enough to plate to let them try to hit it. It was you know, I could throw it but it wasn’t coming close to the plate very often. Then they just waited for me to walk them it was very humiliating. Interviewer: “Alright, but you didn’t get cut or anything? You stayed with the team?” (11:02) Oh no no no, he had great confidence in me and I was left handed pitcher and that was a great attribute because we only had like 3 or 4 left handed pitchers in the league, so they weren’t used to seeing the ball coming at them and breaking way. And you know for the lefties that came up so it was, I had a very good curve ball, they weren’t hitting that. You know, if they hit anything it was because I put it right down the middle, I was still not able to spot pitch it well enough was the only reason that, I still had a winning record. I had 8-6 that year. �Interviewer: “Winning record, I guess left handed pitchers who can pitch well are just a valuable commodity.” Yeah. Interviewer: “And still are.” Still are. Interviewer: “Alright” That’s right. Interviewer: “Let’s go back to that first season a little bit. What was life like for you there with Chicks that first year?” Oh it was really an experience, because like I said I had never been out of the state except in my really younger years (12:00) when I was traveling with my mother. So to be driving out there on my own I remember when I was really thrilled that I was going to be, you know getting a check for playing baseball, getting paid to play I was just thrilled to death, so actually you know doing that and doing some work through college I was able to pay my way through college without any problem. And I had never really had a real steak, so the first thing I did was to go out and order a big T-bone steak. I can just almost taste it I remember how excited I was to have my first steak. So yeah I lived with a couple there they were a Dutch family and I had one roommate and we had a curfew. We had to be in and we had to tell them if we were going to be out and where we were going but I was kind of a, I was kind of a… I’ve never told this on an interview before but I used to go with the police department that would, that raided the houses on at night you know, and they would come to ball games (13:07). We had a lot of police that would come by and they were detectives and so they ask me if I wanted to go along with them this one night when they were raiding a house and they took me on the raid and people were jumping out of the windows and I was sitting in the car and I was just scared to death of what they were doing but it was really fun experience and you know at that age it was quite exciting. Interviewer: “Alright, what kind of relationship did the team have with the fans at that time do you think?” Oh it was great, it was great. We had a lot of support they were always there cheering for us. Even in the, because it was in the last two years and we didn’t have the seventeen thousand like they did at times in the earlier years but we had a good following there were always people in the stands. It wasn’t like it is today when the girls try to play baseball and there are only six or eight people that bother to come to the games. I’m sure it’s hard to play today when you don’t have anybody coming to your games. (14:08) �Interviewer: “Well the women’s softball series had made it onto ESPN2 at least, so they are getting there.” Yeah, yeah. Interviewer: “Yeah, now how did the more veteran players treat the new ones when they came in, do you remember what kind of reception you got?” Oh, if it hadn’t been for the veteran players the pitchers, I wouldn’t have probably have made it as a pitcher. Because Woody English had played short stop for the Chicago I believe they were the Cubs then and he, he wanted a championship team and he didn’t pay much attention to us rookies at all. So every time I would come to field in my rookie year he would say, my name was “Des Combes comes”, my maiden name so he would say “De Combes go run in the outfield”. Every time I would come on that’s where he put me “Go run in the outfield”. So everybody was having batting practice (15:00), pitchers didn’t have to learn to bat so all I could do doing during batting practice was run back in forth across the field in the back, which was and the field was like a football field so it was wide open and it was like the left side of the field and I was just run back and forth back and forth. And you know, he never even told me why you know, but then Beans Risinger who was one of the very good starting pitchers and Alma Ziegler was one of the starting pitchers at the time and they took me under their wing and showed me how to wind up and that sort of thing you know I had no idea how to stretch and wind up, I had no idea. You know, I think I even got called bulk several times for it, because I didn’t know how to do that. So it was really their help and their tutoring that taught me how to really be a pitcher. Interviewer: “You also had some other rookies on the team too, you had some new players?” (15:57) Oh we had rookies yeah, we had some other rookies that were playing. Yeah and some other gals that had been out there, they did a lot of trading you know. They tried to keep the teams even, the skill levels even. So that when people came to the games they were exciting and they did a very good job of that. So there were always moving players around from one team to another. But in Grand Rapids they had a few people that just stay there and were there all of the time. I think that was pretty true throughout the league, they would keep four or five of the really star players who were good draws for the clubbing because they had this connection to them and the rest of the people would get rotated around a lot. Even in that two years we probably had four or five people that would change from one year to the next. But yeah, but we had a lot of pitchers and they all were very, very friendly, all the players they, they just accepted us immediately. There was no difference between the regular infield and outfield; they were very willing to work with the younger people. (17:02) Interviewer: “Okay, now how much of the sort of rules and regulations of league were still in place? You mentioned that you had a curfew at the home that you were staying at. Did, �was there still a chaperone, were they still telling you or giving you a list of do’s and don’ts or was most of that gone by then?” Well I had probably one of the best chaperones in the league. She had been a former player, Dottie Green, and she was tremendous. You know, what they did in the movie to the chaperones was just sad to all the players because the chaperones were just our best friends; they were like your mother or your grandmother away from home you know. So, I loved the chaperone she was just wonderful to us. And they weren’t strict about going around and checking to make sure you were home or any of that. But they were strict when they told you the rules and they gave us a little booklet of what the rules were and told us that was what we had to do. Well in that era back in the ‘40s and the ‘50s you did what your parents told you to do. You didn’t try to figure out how to go around it when you were you know, a teenager, so us younger players we toed the line pretty well, I got a little risqué in that second year you know, went out once or twice when I wasn’t supposed to be out but that’s basically it (18:18).You know I was pretty conforming to the rules but there were older gals that were doing things, but you know they didn’t bother the players that much. But the thing that they did that bothered me is when I went I had very, very long hair all the way down my back and I had never had my hair cut and I had to cut my hair. Well I didn’t know what to do with my hair so I figured well I’ll go to the barber shop. I don’t know if they have beauty shops but all I knew was that people go to the barber shop. So I went to the barber shop and he just about scalped me, and you had to have your hair below the cap and mine wasn’t. So I kind of hid I stayed away from as far as I could away from Woody English because I was afraid that he would call me on it, until my hair grew out it kind of stayed that trend you know. I just stayed out behind the infield he would yell at me from there what to do that first year so (19:15). Second year I let my hair be normal and it was okay I wasn’t shy about it by the time the first year was over but my hair was a problem. But they didn’t force you to wear makeup like they showed in the first year. We never had to wear makeup. But when we got on our bus to go on our trips away out of town, we had to wear the skirts. We all rolled our jeans up and we had our jeans under our skirts and we all look like we were about two hundred pounds because our because they were these flared old skirts they used to wear so they were stuck way out here and of course your pants were pushing the skirt way out but you could get in and out of them because it was an elastic top you could just slide it in and out, it wasn’t too difficult. And we always wore our body socks and shoes because we didn’t have to wear heels or anything. We did have to wear heels, I have a picture of us going we had to go to this specific building to get our checks. We had to be all dressed up, we would go as a team, and we had to be all dressed up we had to have on heels and I have on heels there. But if we were out on the street and kind of as a group we had to dress up like that. But normally, day to day just a skirt would do. (20:32) Interviewer: “Okay now the ’53 season was the year that Chick’s actually managed to win the League Championship. Is there anything that stands out in your mind about that season or the last part of it or the final games?” Well I do know that Beans was pitching that game and it was a close game and know that Alma Ziegler came up and was talking to her trying to encourage her you know “You can do it”. Alma Ziegler was about as tall as I am now so and Ziggy is about 6’ 4”, I mean Beans was about 6’ 4”, �so they look like Mutt and Jeff out there on the mound, the little one telling the big one what she should to do. I can recall seeing that scene and she did win that game and won the championship. Interviewer: “Now Alma was another pitcher, wasn’t she?” Well she was, but she played second base all the time. She only pitched when there was real need. But the thing about Alma was she was the oldest player on the team, she was a spark plug she was always the captain, very quick. She wasn’t a good hitter at all, she was very small but she could place the ball and get on base, but she couldn’t throw by that time. She might have thrown the ball better when she was younger but when I got there she couldn’t throw the ball very well but she threw it so slow that after they had seen like Beans or one of us that threw it really hard people couldn’t hit her. So Woody would put her in, you know, I mean anytime, she could throw the ball to the plate all the time. There was nothing on it because it was just kind of floating up there. So people would miss it because it was so slow. (22:13) Interviewer: “Alright, when that ’53 season comes to an end and so forth, so have you started college after that?” I started college, yeah. Interviewer: “And where did you go to college?” Ohio Northern University and I was always in all the sports and captain of the basketball team and I played softball there a lot so I had gotten a lot of softball when I was playing in college, team play. Interviewer: “And how did the level of play of the college softball teams compare with the Professional Baseball League?” Well softball is a different game you know, so it’s…you know they could play we had some good players, we had some, we had some good athletes in college. It wasn’t quite like how it was in high school. In high school it was a small school so we didn’t have a girl that I could actually play catch with. Nobody else would even want to play catch with me so it was a really small community. But in college you are going all over the state you know. In college we had some good players, it was competitive. It was okay softball. But it was softball and not baseball, it’s a whole different ball game. Interviewer: “Was there an overlap between the academic year and the baseball season?” (23:30) Right, yeah. I had to miss spring training because I was still in college but I was there when the games started, the season. But I would always miss when they would take team pictures, that was �bad. I have the team picture I think it was the ’54 team picture but in ’53, or the opposite, anyway I only have one of the two years that I was in the League that I’m in the picture. Interviewer: “Okay since you missed the training in ’54 you came to the team and now they had gone to the regulation size baseball, and now you sort of had your control back and do you think that surprised the manager to see you actually go up and there do it right?” He didn’t seem surprised at all. And he didn’t have any lack of confidence in me at all either. I mean, he was impressed I’m sure, but he never changed. He wasn’t the person who at least my experience with him, he didn’t mingle with the players. He wasn’t your friend; he was somebody who you just said “yes sir” to sort of. He reminded me of my father. So it was and I wasn’t used to be around a man telling me what to do because my father wasn’t around when I was growing up that much, so. I was a little shaken by him. I didn’t really know his history. I didn’t know who he was or who he had played for. I really hadn’t watched baseball except for the Cleveland Indians was the only club I followed, so I had no idea who he was. He was just a guy chewing tobacco up there spitting onto the field to me and I wasn’t too impressed by him but I was afraid of him. (25:12) Interviewer: “Did he change at all how he treated you as that season went on and it was clear that you were pitching up to that regular level?” Oh yeah, you know he didn’t make me go running anymore. I was treated like I was a regular ball player then. But he still didn’t care if I hit. I would say “Can I please practice, will you please show me what I should do here? How can I improve my hitting?” because I wasn’t a good hitter. He said: “Oh it doesn’t matter, you aren’t supposed to hit. Just hit the ball, get in here and get your arm covered up, save your arm”. He was really concerned about the pitchers saving their arms, keeping their arms warm and so he was not concerned at all about the fact that I couldn’t hit the ball. Interviewer: “Did they have you bunt, or was that a…?” I bunted a lot. Yeah, I made a lot of outs. But I batted 126, which not many professional ball players stay in the League long batting 126. (26:13) Interviewer: “Except if they are good pitchers.” If they are good pitchers they can do it. Interviewer: “When you were playing, particularly that last season, so you are starting fairly regularly and pitching a lot of innings. Were there particular teams or players that gave you a lot of trouble?” �Oh yeah. It was the Ft. Wayne Daisies that were the star teams during those years and they had the Foss and my memory is starting to leave me, and they had the three sisters that were, if you can help me out with the suggestion of the names. I played half the league with them I played in Allington’s All-stars. I played on the children’s team with a lot of those gals from the Ft. Wayne Daisies. Jean, the Weaver sisters, Jean Weaver and Betty Foss was her sister and they were the best hitters in the league. I mean they were 300+ hitters so when they came to the plate, yes I was a little bit afraid that I might not throw it past them but I constantly kept that in mind. “I can throw this ball past them”. That’s was what really kept me going. I have always been good at focusing on one thing and so I was good at focusing on where the catcher put the glove (27:42). And that was all I would do, that would be my aim was to put that ball in the glove. I was never aware of anybody in the stands or anything anybody was saying, it was just me and that glove, always, so I really really enjoyed it and was really sad when the League folded. I had no idea that the League was having financial problems and that that it was going to fold until it was that spring and Catie Horstman was one of the gals from Ohio who actually only lived 10 miles from me but I didn’t know it in Ohio. So she, when the League quit Bill Allington was the manager who was in the League for 11 of of the 12 the only one that was there all those years. And a very, very good teaching coach so I was happy to be able to be playing with him those, I played until I graduated college I played in the touring team he got 12 girls, there were 11 girls and him so there were 12 of us and 2 vehicles, two cars and a station wagon. Toured around and played men’s teams. We had a great time and we had a lot of those really good ball players. So I had a really good opportunity to play but anyway I really enjoyed those years and sorry to see it go but I wanted to a professional so from there I took up golf and played professional golf for awhile. (29:12) Interviewer: “Alright, let’s go back to the Barn starting business. Where were you going and what kind of response did you get? ” Well we had a booking agent in Omaha, Nebraska. And he booked a lot in that area. Iowa, Nebraska, in the Midwest in that area. And some up in Minnesota and in the areas we had played and we played at St. Paul and we would play in minor league ball clubs or we would play town teams we would play anybody that he could schedule us a game with. So we were constantly in our cars driving hundreds of miles all night long to get to the next game. And we tried to, you know we played at least 5 nights a week, and double headers many times. So it was on the road constantly trying to get to the next game. You know we would take whatever we got from the gate and split it. I don’t know how much Bill Allington took but he would, he would pay for the scheduling of the games he would take some and we would split all the rest among the players. We would end up with 2 or 3 dollars sometimes. Then we would have to pay for our hotel and get our own food out of that, so it didn’t pay anything but nobody wanted to leave, nobody wanted to stop playing. It was the only opportunity to continue to play, and I was fortunate to be one of the eleven that went. �(30:38) Interviewer: “How successful were you on playing the men’s teams? Did you beat a lot of them?” Well, we, Bill had a really good idea and it really worked. And that was that we exchanged batters, pitchers and catchers and then we would play them head on. We would play regulation baseball and regulation baseball field and it worked great. I mean it was like split (31:00) 50/50, I have the records of the games and we won as many as we lost. And depending on the, I was always pitching against these all-star girls who were on the team but we had some great pitchers with us so it was really even and nobody gave anything away, it was a fight. We wanted to win, they wanted to win and it was a competitive game. And really drew the crowds and when we were pitching against the man pitcher and catcher, and of course most of their relatives are in the stands came to see this just hoping that these guys would strike out which they often did. I think I struck this catcher out like four times in the game, he just fell apart and people would just laugh in the stands and just really give him a hard time. And then after the game we would all go out and just have a great time. We had really great relationships with the town and the teams that we played. (32:00) Interviewer: “Then how did that stuff come to an end? Did it kind of just wear out its welcome, or you all got tired of it?” Well I left, I played for three years and that last year they had to get people who were not in the league to play because they couldn’t get enough All Americans to go back out and play. And I went overseas to teach so I wasn’t playing anymore. But they got some pretty good players in various locations but that was the problem, they weren’t part of the All Americans and I guess Bill decided to let it go. Interviewer: “Alright, now so you became a teacher, so did you major in education or did you have a particular field?” Well when I started in college I had this big plan, I was going to be an atomic scientist but I kind of backed down off of that and I decided to be a teacher. Of course most everybody in that era was either going to become a teacher or a nurse (33:03). And so I decided into going into teaching. I had a math degree and a physical education minor so I taught physical education in Puerto Rico, and Europe and the Philippines for the Air Force, dependent children. Interviewer: “So you…?” I let the baseball go, I never even turned my head back to see it. It was just like well now that part of my life is gone now I am going to be a golfer. So I made sure that every Air Force base I went to had a golf course and I practiced and practiced and practiced so when school was out I �was on the golf course and I got lessons from pros and I went back to California about nine years later and went to a country club and got my established hand and cap and turned pro and played for like 4 years on and off until the money would run out and I would go to work for awhile and I would go out on a tour and play a few more tournaments (34:08). Then I met my husband, got married and had three children and that was the end of my professional career. And then they started getting the All Americans back together with the Players Association and were talking about making this movie and my kids were all small then. So when they asked us to come back and if we wanted to be in this scene in the movie, I said, “Oh I can’t do that I have these little kids to take care of”. So I had no idea that it was going to be Gina Davis, and Tom Hanks, and I would have gotten there somehow if I would have known that. But it was too late then so I didn’t make it to the movie. Interviewer: “Now did your friends and people know that you played ball?” My children didn’t know it, my husband didn’t know it, no one knew it. Well my sisters knew it because they were involved when I was doing it of course but no, none of my family knew it at all I never mentioned it, never thought about it very often. But I played on softball teams you know, I went back to playing softball. And I went into real estate and we had our own team and I played all over the field, anyplace I wanted to because I could still play real well you know so I’m still playing senior softball, I play first base so I don’t have to run very much. (35:28) Interviewer: “So even your husband didn’t know? When did you meet him?” No, I met, I was playing golf and Marilyn Smith, who was a pro at the time said well go and take lessons from this guy in Los Angeles and he will help you with your game, so I did and my husband was practicing his golf there and wanted to play professional golf so that’s where I met him and three months later we got married. Interviewer: “What year was that?” Let’s see that would have been about ’65, something like that. (36:03) Interviewer: “That’s a good good space of time after the league had ended and you had stopped that. So that was just some miscellaneous thing that you had done when you were younger and not a really big deal…” Right, just part of my growing up experiences. Well then I was traveling all over the country that was something I always wanted to do I always had this drive that I had this agenda, of things I wanted to play professionally to make my living, and I wanted to travel, those are the two things, �and I wanted to leave the place that I was born where there was always nothing ever to do. So I have been living an exciting life ever since. Interviewer: “How do you think the experience with the League that affected you and kind of filled in some pieces of that?” Oh, that defined who I was, that really defined who I was. I had gained so much confidence in playing and learned so much from the teamwork and the friendships and camaraderie that was involved in that playing in those years. It totally defined me, I was not afraid to do anything. I rode all over Europe on a motor scooter by myself; I camped out under bridges with a blanket to see the country (37:22). I went there I had no job when I went to Europe so I bought a motor scooter and toured around all summer on that motor scooter I had never been to Europe before. So really I had no fear. It really, it taught me, and that travel taught me a lot about life, to appreciate it. I appreciated the fact that I had that chance so much and that there were so many people out there doing something that I liked to do it gave me a lot of confidence in who I was. I no longer felt like I was an outcast because I liked to do these things that boys liked to do it was like something is wrong with you if you do something like that if you go out and play, but the boys that you play with if you play as well as they do they don’t care if you play with them. It was the adults who were being judgmental about the fact that I was the only one doing it. But the people in town really liked me, I worked hard in that little town and I got to know the people that were running the restaurants and the business, I worked in a little restaurant and the fella who owned the big expensive restaurant across the street, my sisters worked for him, so he knew what a great athlete I was. So when I was just deciding to go and do baseball he called me over and said “You know,” he was a golfer and he says “you know, you could play professional golf” he said “if you want to learn to play golf instead of play baseball I’ll sponsor you so you can learn how to play golf “. I said “Oh no. I don’t want to play golf, no, I don’t want to chase that little ball around. I want to play baseball”. So I had a choice then, and I chose the baseball (39:01). But then that thought never left my mind…well maybe I can play golf. The strange thing was when I went to Puerto Rico they had no left handed clubs so I had to learn how to play right handed, so I did. I still putt left hand but I played right handed but I have had opportunities cross my path and I am one of those spontaneous people that I just do it. I don’t think about if it was a good decision or not, I just do it. And I’m glad I have because I’ve really lived a really, really full life. Interviewer: “On a little bit larger scale, where do you have the sense that where the League fits in terms of the larger history of women and sports, do you think you did something valuable or feel like you helped show what women could do or helped set up thing to come later or was it just something that happened and is disconnected from Title IX and the things to come later? (39:59) �Well I don’t think anybody knew who we were until the movie came out. So, we didn’t think we were anybody special. No matter who you talk to, we said that we played for the love of the game because we loved to play the game. And constantly we would go as a group someplace and people are telling us “Gee if it hadn’t been for you there wouldn’t have been any Title IX”, well that’s not true. Billy Jean King probably did more for Title IX than anybody and women’s sports. But in retrospect all history is based like that on what people did previously, so we have kind of inherited that position and I think that since we have inherited it we have done more for it consciously than we did before; I mean I don’t think anybody had any thought of women in the future while we were playing. But now the position that we are in we support other girls in sports we are always all out going to schools, not all of us but a good portion of the women have been in sports all of these years in one capacity or another as teachers, instructors, or coaches they all have added to it throughout their lifetimes. (41:17) Interviewer: “Alright, is there anything else you would like to add to the record here before we close out the interview?” I just want to go on the record and say that the All American Girls Professional Baseball League if hadn’t been for those women in the ‘40’s who stuck through all those changes from fast pitched softball to bring it into being baseball the way that they have, there wouldn’t have been a League because fast pitched softball was pretty ordinary sport at that time. But women to play actual baseball is what people give us credit for (42:00). It was an evolution just like men’s baseball was an evolution of softball as well, most people don’t know that but it was, but the fact that we did that is really motivating a lot of girls today that are playing in Little League to want to play baseball. And I think that baseball is a much better game than softball. Because it is a smaller ball and girls have smaller hands and it is easier to throw and it is so much more thought into the game of baseball because there is so much more time there is much more strategy and it is much, it’s a whole different game but it’s a very exciting game when you are playing, it might not be an exciting game to watch but it is very exciting to play. And I hope more girls, I am a very big advocate of women’s baseball and involved with the women’s baseball in the United States now and I traveled with an Australian team that comes over here all the time so I get to travel to Australia so I am really involved in Women’s baseball. Interviewer: “Well it makes for a really great story, so thanks for coming in an telling it today.” Thank you, thank you very much. (43:08) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball players for military service. Players were recruited from across the country, and the league was successful enough to be able to continue on after the war. The league had teams based in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and operated between 1943 and 1954. The 1954 season ended with only the Fort Wayne, South Bend, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Rockford teams remaining. The League gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball. Many of the players went on to successful careers, and the league itself provided an important precedent for later efforts to promote women's sports. