950 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cce6297fe5318dde971a86b4c495527f.jpg b70726e3d1f085801ead1f140e957680 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Lincoln and the Civil War. PS1244 .C19 1901 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 DC-01_Bindings0216 Title A name given to the resource The Cavalier Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Armstrong, Margaret (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of The Cavalier, by George W. Cable, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1901 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/dd65ac2e48e044d45612c9a357f26cf9.pdf 637046f9eef2bdac084bde8fe4c27219 PDF Text Text The Celebration of Life and Death in Community All Saints’ Day Service Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13; Romans 14: 1-9; John 14: 1-3 Richard A. Rhem Above and Beyond Banquet Hall Norton Shores, Michigan October 31, 2010 Prepared text of sermon Bonds of friendship and shared memories of rich experiences of gathering in inspiring worship services continue to beckon us to evenings like this, gatherings, as I playfully suggested this past Spring, might be called “The Church of the Holy Seasons” or “The Community of the Holy Seasons.” Here we are again celebrating a Holy Day in the church’s liturgical calendar – All Saints Day. As I have indicated in a previous All Saints celebration, in my first incarnation as a Dutch Reformed Domine, I would be speaking about the Reformation of the 16th century when the Protestant movement was born, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church. But I have undergone a major shift in my understanding and you with me – a shift not from the great central Reformation theme of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, but a shift in how the gracious God is celebrated in the Church’s worship. This is “old hat” for you now. Nonetheless I keep gaining a deeper perspective on the change we experienced from the intellectual nature of classic Reformed worship to the sensual aesthetic liturgical drama of Catholic worship which, in large measure, we adopted. As I was musing over this evening’s meditation, for some reason I recalled the book by Hans Küng, Does God Exist? It was published in 1978. Prior to that Küng had published On Being a Christian (1976). It was a blockbuster on the continent – a most unusual occurrence since books of theology were not in great demand in Europe at the time. But Küng touched a nerve in post-Christian Europe. He prefaced his work thus: “This book is written for all those who, for any reason at all, honestly and sincerely want to know what Christianity, what being a Christian, really means. It is written also for those who do not believe, but nevertheless seriously inquire; who did believe, but are not satisfied with their unbelief; who do believe, but feel insecure in their faith; who are at a loss, between belief and unbelief; who are skeptical, both about their convictions and © Grand Valley State University   �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 2   about their doubts. It is written then for Christians and atheists, Gnostics and agnostics, pietists and positivists, lukewarm and zealous Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox. Even outside the churches, are there not many people who are not content to spend a whole lifetime approaching the fundamental questions of human existence with mere feelings, personal prejudices and apparently plausible explanations? And are there not today also in all churches, many people who do not want to remain at the childhood stage in their faith, who expect more than a new exposition of the words of the Bible or a new denominational catechism, who can no longer find any final anchorage in infallible formulas of Scripture (Protestants), of Tradition (Orthodox), of the Magisterium (Catholics)? These are all people who will not accept Christianity at a reduced price, who will not adopt outward conformism and a pretense of adoption in place of ecclesiastical traditionalism, but who are seeking a way to the uncurtailed truth of Christianity and Christian existence, unimpressed by ecclesiastical doctrinal constraints on the right or ideological whims on the left. This is not to say that what is offered here is merely a new adaptation of a traditional profession of faith or even a miniature dogmatic theology with the answer to all old or new disputed questions; and it certainly is not an attempt to propagate a new Christianity…. The present work is simply an attempt by someone convinced of the cause of Christianity, without proselytizing zeal or theological lyricism, without stale scholasticism or modern theological Chinese, to produce a relevant and opportune introduction to being a Christian… It is an attempt in the midst of an epoch-making upheaval of the Church’s doctrine, morality and discipline, to discover what is permanent: what is different from other world religions and modern humanisms; and at the same time what is common to the separated Christian churches. The reader will rightly expect us to work out for him in his practice of Christianity, in a way that is both historically exact and yet up to date, in the light of the most recent scholarship and yet intelligibly, what is decisive and distinctive about the Christian program: what this program originally meant, before it was covered with the dust and debris of two thousand years, and what this program, brought to light again, can offer today by way of a meaningful, fulfilled life to each and every one. This is not another gospel, but the same ancient gospel rediscovered for today…” © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 3   Reading that preface again, I’m not surprised that it became a best seller. I used the book for a year-long study class. For me it was a marvelous review of my four years of study at Leiden with Professor Berkhof. Amazing scholar that he is, Hans Küng came out two years later with another work, this one not 600 pages as On Being a Christian but rather 700 pages, titled Does God Exist? This text I also used for a year-long study class and it is this work that came to my mind as I was thinking about my meditation for this evening. You will be relieved to know that I’m not going to give you a review of Does God Exist? But it came to mind because of two other books I’ve been dealing with over the summer. If you have attended the Ganges gatherings you are aware that I have spoken about Karen Armstrong’s latest work, The Case for God, and Barbara Bradley Hagerty’s Fingerprints of God. They work well together and complement each other, Karen Armstrong’s book dealing with the God question more academically covering the history of theology, while Barbara Hagerty records her own personal quest giving a review of the latest brain research into spiritual experience and abundant recording of the spiritual experiences of persons who have had mystical experiences or near-death experiences, persons, that is, whose lives have been touched by another dimension beyond our ordinary space-time world. Hagerty’s accounts confirm the major thesis of Karen Armstrong that God cannot be found at the end of a syllogism or complex rational deliberation but only in the practice of the presence of God, that is in the actual engagement in spiritual exercise, in community worship, in liturgy, ritual and sacrament, in personal devotion and meditation. Karen Armstrong contends this was always understood until the modern period beginning in the 17th century with the rise of the natural sciences and the scientific method of empirical research. Previously, human reason had coexisted with mythical thinking – in Greek, logos and mythos – and together enabled humankind to negotiate the human journey. Both had their place; both had their function. She explains, Logos was essential to the survival of our species. But it had its limitations: it could not assuage human grief or find ultimate meaning in life’s struggles. For that people turned to mythos or “myth.” Myths…were really focused on the more elusive, puzzling, and tragic aspects of the human predicament that lay outside the remit of logos. (p. xi) I review this because with Armstrong and Hagerty so much on my mind, the work of Hans Küng flashed in my mind for it is in his Does God Exist? that I was prepared to embrace and affirm the two recent works. As stated above, Armstrong points to the modern period as the time of putting the existence of God in question. Küng documents that claim opening with a section entitled “Reason or Faith” in which he weaves the development of modern atheism. A © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 4   section, “The New Understanding of God,” is followed by a section entitled “The Challenge of Atheism.” It is this section that came to mind in my musings. The subdivisions paint a clear path: I. II. III. God – a projection of man? Ludwig Feuerbach God – a consolation serving vested interests? Karl Marx God – an infantile illusion? Sigmund Freud The next division is entitled “Nihilism – Consequence of Atheism.” And there you have it! Küng's road map to Nihilism was burned into my brain and the structure of Küng’s work jumped out at me. In discussing it with a colleague, the image of a capital V came into my mind. Beginning at the top of the left leg, I put Feuerbach because, while he did not initiate the modern discussion of God, he was a major contributor with his idea of God as a human projection – “Consciousness of God is self-consciousness; knowledge of God is selfknowledge.” (L. Feuerbach, Wesen des Christentums, p. 51, English translation, p. 12). There exists no objective counterpart to our thoughts of God; theology has become anthropology. That fundamental move was assumed to be true by those who followed him – Marx and Freud – and the end of that left leg of the V, ending at the vortex is Nietzsche and Nihilism. Nihilism, the term comes from the Latin nihil, nothing. Without dealing with this at any depth, I only point to the general idea associated with nihilism, namely, that life is without objective meaning, purpose or intrinsic value. Nihilism takes various forms – moral nihilism – morality does not exist as something inherent to objective reality; existential nihilism – life has no intrinsic meaning or value, is without purpose or significance. No more need be said as already it is obvious that such pessimism, affirming only emptiness, meaninglessness, and nothingness is the conclusion of the movement of modern atheism. Nietzsche was a towering figure – brilliant and sensitive. He was not pleased where the project of atheism took him. His famous cry, “God is dead” and “we killed him” was not a triumphant acclamation but a despairing realization