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-58)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Oral history Baseball players--Minnesota Baseball players--Indiana Baseball players--Wisconsin Baseball players--Michigan Baseball players--Illinois Baseball for women--United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-02 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58_JLesko0503BB Title A name given to the resource Lesko, Jeneane (Interview transcript and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lesko, Jeneane Description An account of the resource Jeneane Lesko was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1935. She grew up playing sports, practicing with men's baseball and basketball teams. She was playing for a softball team in Lima, Ohio, when she was recruited into the AAGPBL. She was a pitcher for the Grand Rapids Chicks during the last two seasons of the league, 1953-1954. Because of the larger size ball and the shorter distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate in the women's league, she had control problems as a pitcher in her first season, but still went 8-6. During the final season, when the league changed the rules and played the standard men's game, she did even better. After the league folded, she joined a barnstorming team made up of former league players, and stayed with it for three years. After that, she became a teacher and a professional golfer, and has actively supported women's baseball. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Baseball for women--United States Baseball Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Baseball players--Michigan Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-08-04 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-55)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8962510c91ea00c2c96b55773334843d.mp4 abee99fca8cb4e9ee454d84c32f7ffea https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6ac3b1d69f1d5edc06973f027946d6b8.pdf 344d55fc45724e7b44ab3f05450dc471 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Quincy Leslie (00:28:00) (00:06) Introduction (00:14) Family and Childhood • Born in Northport, Michigan and moved to Cheboygan, Michigan in seventh grade. He lived with his this parents, one brother and two sisters. He Graduated from Cheboygan High School in 1935. • Father was a telephone installer. (00:58) Pre-enlistment • Attended teachers training school (county normal) for one year and taught in rural one room country school in Cheboygan County thereafter for 3 years • Worked for a rustic furniture company as a shipping manager. (1:26) • Did not attend college until after service so he needed to stop teaching. (1:47) • Was aware that he might be drafted, but did not worry about it much. Lived in a small town and Pearl Harbor went by without much impact on daily life. (2:07) (2:45) Enlistment and Training • Drafted in June 1942, at 24 years old and took oath in Fort Detroit, and went to Camp Custer classified as branch immaterial. (2:45) • Sent to Fort McClellan for basic infantry training. (3:44) • Already familiar with training because of a previous experience in ROTC at Michigan State College (later Michigan State University). (4:58) • Drill sergeants were kind, and he was responsive there were no problems or reprimands. (5:18) • The military had to investigate his character in the community before his acceptance and sworn to top secrecy. (5:52) Sent to land based radar school at Fort Monroe Virginia for training in electronics and electronics repair. (7:00) (7:48) Cape My, New Jersey • Arrived in Cape May around middle of 1943. In charge of station as a sergeant (8:26) �• Radar was a self-operating station on the beach in a fenced in location. The radar was housed in a building that looked like a water tank allowing the unit to work in virtual secret. (8:36) • They were looking at objects at sea for enemies and reported it to the Coast Guard Artillery for further identification. Has a crew of twenty-five men and was in charge twenty-four hours per day operating in crews of eight. (9:30) • U-Boat threat was under control and they were keeping the coastlines clear. (10:30) • Looking at freighter traffic that was not traveling in convoys, and looking at Norfolk, Virginia. (11:07) • Other men would travel daily back and forth from surrounding bases for their shifts, because the station was not equipped with sleep quarters. (11:46) • Lived for almost a year in a private home on the board walk owned by some upstate residents as a summer home and was given room and board for his wife and himself who were newly weds. (11:51) (13:38) Further Training and Overseas Service • Applied for Signal Corps Administration and officer position in supply and was sent to Texas for further training. (13:38) • Sent to Hawaii, which was not yet a state, and was given a desk job in movement and acceptance of supplies. (15:00) • Enjoyed time off for golfing and swimming. Seemed like paradise. (17:10) • His wife was not with him in Hawaii. He was released from service without issue due to his wife’s pregnancy without a request on his part. (17:48) • Felt he was there to help the effort and those around him. He wanted to help his men solve problems and grateful that his education allowed him to not have to do many of the things others had to do. (19:00), (20:10) • Felt he knew what to expect from service life because he had worked with WWI veterans and was in the Drum and Bugle corps before this service experience. He felt he was not particularly indoctrinated because of these prior experiences. (19:31) (21:06) After The Service • Radio and television repair business, and went to college on weekend at Central Michigan University. (21:32) �• Received a Masters degree. (21:36) • • • Taught K-12 until he was sixty-five, and then retired. (21:41) Substitute taught in Cheboygan County until his mid seventies. (21:53) The children always wanted to know if he was a veteran and he would tell them stories of his service. They would want to know about the 16 inch guns and if he has ever killed anyone, which he had not. (21:56), (22:58) • Was a major of Cheboygan for one term in 1954 and worked for: board of directors at the Department of Social Services in addition to The State of Michigan Veteran’s Trust. He has preformed services for veteran’s counseling and affairs. (23:51) • Believed the State did a fairly good job and the main issue was transport to vital services, and opportunities for care. Veterans never really get mentally on track themselves because they have others who depend on them post war. b He is a Commander in the American Legion and is in charge of Veteran Memorial Day services. (28:00) • � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LeslieQ Title A name given to the resource Leslie, Quincy (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leslie, Quincy Description An account of the resource Quincy Leslie is a WW II veteran from Cheboygan, Michigan who served in the U.S. Army after being drafted in 1942. He served in a radar unit on the New Jersey shore, and then as a supply officer in Hawaii until his discharge in 1946. After the war, he became actively involved in working with veterans in Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-05 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8d3d76a365f84fbeb5482464f02f7689.mp4 ee23c3a0f1af6e0e90d60cede8e40541 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f6015a304c019728650366f552997a1c.pdf c7a8193c8e8795d4698e77bed873f854 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Depression and World War II Estelle Levin Length of Interview: 1:41:37 (00:00) JS: We’re talking today with Estelle Levin, of Cascade, Michigan. The interviewer is James Smither of Grand Valley State University. Mrs. Levin, can you start by telling us a little bit about your background. Where were you born and where did you grow up? EL: Well, I was born in Glendale, California. I grew up on the north shore of Chicago. I grew up in a suburb there, Glen Cove. When the war came, my family was not the only one that had this problem. You could not get oil to heat the house, ‘cause most houses out there were not coal burning. JS: Let’s back up a little bit. Let’s fill in a little bit more before we get you there. For example, when did you move from California to the Chicago area? EL: I was three years old when my parents moved to Evanston, Illinois. We lived there for about three years and then we moved to Glen Cove. JS: Okay. Now why did your family move? (00:58) EL: Why does any family move? The father’s business, his job. And my dad was an inventor. And he found fields to be much more fertile in the Chicago area than they had been out in California. He was interested in the manufacturing of fountain pens. He made the first fountain pen that did not have a rubber sack in it. And he needed the support of other manufacturers, at that time it would have been Parker Pen Company in Janesville, Wisconsin. So that’s really how we moved to Chicago. Then of course, once there, he commuted from Glen Cove, like all the other fathers did. Mothers took their husbands down to the train station, that went on the north shore or Northwestern, depending on where they were going. And then they were all back there again at 5:30, 6:00, to pick them up again and bring them home. It was a very lovely life. It was the beginning of suburban life. But when the war came, when the advent of the war came, everything changed. You could not get oil to heat your house. There was no way to convert those houses to coal. So that was one thing. It was too expensive as far as gas for cars. That also became a premium item. Ultimately, that was rationed, along with meat, along with sugar, along with shoes. Everybody had a ration book. (2:39) EL: For example, by the time I was old enough to go to college, I went to college with my ration book. It was almost more important than my diploma. ‘Cause if you didn’t have a ration book, you didn’t get anything to eat. �JS: Now when did you start college? EL: 1941. September of 1941. JS: Okay. So there was rationing in place then, even prior to Pearl Harbor. EL: Yes. Yes. It was, and I believe, from my study of history, that Roosevelt knew the war was coming but he did not know we were going to get hit in Pearl Harbor. Because when this happened, the Japanese ambassador was still in this country. And he got out, just at that time. So they knew. They knew it was going to happen. As the war progressed, now we’re in the war and we’re really the suppliers for all of Europe, for all the Allies, I should say, the rationing system was operative. It was not something they diddled around with. It was operative. (03:48) EL: The other thing that was operative, and which it just amazes me that we haven’t done anything like that with this war, was the whole saving bond program. I mean, if you…you were confronted with this all the time, bond rallies. If anybody could buy a bond for $18.75 and hold it and have it mature until $25, you could…there were more expensive bonds, but everything was at a level that the ordinary person could participate in it. And as far as kids were concerned, my sister was seven years younger than I, Tuesday was bank day. You could bring a dime and get a sticker in your book, which would ultimately add up to the cost of a bond. And it was built up from the very bottom of the population. I remember my sister was part of the MacArthur Youth Core, General MacArthur. And each time you, it was a whole program. Each time you did something a little bit more, you got elevated to the next level and you got a sticker that you could wear. (04:57) EL: So there was a building up of an attitude which had just not existed in this situation. I was on campus, at Knox College, when the war began. But the experience that we all had, on that…I remember exactly where I was sitting, in that gymnasium, listening to Roosevelt. We had about seven Nisei, Japanese American students. They were gone by the next day. We never really understood why. They were interred probably with all the rest of them that were interred on the west coast. JS: The internment applied mostly to the people living on the west coast. EL: No. Wherever there were Japanese students, they were off the campus. JS: Well, that’s quite likely. They would not have been safe. The college people would have…well, anyway, a number of things could have happened. In terms of what was legally imposed by the government, it was primarily the western states, especially the pacific coast, where official internment of the Japanese took place. And it didn’t place right after Pearl Harbor. But the shockwaves were immediate. (06:09) �EL: Yes. We never really knew what happened to it. Perhaps this is my erroneous assumption, because I don’t know where there were other places of internment. JS: But they were there one day and gone the next. EL: They were there and gone within twenty-four hours. And our whole life changed dramatically. The building I lived in was a place called Whiting Hall. It was a girls dormitory. It was built about 1870. And it had huge huge windows. We had blinds that we had to pull down for privacy, but now all those rooms were equipped with blackout curtains. So that there was no light coming through from those large windows. And then of course, we already had the ration books. We came to college with the ration books. Knox was unusual in that they had their own farmland, because it was a land grant school, but a private school. And they grew a lot of their own produce and they had some of their own livestock. But we still had meat rationing. (07:25) JS: Right. EL: Still had meat rationing. I never really thought that much about it, because at that time, you just didn’t. Shoes were another story. Shoes were rationed and you got two pairs a year. That meant that if there was a family that had growing children whose feet outgrew the shoes before the next pair was available, somebody in the family gave up one of their ration tickets so that they could get another pair of shoes. My sister and I…I’ve got to make a connection between the war and the Depression. Because I was really a Depression child. And from my point of view, and in my viewing of history, we didn’t really solve the Depression. The war solved the Depression. One of the things that we did was to save aluminum foil. At that time, every piece of chewing gum, every bit of candy bar, cigarettes, came with foil in the package. And my sister and I, I can still see us sitting at the dining room table, smoothing out the foil. And when we got a big enough ball, our dad would take it down to a place where you could get it weighed and they would pay you for it. And that’s how we got spending money. (08:47) EL: We also got spending money by walking around with a little wagon, in the neighborhood, city neighborhoods were not as neat as suburban neighborhoods, and they threw their tin cans, their coke bottles, and you could take those back and get a nickel for them. So recycling was just par for the course. You didn’t think otherwise. You didn’t think about it. I, by the time I was sixteen, before I went away to school, I got a job in a local department store, Manilow’s, working on Saturdays, in the basement. We had a shipment one particular day of nylon hose. It was a riot. I don’t mean riot, fun. I mean a riot, there was a limit to two pair of hose. No ration cards were involved in this. But there weren’t any hose. How we got these nylon hose, I don’t know. But women were fighting for them. They were just fighting for them. (09:49) EL: There were shortages but everybody was in it. So nobody felt deprived, or victimized. And I have to say, there was a different spirit than there is today. We all knew we were in this together. There was a draft. If you were in college, and enrolled in a strategically important program, you had more opportunity to avoid the draft. But by the time I left, I left Know College �after my first year and went to be transferred to the University of Michigan, and the Japanese language school was located there. And I mean…and also, the only topographical map of Japan, in the whole United States, was located in the Geography department at the University of Michigan. So the Japanese language school was there. (10:59) EL: You saw these fellas marching to and fro. There were very little social contacts with this group. They were highly disciplined and highly trained. There were no cars. You walked. Everyone was a lot healthier. It was cold but you still walked. You were aware that life was changing. You didn’t quite understand how. I was involved with the Red Cross, both when I was at Knox College and in Ann Arbor, and it was more than just rolling bandages. You actually did some volunteer work in the hospitals, because key help was already involved in the build-up as far as supporting what was going on. And the University of Michigan was located at Willow run, which was the main manufacturing spot for the B-17s and the B-25s. And I subsequently, the war was now still going on, I subsequently got a job in downtown Ann Arbor, at a clothing store called the Darling Shops, I needed the money. I hated the job. But I needed the money. (12:33) EL: Our primary customers were from Willow Run. Huge amounts of people had come up from the South, to work in the plants. And the reason I hated the job was because your job, my job, as an employee, was to get two bucks out of these people and get them to sign a piece of paper and then the store would get them for the rest of it, and it was just forever that they were paying, on whatever this purchase was. JS: Now what kinds of things were you selling? EL: Clothing, primarily. Clothing. And that bothered me, that bothered me. Now, there were other things. The draft. For those students, for the males that were still on campus, and there were a lot of them, they had to report regularly to their draft boards. And if they didn’t keep their grades up, they got swept up. And this was a fact, this was a fact of life. Scarcities, we didn’t see as scarcities. It was just the way it was. (13:49) EL: I remember June 6, when the invasion began. I mean, the dorm was just abuzz at 6:30 in the morning because it had come over on the radio. Remember, we had no television. We had no instant messaging of any kind. A letter took forever. Transportation was primarily trains. And I can remember going back and forth to Chicago one particular break and I rode standing up halfway, because the train was so crowded. I wasn’t the only one. There were a lot of us. And we just sort of, passengers who had seats would just get up and let you have a seat for a little while. (14:45) EL: So there were a lot of dislocations. I think that the thing, I would like to bring out. There were a lot of dislocations, but people accepted these things gracefully. There was just not some of the whining you hear today. Now that may not be a nice thing to say, but I happen to feel that we’ve been a pretty spoiled population. From the end of World War II until about, what, the �early eighties, we’ve been through a period of our history that never was before and never will be again. From an economic standpoint. And our kids grew up with, not necessarily with these expectations, but just that’s the way it was. That’s the way it was. JS: Sure. (15:37) EL: So, we’ve got a lot of things to face right now, I think. I don’t know how well prepared we are for that. JS: Well, certainly the economists are telling us what you just said. That we had this period of prosperity and now, other people have caught up with us, and what happens. I’d like at this point to backtrack a little bit and fill in a little bit more of sort of your own individual story and your family story. Now when did you move from Glen Cove? Did you move into Chicago from Glen Cove? EL: Yeah. Yes. JS: And what neighborhood or area did you move to? (16:14) EL: We were on the north side. 832 [Gunninson]. Which was a block off Sheridan Road. Oh, I should tell you about how I got to high school. I went to [Senn] High School, and there was a bus system that ran north and south on Sheridan Road, it did not go east and west. The high school was east of Lake Michigan, and we were close to Lake Michigan. There were about ten of us girls, we looked like the Tudor Ville Taxi. We’d pile into this taxi, ten cents apiece, with our books. And if you weren’t there on time, you didn’t get the ride. So you were there on time. And that’s how we got to school in the morning. If you had an eight o’clock class or homeroom, you needed to be there early. Now coming home was a different thing. We all bought bus tickets. The bus tickets were ten cents apiece but money was scarce, this was still in the Depression. So if you could, you tried to walk home. I lived about twenty-eight blocks from [Senn] High School, and when the wind wasn’t too bad, or the snow wasn’t too bad, I walked home. I had a gorgeous figure. (laughs) I mean, you just didn’t get rides. (17:42) EL: My folks had a car but it sat on the street most of the time. We didn’t have a garage. It sat on the street because we didn’t have gas. And so if it was something really important, my father would take the car out. The problem was if you let the car sit and you didn’t use it, the battery went out. So you had those things which were definitely a nuisance. Um, the school that I went to had over five thousand students in it. My graduating class was over eight hundred. That’s about the size of East Grand Rapids, you know. JS: Yep. (18:34) �EL: So, um, we had an ROTC, which was very very active. I was involved in an international relations class, which took me to the University of Chicago several times a month, along with other students from the city, and we were focused on the issues that the country was facing. As a matter of fact, the way that I got to college was through a scholarship that was given by the long now-defunct League of Nations. My international relations teacher was very supportive and very much a guide to all of her students and she had us entering this essay contest. Well, I won first prize for the eight states of the Midwest. And then I found out, I’ll never forget this, she also was the sponsor for the debate team, and the debate team used to go to the University of Chicago and the Council of Foreign Relations. (19:47) EL: I was looking through this material last night, my old yearbook. And somebody wrote, “You’re a swell debater. If you ever decide to run for President, I’ll vote for you instead of FDR.” (laughter) Now that was another word I saw yesterday. I absolutely don’t ever remember hearing that word, except in the “Music Man,” there is a line where the music man talks about “swell’’ and something else. But in my yearbook, that word is all over the place. You know, you’re swell this, you’re swell that. And I talked to my sister last night and I said, do you ever remember any of that? She didn’t remember that either. (20:34) EL: Now another way that my sister earned money, there were contests sponsored by the newspapers for kids. And she won a lot of them. What did she win? A dollar. Do you have any idea what a dollar was at that time to a kid? A dollar, to win a dollar. That was just a huge sum of money, in the ‘30s and early ‘40s. Everything is disproportionate now, it seems. Another thing that we did, this is in high school. The Depression is still on. And we didn’t…first of all, you couldn’t work if you weren’t sixteen. A lot of us lied to get jobs. Because we needed the money. We needed it to get spending money. We needed it for the bus tickets. We also had school supplies. Books were supplied by the school system. But there were other things that you had to buy yourself. Paper, pencils, exam books, this kind of thing. We were very cognizant of the value of money and, I remember many times, asking my dad if I could have my allowance and he didn’t have it to give me. (22:07) EL: And my sister, of course, was in grade school and she would always manage to get by on what she had saved from her aluminum foil that he had taken and sold. There was also a period, now this is going back further, we’re still living in Glen Cove, but it’s the Depression. And one day a week was sandwich day, in which everybody brought a sandwich to school and these were collected and given to people who didn’t have anything to eat. I can tell you another thing that I remember distinctly. You would not do this today. We had a little back entry into the house, that was sort of a foyer, that you could close off from the rest of the house, but there was a place to sit. Put your boots on, this kind of thing. And we had people, men, come to the door and knock at the door and ask if we could spare any food. And my mother would always sit them down in this room, make them some kind of a sandwich, give them a cup of coffee, and maybe an extra little piece of something, and they’d be on their way. You know you wouldn’t let anybody in your house like that today. �(23:26) EL: But I remember this. When we got to Chicago, I mean, we had cut back so much by then. When I say my dad couldn’t give me an allowance at a particular time, things had just gotten worse. And, we didn’t think of ourselves as porr, though. ‘Cause everybody else was in the same boat. JS: Now did your father still have some income, was he employed by anyone? EL: No, he, that was the other part, that used to drive my mother nuts. He was an inventor. There was a big table in the living room that he did all of his puttering on. I’ve got a box in the basement, of all of his patens. He did sell the patens. I mean, but it was erratic. It was erratic. (24:35) EL: Oh, the run on the banks. I had to be about ten years old. We were still living in the suburbs. And I went with my mother to the Hubbard Woods Bank. Hubbard Woods was a little community between Winnetka and Glen Cove. But it was really the central commercial area for both Winnetka and Glen Cove. We stood outside. It was so cold, Dr. Smither, it was so cold. I don’t know…they wouldn’t let you in. I mean, they would let some people in, and then they let them out. And you didn’t…my mother wanted to withdraw everything she had in the bank. You didn’t get everything you had. They gave you a percentage. I don’t know what it was. My mother never put another dime in the bank. She, it was wither under the mattress or under something. I remember that very distinctly. Because now we are worrying about money. (25:26) EL: So I’d look around at these people who are losing their homes, we did not have that. Somehow we had food to eat and a roof over our head. My father saw to that. But there were no extras. A movie! My God. We never had any soft drinks at our house either. That was just because of the cost. And because my mother didn’t believe in drinking all that sugar. An ice cream cone, if it was your birthday, you got an ice cream cone. So the things we take for granted today, you can go in a supermarket and just load up on, was just unheard of. Just unheard of. JS: Something that strikes me a little bit from what you’ve said so far, from a modern perspective, that at the same that you were not too far above the level of a subsistence level of existing… EL: I’m sorry, say that again. JS: You were not too far above subsistence level of income. I mean, you had food, you had shelter, but you didn’t have much beyond that, and that’s what we would associate today with people who were really poor. At the same time that you had that, you were also going to a high school that had stuff going on, that had some of these clubs and activities. You had opportunities to go and do things, like take classes at the University of Chicago, so you’re sort of going to an elite institution, you’re hooking up with people who can do things like find college scholarships. There’s still an expectation that you can go to college. There’s a lot of things that don’t necessarily go together with the way that things would work now. �(27:05) EL: That’s right. JS: You went to a big city high school. If you go into a big city high school in Chicago, you may get into some kind of a program that can help you, but the networks and the connections don’t work the same way. It’s not as easy to move back and forth. EL: No. it absolutely isn’t and I’m glad you brought that up, because in addition to going to the University of Chicago, my real love was art. And that’s one of the things I found last night, and I thought, oh my god, I’d forgotten all about this. I didn’t know I was that good. I also, while I was in high school, had a scholarship at the Chicago Art Institute, on Saturday. I wanted to be a fashion designer. Well… I always knew I was going to college. That was an expectation in my family. How it was going to be paid for was just a big amorphous question mark. And if I wanted to go, it was going to be pretty much up to me. (28:04) EL: When it came time, you know you start in your junior year, you know how this goes, it’s been pretty consistent that way. It was this teacher, Henrietta Havemen, who really guided me and made it possible for me, not to just get a scholarship. I had four scholarships when I graduated. I had my choice of four years at the University of Illinois, four years at the University of Chicago, four years at Lawrence College, in Appleton, Wisconsin, and four years at Knox. Why did I go to Knox? It was a very small school. The whole school was smaller than my graduating class. Know was the most prestigious scholarship and I didn’t have to work. Lawrence College would have been a work study. The University of Chicago, my parents would have never thought of letting me live off campus. You got an apartment there, a family here. What’s wrong with you? I would have flunked out of school by the first semester. Because going back and forth on the train, how’m I going to study? Oh my goodness. Be at the library at night. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. (29:20) EL: The University of Illinois, now here’s how economics enters into this. The University of Illinois was really a party school. Everybody who went to the University of Illinois from [Senn], joined a sorority or fraternity. I couldn’t afford that. And I didn’t know how I could handle that. I was smart enough to know that I didn’t know how I could handle that but naïve enough, and childish enough, to think that mattered. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because you could go to school without being part of a sorority. Or fraternity. And there are opportunities all over the place. But I did not see it. (30:05) EL: I did very well at Knox. And the University of Michigan was the only place I didn’t get a scholarship. What happened was when I finally did transfer, my father’s financial position had changed. So he could help/ JS: Was he doing better, in part because the war created opportunities for inventors? �EL: Oh, gosh, yes. First of all, before the ball point pen, there was an intermediate pen, with a cartridge. That was his invention. So that made the world and all difference. The big problem with pens in the past had been, you have them in your pocket and that rubber sack, that sack rots and, even a little bit, the ink is all over. JS: Right. (30:57) EL: And he was working with DuPont and with Lucite and with, the plastics were just beginning to emerge. And he figured out that with pneumatic action, you could fill this pen without having to have that clip, from that came this cartridge that you could just slip into the pen. And the locate of the back of a pen point would puncture the cartridge and the ink would flow through it. If he…my father was an immigrant. He went to the Gymnasium in Germany and he went to Peter Cooper Union to learn English. His English was horrible. My mother really helped him get rid of his purple prose. I have some letters that he’s written that would make your hair stand on end. With his use of the language. (32:04) EL: But he was a putterer. And all of his puttering always produced something. Some were profitable, some were just duds. I never saw this, this is a story I’ve been told. I have the patent downstairs, with the rest of these patents. Before I was born, he and my mother lived in Breckenridge, Texas. He had discovered an oil well. He was sort of the last, the tail end of the rugged individualists, of that time. He built a hotel, called the Seger Hotel, and it had a movie house. And he invented a talking popcorn machine. In a Rube Goldberg construction that you just cannot believe. You put your money in, and the thing would pop and out would come your popcorn. But you had to say a certain something in order for it to do it. To pop the corn. So these gadgets did not make for a totally orderly life. But it was a creative atmosphere. And both my sister and I absorbed a lot of that. (33:26) EL: I had the point I wanted to make, now where did I go with it? JS: We’re talking about, you transferring to the University of Michigan. EL: Oh, yeah. To the University of Michigan. All right. By now, the men are starting to go. We still had men on campus. But I got a job as student director of the Hillel Foundation. I was the first female student director of any student organization. I didn’t know what that was going to lead to, but I did get twenty five dollars a month, which was a very good salary to get. And it put me in contact with the Catholic Newman Club, and with all of the, um…I forgot what we called them then. But anyway, all of the organizations that provided the social services support to veterans. Because we, even at that time, had some veterans that were coming back. They had been in Europe early, and why they came back would be an individual story. But, we had the GI Bill. That’s the other thing that we had. (34:42) �EL: We have nothing for these guys when they come back here. Absolutely nothing. They’re not even getting good medical care. JS: Well, we do have, they do get college tuition and there’s a lot of packages that come with it. But the, college students usually get help of one kind or another, it’s just, as you mentioned, there are holes in what’s provided. EL: Big big holes. Yeah, well, this, everybody knew about the GI Bill. And, I later went back to the University of Michigan, after I had graduated. Well, because I was trying to get lined up with this program to go overseas, and in the process I was tutoring for the Political Science department and I was tutoring returning veterans. Well, that whole thing sort of fell apart, because I found out my husband was coming home. (35:41) EL: But the GI Bill was…everybody looked at this as sort of a magic, open sesame. There’d never been anything like this. Never. And I’m glad to hear that we are doing something now. I’m sort of out of that world so I don’t know some of these things. But I think that…as I look back, from the Depression to the beginning of the war and the war, there’s a cohesiveness of experience about the whole thing and there’s not the fragmentation that exists today. And this really, frankly, worries me. There was a cohesiveness in the sense that people really cared about each other. I don’t have that feeling here now. Everybody’s just rushing around on their own and it’s like they’re in a hamster cage. You know? Am I making any sense to you, in this regard? (36:46) JS: Well, they’re using a lot of energy and not going anywhere. EL: That’s exactly it. That’s exactly it. I do not remember my life that way. I walked…when I first went to Ann Arbor, housing was a problem. Well, it was a problem all during the war. But when I say it was a problem, I lived in what was known as a League house. It was usually a widow or a husband, older husband and wife turned their house into a rooming house for students. And it was off campus and you walked back and forth. You got breakfast and lunch…no, lunch you got on campus. You got breakfast and dinner. I did not get into a dorm on campus until my senior year, that’s how long the wait was. We had lots of stories about the food. I remember one particular place, 1810 University Avenue, we swore that this woman used her meat rations for herself and her family, and we just got shoe leather. And we didn’t quite know what to do, so we had a ringleader in our house, and she said, let’s just mix it all up. And she won’t be able to give it back to us in another disguise. Cause that’s what we were sure she was doing. And she said, I’ll pour water over it to make sure. (38:16) EL: so we were a little mischievous in that way. But food was a problem. It isn’t that you didn’t get enough. It was that it wasn’t very good. And even fresh vegetables were hard to come by. I don’t know if you had great big cans, like you can buy now. I can just tell you, the food was not wonderful. Lunch, we would all gather, I and my friends. And I presume this is what other people did. At the nearest drugstore or at one of the little restaurants in town. There was a �period of time when I was having some dental work done, at the dental clinic. And I couldn’t really eat anything that I had to chew. And there was a restaurant called the “Lamplighter” and I knew a couple of the guys there, and I remember going in one day and saying, can you make me runny scrambled eggs, so I can get something to eat that I don’t have to chew. And when they would see me coming, they’d run into the kitchen and start the eggs because I couldn’t eat anything else. (39:42) EL: But I don’t want to romanticize anything. What I want to say is that all of us, that I knew, felt that we had an opportunity to be in school. And there were certain restrictions. We all walked. Nobody had a car. Some people had bicycles but not many. The library was the most important focal point beyond the classroom. And you had dinner at the dorm or at your house and you scooted back to the library until the place closed. You didn’t worry about whether you were walking alone or walking in pairs. But you usually did try to go with somebody. There weren’t any extras. And if there were, it was an occasion. There weren’t any of the communication distractions that we have today. None, whatsoever. If somebody got a long distance phone call, and this has happened to me. I was not yet engaged to my husband, but he called me from Hobbs, New Mexico. Well, I wasn’t at the house at the time. And somebody went to the library to see if they could find me, I don’t know whether they thought he was going to stay on the line or not. But anyway, I came back. I guess he said he’d call back. I came to get this phone call. And the next day in the Michigan Daily, who is the co-ed who gets a long distance call from Hobbs, New Mexico? (41:24) EL: Because one of the writers for the paper lived in the house that I lived in. So this was a big event. As a matter of fact, when I met my husband, I met him here, on a blind date, because my grandparents lived here, and I had come to take care of my grandmother because she was sick and I was the oldest grandchild and I was her favorite… JS: So this gives us the Michigan connection… EL: That’s right. JS: Why the University of Michigan goes into the mix. EL: That’s right. So I was…I have a younger aunt. I have two living aunts. I will be 85 in April. I have one living aunt that just turned 95 and one that just turned 90. The one who was 90, husband was overseas and women didn’t call men, no matter what. And she wanted to get a date and she didn’t care how and I was the ploy. So she fixed up this date for me. And I told my…after I came back to Chicago, to get ready to go back to Ann Arbor, I told my folks that I met this really neat guy from Grand Rapids but I was never going to live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (42:41) EL: So I’m out shopping for some things that I need for school, and I come home and my mother is just a basket case. I have gotten a long distance call from Grand Rapids, Michigan and �he wants you to call him back. You’re not gonna call him back are you? I mean, this is the social mores. In the first place, you didn’t…a long distance call meant a death or a crisis. You just didn’t make a long distance call. So I didn’t call him back. He called me back. And then, I was going for, that weekend, to get ready for school. Well, it was also the Michigan-Michigan State game. He had gone to Michigan State. So then we met in Ann Arbor. He drove in from Grand Rapids and I took the train. So that’s how all of that happened and how I wound up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (43:50) JS: Okay. Now, was he older than you? EL: Yes. He was already working. He was out of school. He enlisted in the Air Force, because he wanted to be sure to get what he wanted, and he wound up as a captain of a B-17. JS: Was he flying in Europe or the Pacific? EL: No. Europe. Everything moved fast. We were actually married while I was still in school, with the understanding that I was going to finish. I had a semester to go. And after that summer, he went back overseas. So that part of the story is a thousand times repeated. But I did finish school. A lot of girls who got married, did not finish school. And then later on, this tidal wave began, and I was very much involved in that. Of women going back to school, to finish unfinished degrees. And to find out who am I, now that I’m no longer somebodies mommy or somebodies wife. (45:12) EL: Norbert Ruby was president of Aquinas at the time. And I had been hired by Michigan State to something for women. They didn’t know what, they didn’t have a clue. They just didn’t want to be sued, the way that U of M had been sued for violating women’s civil rights laws. And they wanted a visible woman. Well, I had a visible position. I had a cubby-hole office that was on the way to the johns. (laughter) I could never close the door, ‘cause I didn’t have a door. But then, my life really did begin to change. At that point, I was working for MSU as their coordinator of community relations. And I was very much involved in the fabric of the community. My kids were growing up. And I worked with Aquinas because they had the only game in town. They had the ENCORE program. And with Michigan State, and the U of M, and Western, and Eastern, what was the other. Oakland. Put on a conference called “The Changing Consciousness of American Women.” (46:31) EL: It was more than anybody, including myself, expected to have happen. JS: What year was that? EL: This was 1972. It hit a raw nerve. You could not put one more body into the allotted room at the Wenke Center. It wasn’t called the Wenke Center then, the name escapes me right now. But it was the first time that a collaborative enterprise had taken place. In fact, afterwards, I was approached by somebody, not very bright idea-ed, I didn’t think, who said, well, what’s a big �state like Michigan State doing with a little po-dunk school like Aquinas? I said, well, they had the real estate. We had the program, but they had the real estate. (47:28) EL: Grand Valley was just getting started. And by the way, I wanted to tell you, and that was one of my assessments. He had a Catholic school. We had a Christian Reformed School, a Baptist school. We didn’t have a non-sectarian school in this town. And we needed that. And when Grand Valley finally got launched, it had the growing pains I believe any new institution had. JS: It had some growing pains that went beyond the norm, but that’s something else. EL: Well, yeah. But it was also the atmosphere in which it was trying to grow. I mean, it was starting from the bottom up. But it’s made a huge contribution. I don’t think what people understand, I don’t think they understand it at all, is that institutional change does not happen with a snap of the finger. It takes time. Development takes time. For myself, at this point, I began to see, gosh, I have to go back to school. There’s some things I need to learn to do. (48:43) JS: Now at this point, what combination of degrees did you have? EL: I had a half-finished Masters degree. Because you had to have that in order to teach at JC. And I had been teaching at JC. So, I finished that. My oldest daughter was sixteen. She’d been telling me for a whole year how much better she could do things anyway, so I said all right, you stay home and take care of things and I’m going to go to summer school and I’m going to finish this thing up. JS: Now what was this degree in? EL: I got a Masters degree in History and English. These were loose ends, because I had a lot of this stuff. But the teaching certificate was separate. So I got both of those. In other words, I put my house in order. (49:38) EL: And then, this whole field of development, the relationship between adult education and adult development was just beginning. The U of M was just starting with a fledgling program. In fact, Michigan State had sent me to Wayne, for some weekend classes on adult development and counseling. I told my husband I was going to become a counselor, but then I needed to know, there was stuff I needed to know. And as a field, this was just beginning. There wasn’t that much out there. Michigan State developed, began developing a program on Human Ecology, I think it was called. And you really had to leave Grand Rapids in order to get any of this. We did not have it here. I think Grand Rapids has always had good basics, but beyond that. I think some of that’s changing now with Grand Valley. �JS: Bit by bit. But Grand Valley is still not a place that has much in the way of doctoral programs, even is limited at the graduate level. So they cover many fields and they have a lot of connections, and it’s expanding, but it’s still not yet at a level where they go beyond basics. (51:07) EL: No, but the Seidman School of Business is probably the most advanced as far as getting to some of the next levels. Well, I did go back and now I’m no longer working for MSU. I just couldn’t do it all. First of all, my husband got sick. There were just a lot of family problems. And you don’t go out and get a social worker, you have to be your own social worker, you know. So in the course of all this, though, as I look back at the changes that have taken place, and the changes that have taken place for me, and the larger system and how it impacts us, I’m wondering how ready are many of us to cope with what lies ahead. I mean, there’s really a shortage of certain skills. (52:10) EL: One of the first things I did when I was hired by Michigan State, and this will give you a bit of a perspective, was to sit in on some discussions at St. Mary’s. The State of Michigan legislature made a wise decision. They were not gonna build any more institutions. They wanted to further advance education, to utilize the resources of community hospitals. In other words, the whole concept of community health care was bursting on the scene, but there weren’t any resources. And so I sat in on the interview skill training sessions. And that’s the first time a television was used, in any kind of training. (53:00) EL: So now we’ve got the [unclear] building. We’ve got what Peter Cook has done. We’ve got all of these things on this Michigan Mile. That’s how long it takes. This was in the early ‘70s. Jim, this was not even in the talking stages, this was just discussion, coffee cup discussion. So I say to myself, oh, and the other thing that we didn’t have anything in, was listening skills. I wasn’t very good at it myself. I went to Oakland University, go through some of Eleanor Driver’s work, and I took people, women from Grand Rapids. I figured if this is gonna happen, there’s gotta be support. And Jane [Eidema], Jean [McKeon], whose no longer living, Hillary [Snite], whose no longer living, I mean there were a lot of good women who volunteered a lot of time, that helped to make the Women’s Resource Center possible. Because, ultimately, that’s what I did to fulfill my charge from MSU. (54:28) EL: But there was, what I began to sense, was that the cohesiveness of this community was beginning to break down. And, because I’m not in the thick of things right now, anymore, I do see certain things that are happening, and they’re calling it partnering. We used to just call it collaboration, or cooperation, so some of these concepts are becoming workable, I think that’s what I want to say. But I am amazed at how little understanding there is historically of the course that we’ve all traveled in this time. I remember when Cathy, this is my oldest daughter, was at Sarah Lawrence and she came home at spring vacation and she wanted to watch me teach. I was teaching at JC at that time, this was in the late ‘60s. And I had to teach, there were two books I had, one was a short story by Katherine Ann Porter, “The Flowering Judas.” And the other was her novel, “Ship of Fools.” �(55:48) EL: I couldn’t get a rise out of my class. And I was pretty good at this. Because I didn’t lecture, I was more interested in the give and take. And so we went to lunch, cause I had another class that afternoon. And I apologized to her because it was such a flat, dull class. She said, Mom, you don’t understand. Nobody knows about the Depression. Because these were all stories that emanated out of events from the Depression. And, so now, here we are and more learned people than I, I am sure, are asking, where do we go from here? And how do we get there? Because how are people prepared? Now, you’ve got to be seeing some of this. (56:48) JS: Sure. EL: You know, at Grand Valley. Because some of the lecture courses that you’re doing, at Loosmore, for instance, reflect these concerns. But that’s a long way from the Depression and the war. But it’s really one big continuum. (57:10) JS: I’d like to pull back to a couple of episodes from earlier there. You had mentioned that you had done some Red Cross volunteering. When you were in high school and then college, or at both colleges. EL: Right. JS: What kind of work did you do and how did that… EL: Well, I worked in the laundry, folding linens. And I did what all of the volunteers did, to relieve the nurses. Working in the laundry meant folding things, getting them into the right stalls for the right floors. The shifts were never very long, four hours at the most. Um, I’m trying to think what else I did. I did take our Red Cross First Aid course. But I think an awful lot of us did that. JS: Now the volunteering, was that done in hospitals or clinics? EL: No, it was in the hospital. At U of M Hosptial. At Knox, what was the hospital called? It was a small hospital. In high school, you see, transportation was a problem. The first thing we did, I say we because, you know, girls clan together. We took Red Cross Survival classes together. I don’t think I went to any hospitals. You would have had to go downtown, and that would be a really big deal. (58:46) EL: If you lived down in the south part of the city, maybe for the hospitals at that end of the city but on the north side of the city, you’d be going to Evanston. And transportation would be a problem. JS: Well did the El run up to Evanston at that point? �EL: Oh, the El went everywhere. I could tell you another story. There was no theater anywhere along the north shore, except in an area which was called no man’s land. Which was Tiagra de Larga. And you had to go by train or you had to go by car. All right, now this is a problem. We had not yet moved into the city. I, and a couple of my girlfriends wanted to see a movie there. You didn’t ask your parents to take you cause they weren’t going to take you. So we figured out, we had enough money for a bag of popcorn, for the price of a movie, and one way on the North Shore. Now what do you suppose these twelve year old nuts did? We walked the railroad ties from Hubbard Woods to Tiagra de Larga. And we had a train ride back. You’d kill a kid if they did something like that today. (1:00:04) JS: I have to pause us right now, to change the tape. All right, now you were telling us the story of you and your friends, you basically walked along the railroad tracks to get to a movie theater. EL: That’s right. We walked along railroad ties to get to Tiagra de Larga. Well, it was a straight line. We knew where we were going. But money was a problem. So we figured out exactly how much it cost and we were afraid that when we came out, it might be twilight, so we needed to take a train back. And that we thought was rather judicious of us. I’m sure we didn’t use that word, but that was how we thought about ourselves. I think there was very little fear, growing up. After all, if my mother fed people at the back door, there was a certain…I don’t think that I grew up in denial. Because I knew that we didn’t have any money. And I knew that things were different. (1:01:25) EL: First of all, we had had a maid and we didn’t have a maid anymore. And I had to do more. My sister was seven years younger and she couldn’t do much, but we all had to kind of pitch in. That was before we moved into the city. When we moved into the city, we really had to move into the city because we just couldn’t afford to heat the house. It was as simple as that. And we certainly didn’t have a maid in the city. Not