that now “everything is permissible” because the whole foundation of Western culture had been undermined. Having reached the bottom of the downward movement of modern atheism in Nietzsche’s nihilism, Hans Küng seeks for a way to move up the right leg of the V. How can one move beyond the abyss of atheism’s end in nihilism toward purpose, meaning, value grounded in reality? Küng begins building in a major division, “Yes to Reality – Alternative to Nihilism.” He contends there are fundamental alternatives: © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 5   We can say yes or no to uncertain reality. Such a fundamental decision and fundamental approach always involves a risk…Reality itself does not extort a Yes or No, a positive or a negative fundamental attitude…should I, then, surrender myself to what is not obvious, demonstrable, calculable? This is really a matter of trust or mistrust, in which I stake myself without security or guarantee. We may paraphrase the verb “to trust” in a variety of ways: either I believe reality sustains me and I trust it – or not; either I commit myself in principle to reality and rely on it – or not; either I regard reality therefore as trustworthy and reliable – or not; either I express my trust in reality – or not. Whatever way this fundamental decision goes, whatever kind of fundamental attitude is adopted, it is inescapable. Man is free. But he is not free to be free: “You must wager. There is no choice, you are already committed,” said Pascal. Jean Paul Sartre says that man is “condemned” to freedom, while others say that he is “called” to freedom…. in the long run it is impossible to remain undecided in regard to reality…. And not to choose is itself a choice…. In this vote of confidence, abstention means refusal of trust, a vote for mistrust. (p. 438f) It is beyond the purpose of this meditation to develop Küng’s presentation of fundamental trust which he affirms “means that a person, in principle, says Yes to the uncertain reality of himself and the world, making himself open to reality and able to maintain this attitude consistently in practice.” (p. 445) But I set it forth to point out that for Küng this is the pivot point from which he will build the whole structure of trust in Reality, in God, and in his case, the Christian God revealed in Jesus Christ. Why do I stress this starting point for the building of a structure of trust in God? Precisely because this is the only option for us human beings whose whole existence has come under the scope of critical rationality that seeks empirical verification, scientific proof for all claims regarding reality. It is beyond my purpose to show, as does Küng, that there is a “faith dimension,” an “intuitive hunch” and model building even for those engaged in the respective scientific areas of research. It is enough for me to make the point as strongly as I can that Küng’s alternatives point to our human situation: either I express my trust in reality – or not. For me, the critical factor here is Küng’s extensive, intensive examination of “the God Question” which has emerged in the modern period as Karen Armstrong points out in The Case for God. She declares it; Küng documents it. She contends it is only in the practice of the presence of God – in meditation, liturgy, ritual, prayer – that God is revealed to us. And such practice emanates from a fundamental trust, not from a reasoned proof for the existence of God, let alone a God to be trusted, worshiped, and loved. © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 6   As I reflect back on my own journey, which was lived out very publicly in your presence, I realize how intensely I struggled to reason as far as reason would take me – no doubt, often to your despair. I remember well the comment someone made not so many years ago – “Why all his questions? At his age shouldn’t he have answers rather than questions?” I was never content to rest on “the tradition teaches,” or “the church teaches,” or, “the Bible says.” And because we never took the faith structure on authority but probed as honestly and diligently as humanly possible, I am ready to own that my whole life project is founded on a wager that carries risk: a fundamental trust in Reality, in God, the God I see revealed in the face of Jesus Christ – not the only revelation of God but my window to the Sacred, the Holy, the Mystery that is God. I know you do not demand such strenuous effort on my part; it is an inner demand to which I respond. But I know I could as well simply declare the biblical word which is our storybook. So often I turn to the poet who penned Ecclesiastes, one of the wisdom writings of the Hebrew Scriptures. The writer is so human in his wonderings, in his questions. For everything there is a season – a time we are born and a time we die, but he wonders – is that all there is? St Paul was sure there was more – for, in dealing with a practical issue regarding differing views of religious practice in the 14th chapter of Romans, he declares what for him was the ultimate truth, the last word as it were – We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. (Romans 14: 7-9) And then again from the Gospel of John, words purportedly from Jesus himself though I doubt that – it matters not. The fact is they found expression because of the impact of Jesus in life and death and presence beyond death made on the early Christian community – …I go to prepare a place for you…and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3) That is the biblical message – the wondering of the Hebrew poet, the assured declaration of the convert to Jesus Christ, St. Paul, the comforting assurance of the Gospel. It is in our being shaped by such scriptural affirmations that confidence is built and spiritual formation results in confident living and dying, living and dying marked by fundamental trust. © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 7   A recent book to which I have referred of late that has impressed me deeply is entitled Fingerprints of God by Barbara Bradley Hagerty. I am impressed with her work because she does intensive research and asks all the tough questions that a sceptic might raise. Her own witness as to what put her on the trail of research into the God question is, …I could not keep the questions at bay. Is there another reality that occasionally breaks into our world and bends the laws of nature? Is there a being or intelligence who weaves together the living universe…? In the end, my questions boiled down to five words: Is there more than this? (p. 6) And after her long trail of exposure to all kinds of human experience that claimed some brush with the beyond in our midst, Hagerty concludes, I end with the question that launched my journey: Is there more than this? Yes, I believe there is, and the new science of spirituality buttresses my instinct. Science is showing that you and I are crafted with astonishing precision so that we can, on occasion, peer into a spiritual world and know God. The language of our genes, the chemistry of our bodies, and the wiring of our brain – these are the handiwork of One who longs to be known. And rather than dispel the spiritual, science is cracking it open for all to see. (p. 284) Her final sentence: We have all about us the fingerprints of God. (p. 285) A different kind of investigation than the rigorous philosophical theological overview of Hans Küng, but very significant as a contemporary witness to the fact that the God Question does not die away and even the latest science and technology is called in service of the quest. The December 31, 1999, issue of The Economist magazine ended as did every issue with a page marked “Obituary”– each issue taking note of the death of some prominent figure. This particular issue, called “millennium Issue” had as its subject God. A painting on the page, an artist’s rendering of God, had written beneath it in bold letters, “After a lengthy career, the Almighty recently passed into history. Or did he?” A decade later, Barbara Hagerty finds the fingerprints of God everywhere, not only in human experience but even in scientific research. The stories she tells of those who witness to an encounter with another dimension are not insignificant. As I was deciding on my meditation for this All Saints observance, I became aware of a Clint Eastwood movie just released entitled Hereafter. A review in the © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 8   October 18, 2010, Newsweek by David Ansen speaks of Eastwood’s “squinting” at the afterlife (p. 50). He writes, Clint Eastwood flirted with the supernatural in his allegorical Western Pale Rider, but nothing in his career prepares us for his haunting and haunted Hereafter, a bold, strange, problematic investigation into the nature of the afterlife. At 80, he continues to throw us curves, abandoning the safety of genre for an unconventionally structured story about mortality, loneliness, and the relationship between the living and the dead. The movie has a triple thread – three personal stories are woven together finally in a very moving affirmation of Hagerty’s conclusion that there is something more. In a portrayal that could well have been one of Hagerty’s stories, in the reviewer’s words: Caught in the tsunami is the first of the three characters whose fates Hereafter follows, a French television host (Cecile De France) who dies in the storm and then miraculously comes back to life. But her glimpse of the beyond makes it impossible for her to reenter her old life as a Parisian celebrity; instead, she becomes obsessed with writing a book about the eerily similar after-death experiences others have endured, a pursuit that costs her credibility in the eyes of her sophisticated friends. As her unhappy publisher notes, it’s a topic more suited to the American market. The second strand is played by Matt Damon who has the gift (he calls it a curse) to communicate with the dead, a gift/curse from which he tries to escape. The third story tells of a young boy whose twin brother is killed in an accident – a loss from which he cannot recover until the medium puts him in touch with his brother who counsels him to move on with his life. This happens in London where the child recognizes him and “knows” too that the medium who purchases the book of the journalist has made a “connection” with her. It is all very quiet, sober and reverent. The reviewer comments, “What keeps us rapt are the mysterious and provocative questions Hereafter raises, questions that Eastwood and Morgan (screenplay author) know can’t be definitively answered. Clearly, at this point in his life, questions of mortality aren’t far from Eastwood’s mind, and you can feel his identification with these characters, whose encounters with death both separate