that people in the city didn’t have maids but we couldn’t afford it. In today’s terms, you would say we were poor. But we never thought of ourselves as poor. We never thought of ourselves as poor. (1:02:09) EL: In order to, my first paying job was at the Kraft Cheese Company, and I had to ride the elevator, the El to get to work there. And I’ll be quite honest with you, I lied to get the job. I wasn’t sixteen but I couldn’t get a job and I had to have a job. But this job I could get. I was about fifteen and a half. And I looked, you know, like I was sixteen. And I think riding the El, I saw parts of Chicago that I was not aware of before. And I was perhaps oblivious and blind to. My folks never really…they sort of fostered this independence in both my sister and me. There wasn’t really a lot of talk about it. It had to do with being self-reliant, that’s all. (1:03:10) EL: I worked in the premium department of Kraft Cheese Company, which meant that I sent out gimmicks, washcloths and that sort of thing. There were a lot of gimmicks that were employed during the Depression. It’s a lot like today, only on a smaller, more practical scale. And I made �$15 a week. I pay my home health aide $15 an hour. So that’s another part of the change. I don’t really understand the economics of how we have gotten to this point in inflation. I really don’t. It seems like the more we have of everything, the more expensive everything becomes. And we are the only society, as far as I can see, who has been wealthy enough to afford outside storage units for our stuff. So, the society couldn’t afford that before. (1:04:24) JS: We keep making our houses bigger and bigger cause we don’t have room for all of that stuff. EL: That’s right. And what are we going to do? God, my sister and I shared a closet, we shared a bedroom that wasn’t much bigger, than the closet. And there was a table in there that I used as my desk to do my homework. And we managed. But we also weren’t running about all the time. Which I think is another factor in this fragmentation that goes on. I do not feel that I was deprived as a kid growing up. And I said, I did not feel that we were poor. We just didn’t have any money. Neither did anybody else. (1:05:29) EL: But this I will tell you. I had a friend by the name of Betty Ann Whittaker. Whose, at the height of the Depression, her father jumped off the Wrigley Building. In order to collect the insurance because it was a big Catholic family and he didn’t know what he was going to do. That marked me. I was just…when this happened, I was just in a daze afterward. I remember saying to my father, “daddy, you wouldn’t do anything like that, would you?” I mean, that was the most traumatic event of the Depression for me personally, as a child. We still lived in Glen Cove and they lived not far from us. (1:06:21) EL: And there’s one other thing I would add. There was a colored family that lived about two blocks from me. He was a detective with the police force in Chicago and her mother was an RN. And Ann Chisholm was her name. And nobody ever treated her…it was as if we were all just the same. Now whether it was because there was only one black family in a town of six thousand, I don’t know. But I never had any of the feelings or experiences that I later came to know, living in Chicago. (1:07:04) EL: One other thing, we lived kitty corner across from Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Now do you know who that was? The baseball commissioner. JS: Red Sox and all that, yep. EL: And he had a granddaughter, Sue Landis, who was in my class. And Amelia Earhart, before she went on that fatal flight, was there on a visit. I was invited to come over and meet her. So that was…I didn’t really know what that meant until I was older. But those were some of the experiences of my childhood, I think, that made me feel, I’m not poor. We just don’t have any money. JS: You knew all these people. You could do all these different things. �EL: Right. Right. JS: If all kind of went together. (1:08:11) EL: Right. When we moved into Chicago, down the street from us, 832 Gunnison, was a doctor and his son was in my class. And at that time, what was I? Sixteen, seventeen. I did not know that doctors made a lot of money. I mean, we were all living on the same street. Our fathers all parked the cars on the street cause there were no garages. So there was a leveling and a commonality, but it was not coarse. There’s a crudeness that’s come into our culture now. Part of it I think is television. One night, I thought, I just got to do this. I jut have to do this to prove this to myself. I don’t have cable but I’m flipping channels and I thought, oh my god, every one of these is the same. It’s a formula. It builds up attention. There’s guns in there some place. And then the denouement. I think that this has had a definite impact, on our kids especially. (1:09:15) EL: But I feel the period of the Depression was one of the most tough, trying times for this culture. And I don’t care what people who didn’t like Franklin Roosevelt had to say, this man was a leader. He was a leader in the sense that he provided an outlet for energy and to fill needs that the country needed. I mean, this idiotic thing that we’re doing right now, giving everybody six or seven hundred dollars. You can’t mount a public works program with the snap of a finger but that’s what ought to be in the planning, in the pipeline right now. So by the time spring comes around, people can be put to work on the roads. Because our roads here in Michigan are just god-awful. (1:10:07) JS: Even the President thought so. George W. Bush, on one of his first campaign tours through Michigan was on a bus tour, and his comment was “You people should fix your roads.” EL: Oh, god. (laughs) Oh, my lord, we need to fix our roads is right. I think we’ve got so much to do now. And where do we start. And now we’ve got this absolutely massive gargantuan debt. And I believe that what this administration has done is no different than Enron. The Iraq war is off budget. That’s how Enron did what they did. I mean, I don’t understand why people don’t see this. And I listen to people belabor the press. C’mon, it’s not the press. It’s what else are reading? What are you thinking about? As I said, I’m going to be 85. I’m at this end of the stage. Not at this end anymore. And so I think I have a perspective on what’s gone on. (1:11:26) JS: And it’s also a perspective that we’re losing track of. Thirty, forty years ago, it was normal to have adults who remembered the period of the Depression as an experience. And they carried that and the war memory with them, and they, when I was growing up in the ‘60s, I sort of took it for granted that, you know, those people would have been in the war, if they were a certain age. Or would have been in the Depression and that sort of leaves these marks here and there. And you understand that things are different than they were. You sort of take it for granted, but �we’ve gone from that to know the people who remember and tell the stories are going. And the stories go with them. So that’s why we’re doing this. Now I do want to get back to other pieces of things that you brought up earlier. One of them was, that as the war ended, you did training that would have made you a civilian worker with the [unclear]. (1:12:20) EL: Oh, all right. The University of Michigan Political Science department has always had an outstanding reputation. Outstanding scholars from the U of M have wound up in government one way or another. Bill Hager, the Department of Economics. James K. Polluck, the Department of Political Science. He was involved, believe it or not, he was a librarian for the Versailles Treaty, when he was a young man. Now, I come along and I’m in one of his classes. And as the war was winding down, there was going to be a need for a civilian government. And the idea was to use a lot of the bright students, graduate students or graduated students. They didn’t necessarily have to have PhD’s. So I was invited to be one of those. But these were the conditions. If you went, you were there for two years, period. The only reason that you could get home was if there was a death in the family. But there was no swift way to get home. (1:13:29) EL: Everything was a slow boat to China, Jim. So I had the passport, I did everything I was supposed to do. I did not have a foreign language but that was not going to be a problem, because I would be working in an area where I would be using English. And then…and I hadn’t heard from my husband for some time. Then I got word that he was coming home. Now I’m going to be there and he’s going to be here. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I didn’t even know if we were still husband and wife. So I had to get myself out of this and that was not easy. But I did get myself out it so I did not have that experience. (1:14:14) JS: Now, did you have any kind of training or preparation for this, before then? EL: Oh, yes. I was a political science major. I had done a great deal of comparative analysis in European governments, European history. And we had seminars, I think you would call them. There must have been about twenty-five of us. I don’t know if that many actually went, because some people dropped out before, or en-route. But these seminars were above and beyond any classwork that we had to do. And then there’s always the grease the skids kind of thing, you know. I was community ambassador to Grand Rapids from a sister city, Omihachiman, in Japan, in 1991. And the requirement for that was every other weekend at Michigan State, learning some ways and customs, and which good morning you say at what time. But, again, if you don’t continue to use the little that you learn, you lose it right away. (1:15:29) EL: But there was a great deal of discussion about the postwar possibilities. And the need to turn things over as quickly as possible. I don’t think at that time the American government wanted to stay as an army of occupation. At all. They just wanted to get home. I think a lot of those experiences are what Tom Brokaw wrote about in “The Greatest Generation.” These guys, these people, they didn’t see themselves as exceptional heroes. They had a job to do and darn it, they were going to do it. And they did it. We were coming over, as extra hands of the �government, that the government was not going to have to pay a lot for. Because the experience was going to be priceless and invaluable. JS: Now what, was there a specific kind of work that you were training for? Did you know what they were going to have you do when they sent you over there? (1:16:32) EL: I didn’t really. Administrative work. You know, that can really be a garbage can term. I could have been typing letters, I could have…I don’t know. Don’t think any of us really knew, because some of these things happened so fast. And I don’t think that…I think that things were worked out more thoughtfully then, than they have been now, say, in terms of Iraq. I think I’ll give you that. But I don’t think we had a job description. In fact, I know we didn’t have a job description. It was much like when I was hired by MSU. You write your job description. I mean, that was part of my job, to write my job description. Of course, the job changed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I wasn’t exactly sure what the job was. But I wanted to go. I wanted to go. I had an ulterior motive, obviously. So that was the story there. Now what else do you want to back up? That I can refresh my memory on. (1:17:53) JS: Can you fill in a little bit on your husband career. He was a pilot. Was he flying bombers over Germany? EL: B-17 pilot. Yes, but…this is another story. Paul was a pilot and he was captain of a B-17, and that’s a huge investment, but that isn’t what he really did. I don’t know the official title. But it was really Secret Service. I learned about this after we came back to Grand Rapids and his mother told us that there had been government people, she had another name, what did she call them? Snooping around. They were trying to find out about him and his family. And there is something in the Michigan Room about them. But he was in charge of some secret missions. And I never really knew what they were, and I remember when we were still in this country, and he’d tell me, Ï’m going to go out and watch the burning of secret documents.” That’s all he could tell me. (1:19:04) EL: And either I didn’t press him enough or I was too naïve or I thought he was kidding, but he did go out. He was gone. He would be gone for several hours. And I never really knew what it was. So, and then, when the war ended, he was still in this for maybe about four years afterwards. I mean, he would go to these meetings and not talk about it. He was very closedmouth in that way. So he was good for that job. JS: Now was this, as far as you could tell, the kind of work he was doing throughout his military career, or did he have a phase where he was flying and that kind of thing? (1:19:51) EL: No, he was flying but that was to make it look good. That was to make it look good. No, he was in charge of, in Germany…he was in England and he was in Germany. In Germany, he was in charge of black troops. In England, he was, you know, a B-17 pilot. He was the captain �of the crew. But you have to…this much I do know. This much I do know. We had great difficulty getting intelligence. Terrible difficulty. Just a minute, I have to think of it. The process of situation analysis grew out of World War II. In which small pieces of seemingly unimportant pieces of information would be studied and put together in order to get the picture. You might…somebody might pick up some flyers, and get that to a troop or an American soldier but that person would be in disguise. There was just no way to get intelligence behind the German lines. (1:21:18) EL: And behind the Italian lines, either. So there were certain people that were trained in what would later become known as situation analysis. You must have come across some of this somewhere. Where they took different pieces of things and they had confabs about whether it meant this, it mean this, or it meant this. And if it meant this, then it meant this was the option, or this was the option. But then if it didn’t mean this, what were the options over here. That’s the best way I can describe it. And I think the whole notion of situation analysis later came to be used in this country. For various things. JS: Sure. And it’s a lot of how they deal with international intelligence issues and so forth. Of course, one ingredient of that, and this was true then, was aerial reconnaissance. EL: Right. JS: They used bombers that were basically for photography and they did things like fly secret missions that would fly as far as an airstrip in Yugoslavia, held by the partisans. Recently one of the guys on the flight,who would be manning the camera, recounted being made more difficult by getting the wrong fuel there and having to crash land over Spain, of all places. But anyway, the point was, that there was aerial reconnaissance that went on. It was done separately. The people who went on those missions got all the background checks and so on, so whether he was doing that or some other part of the operation, that kind of thing went. And they were doing that in part because they didn’t have any way of getting stuff from behind the German lines. (1:23:00) EL: We didn’t have, no way at all. Now my husband’s brother, who is now a physiatrist, he is still living, he was very small. My husband was a full, almost six feet. But Seamore was the tail gunner on the alternate to the Enola Gay. And I have pictures of him when he came home on a leave, we were in Everett, Washington at that time, it was before Paul was now going back overseas. And I mean, he looks like a ghost. He looks like an absolute ghost. The ability to get intelligence out of Japan was even worse than the ability to get intelligence behind the lines in Germany. (1:23:56) EL: And you’re right about the reconnaissance flights, because I do remember, very definitely, it was about the only thing that I heard, because he never talked about it, was that there was a lot of filming. And I thought, what are they filming? They got all of this blowing up everything. How can they film anything, you know? Now, with drones and this sort of thing. �JS: Drones and satellites. EL: Satellites, yeah. But you see, we didn’t have any of that stuff. And again, I don’t think people realize this. And then I raised another question, you asked me about this. With all the resources going into this kind of highly technical, and very much needed process, then there are resources that can’t go into taking care of basic human needs and this its society. (1:24:57) JS: It’s certainly an issue with spending money going to Iraq. EL: That’s right. That’s right, that’s right. And then you remember, when the war ended, we had a huge backlog of needs and desires. But we also had a huge backlog of money, because the patriotic thing to do throughout it all was to buy war bonds. And people had this and they were maturing. Why don’t we have war bonds and things with this war? JS: Weren’t we told to fight terrorists by going out and buying television sets? Well, a lot of things are different, and certainly one of the things about the second World War in particular and the Depression before it, is that it affected the entire country and the entire population in ways that nothing really has done since. In Korea and Vietnam, there was still a draft and they were expensive and things hit home in certain ways more than things after that have, but still, only certain parts of the population got directly caught up in it. (1:26:01) JS: And today, for most people, unless they are military families, they’re compartmentalized from it. And we created a society that works that way. EL: Yeah, but I think we’re paying a price for it. JS: Sure. We’re probably in a war because of that. Or we may be in a war because of that, because people didn’t understand what war’s were like. Or what gets us there. But now I’m giving opinion. And I’m supposed to be doing the interviewing, so I think, to sort of look back on that time of your life for a second, from the mid 1930s, as you’re really becoming aware of how the world works and what life is like and how hard it can be. Sometime between that and the war years, how do you think just the process of living through that and finding your way through that, how do you think it shaped the course of your life? Or how you look at thing now? You talked about a lot of those things, but if you could pull that together a little bit. (1:26:59) EL: Okay. Well, let me just say, that one of the things that took place in the ‘30s, was the Century of Progress, in Chicago. At the World’s Fair. And, it was both an event and a forecast. I have always had an immensely curious mind. And very aware of what’s going on around me and wanting to try to understand it. I spent a lot of time at the Century of Progress. In fact, I have some things I could probably bring up to you. That I came across yesterday. And the imagination of looking at places, the Japanese exhibit, the Chinese exhibit, the Swedish exhibit. This is not the one in New York, Trial in a Parable, which came along later. This was much more like what I think the Columbia Exposition must have been like. �(1:28:13) EL: It was a garnering together of where we, of all the things that had taken place since the turn of the century. All of the inventions. All of the changes. And possibilities, and what the impact of that could be. Now, to tie this in with the question that you asked. Later on, when I began to go back to school, I had all but the dissertation, cause that’s when my husband got sick and I, you know. You can’t write a dissertation with one hand tied behind your back. ABD, that’s me. I became very interested in the forces of personality and if it’s the personality’s impact on the culture or the culture’s impact on the personality. Is this just a chicken and the egg thing, or is there a dynamic there that can tell us something? (1:29:22) EL: More and more my focus, for myself, became change and its dynamics and its impact and what does it mean. The most concrete example is if the furniture wears out, and if you don’t replace anything, it’s all comfortably shabby. But if you replace one chair or one pillow, the whole rest of it looks like hell. And so, what does this mean for how things interface in the face of change? How is change impacting us? A group of women and I got together, this was right after I had my heart attack in ’03, and we began to meet on a monthly basis, to talk about the dynamics of change, which we were all feeling. On a personal level, on a community level, and on a awareness, a world level, really. (1:30:30) EL: And that remains with me. And I’m very much interested in this. And I don’t know if it’s my imagination or if the data will support the fact, but I think there is a characterogical change that has taken place in this country. I don’t know that much about it, in-depth. I used a number of books with this group. One was a book written by an Indian woman, called “Nectar in the Sieve.” Are you familiar with it? Well, it’s a story of a very poor Indian town. From our point of view, an Indian village. But it’s cohesive, it hangs together. Along come the British and they set up a factory to make cotton cloth. And they think they’re doing a wonderful thing by providing jobs for these people. Well, if they work three days, that’s more money than they get in a month, working in their whatever they were working in in their village. So the British call them lazy, because they didn’t want to work around the clock. Every day. Every week. And the village people, meanwhile, have they’re whole economy and their dynamic nature of their village disrupted. And the end result is that they wind up as beggars on the street in Calcutta, or some, one of the big cities. (1:32:12) EL: Now, is that what change is all about? I think that has relevance for where we are right now. For our society. So that is, um…I don’t know if that answers your question or not. JS: I think it’s a good answer. EL: But I think that, oh what are the latest books? “The Tipping Point” and there’s another one. “The Black Swan.” There are points of intersection that must have been going on before that we weren’t aware of, because we didn’t know how to be aware of it. And I suspect that there may be a growing awareness on the part of some people, about this whole notion of the tipping point. �There’s something else, where you’re making the decision on the instant. There’s a book that was written about it and a title, and I can’t think of it. But everything seems to be accelerated. (1:33:34) JS: And that is something you see as you study world history. One thing that we do now more than we used to is we look at the history of the whole world and we look at all the intersections between peoples and cultures and we start to look at it from different points of view and not just our own. And as you do that, you see pictures like the one you’ve told of, of the Indian village where there are all kinds of consequences to change and interaction. And in part, with technology, things just do go faster. And a lot of things are sped up. (1:34:03) EL: James Gleick wrote a book called, “Faster, Faster.” And I’m reading one right now, “Breathing Space.” I started with the chapter on packrat-ism, because that’s me. (laughter) That’s me. But I am fascinated by these aspects of our lives. I think a recent article in the paper set me on my heels. And that is, somebody’s done a study comparing health and happiness, between this country and Britain and a couple of European countries, and we don’t come out so well. You know, and we think we’re the cat’s meow and everything. We’re just not. And we’re not looking at ourselves. We’re riding on our past glories. And that does worry me. I’ve got a couple of grandsons. One is an artist. He’s a good artist. He graduated with a degree in music from MSU. But he’s not using it. He’s selling his paintings over the internet. I don’t know if he’s making a living or not. But I hear that he may teach, get a job teaching English as a second language. When I spoke with his mother, she told me this. I was, where does he come off doing that? (1:35:32) EL: You know. The other one is a quality engineer for Ticketmaster. And he’s got a mind like a trip hammer. I remember a few years ago, I had called him. He told me to call him and I was, how can I tell them at the office to call his grandmother? He was in Honolulu, he was in Hawaii. Why was he there? Ticketmaster bought up a whole series a small operations and they sent Sean out there to integrate them into the system. And I thought, god, he’s just a pipsqueak and he’s doing this. And I don’t even know how to understand what he’s talking about. Now, these are disconnects. Between generations, but also between large segments of society. (1:36:25) EL: What do you think about this election right now? I mean, I think if you listen to Obama, he is lighting fires. But he hasn’t said anything. Now, the question is, is it better to light the fires and release the energy and then harness the energy, or is it better to do what Clinton is doing, being an expert on absolutely everything and spell out everything? She’s losing. She’s losing people right now. And then when you look at Huckabee. I am just flabbergasted by this. I mean, this is the “Music Man,” 2008-style. And we’ve got such a concentration of these kinds of minds. I worry with that where we are right now, that society could implode. (1:37:30) EL: Or maybe I’m just being pessimistic. But that’s the way I’m feeling right now, about the way things are. How are we going to endure the next few months? Until we get some change. �Cause I think it has to change. It has to change. I will never forget sitting in a sessions with a bunch of people and Vern Ehlers, before we had gotten into the war. And Vern had written a letter, he wasn’t so keen on the war at that time. And he went around the room and he wanted everybody’s input. There were about fifty five of us there. I was the last one to speak. And I said, it will become Armageddon, it will bankrupt us, and we’ll become Sparta. Some woman in the room says, what? We’re going to have to move to Sparta, Michigan? (1:38:35) EL: Now, what does that tell you about the mentality? JS: It means you’ve got a broader world view than some of the people in the crowd. EL: Well, that may be, but I think that it’s terrible that we are unable to think and see this way. It’s not “see it my way or the highway.” It’s to see what the reality is. We just don’t see what the reality is. And frankly, I like Huckabee, but he scares me. Because of what he can do. And he doesn’t have Mitt Romney’s money. Now, my other daughter lives in Massachusetts, and I says, honey, what kind of governor was he? And she said, oh mom, he was just not so great. He was a big blowhard, she thought. Well, she is…that’s Martha, that’s all. But, no, he did not…I think what he represents, is long gone. It’s capitalism that isn’t working anymore, for most people. (1:39:26) EL: I mean, where we are right now…what was the system? Not mercantilism, it preceded mercantilism. It’s when the lord of the manor had all the serfs working for him. JS: Ah, feudalism. EL: Feudalism, thank you. JS: So, you’ve got reverse Marxism going on. EL: Yeah. But nobody understands it. So if they don’t understand…one of the things that I learned early on, in terms of change, is that one of the reasons that solutions fail so often, they’re well-intention and they have resources behind them, but the original conceptualization is too small for the size of the problem. Some of the variables are just not seen. There’s no vision to see them. (1:40:22) EL: And that’s where I think we are right now. And I think we’re in a big struggle to put this all back together. My sister who lives in California, she wasn’t born there, but she lives in California, and she’s caught up in a world that’s its own little world and it’s gonna hang on for a while longer, but it can’t last. It’s the whole Countrywide (mortgage) thing, and these are huge houses. Expensive houses. How are they going to sustain themselves? Ever upward and outward growth? How can you tell me, we’re already in all this debt, and he says, go out and spend money. Now how does that add up. It doesn’t. (1:41:16) �EL: It’s like Katherine Ann Porter’s “Ship of Fools,” right there before your eyes but you can’t see it. JS: And the real question now is going to be, what do we wind up doing with it? Well, I think that that’s actually a good concluding point for the interview. And I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. EL: Well, I hope I didn’t bore you. JS: Certainly not. (1:41:37) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LevinE Title A name given to the resource Levin, Estelle (Interview transcript and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Levin, Estelle Description An account of the resource Estelle Levin grew up in the Chicago area during the Great Depression and attended college during World War II. She provides detailed descriptions of life during the Depression and on the Home Front during the war years, as well as on her working career and the development of social services for women in the decades after the war. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives Women Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-07 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9b5c9f9507c2bd2e0253710ff94cc78f.pdf 26c6ff759e2f5a5f2611870324c24b4e PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Melvin Lewis Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 8/26/2012 Biography and Description Melvin Lewis was born in Chicago but today lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His parents live in Maywood, Illinois. This is the same town where Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party (BPP) grew up. It is also where, at Maywood’s City Hall, there is a recreation center with a swimming pool named after the slain leader of Chicago’s BPP. There is also a street named “Fred Hampton Way” and a bust of Chairman Fred Hampton. Mr. Lewis is a Chicago Black Panther and freelance writer, a master gardener and certified beekeeper. His recent articles include “Out Loud and Into Print” in the May/June 2012 issue of City View (NC). He writes on music and his publications include features on “Hootie and the Blow Fish,” and singer and song writer “Rene Marie in Pluck!” He has written and broadcast twelve vignettes about civil rights for FM Radio stations 107.7 and 91.9 FM and conducted interviews on horticulture, history and art. Mr. Lewis has also won the Significant Illinois Poet Award and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently assisting with the Chicago Black Panther History Project. Their motto is, “ We will tell our story, in our own words; Illinois Panthers speak for themselves.” �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: So, okay, if you can give me your name, date of birth, and where you were born? MELVIN EUGENE LEWIS: My name is Melvin [Eugene?] Lewis. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 17, 1954. JJ: 1954? ML: In Cook County. And I grew up in Chic-- JJ: Oh, you mean at the hospital? ML: Now, they call it University of Illinois Hospital, but then they used to call it Illinois Research. I have two older brothers. One was born in Selma, Alabama, in Dallas County. And my middle brother was born also in Chicago, but he was born in Cook County Hospital. JJ: Okay, but you weren't born in Cook County Hospital? ML: No, I was born in University of Illinois. Which is now called University of Illinois Hospital. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: And what's your parents name? ML: My father, who's deceased, is [Clifton?] Lewis Senior. I have an older brother that's Clifton Lewis Junior. And my [00:01:00] mother is [Pearl?] Lewis, and they were born in Alabama. My father was born on a farm. His father and all them, since probably when we came in this country, they were farmers. So my grandfather, his name was [William?] Lewis, he was a tenant farmer, which means he rented the land. He didn't own the land and he wasn't a sharecropper. 1 �So he rented the land and he paid a fee. And then, like many farmers, he had other jobs, so he was a barber on Saturdays and I'm told that he hauled wood or he cut wood. And so when you're not farming or the, you know, it's the seasons, you're between seasons and pulling crops. He would cut wood and bring it to the city (inaudible) and sell wood. JJ: So what's a sharecropper? ML: A sharecropper is someone that actually has less money and they share the crop with the owner, which is not as financially good ’cause most sharecroppers never get out of debt ’cause you [00:02:00] don't have the money for the feed, so each year you're continuously going to their bank. It's like credit cards now. You got 28 percent interest. You don't get out of debt. It takes you a whole lot. So the sharecropper, a lot of times if it was a big farmer, they even had them go to get the seeds from them and go to their store, and many farmers had very little education. They knew how to farm, but they may not -- depending upon their educational skills, and then they may not know how to be good with contracts and math. So people tried to avoid being sharecroppers ’cause sharecroppers kept you where, like, you were always dealing with a company store. But if you a tenant farmer, it's like rent. Okay, I rent the land, you charge me x dollars for the year and I probably have a house on there, which also probably comes with that. [00:03:00] And then I pay you that per month or per year. But it's not a good relationship because you can't pass it on. And so something that was [in?] geography, Doctor [James Blout?] talked about how, you know, when you rent the land, you're not necessarily much of a conservationist as if you own it 2 �because if you own it, you're gonna pass it down to your children or try to keep it in the family. So my parents moved from Alabama to Chicago after World War Two because the future wasn't very bright in Dallas County. Dallas County is where they had the Pettus Bridge, where they had the marches with John Lewis and hundreds of people got beat up because they were protesting segregation. So my parents went to an all-Blacks high school. There was two separate schools. One system for Blacks and one for whites and I never knew [00:04:00] what happened to Native Americans. I have to find that out. In the South where if Native Americans -- what school system they went to because in many cases they weren't enough to have three. So they left. Many people left after World War Two. The veterans who went to the war, when they came back, they may come back and pick up their family, and they went to metropolitan area. So my uncles, my maternal grandmother's brothers, came to Chicago. So one worked JJ: Were they veterans, or...? ML: Yeah, they were veterans. And one went to the meat packing, which was unionized, so you got you had a livable wage, and the other one worked at the -- JJ: Oh, you mean the meat pa-- in the back of The Yards? ML: Back of The Yards, over by what used to be -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) My father worked there [in town?]. ML: Yeah. Used to be... What do they call this place on 43rd and Halsted? The International -- Not McCormick Place. It was... [00:05:00] JJ: Yeah, I remember. 3 �ML: Yeah, there’s a big place in -- JJ: I remember meat packing’s where my father worked. ML: Yeah. And they had this big place where they had the cattle and all that. There was a whole industry over there, so my dad worked over there. JJ: In the Stock Yards. ML: Stock Yards. Yeah. And they had a show place, like a arena, which part was for the cattle, but also was entertainment over there. And then one of my uncles worked as a longshoreman, like, I guess around where Navy Pier or wherever the ships came in. JJ: But your father wasn't a veteran though? ML: No, my father wasn’t a veteran. My father was too young for that. My father was born in ’31, so he would have been 14 in ’45. And like many people his generation, he didn't finish high school. He dropped out ’cause he could get a job. So, in the summers, he would come to Chicago and work with his uncles, [00:06:00] and then he decided to drop out and get a job. And then he got married, and then my mother came to Chicago. But I got a story about the marriage. My father and his uncle by birth, that's his mother's brother, were leaving in 1947 from Chicago to Alabama. So they took a bus from Chicago down to Birmingham, and it was raining. And so, in the North, the bus is not segregated. In the South, they are. So once they get to Birmingham, they arrived on a Friday, and he's supposed to get married on Saturday afternoon because it's not -- like, now, we think first in, first out. You know, whoever's the first, if the bus is overloaded and they'd put the next people away. They made all 4 �the Black people wait. So my father was supposed to get married on a Saturday, and this is before cell phones and phones at home, and telegraphs were [00:07:00] rare. My uncle and my father didn't get on the bus until Saturday evening. They didn't get to the town that they were in till Sunday morning. So my mother was expectin’ to get married on Saturday. So she's in her dress and her mother's there, and, you know, in those days, people got married at home. And so my father showed up Sunday morning. So his uncle and his uncle's sister, my father's aunt, who was also small town, was married to my mother's uncle. They went to her parents' house and told them what happened. So they got married on a Sunday instead of a Saturday. And subsequent to that, my father never caught public transportation to the South again. Because, you know, you think about, you're getting married, you plan to get married, and my mother talked about she was crying because she felt like my father stood her up. And then her mother was trying to comfort her and her father started drinking and got drunk. You know, then people whispering, [00:08:00] “He stood up, he stood up.” JJ: But it was a segregation thing. ML: Yeah, yeah. So they finally told everybody to go home, you know. Then the next day they got everybody back together and they got married on the Sunday. JJ: Your siblings, your brothers and sisters? ML: I have -- JJ: And what are their names? ML: -- two brothers. I have brother, Clifton Junior. He lives four blocks from here. 5 �We're in Maywood today. He lives in Broadview. And I have a brother named [Jearl?], and he lives out west. JJ: What are they doing? What type of work? ML: Clifton drives a train in train yards. And my brother, Jearl, he's a pilot. He's a commercial pilot, so he flies from Detroit, Atlanta, to Asia. So he flies a big 747. So he got his flight training in the military. He's good with math and science, so he has a degree. And then he went to pilots training, which is like getting a master's degree because you go for, like, [00:09:00] a year, depending upon which planes you're learning. So he, you know, started off with one and go up. He was a major in the military, and then he was -- JJ: He was a major? ML: Yeah. So he was a captain with the airlines. So he left. He left after so many years. He didn't do 20. He did like, I guess, about eight or something like that because he wanted to go with the commercial. So he's a pilot. Yeah. And I have a son, who's a college student now. And his name is [Gahiji Lewis?]. Yeah. JJ: What do you do? ML: I'm a freelance writer, and I write about popular culture, about horticulture. My latest two articles, one of them's on the internet, it's called “The Greening of the Sand Hills”, and it's about [00:10:00] the green movement in southeastern North Carolina. And also, I write short stories and poetry. So there's a book, this is a book called The Black Panther Party Reconsidered. JJ: You wanna lift that up? Yeah. Okay. 6 �ML: Black Panther Party Reconsidered, and I have a long poem in there. JJ: Who wrote that? ML: The editor of this book is Doctor Charles Jones, and I wrote a poem in it called “Once I was a Panther,” which was a reprint from an earlier magazine that was in Indiana. This magazine, I had a poem in there. So they reprint the poem from here into his book, and so that's chapter three. JJ: That’s called the “Black American Literature Forum?” ML: Yeah. Correct. Yeah. Now, they call it “African American Review.” And I write short stories. One of my short stories, this is the book on short stories, this book has short stories from all over the diaspora. JJ: So that’s your book? ML: I have chapter in there. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) chapter in it? Okay. ML: So I have a chapter, and my short story in there is called “La Línea Negra”, which means the black line. So, like, if [00:11:00] you're having a baby, if you're a woman of color, and when your abdomen starts growing, that's what the medical term is, la línea negra. So if they had to do a C-section. So I don't know why I thought of that. And then if you're a light lady, then they call it la línea blanca. So wherever they gonna have the line if they had to do a C-section when you’re pregnant, or embarazada. JJ: So you speak a little Spanish. ML: Yeah, you know -- JJ: Where did you get that at? 7 �ML: Well, a couple of things. My father, when we were kids, when you got big enough, when you got like 12, 14, he took you to work with him at Christmas time and at summertime to start teaching you how to earn money. So he worked on the North Side. He worked on Chicago and Damen approximately. And so it was very international. You could hear people speaking Russian, Polish, German. [00:12:00] So my father picked up Spanish from work because when you work with people, you pick up what you hear around you. You know, some guy said, (Spanish) or (Spanish) or whatever. JJ: (Spanish), yeah. Yeah. ML: Or cuidado, you know, like, “Watch out.” So you pick those things up. JJ: Because Chicago and Damen was a Spanish area, Puerto Rican area? ML: It was everything, you know. Yeah. JJ: But there were Spanish people working with him? ML: Yeah. So he worked with some Panamanian guys. JJ: Oh, Panamanian. Okay. ML: And then I went to school at Von Steuben on the North Side. And so Von Stueben had people -- JJ: Where's Van [sic] Stueben? ML: Von Steuben's on, I think, 20, Kimball. Kimball on the North Side is the same thing as Homan. So you can say Homan and between Foster and Lawrence. So it's in the 1500 block. And, when I went to school, it was predominantly Jewish. And so [00:13:00] they had a program called permissive transfers. So if you went to a school in Chicago, or your home high school was overcrowded, you 8 �could transfer to a less crowded school, which actually was a slick way for Chicago to get around with the question of integration and building high schools for the population density. So my home school would have been John Marshall, which is on Kedzie, I guess, and Adams, right? And so I chose to go over there because other people were in my neighborhood, when they switched, were supposed to get a better education. But I never realized that I was going to be on the public transportation like an hour and a half each way. So in my memory, I have memorized the Chicago subway system because for four years, every day, I would leave home maybe, say, 6:30 to get to a class at 8:30, eight o'clock. You know, and if it snowed, then you had to get up much earlier like your parents ’cause you gotta be on time. So we caught the subway -- [00:14:00] JJ: But this is a high school or a grammar -- ML: High school? This is a high school. JJ: You caught the subway? ML: I caught the subway. It’s always multiple ways to go, but I would either catch -get on the subway in Chicago at Pulaski on the line that goes down the Eisenhower Expressway. It's changed colors, but it’s still the train to the same... And you take it to either Jackson or Washington at the transfer point. And then you take the line going up north and you get off either Belmont or Fullerton, and then you take the Ravenswood train all the way down to, actually, the end of the line, almost like if you're going to Northeastern University. And then you walk to school or you can catch the bus. It's two blocks. So that was a program called permissive transfer and that's one of the reasons I -- 9 �JJ: Triathlon. (laughs) ML: Huh? JJ: Triathlon. ML: Yeah. Or [00:15:00] you could get the Jackson bus or some bus from where you were to Homan, and then you take the Homan bus 50 blocks, and that's a long time, you know. So we learned different ways. Depends upon the mood and time of day. You know, in the morning, you trying to get to school quickly. And so you learn the subway system because you can't fall asleep, then you might miss your train, then you're late for school. And that's a whole culture being on the subway every day. JJ: That’s a long day then. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: It's a long day, yeah. And if you've got eight o'clock class, you might leave at 6:30 because if you leave at 7:00, traffic is heavy. It's just like going to work with you're a parent or adult. So you learn it. And Chicago has always had a system where students get a bus pass or something. You pay for a bus pass so it's a reduced fare. But you learn the system and you learn the culture, like you don't go to sleep on the L, on the [00:16:00] bus if you can, you know. JJ: Why are you saying that? ML: Because somebody’ll roll you. Somebody will rob you. And you don't show any wealth, you know? You got to keep your (inaudible) away. So recently I brought my son here and we went over on public transportation University of Chicago and to the Museum of Science. Museum of Science is around the lake, and you can walk from Museum of Science to University of Chicago. So I was trying to teach 10 �him something. He put his headphones on. I said, “You can't do that.” JJ: You’re trying to not teach him, school him. (laughs) ML: School him, because what happens is you get rolled. Can you put that on pause for a second? JJ: Sure. (break in audio) ML: Yeah, my son grew up in North Carolina. I live in North Carolina. I live in the [small market?] Fayetteville, North Carolina. So my son isn’t a city person. He put his headphones on, like for his iPod and listening to music. I said, “You can't do that and walk down the street.” He says, “Why?” I said, “Because you've got to be able to hear [00:17:00] the L, so you know if you've got to run faster to the L. And you got to be able to hear somebody behind you. If they're walking, you can hear their heels, and you got to be able to hear what they're saying. So you got to know, be able to sense threats and non-threats in the environment. And also if you have your headphones and you got an iPod that's open.” My son is small. He's like 5’5”, and he's maybe 130 pounds. So, you know, some guys would say, “Hey, we can take an iPod. iPod a hundred and some dollars. And we take that from you because you're small, you know.” So I was trying to tell him, you can't do this. You have to, you have to learn how to survive in the city. Whether you're in Chicago or New York, the rules are the same. You got to pay attention to your environment. You can't act weak. You got to be able to know when you got to exert force and don't talk. You got to be able, we used to say, “Don't sell wolf cookies.” Because a guy that's talk -- Wolf cookies is when you 11 �talk and you tell somebody, “I'm gonna punch you in your mouth.” That guy might hit you [00:18:00] while you talkin’, you know. (laughter) So they say, if you're not -JJ: Before you finish your sentence, you’ll get hit. ML: That's right. So if you gonna do something, hit him, but you make sure you hit him and knock him down and knock him out, and then he'll leave you alone. But don't sell wolf cookies because if you sell wolf cookies, or you're talking trash, somebody else might hit you in the back of the head with a two by four. So, you know, the issue of urban culture is one of understanding force, and when to use force and when to use respect. Because you gotta be respectful for other people, but you also gotta know you gotta set some boundaries where people don't violate your space and you don't violate theirs. And so if you can do that, you halfway can get along, but you also can't let people punk you out because if they punk you out once, they always gon’ punk you out. So you have to know how to hold your own. So it's just like playing basketball. In basketball, guys come in and they throw elbows and they push. [00:19:00] Well that's part of the game. But there's a limit to it, and if they go beyond that limit, then, you know, that's how you see in sports games that people violate the rules. Like when United States was playing, I think, Argentina and [Carmello?], the guy plays for New York he shot and guy from Argentina came back and gave him a elbow after the shot. Well, that's not part of the game. That was being vicious. So then the other guys say, we got to fight because you can't let somebody do that. Right? So that's what I was trying to teach my son is that you have to understand that, 12 �one, there are predators out here, and you don't want to be the one that they appear to be weak. So there always going to be somebody bigger than you, faster than you. Well, a lot of times they are not going to want to mess with you if they know that you're willing to exert amount of force to defend yourself or protect yourself. JJ: (inaudible) your son’s name? ML: My son's name is Gahiji. It's an African name. JJ: Oh yeah. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: And his [00:20:00] name is in a lot of Eastern languages. It's in Arabic. It's in Swahili. It's a Bantu, which means Bantu languages or trade languages. They're like languages that were created for one guy is from what is now called Saudi Arabia and somebody else is from Tanzania. They create a language, generally at a port, where everybody can talk. So Swahili has Arabic in it, it has African languages in it. So Swahili’s spoken, I think, in about 15 countries from all over the eastern Africa, where you can say from Tanzania, Mozambique, the Congo, Oman, some Kenya, places on the coast where people come together. So just like Miami. When you go to Miami, you can speak three languages in two miles, you know. You got [00:21:00] Little Haiti and you can speak French or Creole, whichever you learned in school or learned in the community. You can go to Little Havana and speak Spanish and you can speak English, and you can hear Caribbean accents where there’s Caribbean. British speaking English, you know, from Jamaica or Barbados or Bahamas. And you can hear Spanish from different countries, and you can hear generally Haitian, Creole, or could be 13 �Martinique, too. So it's just, you know, people speak the languages in which their parents and grandparents spoke. So my son's name is Gahiji, and I wanted to give him an African name because that's part of his heritage and also to make him aware. One of the legacies of TV in this country is that everything has been Eurocentric where it doesn't really represent a lot of Latinos and African Americans and Asians truly. So you have what we used to call like the Charlie [00:22:00] Chan-ish movies, you know, like, okay, only this one guy is smart, you know. What about all these other guys around here that's Asian? Or, unfortunately, a lot of times in movies in this country, the Hispanic roles were the maid. The lady was always the maid. The lady who was in West Side Story. She probably played maid 50 times. Or Hattie McDaniel, who was a singer. JJ: You’re not thinking about Rita Moreno? ML: Yeah. JJ: She plays a maid? ML: Yeah. Yeah. And Hattie McDaniel played the maid. She used to say, “Well, I'd rather play a maid and be rich and have a maid.” But, you know, it's a question sometimes it's dignity. So one of the things that we really didn't like is the Tarzan movies. Where Tarzan is one guy, he's there, he's Superman. He's smarter than everybody else, and he's running through the jungle, so make the Africans look stupid. And, you know, Tarzan, Jane, [00:23:00] and Boy, you know. It's like, okay. So, you know, that was almost like a slicker way of Birth of a Nation. It's really a racist and imperialist movie. So, you know, we gave him an African name because that's part of his heritage, and that way he’d always know some of 14 �that. So my son's been to Africa. And the reason we took him to Africa -JJ: What’s his mother’s name? ML: His mother name is [Patricia Blackwell?]. And we took him to Zimbabwe because, at that point, Mugabe was president, and we wanted to see Zimbabwe and see what they did. We also saw that Zimbabwe was underdeveloped in some ways. There's two things. One is, it’s one thing to be a guerrilla and another one to be administrator. So you might be a good guerrilla and a good fighter. That does not mean that transcribes or translates to being a good statesman. Right? So kicking out the [00:24:00] British and the white settlers was one struggle, but then how do you form society? And in some ways, Zimbabwe has lost a lot of potential where, how do you organize the farms? How do you organize the transport? How do you keep the roads straight? That's a big issue. That's very complicated. And they were able to have a national flag, but a lot of the wealth in society was not organized properly. And it's a struggle where someone comes from someplace and takes the land from the indigenous people, and they might have it for 100 years, but they never paid for it. And then when one group of people have it, and you've got millions of people who are landless or peasants, and they’re peasants because somebody else has consolidated the land, how do you spread that wealth out? And how do you do that and then keep society going? [00:25:00] How do you keep the farm going, keeping the export and import going, keeping the taxes going? And that didn't go very well in Zimbabwe, but we saw that. And then he also went to Tanzania, and there was a guy named Julius Nyerere who talked about African socialism. And 15 �it's a hard thing to keep all this stuff straight, you know, where you -- One thing he did do extremely well was he decided that we're in Africa, we should speak in African language. Why should we speak English? English is the British language. My grandmother, his grandmother, may not have spoke English well. And so why couldn't you have plays and stories in his grandmother's language? So they decided as a nation to make Swahili the national language. That wasn't very many people's national language, but you gotta choose one. So they made Swahili, and he was [an educator?] and he translated Shakespeare into Swahili. So for commerce or for government, [00:26:00] you had to learn Swahili. So eventually, I took a course in Swahili. So we showed him that. So that way, in his mind, he'll never have the image of, like, the whole Tarzan. Africa is not the South. It's a whole different situation. I mean, whether you talk about South Africa and apartheid and Southern segregation, different situation. So he's also been to South Africa. JJ: What are the differences? ML: The differences are quite different. One is, let's say in South Africa, you had an armed state to 1994, and you had an African majority, but you had a minority that had all the guns and, through the guns and investments, controlled society. And also, [00:27:00] you can devastate a culture because you make it where that culture is not important. So, like, say the question of language. I recently saw a musician named Hugh Masekela, who toured all over the world. He plays the trumpet. He lived in the United States a long time. And he's talked about, you know, a time where his parents like jazz and people all over the world like jazz, 16 �everybody plays jazz. They put their input in it. There's jazz from Argentina, there's jazz from New York, there's jazz from Copenhagen, there’s jazz in South Africa. So everybody hears their own rhythm, and they look at the system, and they put in, so it's a little influence. But he talked about how his parents liked to hear jazz, you know. And so the title of a lot of jazz songs from the United States, of course, are in English, but the music, they listen to the music, and he talked about when they didn't speak English. So people have always spoke [00:28:00] their indigenous or their national languages without speaking the language of, quote, the imperialists or the people who are trying to take over. So in South Africa, even to this day, we have townships that have extreme poverty where people built on hills or mountains. So the word Soweto means Southwest Township. It's a result of bringing people to the city and they had to work in the mines. So for people who are in the metropolitan area, it may take you an hour to get to downtown Johannesburg from Soweto because that's how it's built. So at one point they were trying to make the cities just white and the Blacks and the Coloureds, and that's a whole different thing we're talking about, Coloureds. Where they lived on the surrounding. JJ: Surrounding the city? ML: Surround the city, and you go in to work during the day and then you come back out. JJ: The periphery (inaudible) ML: Right. [00:29:00] Yeah. I don't know if it's the same, the impression that I get, that some urban areas, they want to make it very expensive and very exclusive. 17 �And then the workers just come in, do the work, then they go back out. JJ: Exactly. So in Chicago, that is being done where the poor -- ML: Right. JJ: -- live in the periphery. ML: Right. JJ: They used to live in the central city. ML: Right, they used to live in the center, and it's a reversal. JJ: I'm not saying it's the same, but it's similar to -- ML: Yes, it's similar. And so when you, when you talk to Hugh Masekela and, I mean, a lot of these musicians are like very, very open. They'll talk to you and... Hugh Masekela, I saw him playing. He was playing with a guy from Baltimore who also grew up in Harlem. And they went to school together and somebody got him and some more people together. One of the other students, peers, decided do an album [while there?]. So this guy was from Baltimore, and he was over playing with Hugh Masekela. And Hugh Masekela, I mean, he doesn't carry a entourage, [00:30:00] a manager, bodyguard. So I'm there working as a journalist and he's eating dinner. People stop and interrupt him. And I had this guy from Baltimore because I met him earlier. I said, “You know, he needs somebody, a road manager or something, to tell people, you know, he's trying to eat dinner.” He just stops and talks to ’em, shakes their hand. (laughter) He says, “He's always been like that.” Where a lot of people would say, you know, “I'm trying to eat dinner. I can't talk to you now.” But he's very gracious. But in talking to him and listening to their stories, they'll tell you how, let's say if you were in Chicago, you lived in 18 �Lincoln Park, and they decided, you can't be in Lincoln Park anymore. So they came and bulldozed where Hugh Masekela lived, and they had to go out to some township. Well, I met people in South Africa all over there, and in South Africa they had this thing called Coloureds, which Coloureds means that either you're Indian or you're mixed race. And whenever you put men and women together, somebody gonna like each other. All right? So their concept of [00:31:00] Coloured is your father could be, or mother could be, from Asia. And South Africa has a substantial Asian population. So places like Durban, it has a huge Indian population from India. Where Imma say India because India, one time, was bigger where Pakistan wasn’t separated and all that. So, and Gandhi came there. And Gandhi was an attorney and he was all dressed up, and he had a first-class ticket, and they kicked him off the train. That radicalized him because he was an attorney, and like, hey, I paid my fare. No, you can't get in there even though you speak good British English and you’re an attorney, you know. They kicked him off. So South Africa, all throughout there, you find people who their parents had fertile land and they were taken off. They were removed, and they never get the land back. And so back to Zimbabwe, that's a question of what happens when a community has been [00:32:00] stripped of the land which they had for generations. So they become landless, and in many cases, they become impoverished because land isn’t something that you can create. So South Africa is very different. One, like many people at home, most South Africans spoke another language. They didn't speak English at home. So English was a language for school or for business. So their parents might speak Zulu or Xhosa 19 �or Ndebele. Like President Mandela speaks a lot of languages, but his family's language at home was Xhosa. So they do it, actually, with a [key?]. They had (clicks tongue) Xhosa. And so, yeah, he learned a lot of languages, but that might be the language that your grandmother hollers at you or tell you that dinner’s ready, you know. So there’s a question, because it makes it where they had to decide when they [00:33:00] came to power, when the majority came to power, they have, now, 11 national languages. Where in Tanzania, they said they're going to have one national language, which was Kiswahili, and English was a second language, and then they had regional languages. And as a government, how do you publish reports or stories or textbooks in 11 languages? That's very hard and expensive. And so the legacy of colonialism is awesome. And then people start thinking that their language isn't important because the textbook is in English. So why should I, you know, my language isn't important and nobody writes hardly in my -- So there's a big struggle about national language in South Africa, and then all over the world, because, you know, the impact of the British or even, let's say if you're a mechanic and the instructions are all in English, so you got to learn English to repair this motor because the instructions there as opposed [00:34:00] to instructions in Zulu or Xhosa or Ndebele or something like that. JJ: So that's why you named your son -- ML: Gahiji. JJ: Okay. Well, I mean, that's not the only reason. ML: That’s not the only one. 20 �JJ: You were definitely into studying about your culture. ML: Yeah. I have a degree in African-American studies and political science from University of Illinois. I graduated from there. I was born in Chicago. I am a firstgeneration college student and graduate. So my father and mother didn't graduate from high school. My mother got a GED from, which was now we call it Crane Junior College, which now would be Malcolm X Community College. And my father dropped out, and he never went back. And so going to college was a big thing for my parents, you know. It's a big push because my grandparents, [00:35:00] I would think from talking to them, they spent most of their life working. So probably when you're 10 or 12, you start working on the farm full time. And so you drop out of school maybe in fifth, sixth grade. I don't know. Which means that the issue of higher education, even graduating from high school, for many people up to World War Two or until the ’60s, was a big deal. You know, you graduated from high school. Wow, you might be the first one. So I have an uncle that graduated from high school, went to the military, used his G.I. Bill to go to university. And he was the first one in the family. And I know my family's been in this country 200 years had ever gone to college. And he went to University of Illinois Medical Center, and he was a pharmacist. And he had a pharmacy on the South Side. And a lot of people used the G.I. Bill. G.I. Bill is a bill where you go to the army and part of your salary is saved so that you can go to college, [00:36:00] and you get money when you go to college. You might be able to go four years or something like that. Depends how many years you spent in the military also. So a lot of people used that to advance, whether it's a trade or it's a 21 �university education. So my father didn't have that. So for his kids to go to college, it was a big deal. They want you to go to college to do better. And also many of the plants in Chicago weren't unionized. So the trade union movement in Chicago, if you got with some of the unions, like the carpenters union, the plumbers unions, the electricians union, you had a livable wage, and your children could go to school. You could buy a house. You could live in a safe neighborhood. That's where everybody wants. And the non-union plant -JJ: Safety. Everybody wants safety? ML: Everybody wants safety. Everybody wants to know that if their mother, their girlfriend, or their kids are walking home, nobody's going to shoot at them, nobody's going to steal their purse. [00:37:00] You don't want to see drugs dealing on the corner by your grandmother's house, you know. They don't want to be terrorized. And they also don't want police abuse because the police in Chicago have a big history of being terrorists. Where I've been stopped all over this country, and the policemen will act like gang bangers and throw people up against the wall and search you and harass people and have trumped up charges, make stuff, because even if you win, you lose because you spend so much energy fighting them. So that's a considerable amount of energy where you have to spend thousands of dollars to defend yourself. Well, that money could be going towards good, but they have a in-house attorney. And so, politically, they can keep funding that law department and you're using other monies just to defend yourself. [00:38:00] So that's the police. My experience with the Chicago police has not been good. And it was really interesting when I 22 �went to Cuba and I found police that were humane. I'm like, wow, you know, please play baseball with us. They didn't, you know, try to plant dope on me or... One time the Chicago police took me because I was selling Panther papers in the subway of Chicago, which I wasn't supposed to do. That was against the Panther rules. You know, they said, don't do stuff that’ll get you arrested. JJ: You were a member of the Panthers? ML: I was a member. I was a member of Illinois chapter, Black Panther Party. I was community work, and I sold Panther papers in school and after school, and I sold them on the subway, and the police put me in the berry. So that's part of my point. And we're gonna pause now for a second. (break in audio) ML: I think I started associating with the Panthers, it was like a logical thing. [00:39:00] Paul Coates, who is a publisher, who's a Panther leader in Baltimore, has a book called... He wrote an essay in that. He talks about, he's a librarian by training, he says it was logical. He was a marine. He came back and things weren't better. I mean, he had been overseas fighting or in the service. And so some of the defining acts for me was, I remember when Martin Luther King was assassinated, you know, 1968. And we lived on West Side on Van Buren and Springfield. And people was like, a lot of stuff was burning up. And there was apartment buildings burning up because a lot of cases, businesses on the first floor, and apartment buildings on the top. And my father said, “Man, people are burning up their own neighborhood.” A lot of cases was, it’s never been rebuilt. But there's anger. 23 �JJ: What year was this? ML: This is 1968. You know, and you’s like, well, how do you --- JJ: This is after Martin Luther King? What...? [00:40:00] ML: When he got assassinated in April. JJ: (inaudible) So you're talking about the riots? ML: Right, the riot. And the question is, are you hurting or helping yourself? You know, there's anger, but if you burn up your own community, what do you prove? And also, then there's no place to shop. So when I went to college in ’72, we had a professor named Doctor Beverly, and he made us -- he didn't make us. We took a class called interview techniques. He had us go to the senior citizens homes and the senior citizens homes, you know, he taught us how to talk to people who were 70 or 80 years old, how to dress. You don't put a microphone in their face the first time, but he said -- So I interviewed the lady who was here in the 19-teens, and she talked about after the veterans came back from World War One some of these guys were swimming, and Lake Michigan used to have this imaginary line that [00:41:00] if you were Black, you didn't suppose to cross the line. Right? So then, evidently, somebody's supposed to swim across this line and people brick this Black guy who was a veteran and killed him. Right? Or killed this Black guy. I’m not sure if he was a veteran but he was Black guy. So that started a race riot and people were killed. But she said that what happened is they stopped bringing food in the Black community. And in 1919, the Black community in Chicago was much smaller. Right? Because Chicago is a port city, so people migrated here. Chicago is a city that -- Cities are built. People 24 �just aren’t there forever. Like, you know, even 150 years ago, New York wouldn’t be here. So the Black community, in those days, may have only gone to Racine or something like that. And then on the South Side, maybe to 43rd Street or something. So she said they stopped bringing food in the community. And then we also listened to some tapes from [00:42:00] our professor’s elders, he was from Texas, and listening to his uncles and stuff about what happened in Texas, certain things, you know. So you start learning about power. You know, what’s power? Power isn’t just the vote. Power is economics and control of your environment, and I remembered that. And then my other thing that’s defining, that my brothers used to go to Alabama to the farm to be with the grandparents because that’s very traditional that people would send the kids in the summertime, when they’re small and the parents are trying to work and get established, with the aunts of the grandparents or something. And they would keep them and plus they’d like keeping the kids. And I said, “Well, why didn’t I go to the South, mom, like my big brother?” And my mother said, “’Cause of Emmett Till.” And I didn’t know who Emmett Till was ’cause I was a kid. Right? And then she says, “Other thing, you were born in Chicago, so you don’t know how to act like [00:43:00] around white people.” JJ: Who was Emmett Till? ML: Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American male, whose father was a veteran and got killed in the war, who went to Mississippi in the ’50s. He had [a lisp?]. He stuttered. Okay? And so a technique that many people do when they stutter, they learned how to kind of whistle. Like one of my uncles had a 25 �pronounced speech impediment. So that’s a technique that therapists use. And so it’s told, and I saw some of his relatives when they did a movie, a guy from Louisiana did a movie with the family, that they goaded him. ’Cause he’s the Chicago, he’s the city boy. But people always talk about the contradictions. So if you’re from the country, the city boy comes home, now he’s in your territory, so he’s dumb and you’re smart. Or reverse if you’re in the city, and you’re from the country. Then you gon’ play jokes on that person. All right. So they’re supposed to have goaded him to [00:44:00] say something to this lady who was an adult and married and managed a store, her and her husband owned the store, or relatives, family owned the store, in Mississippi. I think in Money, Mississippi. And he allegedly said something to her, and they think he whistled at her, which, in the 1950s, whistling at a white woman was, like, forbidden. That was a death sentence. So her husband and his brother, or brother-in-law, came to the cabin, which he was living with his grandfather and uncle, and took him. They came with a loaded .45, like 2 o’clock in the morning. They took him, and he’s 14, and he doesn’t know the rules of the South. He knows the city. And in theory, they’re supposed to scare him, and he was supposed to beg. And he didn’t do that. And they beat him, and they killed him, and then they put a chicken fan -[00:45:00] a gin mill fan around his neck and threw him in the river. And they found him several days later, and the sheriff down there tried to bury him immediately, and his mother said no, and came back. Now, there’s is a funeral home owner called A.A. Rayner. A. A. Rayner buried Fred Hampton. He also buried Emmett Till. So in the ’50s, when he came back, his body just stank so 26 �much because it’s been decomposing in the river, that when they opened it up, his mother, like, fainted, and his face was all disconfigured, and you had all this press about that. A.A. Rayner had the funeral there, and they had people all around the block, you know. And so, as a result, many people stopped sending their kids unescorted to the South because they said if that could happen to somebody else’s kid, they didn’t want that happening. So my mother said that wouldn’t happen. So later, [00:46:00] when I got in high school, I got a book on Emmett Till and I’m like, “Oh, so this is what happened.” So that, you know, those are defining acts. And for the parents, that’s a act of survival ’cause they don’t want their kids to get hurt. So that’s what happened there. And then A.A. Rayner, he also was a person that got the Black Panther Party their first lease. He signed the lease for them. JJ: On Madison? ML: On Madison, yeah. So this guy -- JJ: Madison and Western. ML: Madison and Western. The Panther office was 2350 West Madison. And he was funeral homeowner, and at one point he had at least two locations. So he had one on the West Side and one on the South Side. He signed the lease for them. So the Panthers -- because that’s a way, a lot of people do things in support. They may not make a speech, but in a way, that’s a support where this guy is vouching that, you know, every month this rent is going to be paid and utilities [na na na?]. And so [00:47:00] he did that, and I did not know, until I read a second book, that Fred Hampton’s family knew Emett Till’s family ’cause everybody was 27 �out in the western suburbs. They were in [Lisle?], and, you know, people move back and forth. So those are some of the defining acts. I saw Fred Hampton speak. I never met Fred Hampton. He was a brilliant speaker. They used to have rallies down, which now be would called Grant Park. JJ: So what was your impression? You say was a brilliant...? ML: Oh, yeah. Brilliant, articulate, young, vibrant, energetic, charismatic. And many people are trained, or they horn [sic] their skills in various organizations. So some of them do it through the church, some through the NAACP, some through baseball and football, whatever, you know, some through community groups, Black clubs, you know, associations. So he was [00:48:00] very articulate and very, very well read, and women liked him because he had dimples. He was cute, you know. And we went to his funeral. My mother and I, we went to the funeral. No, my mother did not, she was here when Emmett Till died, but she didn’t go to the funeral if I remember, but everybody saw if you look at the regional and Chicago would be the Chicago Defender, but the regional paper’s where I mean. Even Mayor Daley supported the family because this was a travesty. Mayor Daley was the longtime mayor, the senior Mayor Daley in Chicago, Richard M. Daley. Because, I mean, children, a 14-year-old boy is a 14-year-old boy. That’s ha-- JJ: You’re talking Emmett Till? ML: Emmett Till. JJ: Mayor Daley. ML: Where Mayor Daley supported the family. 28 �JJ: Not Fred Hampton? ML: No, not Fred Hampton. JJ: (laughs) ML: So when Emmett Till’s mother came back, he was supportive. I’m not sure all what he did, but [00:49:00] there’s references in terms of a book, and there’s a video about Emmett Till. There’s a movie that from Emmett Till’s mother, [Mabel?] Till, slash because she got married again. They talked about that, you know, that was just like a travesty. How do you kill him? 14-year-old boy. So those are some defining acts. Also, poverty and a little opportunity, a little education, is a dangerous formula because you see the contradictions, and then you start reading and you know they can be better. So just like, H. Rap Brown had a statement in a speech. He said that white people will make more revolutionaries than he ever could. And he said the reason he said that was in Newark, when they had the urban rebellion, the police was so brutal to people, they would just stop and beat up people. And [00:50:00] that changed people because some people are bystanders. So I’ll give you an example. My oldest brother is not a political person, but he was downtown during the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968, and he saw that the police was just beating up young people. So you could be walking from work or going someplace to a coffee shop, and, you know, you watching the demonstrations or something, and they were just randomly hit people whether you had long hair, short hair, you were dark, Black, white, whatever. And that radicalizes people. So the experience of going to Von Steuben -- I went to elementary school at Delano 29 �Elementary School which is on Springfield and Adams, Wilcox. And the school was overcrowded so they start building trailers instead of saying, “Well, we need to build a bigger school.” Right? [00:51:00] And you used to see that some cases people stop people’s growth. And then you go on North Side, and you see the school is clean, the neighborhood is clean. You know? Why can’t I live like this? You know, you start questioning that, and you want to change society. You want to change the world. And I think that’s what a lot of that was about. We wanted to change the world. We didn’t want to become the imperialists. We wanted to everybody have a good life. Everybody should have a clean neighborhood. I was on South Side yesterday and where we were, someone had two guards at the door. And someone got shot two blocks down. That’s why the guy -- we didn’t know it. He said that’s why I got it. So nobody (inaudible) craziness coming in here. But, you know, people shouldn’t have to live like that. That’s a genocide in itself where people are constantly getting shot, [00:52:00] you know. And they’re getting shot because somebody throws up a gang sign or somebody bumps into each other or a drug deal or you got my corner and what you call your territory. So some of that is craziness, and it self-perpetuates. So we wanted to change society and have a new world order, and where everybody woulda had equal share of society. And some things have changed. JJ: Who were some of the people that you were working with in the Panthers? ML: Well, it’s the Panthers, but it’s also a long history. So, for example, when you start reading about the Pullman porters, these guys were talking about, you know, “Hey, we should have some dignity as porters,” or the trade unionists all 30 �over the country, whether they were in Wisconsin or Alabama, New York. You know, “Hey, you know, people should get a livable wage. If you have industrial accidents, [00:53:00] you should get compensated, you shouldn’t get fired.” Those are the kind of things that helped build that, and so the question is, what do you want? So, for example, public housing in Chicago. When I grew up, on the West Side, it was all black. So you start saying, okay. So then I went to New York, our cousin in New York. And public housing in New York, everybody has in. I’m like, wow. (laughter) You know, it’s like, you got Latinos, you got Blacks, you got Asians, you got everybody in public housing because public housing. So politically, somebody starting saying, “Well, where would they have?” But also the infrastructure, because public housing in itself is not bad. It’s the maintenance. If you keep up a building you can keep up a 200-year-old building and it looks good. The White House is how many years old? Hundreds of years old. It’s the maintenance. You keep it up. But some of the dynamics of [00:54:00] the elevators and people and young people and, you know, because urine smells bad. JJ: So that’s interesting. So you’re saying that the city, because they were owned by the city, was not keeping up the maintenance. ML: Nope. The projects on the West Side, I almost got killed in the projects on the West Side ’cause the Panthers came and you were assigned to do what we call community work. So I was passing out leaflets in the projects off of Lake Street and in the 20s. So you go down there, you pass out leaflets talking about different programs. And in the 60s, they had this group called the [Mod?] Squad 31 �and they had these big [Mountain Dew?] hat, the Mod hat. And, you know, Malcolm X, in his book, talked about a rule that you’s never supposed to break. When you break the rules, you get in trouble. You’re always supposed to watch the door. All right? Well, in the projects when I was growing up, they didn’t have [00:55:00] fences all the way up to the top. So in some ways, it wasn’t real safe if you had small kids. So people could throw stuff out. So there’s like a chain-link fence that kind of sits out, and I had my back turned to the building. Someone threw a chair seat, the wood part of a chair seat, down. And I guess the wind wasn’t strong enough and it hit right behind me. Fell right behind me. If the wind was a little further or they had got their angle a little further, and if I don’t know what fall went on, but the impact when it hit the ground now, “Boom!” And everybody, “Oooh.” And you look up, everybody goes back in the project building. I might have been a vegetable, you know. But so the question gets to be, does it make sense having people in 13- and 14-story buildings and 10 apartment buildings, 10 apartments on the same floor, and you don’t have good maintenance? [00:56:00] Now, you had the same almost configuration, but it’s not open, all over Chicago. You got 37 stories and people are paying market rate, and it works, but they get good maintenance. So it’s not necessarily just that -JJ: Because, you know, they kicked a bunch of people out of Cabrini-Green. ML: That’s right. JJ: So what do you think about that? Those were low income (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) 32 �ML: Yeah, I think -- JJ: But there was a drug problem (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: No, definitely. I think maybe three flats, so they’re called row houses may work better than creating a vertical village ’cause in some cases, it’s harder to manage. JJ: So you agree with them kicking them out? ML: I don’t agree with drug lords running public housing. JJ: With who? ML: Drug lords. So, like, for example, in Cabrini-Green at some point, you had [00:57:00] some gangs, like -- I’m not going to mention the gang, but some gangs running the projects. And they had it like a military state where they could go from apartment to apartment. They took wholes of floors out, and, you know, if the police come and they’re going to go to 10A they can move everything down to 15B or something. But also poverty on top of poverty is real hard to break, and sometimes people capitalize on that. And the whole drug business can devastate more people than gentrification because, like, on the West Side there are some open-air drug markets off of Pulaski, and you can see the signals and the guys, you know. What’s going on at twelve, two o’clock in the morning. [00:58:00] You got 14-year-olds, you know, it’s business. All you got to do is sit back and watch. So it scares people away because people don’t want to be around that. JJ: So the drug lords should not run the projects. ML: No, they shouldn’t run the project. 