them from the rest of the living and give them a sense of urgent purpose. Damon, with his understated but deeply felt performance, and the wonderfully versatile De France supply the movie’s aching soul. And Eastwood keeps it honest. Hereafter confronts a topic that could have descended into mawkish, mystical hokum, but not in Eastwood’s no-nonsense, uncynical hands. He looks at death, and beyond, with clear, open, inquisitive eyes. © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 9   Last evening Nancy and I viewed the film. I realize I take in something like that perhaps differently than most people. I’ve immersed myself in the God Question and “Is this all there is?” “Is there something more?” I think about little else. But I must say I was deeply moved by the movie. Barbara Hagerty’s closing sentence would be a fitting summary of the film as well: “We have all about us the fingerprints of God.” We have become aware recently of the tragedy of the suicide of young persons bullied because of their sexual orientation. In response to such tragedy there has been launched on the Internet a project that addresses the issue and tries to give hope and confidence to young people caught in the despair of alienation and suffering. It is called the “It Gets Better” project. Here we are again, another All Saints Day celebration. We celebrate life and death in community – the hymn “Borning Cry” was deliberately chosen you understand – The Good and Gracious God – there at our borning cry, there the day we were baptized watching our life unfold – childhood, adolescence, intimate relationship, middle age, and when evening gently closes in and we shut our weary eyes, I’ll be there as I have always been with just one more surprise. Not simply because the church teaches or the Bible says, not with arrogant dogmatism that masks insecurity, but with deep fundamental trust, I do believe this is not all there is. There is more to come. In no way do I imply thereby that life here and now is not good, a gift, a grace to be valued and savored. As a community we have come to love and live by Julian of Norwich’s affirmation: “All will be well, all will be well; all manner of things will be well.” The toast I learned from Duncan Littlefair – To the wonder, miracle, glory and joy of life! – is the way I’ve come to live my life. It is very good and, on this All Saints Eve, I suggest - it will get better! References: Karen Armstrong. The Case for God. Thorndike Press, 2009. Barbara Bradley Haggerty. Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality. Riverhead, 2009. Hereafter. Director, Clint Eastwood; Producer, Steven Spielberg, 2010. Hans Küng. On Being a Christian, 1976; Does God Exist?, 1978. © Grand Valley State University � 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event All Saints Day Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Romans 14:1-9, John 14:1-3 Location The location of the interview Above & Beyond Banquet Hall, Norton Shores References Karen Armstrong. The Case for God, 2009. Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Fingerprints of God:The Search for the Science of Spirituality, 2009. Hereafter. Director Clint Eastwood, 2010. Hans K 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 KII-01_RA-0-20101031 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-10-31 Title A name given to the resource The Celebration of Life and Death in Community Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 31, 2010 entitled "The Celebration of Life and Death in Community", on the occasion of All Saints Day, at Above & Beyond Banquet Hall, Norton Shores. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Romans 14:1-9, John 14:1-3. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Meditation Practice of Spiritual Faith Ritual https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f45a7edea8648995992fef3b8031ac32.jpg 5e6ea57752171ebb5f9c092e61d0d2a2 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS1297 .C3 1898 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 DC-01_Bindings0295 Title A name given to the resource The Celebrity Description An account of the resource Binding of The Celebrity, by Winston Churchill, published by the Macmillan Company, 1898. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Edwards, George Wharton (Designer) Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1898 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/68158c2d211139fc4b0a00afa0c95a77.mp3 22bd478f84f024654a7c9be2aee2a7fd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0b68f5bbb811ab70d657be9a3e4ceadf.pdf d0da7183cd09ac8c106b294d4f17bd30 PDF Text Text The Challenge of the Modern World From the series: The God Question Text: Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:10; Luke 4:18 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan February 27, 2000 Transcription of the spoken sermon Last week I began a brief series on the question of God, the question that will not go away, and this morning I want to say that God has gotten into trouble because of the explosion of knowledge in the modern world. It's not that God is in trouble, but the church has been in trouble, because the church has failed to understand the nature of its own religious life and quest, and has gotten into a futile battle with the advance of scientific knowledge and understanding of this world. The church has been in a futile and tragic, losing, intellectual battle with the march of modern knowledge for the last three hundred years. Even as we speak, the church in its evangelical and orthodox expression has not yet come to terms with acknowledging the place and the function of modern knowledge, that which is available to us through the scientific disciplines, the scientific method, through the empirical quest through verification experience. The church has still not acknowledged the legitimate place of the scientific endeavor and the knowledge that is gained through that method, and it has failed, obviously, also, in understanding what religion is all about and what its business is, for the business of the church or the business of religion is not to give us knowledge of the natural world. It is not to give us a map of the heavens or the anatomical structure of the human creature, or the emerging, developing cosmic drama, or the course of history. Religion is about the experience of God. Religion is about the experience of that other dimension of reality that is beyond time and space and touch and smell. Religion is about human experience of meaning. Religion addresses questions about "Who am I and why am I here and how should I live, and what is of value, and what brings quality to human existence?" The onslaught of knowledge in the modern world over three centuries has put the church in a defensive position, for we have failed in the church to understand that religions arose in response to the human awareness of being creatures, of being alone in this vast universe with all of its wonder and all of its threat. Out of the fear and vulnerability of the human creaturely condition, once the human creature came to awareness, to consciousness, self-consciousness, once the human creature came to a sense of him or herself over against the vast cosmic scheme of things, at that point these deep and profound existential questions © Grand Valley State University   �The Challenge of the Modern Age Richard A. Rhem Page 2   arose and the religions, as they took shape and form, were the response to the answers that now and again came to one here or there, some answer that seemed to resonate in others about the meaning of it all or where value lies or where quality can be found, some interpretive word about the Mystery that seems to bear us up and yet is always beyond our grasp and grip. That is the nature of the obtuse paragraph printed in the inside cover of your liturgy by the philosopher Santayana, one of America's great thinkers. In this paragraph (not particularly easy to comprehend; don't try to read it now, it will take about a dozen readings this afternoon, after which you will say, "Why did he have that printed?"), what Santayana was saying in that context was there are poets and philosophers and saints who now and again bring something to expression and we say, "There is divine grace and truth and beauty." And what they said as a human channel is the important thing. The fact that they were historical figures was not critical. In fact, what we do with the historical channels through whom have flowed truth and grace and beauty, like Shakespeare or Jesus, what we do with those historical figures is that we soon wrap them in myth and they become mythical heroes. Did George Washington ever tell a lie? Did he chop down the cherry tree, or was it the outhouse with his father in it, I'm not ever sure? But we have human channels who bring something to expression, something of truth and grace and beauty, and we say, "Aha." The person has had an epiphany, if you will. And through their expression of it, they create an epiphanic experience for others. A Buddha experiences an enlightenment, a Jesus grasps the essence of what the Hebrew prophets were speaking about. And then we wrap those historical figures into mythical wraps and garments because they become symbols of that grace and truth and beauty which came to expression through them. I read from Isaiah where the prophet appeals to the Jews in exile to remember Yahweh their God, the God who says, "Before me every knee will bow and every tongue will confess." Then I went over and read from Philippians 2 where Paul is dealing with a congregation much like you and saying to that congregation, "I so wish you could get together, particularly you ladies. Stop all of that fracas. In fact, let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." And then the humility of Jesus, the mind of Christ demonstrated in that descent from the glory of the Father through death and exaltation to the point at which what Isaiah said of God, that every knee will bow and every tongue confess, Paul now says is true of Jesus, the risen, ascended one at the right hand of God. This one, before this one every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to the glory of God. The passage is about an ethical matter. It's about the concrete way to live in a congregation. The illustration is the humiliation and the exaltation of Jesus. Well, of course, we got all wrapped up with christological discussions about who Jesus was, divine, human, pre-existent, present, exaltation, coming again - all of that made great fodder for theological discussion. What was missed was Paul's point and that is that people ought to get along together, following the example of Jesus in his historical, earthly sojourn here. But, what was Paul trying to say? Paul was trying © Grand Valley State University �The Challenge of the Modern Age Richard A. Rhem Page 3   to say that what did come to expression in that one was light and grace and truth that was reflective of none other than the eternal creator of all, the eternal God. The historical channel becomes the mythical hero who symbolizes the values and the qualities that are being advocated as the way to live, as the path to follow. That's what religion is all about. And what is dead in religion is religious content that refers to the nature of the world, to the factual description of reality which is the domain of the sciences, and the conflict between science and religion has been the fact that the church has failed to recognize that its domain is a domain of mystery, that what it is concerned about is the human question, "Who am I? What does it all mean? Whither am I going?" Not the date of creation or the nature of how everything has evolved and developed. The nature of religion has not really to do with the philosophical concepts like the Trinity, the dual nature of Christ, how history will end, whether Jesus will come again. All of these things that have divided the church, caused people to argue and fight, exclude one another and excommunicate one another. Sigmund Freud, who perhaps I could use as a symbol for modern knowledge, who was certainly one of the giants of human thought, who died earlier in the last century, beginning his work in the previous century, spoke of himself as an aggressive atheist. He would have affirmed the Death of God theologians who, in the sixties, were the subject of the Time magazine discussion about the death of God. Sigmund Freud believed that the sciences and religion were mortal enemies. I re-read again his fascinating little tract, "The Future of an Illusion," where he recognized quite correctly the origin of religion in that human consciousness and awareness of helplessness and aloneness in the vastness of this mysterious and threatening cosmos, and he recognized how the myths and the rituals were created in order to respond to that mystery, in order to come to terms with that reality, in order to be at one or at peace with whatever God may be. But Sigmund Freud, coming at the end of three centuries of the explosion of modern knowledge, was simply convinced that they had to get rid of religion in order to let science emerge and the human race mature. He was quite blunt about it. Well, in the middle of this past century, as I said, the theologians were talking about the death of God, and here we are at the beginning of the third millennium, and God is alive and well. But, God is alive and well still by those who are fighting a rear guard action. The fundamentalist response in the respective religions is an attempt to beat down and defeat the modern knowledge that is as obvious as the hand in front of me. Fundamentalism, with all of its present strength and vitality, cannot possibly have the last word. But what Sigmund Freud didn't understand is that the function of religion and the religious quest and the ubiquity of the spiritual quest is the consequence, not of needing knowledge about the natural world, but coming to some understanding of who we human creatures are in the vast scheme of things. Freud said very clearly we could do away with religion, we could have the human © Grand Valley State University �The Challenge of the Modern Age Richard A. Rhem Page 4   person live out of intellect by reason, and it would bring about liberation and maturity. He was wrong, as subsequent decades have demonstrated. We can think all day long, we can exercise our mental powers, we can acknowledge all of the knowledge that is available from all of the sciences, we can gather all of the data as accurately as possible, and what an explosion of knowledge, and what is available to us in our day, it's absolutely amazing. It's wonderful! But, once we have a handle on all of that and, of course, who can get a handle on all of that, but once we have, there remains the question, "Who am I? And what is the mystery that grounds my existence? What am I called to be? How should I live? Is this all there is? Is there anything more? What is of value? What are the qualities that are important?" Those are religious questions and those questions will not go away in the wake of the explosion of knowledge of the natural world, of the planetary system or the biological makeup of the human creature. Those are questions of meaning and those press in upon us as strongly today as ever they did in the dawning of the first awareness of the creature that we would call human. Your religion isn't "true," nor is it "false." True and false don't apply to religion. Religion is about quality and value. Why we fight about facts, I don't know. We are together on a journey in community before life's ultimate questions in the face of mystery, trying to find our way together. The Buddha has an illumination and that light shines on a vast community. Socrates comes along and says, "Know thyself." Jesus suggests we should love our enemies. Now and again a human channel becomes the conduit for divine grace and beauty and truth, and then we catch it and say, "Ah! There it is! I can live with that. I can rest in that. I can live fully, fully alive with a sense of well-being and peace and harmony with all that is about me and with those who are about me, from what I see about the nature of things in the contours of the face of Jesus." You see, he's our story. He's our window. There's not a lot of factual stuff that makes a great deal of difference. Unfortunately, the Bible is full of superstition and error, the reflection of the writers of the day and the culture in which it arose becomes a battleground for people trying to prove that all of its factual claims of science and history, and so on, are actually true. They are not true. They are simply the garments in which the respective channels gave witness to the truth and grace and beauty that was flowing through them, emanating from that mystery that grounds us all and embraces us all and overshadows us all, and as we make our way together, we share with each other and eventually, hopefully, we find our way to a place of peace, having experienced the mystery that is always beyond us, that is always pressing in upon us, and we rest our case, blessing the scientists and falling to our knees. © Grand Valley State University � 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Epiphany VIII Series The God Question Scripture Text Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10, Luke 4:18 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-20000227 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000-02-27 Title A name given to the resource The Challenge of the Modern World Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on February 27, 2000 entitled "The Challenge of the Modern World", as part of the series "The God Question", on the occasion of Epiphany VIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10, Luke 4:18. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Meaning Mystery Nature of Religion https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d440a2bfac949af95c6eb713316ea26.pdf 62b38c92b260d830df7ac5f601e89c01 PDF Text Text When I first heard of COVID-19, I thought it was like the flu. Now I see that the virus is more serious than it was conveyed to be; I did not picture the world being on lockdown months later. When we first got the notice that we were moving to remote learning classes for two weeks, I grabbed my necessities and left that weekend. A few days later, we got an email that classes were moving to remote learning for the rest of the semester. I had to drive back to Allendale, Michigan and move out the rest of my things. I’m from Chicago, Illinois so the drive wasn’t that bad, but I had to find people to help me and find vehicles that could fit all my things on short notice. With all classes being online, it was a struggle. I’ve had online classes before and I know it takes a lot of discipline and time management. I learn better when sitting in class because the professor can explain it in ways that the textbook may not. COVID-19 also affects student organizations and jobs. Model Entertainment is a student organization I am a part of on campus. We had a show scheduled for April 11th but it got cancelled. I was not working at school but when I came home and tried to work I couldn't because they were minimizing staff. We can all say that COVID-19 has put our social life, finances, and daily living styles to a halt. I have known friends that had COVID-19 and are now fine. I do not work in healthcare but I was thinking about volunteering to help out with COVID-19 patients. Lastly, getting groceries and household items have been quite a struggle. Some stores have lines down the block and once you finally get in there, they are out of paper towels, certain food items, and other basic necessities. We have to take serious precautions with what we touch in the stores and make sure we are properly wiping down items we bring in the house. This pandemic has been something difficult to cope with but will soon be over. � 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 COVID-19 Journals Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Libraries Description An account of the resource This collection of journals and personal narratives was solicited from the GVSU community by archivists of the University Libraries during the events of the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic. During this unprecedented crisis the university closed suddenly, following federal and state guidelines of social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The university closed its campuses on March 12, 2020, and quickly moved students out of campus housing. Faculty swiftly transitioned to fully-online teaching for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester, and all campus events, including commencement, were cancelled. The purpose of the COVID-19 Journaling Project was to document the individual and personal experiences of GVSU’s students, staff, faculty, and the wider community during this time of international crisis. Some project participants were university student employees who were compensated for their journaling. Other participants were granted stipends or extra credit for submitting entries to the archives. Still others participated without any compensation or credit. The University Archives remains grateful to all who submitted journals, for helping us to understand the impact of this crisis on our community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Subject The topic of the resource Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives 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 COVID-19_2020-04-23_ANON_011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Anonymous Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-23 Title A name given to the resource The Challenges of COVID-19 Description An account of the resource Journal by an anonymous GVSU student relating how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them. Subject The topic of the resource COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020 Epidemics Grand Valley State University College students Personal narratives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Archives. COVID-19 Journaling Project Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</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 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/66c0b652a4bd4c312e30a4976d9edb6a.mp3 8332e7db20b6cef533be9086b3f4f536 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXVI Series This is Our Father's World Scripture Text Genesis 11:7, 9, Acts 2:8 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19851124 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-11-24 Title A name given to the resource The Chaos of Secularism and the Community of the Spirit Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 24, 1985 entitled "The Chaos of Secularism and the Community of the Spirit", as part of the series "This is Our Father's World", on the occasion of Pentecost XXVI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 11:7, 9, Acts 2:8. 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/a54ef80a1876c305cd42a690b15d373f.pdf e6557d41a5ce693fac7c4d394e36a02a PDF Text Text �August 24, 2005 Dennis Stachewicz, Director of Planning and Community Development Charter Township of Chocolay 5010 US 41 south Marquette, Ml 49855 Dear Dennis: Enclosed please find five copies of the Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan-2005. Also enclosed is a CD with ~ MSWord and PDF files. It has been a great pleasure working with you and the Chocolay Township community in the preparation of the Plan. We hope it makes a difference in how Chocolay Township develops in the future. Sincerely, Enclosure John: t/winwo~chocolay/final plan letter.doc PLANNING & ZONING CENTER, INC. 715 N. Cedar St.• Lansing, Ml 48906-5206 • ph (517) 886-05 fax (517) 886-0564 • Web Site: www.pzcente r.co~ , �The Charter Township of Chocolay COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Prepared Under the Direction of the Chocolay Township Planning Commission By the Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. 715 N. Cedar Street, Suite 2 Lansing, Ml 48906-5275 517/886-0555 Ph. 517/886-0564 Fax www.pzcenter.com with assistance from Dennis Stachewicz Staff Support to the Planning Commission Director of Planning and Community Development 2005 �CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP BOARD OFFICIALS (elected) Greg Seppanen, Supervisor Arlene E. Hill, Clerk John S. Greenberg, Treasurer CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES Ken Tabor John L. Trudeau Dan Maki Don Britton, Jr. CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION Bill Sanders, Chairman Mike LaPointe, Vice-Chair Estelle DeVooght, Secretary Steve Kinnunen, Vice-Secretary Scott Emerson Ken Tabor Tom Shaw PLANNING & ZONING CENTER, INC. ASSOCIATES Mark A. Wyckoff, FAICP, President John Warbach, Ph.D., Principal Carolyn A. Freebury, Vice President Andrea Hoag, Research Associate Evan Cunningham, Research Associate �TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Demographics ... .. ... .... .. ...... ................. ...... ...... ......... .......... ......................... 1-1 lntroduction ........................ ... ............... ...... ............................ .. .... .... ...... ... ... .... ...... ........ .. . 1-1 Demographics ..... ... ... ...... .... .. .... ...... ...... ........................................................................... 1-1 Total Population .. .. ..... ... ..... .... ....... ............................. ................................................. . 1-1 Population Projection .. ... .. .. .. .. ....... ... ... .. ..... .......... .. .............. ... .. ... ... ...... ..... ... ........ .. ..... 1-2 Chapter 2: Economy ...... ..... ... .. ... ... .. ............ ................. .......... ..... .... ..... ...... ............ ........ 2-1 Introduction ............ .... ..... .. ... .. ...................... ..... .. .. ....... ......... ... ..... .. ......... ..... .. .. ........... ... .. 2-1 Area Economy ......... ........... ... ........ .... ...... ........ .... ............... ..... .. .. ....... .... .... .. .................... 2-1 County Employment ... ....... .. ... ................ ............................... .. ... ........ ........................ . 2-1 Chocolay Township Employment ......... .... ................................................................... 2-2 Unemployment ......................................... ........................... ..... .. .. ..... .......................... 2-3 Poverty ......... .................. ... .... ........ .. ..... ................................... .................................... 2-4 SEV of Different Land Use Categories .... ... ....... .... ...................................................... 2-6 Issues and Problems ....... ...... .... .... .......... ...................................... ... .. ... ... ....... .. .. .... ... ... ... 2-7 Chapter 3: Housing .. ..... ..... .. ......... .. .. ... .... .......... ............ .................... ............................ 3-1 Introduction ................ ..... .. .... ......... .... ... .... .... .... ...... ... ...... ............ ............. ........................ 3-1 Housing Types ........... ...... ........ .................. .... ... ........................... ... .. .. ........ .. ... ... .............. 3-1 Age of Housing ... .. .... ... ... .. ... ... .. ................. ..... ........................................ .......................... 3-4 Housing Values .. .. .. ...... ........ .... ....... ....... ...... .... ..... ..... ...................................................... 3-5 Size of Families Occupying Chocolay Township Housing ............... .. ...... .. ........................ 3-6 Housing in the Future ....... .... ... .. ......................................................... ........................ ...... 3-7 Chapter 4: Natural Features ............ ... .. .... ..... ... ...... ................. ........ .. ....... .... .... .... .. ....... 4-1 Introduction .... .... ..... .. .. ... ...... .... .. ... .. .. ............. ........................................... ..................... ... 4-1 Natural Features .......................... ... .. ........... ... .. ...... ...................... .......... ..... .. ... ... .. ........... 4-2 Bedrock Geology ........ ......... .. .... .. .. .. ... .. ... ..... ... ... .. ..................... .... ..... ....... .. ............... 4-2 Surface Geology ... ... ................................. .............................. ... .. .... ......... .. ... ............. 4-2 Glacial Lake Plain .............. .... .. ... ....... ........... .... .. .. ... ................... ................................ 4-5 End or Recessional Moraine ... ... .. ..... .. ..... .. ................................................................. 4-5 Glacial Till - Bedrock ..................... ........... .. ......... .................... .. ..... .. ... ............ .. ......... 4-5 Soils ............... ........ ............ ........................ .................. ...... ..... ......... ...... ... ......... ..... ... . 4-5 Mineral Deposits .. ..... ..... ...... ...... ... .... ... .. ......... ................. .... .. ..................................... 4-8 Topography ... .... ... ... ..... .... ... ... ................... .. .................... .. .... ......... .. ..... .. .... .. ... ... .. ...... 4-9 Water Features and Watersheds ..... ... ... ... .................................. .. ....................... ........ 4-11 Wetlands .................. .......... ...... .... .... ......... .. ... ...... ................. .......... .................... ........ 4-12 Floodplains ...... ...... ............ .... ...................... ....................... ... .. ... .... .... .... ...... .. .. .......... 4-12 Shoreland Features .............. .................. ....... .... ............... ........................................... 4-13 Observations .... ....... ........... ...... ..... .............................................................................. 4-18 Chapter 5: Existing Land Use ... ............. ..... ..... ............................................................. 5-1 Introduction .. ................. .. .... ............................ ... ....................... ......... ..... ...... .... .......... .. .. .. 5-1 Land Use/Land Cover in Chocolay Township ... .. .. .. .. .................... .................................... 5-3 Urban and Built Up ... .. ... .. .. ... ... ......... ............ ..... .... ...................................................... 5-3 Agricultural Land ... .. ...... .. ........................................................ ... ................. .... ..... ... .... 5-3 Open Land or Rangeland ....... .... .... ... ... .. ..... .. ...... ..... ................................................... 5-3 Forest Land ............................ .... ........ .... ...... ... .. .. ................ ................ ........................ 5-4 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Water .......................................................................................................................... 5-4 Wetlands ..................................................................................................................... 5-5 Barren ......................................................................................................................... 5-5 Land Use by Tax Class ..................................................................................................... 5-5 Relationship of Land Use/Cover Inventory to Land Use by Tax Class Inventory and Other Information ................................................................................... 5-8 Chapter 6: Public Facilities and Services .................................................................... 6-1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6-1 Township Administration ................................................................................................... 6-1 Community Center ...................................................................................................... 6-4 Public Works .................................................................................................................... 6-4 Wastewater Facilities .................................................................................................. 6-4 Water Facilities ........................................................................................................... 6-6 Solid Waste/Recycling ...................................................................................................... 6-6 Utilities .............................................................................................................................. 6-7 Emergency Services ......................................................................................................... 6-7 Police .......................................................................................................................... 6-7 Fire ............................................................................................................................. 6-8 Ambulance .................................................................................................................. 6-8 Health Care ...................................................................................................................... 6-9 Education ......................................................................................................................... 6-9 Recreation Facilities ......................................................................................................... 6-1 O Township Owned Recreation Properties ..................................................................... 6-11 Other Public and Private Recreation Sites .................................................................. 6-16 County Lands and Facilities .............................................................................................. 6-18 State Lands and Facilities ................................................................................................. 6-18 Escanaba River State Forest ...................................................................................... 6-18 Marquette Branch Correctional Facility, Mangum Farm ............................................... 6-18 Michigan Department of Transportation (MOOT) ......................................................... 6-19 Department of Natural Resources Marquette State Fish Hatchery .............................. 6-19 Federal Facilities .............................................................................................................. 6-20 Chapter 7: Transportation ............................................................................................. 7-1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7-1 Transportation Modes ....................................................................................................... 7-1 Classification Roads ......................................................................................................... 7-2 Transportation Decision Making ....................................................................................... 7-7 Access Management ........................................................................................................ 7-8 Traffic Volumes ............................................................................................................ 7-1 O Traffic Crashes ............................................................................................................. 7-10 Driveway Closures/Consolidations ............................................................................... 7-11 Interconnected Streets ...................................................................................................... 7-11 Public Road Conditions and Improvements ...................................................................... 7-12 Existing Road Improvements ....................................................................................... 7-13 Boulevard on US-41/M-28 ............................................................................................ 7-14 New Roads .................................................................................................................. 7-16 Private Road Conditions and Improvements ..................................................................... 7-19 Mass Transit ..................................................................................................................... 7-20 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 ii �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Future Trails ..................................................................................................................... 7-21 Capital Improvements Program ........................................................................................ 7-21 Potential Plants for Use Along Streets and Highways ...................... ................................. 7-22 Chapter 8: Vision, Goals, Policies, and Objectives ..................................................... 8-1 Introduction ........................................................ ............................................................... 8-1 Vision Statement .............................................................................................................. 8-1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 8-1 Proactive Planning and Sustainability .......................................................................... 8-2 Quality of Life: Impressions, Standards and Visual Character ...................................... 8-3 Quality of Life: Close to the City but Retaining Rural Qualities ..................................... 8-4 Quality of Life: Neighborhoods ..................................................................................... 8-5 Quality of Life: Access to Opportunities ...... .................................................................. 8-5 Quality of Life: Recreation ............................................................................................ 8-6 Quality of Life: Urban Infrastructure ............................................. .... ............................. 8-6 Quality of Life: Enrichment ........................................................................................... 8-7 Goals, Policies and Objectives ......................................................................................... 8-7 Balanced Growth ......................................................................................................... 8-7 Housing/Residential ..................................................................................................... 8-8 Commercial .... .... ... .... ...... ............................................................................................. 8-15 Industrial ...................................................................................................................... 8-17 Transportation .............................................................................................................. 8-18 Economy ...................................................................................................................... 8-20 Natural Features ................. .. ..... .................................................................................. 8-21 Recreation ................................................................................................................... 8-22 Community Facilities .................................................................................................... 8-24 Community Character .................................................................................................. 8-26 Chapter 9: Areas of Particular Concern ....................................................................... 9-1 Introduction ......... .. ............................................................................................................ 9-1 Proposed Areas of Particular Concern in Chocolay Township .......................................... 9-2 Natural Areas of Particular Concern ............................................................................ 9-2 Cultural Areas of Particular Concern ........................................................................... 9-6 Management Techniques for Chocolay Township's Proposed Areas of Particular Concern ...................................................................................................................... 9-7 Natural Areas of Particular Concern ............................................................................ 9-8 Environmental Areas ............................................................................................. 9-8 Wilderness and Natural/Scientific Areas ................................................................ 9-8 Geologic Formations ............................................................................................. 9-9 Flood Areas ........................................................................................................... 9-10 Erosion Areas ........................................................................................................ 9-10 Shorelands ............................................................................................................ 9-1 O Lakes ..................................................................................................................... 9-11 Rivers and Streams ............................................................................................... 9-11 Prime Agricultural Lands ........................................................................................ 9-12 Prime Forested Lands ........................................................................................... 9-12 Mineral Resources ................................................................................................. 9-13 Cultural Areas of Particular Concern ........................................................................... 9-13 Aesthetic Areas ..................................................................................................... 9-13 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 iii �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Recreation Areas ................................................................................................... 9-14 Historic Areas ........................................................................................................ 9-14 Urbanizing Areas ................................................................................................... 9-15 Chapter 10: Future Land Use & Infrastructure Management ...................................... 10-1 lntroduction ....................................................................................................................... 10-1 Purpose of the Chapter. .................................................................................................... 10-1 Future Land Uses ............................................................................................................. 10-3 Agriculture-Forestry ..................................................................................................... 10-3 Agriculture ............................................................................................................. 10-4 Forest Management .............................................................................................. 10-5 Residential .................................................................................................................. 10-5 Rural Residential ................................................................................................... 10-6 Lakeshore Residential ........................................................................................... 10-6 Single Family Residential ...................................................................................... 10-7 Multiple Family Residential .................................................................................... 10-8 Nonresidential ............................................................................................................. 10-8 Commercial ........................................................................................................... 10-8 Industrial ................................................................................................................ 10-9 Local Public Lands ................................................................................................ 10-9 Areas of Particular Concern ........................................................................................ 10-9 Natural Areas of Particular Concern ...................................................................... 10-9 Cultural Areas of Particular Concern ...................................................................... 10-10 Special Corridors ........................................................................................................ 10-10 Land Use in Area Along M-28 East of the Intersection of US-41/M-28 ................... 10-10 Land Use in Area Along Us-41 South of the Intersection of US-41/M-28 ............... 10-11 US-41/M-28 West of the Intersection ..................................................................... 10-11 Infrastructure Management ............................................................................................... 10-12 Road Improvement Strategies ..................................................................................... 10-12 Sewer and Water Strategies ....................................................................................... 10-13 Recreation .................................................................................................................. 10-15 Entryway Strategies .................................................................................................... 10-15 Budgeting Strategies ................................................................................................... 10-16 Relationship to Future Land Use Plans and Zoning in Adjoining Jurisdictions .................. 10-16 Onota Township Plan .................................................................................................. 10-17 Rock River Township .................................................................................................. 10-17 Skandia Township Zoning ........................................................................................... 10-18 West Branch Township Zoning .................................................................................... 10-18 Sands Township Zoning .............................................................................................. 10-18 City of Marquette Plan and Zoning .............................................................................. 10-18 Marquette County Comprehensive Plan ..................................................................... . Chapter 11: Zoning Plan ............................................................................................... 11-1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11-1 What is a Zoning Plan? ..................................................................................................... 11-1 Relationship to Comprehensive Plan Update .................................................................... 11-1 Districts and Dimensional Standards ................................................................................ 11-1 Zoning Districts ................................................................................................................. 11-1 Residential Districts ..................................................................................................... 11-1 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 iv �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Commercial and Industrial Districts ............................................................................. 11-2 Resource Production District.. ..................................................................................... 11-3 Open Space District .................................................................................................... 11-3 Public Lands Zoning District.. ...................................................................................... 11-3 Planned Unit Development District .............................................................................. 11-3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 11-4 Chapter 12: Plan Implementation ................................................................................. 12-1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 12-1 Focusing on Priorities ....................................................................................................... 12-1 Annual Tasks .................................................................................................................... 12-1 Top Priorities .................................................................................................................... 12-1 APPENDICES Appendix A: 2000 Census Demographic Profile, Chocolay Township .............................. A-1 Appendix B: Summary of Major Soil Series in Chocolay Township .................................. B-1 Appendix C: Chocolay Township Transportation Planning ............................................... C-1 LIST OF MAPS 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 5-1 5-2 6-1 6-2 7-1 Surface Geology in Chocolay Township ................................................................... 4-4 Chocolay Township Topography .............................................................................. 4-10 Watersheds and Water Features .............................................................................. 4-14 Floodplains in Chocolay Township ........................................................................... 4-15 High Risk Erosion Areas in Chocolay Township ....................................................... 4-17 Existing Land Use/Cover, 2004 ................................................................................ 5-2 Chocolay Township Land Use by Tax Class ............................................................. 5-6 Chocolay Township Public Facilities ......................................................................... 6-3 Chocolay Township Existing and Planned Sewer Service Area ................................ 6-5 Roads in Chocolay Township According to the National Functional Classification System ............................................................................................... 7-5 7-2 2003 Average Daily Traffic Volumes on Major Arterials ............................................ 7-10 7-3 Proposed General Location of New Public Roads .................................................... 7-18 9-1 Chocolay Township Areas of Concern Map .............................................................. 9-5 9-2 Road Crossings of Streams in the Chocolay River Watershed ................................. 9-12 10-1 Future Land Use ....................................................................................................... 10-2 10-2 Public Sewer and Water Service Area Map Beyond 2025 ........................................ 10-14 LIST OF TABLES 1-1 Population of Chocolay Township and Surrounding Communities, 1980-2000 ......... 1-1 1-2 Population Projection for Chocolay Township and Adjoining Jurisdictions Based on 1980-2000 Census ................................................................................... 1-3 2-1 Marquette County Employment by Category, 1940-2002 .......................................... 2-1 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 V �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 2-2 Type of Employment in Chocolay Township , Persons 16 and Over, 2000 ........ ..... ... 2-3 2-3 Chocolay Township and Neighboring Communities Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment, 2004 .. ........ ....... ... ... .. .......... ............... ...................................... 2-4 2-4 Poverty Status of Persons in Chocolay Township .... ....................................... ... ....... 2-5 2-5 Chocolay Township SEV, 1995 and 2003 .... .................. ... ................................. ... ... . 2-7 3-1 Housing Characteristics, 2000 ..... ........ ... ........ ... ................ ....................................... 3-1 3-2 Types of Housing in Chocolay Township, 2000 ..... ... .. ... ... ... .. .... ............................... 3-3 3-3 Longevity of Occupancy of Housing in Chocolay Township, 2000 ... ... ... .... ............... 3-4 3-4 Age of Housing Units in Chocolay Township, 2000 ............... ........ ... ... ........ ...... ........ 3-5 3-5 Average Rent in Chocolay Township, 2000 .......... ....................... ........ ..................... 3-6 3-6 Owner-Occupied Housing Value in Chocolay Township, 2000 ........ ....... ....... .... ....... 3-6 3-7 Occupied Housing Family Size in Chocolay Township, 2000 .... ..... .. ....... ...... .... ........ 3-7 4-1 Soil Suitability for Urban Uses in Chocolay Township ....... ................... .... ...... ... .. .. .. .. 4-7 4-2 Soil Suitability for Resource Production Uses in Chocolay Township ......... ....... ...... .. 4-7 4-3 Prime Farmland Soils in Chocolay Township .... ....... ... ....... ... ....... ... .......................... 4-7 4-4 Hydric Soils in Chocolay Township .... ........... .... .... ............... ............ ......................... 4-8 5-1 Summary of Land Use/Cover Types for Chocolay Township .... ....... ...... ..... ..... ......... 5-3 5-2 Land Use by Tax Class in Chocolay Township, 2003 ...................... .............. ........... 5-7 6-1 Chocolay Township Employees .............. ............ ......................................... .. .... .. ..... 6-2 6-2 Chocolay Township Recreation Facilities .... ...... .. .. ... ... .. ...... .. .. ........................ ...... ... 6-11 10-1 Relationship Between Future Land Use and Zoning District Categories ................... 10-3 11-1 Chocolay Township Zoning District Regulations, 2005 ...... .. .. ....... .. ... ....................... 11-4 LIST OF FIGURES 7-1 Design Characteristics of Types of Roads ...... ... ...... .......... .. ... ...... ..... ....................... 7-3 7-2 Functional Classification of Roads ... ..... .... ... ..... ........ ... ........ .... ..... ...... .... .. ............ .... 7-4 7-3 Interconnected Streets ..... .... ..................................................................... .............. .. 7-12 7-4 Proposed Boulevard Cross Section for US-41/M-28 as It Goes Through Harvey ...... 7-16 7-5 Marquette/Sawyer/Gwinn Route of Marq-Tran ..... .... ... .. .................... ........ ... ............. 7-20 10-1 Cluster Subdivision Compared to Other Land Division Options on the Same Land .. . 10-7 10-2 Adjoining Jurisdictions ...... ....... ......... ... ................................................................... .. 10-17 LIST OF PHOTOS 1-1 Chocolay Township is Likely to Experience a Significant Portion of Marquette County Growth .... ............ ............... .......... ... .... .............. .... ...... ....... .. .... .................... 1-2 1-2 Trail Users in Chocolay Townsh ip ............ ..... .. .. .. ............ ... ........ ...... ...... .. .. .. ... ......... 1-4 2-1 Recent Developments in the Greater Harvey Area have Increased Local Employment .. ... .. ......... .......... ...... ... ........... ................... ................................... 2-2 2-2 The Primary Source of Tax Base in Chocolay Township is Residential Land Use .... 2-6 2-3 Residents Desire an Expanded Job Center in the Northwestern Part of the Township ............... ... ...... .. .. .. ... ........... ... .. ......... ................... ........................... 2-8 3-1 Housing in Harvey ........................ .... ................. .. ....... ....... .. .......... ...... .... .. ..... ... .. ... .. 3-2 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 vi �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 3-2 3-3 3-4 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 4-7 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-4 6-1 6-2 6-3 Manufactured Home, Beaver Grove ......................................................................... 3-3 Condominium Housing at Chocolay Downs .............................................................. 3-7 Chocolay Township Farmstead ................................................................................ 3-8 Chocolay River ......................................................................................................... 4-1 Rocky Section of Lake Superior Shore ..................................................................... 4-3 Hills in the Green Garden Hill Area ........................................................................... 4-9 Flowage Between Lake Levasseur and Lake Kawbawgam ...................................... 4-11 Wetland Area Along Lake Kawbawgam .................................................................... 4-12 Lake Superior Shoreline ........................................................................................... 4-13 Marquette State Fish Hatchery Outlet at Cherry Creek ............................................. 4-18 Homestead Golf Course is One Example of Many Different Land Uses .................... 5-1 Agricultural Land in Chocolay Township ................................................................... 5-4 Forest Land Comprises the Largest Percentage of Land in Chocolay Township ....... 5-4 Natural Features Should be Protected in Order to Promote the Local Economy ....... 5-8 Chocolay Township Hall ........................................................................................... 6-1 Chocolay Township Vehicle ...................................................................................... 6-2 It May be Possible to Provide Public Water to the US-41/M-28 Corridor in the Future ............................................................................................................. 6-6 6-4 Chocolay Police Department Vehicle ........................................................................ 6-7 6-5 Dry Hydrant Along Lake Kawbawgam for Use in Fighting Fires ................................ 6-8 6-6 Cherry Creek Elementary School ............................................................................. 6-9 6-7 Beaver Grove Recreation Area ................................................................................. 6-10 6-8 Chocolay Township Marina and Boat Launch ........................................................... 6-12 6-9 Beaver Grove Recreation Area ................................................................................. 6-13 6-10 Skating Rink at Lions Club Park ............................................................................... 6-14 6-11 Kawbawgam Cross Country Ski Trail. ....................................................................... 6-15 6-12 Kawbawgam Pocket Park ......................................................................................... 6-16 6-13 DNR Dam that Forms Lake Levasseur Waterfowl Area ............................................ 6-17 6-14 Chocolay Downs Golf Course ................................................................................... 6-18 6-15 Mangum Prison Farm ............................................................................................... 6-19 6-16 Marquette State Fish Hatchery on Cherry Creek ...................................................... 6-19 6-17 U.S. Army Reserve Center in Harvey ....................................................................... 6-20 7-1 The Primary Transportation Mode in Chocolay Township is Vehicles on Public Roads ....................................................................................................... 7-1 7-2 M-28 is a Statewide Arterial ...................................................................................... 7-6 7-3 Kawbawgam Road, a Gravel Road in Chocolay Township ....................................... 7-7 7-4 Very Few Businesses Need Two Driveways ............................................................. 7-11 7-5 One Proposal Calls for Converting Part of US-41 /M-28 to a Boulevard .................... 7-14 7-6 All-Season Trails Need Improvements to Address Safety and Noise Issues ............. 7-21 8-1 Chocolay Residents Help Create the Vision for a Sustainable Community in 2025 ..................................................................................................................... 8-2 8-2 Chocolay Residents Envision "Lots of Green" as a Measure of a High Quality of Life ....................................................................................................................... 8-3 8-3 Visual and Recreational Access to the Lake Superior Shoreline Remains a Major Quality of Life Feature .................................................................................... 8-5 8-4 Recreational Opportunity Abounds in Chocolay Township ........................................ 8-6 8-5 New Development Should Occur Near Existing Development .................................. 8-8 8-6 Encourage Variety in the Housing Stock ................................................................... 8-9 8-7 Residential Developments Should Not Exceed Road Capacity ................................. 8-11 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 vii �TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) 8-8 Vegetative Buffering Can Protect Scenic Quality ... ... ... .... ..... ... ... ... .. ...... ................... 8-13 8-9 Promote the Development of Small Commercial Centers Adjacent to Existing Commercial Development Such as Beaver Grove .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. .................. 8-15 8-10 Encourage Centrally Placed Parking Lots that Serve Several Businesses ...... .. ........ 8-16 8-11 Foster Visual Enhancement, Safety and Pedestrian and Bicycle Access at the Varvil Center ................ .... ...... ..... .. ... .. .... ........... ... .. ... .......... ................... ... ............... 8-17 8-12 Improve Pedestrian Safety and Access Along US-41/M-28 ...................................... 8-19 8-13 Encourage the Expansion of Retail, Wholesale and Service Businesses .. .. .. .. ...... ... . 8-20 8-14 Encourage the Preservation of Agricultural and Forest Production Areas .. .. .... ......... 8-21 8-15 Continue to Protect Sand Dune, High Risk Erosion Areas and Floodplains .............. 8-22 8-16 Promote a System of Non-Motorized Trails with Other Jurisdictions, Such as on this Abandoned Railroad Right-of-Way .. ...... .. .... .............. .. .. .. .... .... .. .... ...... .. ........ 8-23 8-17 Study the Feasibility of Keeping the Chocolay River Mouth Open ............................ 8-25 8-18 Encourage Preservation and Restoration of Historically Significant Structures ... ...... 8-26 8-19 Prepare and Implement a Scenic Character Preservation Plan for Chocolay Township .... .... ...... ... .. ....... .. ..... .. ..... ... ... ..... ... ...... ............. ....... .. ................ 8-27 9-1 Areas of Particular Concern Include Areas that are Irreplaceable, Fragile, Limited and have Unique Value ............. .... ..... .. ... ..... ....... ...... ... .... .. .. ....... ..... ... ... ... ............... 9-1 9-2 Chocolay Township has Significant Natural Areas of Particular Concern Such as Lake Le Vasseur ......................................................................................... . 9-2 9-3 Stream Crossing Stabilization on Chocolay River ............................ .. .......... ... ... ....... 9-4 9-4 Green Garden Area is an Aesthetic Area of Particular Concern ................................ 9-6 9-5 The Casino Area is an Urbanizing Area of Particular Concern .. ........ ... ... .. ...... .. .. .. .... 9-7 9-6 Management Concerns Over Wilderness and Natural/Scientific Areas