33 �JJ: Because they’re affecting the people that live there. ML: Right, right. JJ: But what happens to the people that live there when the projects close down? ML: They get spread out over the community. JJ: How do you feel about that? ML: They get spread out. JJ: How do you feel about them being spread out? ML: Well, I think that’s a reality of not having control, owning the land. So if you don’t own the land, and you’re in this situation, it’s not working, and they tear down this building that has a hundred units in it, they got to go someplace. So they go to Maywood, and they go to Harvey and East Chicago Heights and Joliet and Aurora and all over, which actually is harder to live in because Chicago has tremendously [00:59:00] well-developed infrastructure for subways. In Chicago, you don’t need a car for most places. You can get on the subway or the bus because you’ve got a network that is world-class so you can -- You got six subway lines or something like that. So if you were going to work in Chicago, you could probably get to work in the city on a subway and a bus. But if you live in Joliet, and you’ve got to come to Chicago, you gotta have a car. So it’s a vicious cycle where -- If you have something that doesn’t work, you gotta change it. So I think the idea of public housing was supposed to be temporary after World War Two, where the veterans coming home supposed to go to public housing while they built houses for them, and then it got transformed. JJ: It was a temporary -- 34 �ML: Temporary. So then it got transformed where it was a permanent thing and people, some cases, multiple generations, [01:00:00] and it didn’t work. And I’m going to get an example for urine. Nobody likes to smell a urine. It stinks. And one person urinates in the elevator, and the elevator is used by 200 people a day, unless you’ve got somebody per shift in maintenance is going to clean that elevator if somebody does that, that affects 200 people that use that or 200 families. So you have to have, you know, really good maintenance. And really, I think that the community needs to own it. You know, you can’t have it where somebody else owns it or controls it, where the maintenance people have to be controlled. And they actually need to be superior when you’ve got more young people who use things and may use it in a rougher environment. You know, young kids, when they’re 16 to 18, using their parents stuff, can be rough on it. But when they get 25 or 30 and they own that car, they’re not so rough on the car. But when it’s dad’s car or mom’s car, [01:01:00] they don’t care. So I think that’s an issue of values and usage. JJ: So where did people go after they left Cabrini-Green? ML: Oh, they went out to Melrose, where they call Roseland, and they got scattered. You just disperse it. You not changing the situation. You’re just taking that concentration and you’re scattering it. So, for example, I’ll give you what I know about. You took kids from Chicago and you transplanted them. Well, if they had bad habits in Chicago, they just took the bad habits to Alabama, Mississippi, or Memphis. You know? Or you take kids from New York, and they go back to where their parents were. So in some cases, when people get in trouble, what 35 �you do? You send ’em to grandma ’cause you say, well, better environment. So that’s why the question is, how do we correct the problem as opposed to transplant, transferring the problem? JJ: What do you suggest [01:02:00] [that would?] correct? ML: I would say how do we correct the problem? JJ: How do we correct the drug lord and -- ML: Well, I think one is you -- JJ: And then, you know, getting people away from that and then investing in them (inaudible) somehow? (inaudible) ML: I think you got to get people where, tap their imaginations, where they do things that excite them, that interest them. And also give them an alternative ’cause gangs give you a structure. People like structure. Church is a structure. Gangs is a structure. Political organizations is a structure. You got a hierarchy, you got a culture, you got some camaraderie and some brotherhood and some cohesiveness. Like, we’re going to do this together. We’re going to support each other. So I think that there’s a lot of opportunity in the Green Movement. I think there’s a lot of opportunity where people can have work, livable skills. JJ: In the Green Movement? ML: Green Movement, solar energy, water. I’ll give you the example. Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, Douglas Park, [01:03:00] they’re all beautiful parks. They got lagoons. They got fieldhouses. They got a lot of land. Most of our churches have land, but it’s just grass. So why couldn’t we have community gardens there? Most of our elders know how to garden. They grew up on farms, and 36 �plus it gives them something to do, and then they can transfer those skills to the youth. But if the youth are going to be motivated to do something, they’re not going to sit at home and watch TV ’cause that’s not interesting. We’re social people. We’re pack animals. So people like being around other people. So they gonna hang out with people similar to them. So we’ve got to be able to tap that energy and that imagination ’cause I know people can figure out how to break in anything, but I also know people who can build anything. So the question is how to tap that imagination and do it so it’s good because one of the things I was seeing this rapper named Jay-Z, who’s married to Beyoncé, who’s saying that he was selling drugs, but he realized that there was only gon’ [01:04:00] be two conclusions to that. He was either gonna die ’cause something was gonna wrong because it’s a tough business or he’s gonna go to jail ’cause eventually if you selling drugs somebody either going to tell on you or the police gon’ stop you or something’s gonna happen. So the question is, how do we prevent that? I mean, historically there’s always been drugs. Alcohol is a drug. People have been drinking booze and wine and beer since immoral [sic]. The question is how to make it where -- Maybe we need to look at what’s penalized, but also, it’s a double-edged sword because I don’t think marijuana should be penalized. But then I think heroin is bad and we shouldn’t have -- heroin has devastated Chicago, New York, and all over. JJ: Well, let me rephrase the question. Okay, so [01:05:00] ’cause you were emphasizing drugs and the war, drug lords and all that at Cabrini-Green. ML: Mm-hmm. 37 �JJ: Do you think that the city, their intentions, was it just to get rid of the drug lords or to get rid of that, those people that lived there? ML: Oh, get rid of the people because drugs aren’t just in Cabrini-Green. JJ: Why do you say that? ML: Well, one is land, proximity, you know, real estate people say location, location, location. If you’re a mile of the lake in almost any city, after a while, it gets to be valuable. At one point, it gets, and it’s no longer fashionable. So at one point, Cabrini-Green, the area west of University of Illinois off of Halsted was not preferred area. It was run down. Now, it’s nice. So they want that area back. Just like most areas right around the harbor at one point. It goes in disrepair. It has all run down [01:06:00] warehouses. So the question is getting that area back and putting it to use because it gets to be fashionable ’cause you can’t make land anymore. You never could make land. But people don’t want to be an hour and a half away to go to work when they could be 15 minutes or 20 minutes away from where they work ’cause the jobs are in the core of the city, many of them are. So I think Cabrini-Green and part of the West Side, Imma talk about the West Side in particular, some of it’s been gentrified because of the location and the people who were there were expendable, and they didn’t upkeep it. Everybody’s gotta do upkeep. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. If you have a stadium, it’s a soccer stadium, football stadium, you gotta upkeep it. You gotta keep it together. I mean, some chairs are gonna be broken. You gotta replace ’em. You gotta do some paint. You gotta fix some bricks and all that. And once that goes down, and I think that was the failure of some of the public 38 �housing and also some [01:07:00] of the -JJ: So they didn’t upkeep the security for one thing. ML: That’s right. JJ: Because I recall when there weren’t drug lords there. ML: Right, right. JJ: So they didn’t upkeep the security. And maybe that was in their -- ML: Best interest. JJ: Could you say that it might have been in their best interest? ML: Oh yeah, because you can -- JJ: To have those drug lords there? ML: Oh, yeah. JJ: Or what do you -- I don’t want to put words in your mouth. (inaudible) P1: ’Cause those buildings weren’t meant to be permanent, and they became permanent. ML: Is that gon’ bleed in? JJ: Yeah. ML: Okay. JJ: (inaudible) P1: It’s a whole ’nother (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: Well, what happens is -- JJ: Did you wanna stop? Or do you want her -- ML: No, I (inaudible) JJ: -- [to come in?]? 39 �ML: The drug lords -- when you’re distracted, when you nod, and all of us are with sin, so I’m not going to say I’m not -- without sin, you may not be dealing with the issue. Right? And I’ve always said there’s very few people in this country to have pilot [01:08:00] license and big boats to bring stuff in from Colombia. So there’s a market. And so, I mean, there’s almost a scene from the Godfather movie that says, “Well, we’re going to keep this in the dark people’s community.” You know? And in other communities, it’s just hidden. It’s in bars and taverns. So maybe people aren’t on the street and giving gang signals and saying, “You want ones, twos, what do you want?” So, I mean, drugs are all over this country. But if you got people that’s doped up, then they’re not a threat. A good example, David Hilliard, who was the chief of staff of the Black Panther Party, talks about in his book that he got a habit, he got a drug habit. He became addicted to drugs, and one policeman came and saw him all doped up. He said, “You know, one point he, this guy was -- we were afraid of him. We were terrified of him. This guy was like really a powerful guy.” But once he got to be a junkie, you know, he wasn’t a threat anymore. So, [01:09:00] David Hilliard, make sure everybody understand, he fought that. ’Cause addiction is a fight. I mean, you know, it’s just like any other thing whether it’s cigarettes or coffee or food. You got to fight it every day. And so he overcame that. But he admits that, you know, it took a lot for him. He had some bad periods. So the question is, how can we prevent people from doing it so we don’t have those results? And then how can we maintain what we have? Because people need housing, and if it’s torn up when it’s 15 stories, it’s going to be torn up when it’s 3 stories ’cause everybody 40 �got to do maintenance. JJ: So tell me more about your work in the Panthers. ML: Okay. I went to Von Steuben High School, and I played basketball. So I was on the basketball team and the cross-country team. And I got interested in politics. So [01:10:00] having had parents that were transplants, that in itself is a political act. When people decide to move -- or it’s economic act. A lotta times economics ’cause people moved because they get a better way of life. And we would go South. So I didn’t realize until like 18, all the dynamics. I knew some of them, but some of them, your parents mask. So we never stopped. You know, and sometimes your parents just gloss it over. Like we would drive from Chicago to Alabama. It’s 14 hours. And the way that your parents do it is, it’s division of labor. So there’s generally a driver and a manager of the children. My father was a driver and my mother was the manager of the children. So on Fridays, or the day before, my dad would be gettin’ the car together. My mother would be gettin’ the food together and packing the clothes. And [01:11:00] on Friday, my dad would come home from work. So he got off, let’s say, at five o’clock. And my dad worked in a machine shop, a non-unionized machine shop. So he got off around 5:00. He would go to bed early, eight, nine o’clock, and we would get up at three or four o’clock, and we’d get on the road ’cause at many times people didn’t have air-conditioned cars. So we’d go in the summertime, generally. And so it’s 14 hours, so if you leave at four o’clock in the morning, you’re getting there at six o’clock in the evening. And until maybe the ’70s, there was segregation in the South, so you can’t stop every place, and eat every place, or even use the 41 �bathroom. So what we had to do was we always took the road on the interstate. And so you take the interstate to Birmingham. JJ: How old were you when you’re describing now? ML: I was up to 16, 18. JJ: And how did you feel about that segregation? [01:12:00] ML: You didn’t like it. You didn’t like it because what you found is that you’re -- JJ: It was a way of life back then (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: It was a life. But see, it was conflict because in Chicago, you learn you got to talk, speak up for yourself. You don’t lower your head ’cause if you lower your head, that means you’re being meek, and you gotta look people in the eye. Otherwise, one, you can’t see what they’re doing, and two, people think that they’re over you. In the South, people become meek, and they lower their head. And some is an act. JJ: Humble. It’s a humble act. ML: It’s a humble act. Yeah. But it’s a act of survival. JJ: Right. It’s an act of survival, also? ML: Yeah. JJ: I mean, we lowered our head it was showing respect for the other person. ML: Yeah. JJ: But here was a different situation. ML: Yeah, if you lower your head in the city, people figure -- JJ: Yeah. You’re being meek. Yeah. ML: You’re being meek and people would get meek. You know, the church talk about 42 �the meek will inherit the earth. Well, in the city, the meek gets kicked in the butt. JJ: Right (inaudible) ML: So you didn’t like it because you saw, like, when you went to the South you saw, really, [01:13:00] a lot of poverty. You know, our parents used to say they ate better in the South because the food came right off the land, but you saw a lot of housing that was really bad. You saw the segregation in the medical facilities. So you saw the schools where... When we’re watching TV as kids, George Wallace was the governor of Alabama, and he says “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” Well, the question is, taxes are the same. If you make 10,000 dollars, you fill out your tax forms, you fill out something, or you go to a grocery store and you buy 100 dollars’ worth of groceries, whatever the county and the state taxes, you pay taxes. So why shouldn’t everybody have the same thing? So, you know, you start dealing with that, and you realize it doesn’t have to be this way. And going to Von Steuben, we met students who were Puerto Rican, who were Mexican, who had come from different countries. We met Arabic students. So one of the things that were interesting to us is we met this guy who was [01:14:00] from Egypt. You know, he was a really nice guy, and he was treated like horse manure. We kept saying, “Dad, he just got here. He just got in this country, so why do people dislike him?” We didn’t understand the Arab-Israeli conflict, right? We didn’t really, at that point, initially, understand about Palestinians and being displaced. But we knew that we were in this school, and this guy was a nice guy. He was brown skinned, so in this country, he would be considered a lot of things. You know, ’cause 43 �Arabs, especially on the coast, they’re mixed. Some of ’em look white, some of ’em look Black, some of ’em look brown. In Spanish, they would probably call him moreno. You know? And he was treated bad. And then we had this guy who was Haitian, and he had a French name. Eduardo, I don’t remember his last name. Now he’s a minister on the South Side. We’re like, why are people discriminating against this guy? You know, I mean, he speaks French at home. (laughs) [01:15:00] You know? But we’re here, and we’re supposed to be this really good school. And we also realized that in our situation -JJ: Yeah, who was discriminating? ML: They were discriminating. Yeah. JJ: What do you mean? ML: Well, what happened is you can see who gets assignments and who has access to different things. So, like the importance of holidays. Every culture decides what’s important, and what we realized is like after Martin Luther King was assassinated and they had this big push for the holidays. We remember because we were in a predominantly Jewish (inaudible), the high Jewish holidays, they would be almost official holidays even though they’re not. Most the teachers would be gone, the students would be gone, so the people who weren’t Jewish would be there, and the substitutes wouldn’t really teach. And we like, “Hmm this is interesting. So why don’t we have any holidays for Latinos or for Blacks?” Right? So when they had this big national push for having Martin Luther King’s Day, you know, it got to be interesting. But the defining act for us [01:16:00] in high school was in 1970 when four students were killed at Kent 44 �State, the whole school went out. We all demonstrated in protest. A couple weeks, a couple months later, two students were killed at Jackson State, and the white students didn’t go out. We were, like, really mad. Like hold, wait a second, you need to talk about this. At Kent State you valued that these were students that got killed by the National Guard. Same National Guard, different state, that killed students in Jackson, Mississippi, and you don’t support that. So what’s going on? You know, now people didn’t want to talk about that, but we’s like, “Hey, this is --” I mean, we’re talking about injustice anywhere is wrong, you know. So that was very interesting to us in terms of that broke a lot of alliances because it was it was a very conscious act. Maybe they didn’t know it, and we were all students, but we saw that as betrayal. Yeah. JJ: Sounded like they were a little [01:17:00] political and that sort of -- ML: Yeah, yeah. JJ: Yet, even though they were little political, they still had that prejudice or something? ML: Yeah, because, see, we thought -- JJ: I don’t if that’s the term but... ML: And the issue to us with Kent State was not their color, was the fact that they were students and they were protesting Vietnam War. JJ: Right, they were protesting the Vietnam War. ML: So if you kill people in Kent State, that’s wrong. So the Black students, all the students went out. When Jackson State came, only the Blacks and the Latino students went out. We’re like, “Hey, what’s going on?” You know? And I don’t 45 �remember everybody who was killed in Kent State, but the issue was not about race. We’re all Americans. This was wrong. JJ: Right. ML: You know? JJ: The Vietnam War was wrong. So we were really upset about that. And also the whole emphasis and belief, you know. [01:18:00] Giving your children to people is a very delicate balance. You know? It’s a family issue, but who do you have that teaches your children their values and their language and their skills? I don’t think, if I had to do it again, I would not necessarily go to Von Stueben. The amount of time that I spent on public transportation was awesome, and I’m not sure if that was a supportive environment. I’m not saying that Marshall would have been better. And I don’t know because my brother went to Marshall, and he’s a pilot. So he learned some good skills. But at Marshall, you did have more gangs, there’s more tension. So I don’t know, you know, you made choices. Those are the choices I made, and that’s what I did. And so I’ve learned to make lemonade outta lemons. So, you know, that’s what I did. JJ: What do you mean? What do you mean? ML: Whatever situation you try to build something from it. So, for example, I’m here in my mother’s house and there’s a vacant house next door. I’m gon’ cut all the bushes on her side of the [01:19:00] fence and on the other side of the fence because it’s one community. I could say, “Well, I’m just gon’ cut the bushes on my mother’s side of the fence.” But bushes are bushes. You can’t see into the next yard or they need to be trimmed and maintenance. So I have to maintain, 46 �even though my mother doesn’t live next door, I have to maintain some of that because the house has been in foreclosure probably for five years. And I call every three months, the city. The city cuts the grass and they clean up a little bit. JJ: Next door, you mean? ML: Right. Right. Next door. Otherwise, you would have rats and rodents, and once rats and rodents are there, they’re just going to come in the whole neighborhood. So you gotta do something for everything. JJ: Is there a lot of foreclosures around there? ML: Oh, yeah, a lot of foreclosures ’cause, at one point, in Maywood, they had American Can. That was a big company. JJ: Oh, yeah. ML: People worked there. That closed. And then the question is, can people find jobs to replace that? A lot of times they couldn’t. And then there was some of the auto factories that closed [01:20:00] around here. And also there was a drug problem in Maywood. A friend of mines, two of her sons were killed right ’round the corner. And then one time, one boy was killed ’cause they shot brother A when they were looking for brother B ’cause, you know, that’s what happens with the whole drug business. So Maywood has a problem with foreclosures. They have a problem with drugs, violence, and I assume some of it, lotta drugs is organized, so you have a structure. You know, you have the dealers, and you also have the enforcement. You gotta have control ’cause it’s business. So it’s a difficult thing. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have this drug situation, but we got it. Now we gotta deal with it. So my concept is try to give young people things to 47 �do that’s constructive, and they can avoid some of that. I mean, are they gon’ get high? Yeah, they still gon’ get high [01:21:00] ’cause people been gettin’ high for eternity. The question is where it does not overcome the community. So, you know, if you can have community programs, literacy programs, athletic programs, industrial programs, learning how to make film, photography, soccer leagues, baseball leagues, you know, all things that people can have a whole 360 degrees environment. Like, for example, when I grew up in Garfield Park, we never went in the park after night. When it was night, if I was coming someplace, even when I was an activist, to this day, I don’t walk through Garfield Park at night. Not by myself. No, that’s no man’s land because what happens is you could be mugged. You know, you could be a tough guy, but tough guy is not anything but four other guys and they got guns and knives. So [01:22:00] I would either walk around the park the long way, or you have to walk on the street above the park where the buses are because if you walk down in the park, the park is dark. So, you know, Garfield Park and Humboldt Park, a lot of them are natural, really nice resources. The question is how to put them to good use. And that’s a struggle. That’s a struggle. Imma say something about Spanish. What I found is that, you know, language opens up doors because also languages, it’s concepts. And the more languages you speak, the more you’re in tune to cultures and environment. So Langston Hughes was a poet. He went to Spain and became good buddies with Nicolás Guillén, [01:23:00] who was the poet laureate of Cuba. But what happened is Langston Hughes’s father was an attorney in Cleveland, and he didn’t like the United States. So he left, like many people. When they don’t like 48 �some place, they leave, especially if they have some opportunity to leave. So his father lived in Mexico City most of his life. So in the summers, Langston Hughes went to Mexico. Now his Spanish wasn’t good. He never said it was good, and Nicolás Guillén said it wasn’t good. But he could function. So he went to Spain in the 1930s, late 1930s, as a reporter that covered war against Franco, the Mexican Republic War in Spain, the Republican cause. A lot of people did all over the world. And that’s where he met Nicolás Guillén. And that opened up some more of the Americas to him because he became a longshoreman so he could travel to war. So he went to Europe and went to Soviet Union and all these places, and he wrote about what he saw. But [01:24:00] inadvertently, because his father lived in Mexico, he got to be functional in Spanish. He never went to school in Spanish. And then he could talk to Nicolás Guillén, and Nicolás Guillén translated some of his poetry from English to Spanish because he had certain rhythms and the Cubans had certain rhythms. So every culture has certain rhythms that are germane to that environment. So I think it’s important that people acquire as many languages as they can, like as many skills. And I took Spanish, actually, in college, and it helped. But what I saw ’cause some of my neighbors on the West Side were from Belize, and so their mothers would speak to the family in Spanish, especially when the mothers wanted to holler at them or didn’t want them to know what they were saying. They would speak to the aunts in Spanish. And then when I was in high school, we saw people who were Africans American who were bilingual. So okay. And then I started meeting people in [01:25:00] college whose first language was Spanish and then English 49 �was a second language. (break in audio) JJ: So we’re talkin’ about language. ML: When I got to University of Illinois, the Black Panther Party had a cadre. All right? And so they tell you which professors were progressive and who you should take. So some of the ones they mentioned were Doctor Blout, James Blout, who was a geographer. And then there was Doctor Peter Knauss. He was the political science department, and other people. And so Peter Knauss, he wrote a book called Daley, Chicago: One Party State. And the university didn’t initially give him tenure and the students was like, rebel, they were striking and all this. JJ: Because of the book? ML: Oh yeah, because he was saying that Chicago was like a dictatorship. JJ: Okay. And who was this? ML: Peter Knauss. He’s dead now. He died of AIDS. But he was very progressive. And then he wrote about Ben Bella in Algeria. And so he was like -- JJ: So he [01:26:00] said Chicago was a dictatorship under Daley? ML: Yeah, under Daley. He wrote it out and he, you know, he’s a scholar, so he wrote it all out and he said that Daley, the way he ran it, he could be a dictator in any country ’cause he had a system. And he wrote about Ben Bella in Algeria. And James Blout wrote about agriculture and economics. So he’s the one that really taught us about land use. You know, he was saying, “You gotta look at how farmers look at stuff.” And then he wrote stuff about where was capitalism 50 �developed. And he talked about different port cities all over the country. So he expanded our horizon, and he was a good scholar. Both of ’em were good men. JJ: But the party was saying these are certain people you should -- ML: Yeah, yeah, you should take because -- JJ: Did they have a listing of people or...? ML: Yeah, it was like a informal thing, but they would tell you who... I mean, whatever your major was, you gotta take these courses, but you also want to take these professors ’cause [01:27:00] these professors helped broaden your experience. And what the party did was made you read. You had to read everybody. So we read Che Guevara. We read Pablo Freire, the Brazilian, about literacy. We read Amílcar Cabral, West African. We read about Mozambique. We read Engels and Marx. We read Hegel. We read Russian philosophers. We read Chinese philosophers. We read about the South. And so they expanded because they said that, you know, to understand Chicago, you gotta understand the world ’cause all that comes together. Right? So I met [DeBlout?], we got to be friends. And that’s where I learned about Don [Viso?] Campos. JJ: Don Pedro Campos? ML: Don Pedro Campos. And he was the head of the nationalist movement. You know? And I didn’t know anything. [01:28:00] I didn’t learn that in school. And they started to say, well, you should come to these meetings and come to this. And you learn about the history of Puerto Rico and you learn more about the history of Dominican Republic and Haiti and stuff. As an anecdote, this is a true story. At one point, Hollywood decided they were going to make a movie about 51 �the Haitian Revolution, and they were going to have Anthony Quinn work, be the character for the leader of Haitian Revolution. The leaders of the Haitian Revolution, some of ’em was Toussaint Louverture and Dessalines. Okay. All these were former men who were enslaved. Anthony Quinn’s a good actor, but he doesn’t look like that. (laughter) So you could find somebody else that looked like him, but they were gonna have them, you know, and that. And people say, “Oh, no, no, no, no, you can’t do that.” You know, when they write the history, when there’s movies about Puerto Rico, there’s actors that should represent that history. So you don’t need to have somebody that probably doesn’t speak Spanish and does not [01:29:00] portray that character. I mean, I understand about The Old man and the Sea, you know, even though there’s Hemingway wrote that novel, and there’s two different people played that guy. I don’t know ’cause that’s fiction. But Toussaint Louverture was a African man, and Anthony Quinn was an Irish, Mexican-American. And he’s a great actor. And he’s played a lot of roles, but he shouldn’t have played that one. The NAACP, a lot of people said, “Oh, no. Hell no. We’re not gon’ do that.” So that stopped that. Because what happens is you start getting historically inaccurate figures. So DeBlout wrote a lot of good stuff in terms about, not just this country, but about the world and expanded ’cause you had to say, okay, so what does this mean about the port cities of the world. You know? And Knauss wrote about Ben Bella and about Algeria and what’s the successes and the failures? ’Cause everybody has successes and failures. And [01:30:00] so I joined the organization called Puerto Rican Solidarity Committee, PRSC. So I started going to different meetings and 52 �learning different people, and they had a place on the north side called New World Resource Center. And [Cindy?] was there and a lot of good people. I don’t remember everybody’s names now. And you learn about information. And then I went to Puerto Rico. First time, I went on a tour for a couple weeks, and it was interesting. It was interesting seeing similarities, difference. A lot of things in Puerto Rico are totally not like United States. I mean, one, the national language is Spanish. Now, the United States can try all they want to, but you’re talkin’ about basically you had to cut people’s heart out for them to stop speaking Spanish because that is the national language. It’s like my mother, if I went to Germany, she’s still going to speak [01:31:00] English ’cause that’s her first language, and that’s how she thinks, and that’s how she cooks and all that. That’s intrinsic. And Puerto Rico is different. It’s not the United States. I mean, you can see Puerto Rican communities here, which is an extension, but it has a different beat, a culture, a different national identity. And I think that’s one of the things that, when you come to United States... Many of the Puerto Ricans told me, you know, “In Puerto Rico, I’m Puerto Rican. In the United States, I get to be this, that, and the other, all these subcategories.” You know? And they didn’t like that. Or, “I get to be exotic.” You know, in Puerto Rico, I’m just Puerto Rican.” Okay? I went to Utado and Vieques and Cabo Rojo, and we went to the Grito de Lares. JJ: (inaudible) ML: We went to Old San Juan. In Spanish, they call it San Juan. They don’t call it Old San Juan, that’s a English thing. And when we went to Vieques, that was 53 �really interesting because Vieques is different from the other island. Every island is different, but the whole military presence is awesome. I mean, it’s like, you can see it. It’s like this huge U.S. Marine or Navy base, which is now is not over, but when you have something, some cases, that is just like having anything that’s polluted. It takes a long time to clean it up, you know, and the military presence. And also, a lot of times, young soldiers aren’t necessarily good for the environment. You know? I mean, they’re rough, they destroy a lot of stuff. So that was interesting and also realizing you’re so (Spanish) [01:32:55 - 1:33:10]. So it was difficult, you know, understanding everything. And sometimes you miss stuff, you miss subtleties because your Spanish isn’t deep. But also, some things are reverse where some public universities are the elite, and the private are the secondary. You know, the whole thing the University of Puerto Rico. And you saw, like, the waterfront areas of Puerto Rico. Some of those are in real need of repair. You know? They’ve been in disrepair for a hundred years. But also the culture. So it was very interesting seeing Puerto Rico. And then also, when I went back [01:34:00] the second and third time, I was on my own, and I would catch the bus. And sometimes, I would get lost because I couldn’t understand the bus driver because my Spanish wasn’t good enough where, you know, I go ask the bus driver for directions and he would speak, and he was speaking clear Spanish. I couldn’t understand. I was like, “What did he say? You speak so fast.” You know? I went to the grocery store, and I had to get (Spanish). And I would get confused when I went to get a [key made?], you know, and they’re like, “This guy doesn’t speak good Spanish. Where are you 54 �from?” So it was good, but it showed me some differences, and I understood also another level of white migration because my parents moved from the South because they wanted a better life. And so you saw public housing and San Juan, you saw drugs in San Juan, you saw a fast pace in San Juan, but you also saw a lotta beauty, a lot of beauty, a lotta culture, lotta pride, lotta emphasis on Taíno [01:35:00] culture. So one time I got lost, and I walked all over to San Juan because I didn’t want to ask the bus driver for directions anymore, but I could figure my way how to get back. So it took me an hour, hour and a half to walk, but it was okay. And then I went to Cuba. And the first time I went five and a half weeks, and I didn’t wanna come back. If they had let me stay, I would have stayed. You know, I was like, “Yeah.” And it was interesting and very different. I didn’t see the racial tensions. I met a lot of people, and I was able to move around by myself. And I met Black Cubans, white Cubans. I met Cubans. I went to block parties. People dancing is dancing. People all over the world like to dance and they like to drink rum and party and eat well, you know. So all that’s, if you can -- everybody functions at that same level. I met a lot of foreign students who were in Cuba taking classes, medical school, engineering school, or whatever [01:36:00] school. So then you learned that you had to really work on your Spanish because then Spanish is their language for which they’re communicating because they may come from El Salvador, but they might also come from Guinea-Bissau. So that was a good experience, and... Yeah. Sometimes you wonder, what would Cuba be like and Puerto Rico be like if they were associated with United States? Cuba, a lot of times they had to get stuff 55 �from Venezuela, Argentina to get to Cuba. They’ll buy flooring towel because they can’t buy it from Miami. And they had to spend so much money on national defense. What would it be like if they didn’t have to spend that? JJ: When was the first time you heard about the Young Lords? ML: I heard about the Young Lords because the Young Lords and their association with the Black Panther Party. [01:37:00] Chicago is a segregated housing stock, but people moved back and forth. And also young people, like in our school, there was a woman who lived on the South Side was totally bilingual. So she was African American, but she basically hung out with the Latino students because she spoke Spanish. Her daddy was a Spanish professor at Northeastern. So we assumed that her mother was Latino. We never met her mother ’cause, you know. We met her dad because her dad was a big-time professor. And she went to the University of Puerto Rico for college. Right? So the Panther paper, and I wrote for the Panther paper, the Panther paper encouraged chapters to send stuff, and they had a creative page. I used to submit poetry to the Panther paper, and they would have articles about different parts of the country. And so Young Lords and the Panthers and Rising Up Angry, Young Patriots, I’d use them [01:38:00] in combination. Had a association, a alliance, a union, a fellowship. So that’s where I heard about them, because I always read the Panther paper. And people model successful programs after each other. So the idea of the Panthers programs with the breakfast program, to me, extended from the long history of people taking control of an environment. So when you looked at Cuba, they had a literacy program. 56 �When you looked at Mozambique and Angola and Guinea-Bissau, when they kicked the Portuguese out, then they tried to set up somethin’. So you gotta set up schools. You gotta set up food distribution. So when the Panthers came up with the breakfast program, that made sense because there was a need. And in the programs about sickle cell anemia or free health clinics ’cause there’s a need. Or even on the North Side, they talked about black lung. [01:39:00] Lotta coal miners have issues with their lungs because of the smoke. And if you’re a coal miner, you’re a coal miner, whether you from Appalachia or you from Alabama, you know. You’ve been in those mines all those years and you’ve got black lung. That’s affecting your health. So I think the Panther programs were modeling after that because there’s a rich history of that. And that’s why going back to Pablo Friere, he was Brazilian, but they talked about how to learn, how to teach people learn, and why to learn, and what does education mean. Because, some point, kids are turned off. Like, I took French in school and I didn’t think it was important ’cause I figured I would never go to France. Now I’m gonna think like, “God, I wish I had taken French more seriously.” Because our life experiences was Chicago to Alabama. Me going to Montreal or Haiti or France was just not in the view, you know. But maybe it would be in my son’s view. And then, too, is interesting in popular culture. In Shaft, they talk about the Young Lords. (laughs) JJ: In where? [01:40:00] ML: There’s a movie, Richard Roundtree, Shaft. JJ: Oh, I didn’t know they talked about -- 57 �ML: Yeah, there’s a whole thing about, you know, “What’s going on? Is it the Panthers? Is it the Young Lords?” Because the Young Lords in New York and Chicago was a significant movement. So what we saw was that the Panthers have a structure. Every organization has a structure, and we borrow from that, about how to organize. And the breakfast program, we all learned from. So I worked on the breakfast program on the West Side, like at the Better Boys Foundation, and I would do it on days that school was out or somethin’ like that. And I think what happens is, you know, we just start learning ’cause what happens is the public schools in Chicago didn’t teach us about Latin America. I mean, they didn’t teach us about Africa or the South. It was just this kinda sterile version of the history of the world. And then you start picking it up because, let’s say, [01:41:00] I met people in the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. And this lady named [America Santini?], or [Mecca?] Santini. JJ: (inaudible) ML: Yeah. And then you start picking up stuff about Puerto Rico and its history and what happened in 54 and people who were in prison for 40 years because they had an operation in Congress. They were rebelling. And what does that mean? You know, what does that mean the history of the world? Why do people do that? You know, ’cause that’s not the first time in the world people have done stuff. They did stuff because they’re saying, “We don’t agree with what’s going on. And we don’t want to be--” And also, like, Mecca told me about on Don Pedro Albizu Campos. I didn’t know about him. I didn’t learn about that in school. And so then you start reading about him, and sometimes it sinks in later. 58 �You know, you go back and you say, yeah. You look at him and you look at his family or you look at [Antonio Maceo?] or [Amiro?] [01:42:00] Zapata. JJ: Emiliano Zapata. Yeah. ML: Yeah. And you start looking at why are these people in struggle? What’s the history of the world, and how it all interconnected, right? And so that probably helped get my interest into going to Puerto Rico. And I’m trying to think, had I gone to Cuba? I went to Cuba in ’77, and in between ’77 and ’83, my second trip I had gone to Puerto Rico. JJ: Final thoughts? ML: My final thoughts is that it’s one world. Like in a onion, we got layers of it. And the more that we try to cooperate and understand each other, the better it is. And each day, if you can try to do some good acts to make the world better, and to sustain it. And to be honest, and look at [01:43:00] the world as it is, not how you imagine it is. And take it from there. And enjoy the sunshine. (laughter) JJ: Yeah. ’Cause it’s raining. Yeah. END OF VIDEO FILE 59 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3a0164dc47be0b9ccefef2e7953fc7bb.mp4 7a25a7a1b31dd639dac4bb19b4f2f988 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Melvin Lewis vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Afro-Americanos--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Partido Pantera Negra. Illinois Capí­tulo Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Lewis_Melvin Title A name given to the resource Melvin Lewis video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lewis, Melvin Description An account of the resource Melvin Lewis was born in Chicago but today lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His parents live in Maywood, Illinois. This is the same town where Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party (BPP) grew up. It is also where, at Maywood’s City Hall, there is a recreation center with a swimming pool named after the slain leader of Chicago’s BPP. There is also a street named “Fred Hampton Way” and a bust of Chairman Fred Hampton. Mr. Lewis is a Chicago Black Panther and freelance writer, a master gardener and certified beekeeper. His recent articles include “Out Loud and Into Print” in the May/June 2012 issue of City View (NC). He writes on music and his publications include features on “Hootie and the Blow Fish,” and singer and song writer “Rene Marie in Pluck!” He has written and broadcast twelve vignettes about civil rights for FM Radio stations 107.7 and 91.9 FM and conducted interviews on horticulture, history and art. Mr. Lewis has also won the Significant Illinois Poet Award and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently assisting with the Chicago Black Panther History Project. Their motto is, “ We will tell our story, in our own words; Illinois Panthers speak for themselves.” Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) African Americans--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Black Panther Party. Illinois Chapter Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-08-26 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d7525c086c1487aea149225a1ff8b4cb.mp4 854dbfec8d31f6e3bdb3d558935a32c3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f9ab29220c9d261c82d9aa90e02172b2.pdf 79d81bbb2d03a33b4f09aed75f927e05 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Robert W. Lewis Korean War Total Time: (00:51:49) Pre-Enlistment (00:44)  He was drafted into the service at age 23.  He was working as a parking lot attendant when he was drafted, and he was not happy about it. Training (01:37)      He attended basic training at Fort Belvoir, WV, and spent 8 weeks there. He also spent time training for the combat engineers while he was there. (02:55) They marched and went to the rifle range during basic. They also worked practicing demolition. He was originally assigned to a demolition crew. (03:35) He took his basic training and engineer training at the same base, but in different sections. In engineering training, he learned a number of things, including demolitions. (04:38) During basic training, they were housed in barracks. Active Duty (05:07)  They were sent across the Pacific Ocean on large boats, with up to 40000 men on board.  (05:41) He landed at Pusan, Korea. They were put on smaller boats in Japan after they crossed the Pacific. In Japan, they were sent to Camp Drake, where the men were sorted and assigned to units. They boarded trains after they were sorted, and took those to boats, which they boarded for Korea.  (08:48) They were put on trains to Seoul, Korea and then boarded trucks to Wijanbu, Korea, there he was assigned to the 14th Combat Engineers.  They repaired and build roads in the area.  (10:15) While there, they were housed in larger squad tents  (10:20) The terrain in the area was mountainous. He remembers the people living in small paper-mache houses.  (12:20) He arrived in Japan in January 1952 and continued on to Korea in the same month.  (13:50) Wijanbu was the base of operations for the 14th Combat Engineers.  (15:01) He saw some combat from a distance.  There were some British and Australians that were stationed near them.  (16:20) They were also located next to a MASH unit.  (16:35) They started building bridges in the summer of 1952. The first bridge they built called X-Ray, and was 92 pontoons long. The second bridge they built was called Windsor Bridge. After the construction of Windsor (which was partly of �                   his design) he was promoted to sergeant. He was a bridge foreman, and had around 40 men working for him. (19:55) They built floating pontoon bridges and wooden bent bridges. (21:32) He was around a mile and a half from the front. (22:25) They generally stayed within a thirty mile radius. (23:58) Their unit was also involved in building the Spoonville Bridge. (22:35) They were up on the front on two occasions building bunkers and machine gun nests for the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines. (24:30) He was able to go to Tokyo on leave. He shopped while he was there. (25:10) He earned about $300 a month, and he sent around half of it home. During free time, they would often play cards or wrestle, and he was able to communicate home by writing letters. (27:05) While building the Spoonville Bridge, a new lieutenant decided that they were going to work on the bridge at night by searchlight. While they were working, they came under a mortar attack during which he was injured in the mouth. This got the 2nd Lieutenant fired. This was one of the few time they were fired upon or felt threatened with attack. (31:40) They were provided generators for power, and had outdoor toilets. They got to go to battalion headquarters once a month for a shower. (33:55) They were the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion of the 1116th Regiment of the 8th Army. (34:29) There were no holidays while he was in Korea. R & R was decided by a roster, which allowed the men to be sent to Japan for 5 days. He went 2 times. He was sent home 2 months after his second visit. (36:47) Because of his rank, he had very few friends while he was over there. He turned down a field commission as 2nd Lieutenant so he could go home. (40:35) He was assigned a Jeep, but that was taken away and he would ride around in trucks. He didn’t stay in contact with the men from his unit. (42:40) His views on life changed because of the contact he had with the dead and injured soldiers on the roads he built. (45:00) They were occasionally shelled, and they did dig foxholes at their camp and the worksites. (46:05) They also built their own camp when they arrived. They moved only one time, and it was only a short distance. (48:55) He was able to go home when he received 36 points. He had 42 points when he finally left. Post-Service (50:40)   He had to readjust some after he returned home. When he got back, he worked on the railroad. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LewisR Title A name given to the resource Lewis, Robert W. (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lewis, Robert W. Description An account of the resource Robert Lewis was drafted into the Army at age 26 and served in the Korean War. Upon being drafted, he joined the Army engineers and worked building bridges in Korea near the front lines. He also worked building foxholes and firing positions for the Marines. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Post, Kollen (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-05-30 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/94694f5db02bef5e955d6ef81179946d.jpg 7955d20b8030767d7f10b9e2aa34cb7a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Believing and Belonging on Campus Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Interfaith Photovoice Description An account of the resource During the 2024 Winter semester at GVSU, the Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Interfaith Photovoice hosted nine students from different religious, spiritual, and secular backgrounds for a semester-long cohort centered on storytelling. By using predominantly mobile-phone photography, these students explored what it meant to believe and belong on campus and in the greater West Michigan community. This project was designed to help capture their experiences and stories, to enable them to find their voice through photography. The cohort culminated in an exhibition displayed on multiple GVSU campuses and curated by the students around three self-selected themes: Religious & Spiritual Practices, Barriers to Belonging, and Creating Welcoming Spaces. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource College students Belonging Hinduism Islam Judaism Students, Foreign LGBTQ+ people Orthodox Eastern Church Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Relation A related resource Believing and Belonging on Campus: An Interfaith Photovoice Project (project) Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-Kaufman-Exhibit-20 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lex Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024 Title A name given to the resource Creating Welcoming Spaces 2 Description An account of the resource As a queer person, it's sometimes tough to find religious spaces that feel like they actually accommodate us for all parts of who we are. Finding a church community often means grappling with significant trauma and pain caused by such groups. As a co-facilitator for a queer-oriented group on campus, I wanted to help provide a processing space where we as queer people could help talk about our experiences with religion and how choosing our spiritual future often means reckoning with our spiritual past. In our club discussion, we emphasized that we have the autonomy to choose how we live our lives going forward for some that may mean keeping our distance, but for some, we may still want to find a space where our spiritual and gender/sexual identities can exist in harmony. For those who are considering coming back to a religious space, this pamphlet was just one of the resources for finding local churches and organizations whose doors are open to those of us who have been shut out elsewhere. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute (exhibitor) Subject The topic of the resource LGBTQ+ people College students Belonging Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Kaufman Interfaith Institute Relation A related resource Believing and Belonging on Campus: An Interfaith Photovoice Project (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3e143e7beb7c914a361e5632a63898f4.jpg f0f4872236b61c4d6674e3c6829fa848 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Believing and Belonging on Campus Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Interfaith Photovoice Description An account of the resource During the 2024 Winter semester at GVSU, the Kaufman Interfaith Institute and Interfaith Photovoice hosted nine students from different religious, spiritual, and secular backgrounds for a semester-long cohort centered on storytelling. By using predominantly mobile-phone photography, these students explored what it meant to believe and belong on campus and in the greater West Michigan community. This project was designed to help capture their experiences and stories, to enable them to find their voice through photography. The cohort culminated in an exhibition displayed on multiple GVSU campuses and curated by the students around three self-selected themes: Religious & Spiritual Practices, Barriers to Belonging, and Creating Welcoming Spaces. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource College students Belonging Hinduism Islam Judaism Students, Foreign LGBTQ+ people Orthodox Eastern Church Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Relation A related resource Believing and Belonging on Campus: An Interfaith Photovoice Project (project) Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-Kaufman-Exhibit-15 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lex Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024 Title A name given to the resource Barriers to Belonging 6 Description An account of the resource Since I realized I was trans, I knew that being rejected by my family was inevitable. It's been about a year since my father formally decided to disown me and ex-communicate me almost completely. His version of devout Christianity just didn't have room for a queer kid. In addition to the challenges of being financially and emotionally self-sufficient, it's been tough coming to terms with holding on to religion in the face of my own family using it against me. In this specific text message, my father told me that my "decision to rebel against the authority of God is dividing [our] family." Holding onto my religious beliefs has meant taking time to reflect on how my family interpretation of our shared religion doesn't have to compromise who I am as a Christian or as a queer person. I don’t have to choose one or the other. I can just be me. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute (exhibitor) Subject The topic of the resource LGBTQ+ people College students Belonging Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Kaufman Interfaith Institute Relation A related resource Believing and Belonging on Campus: An Interfaith Photovoice Project (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng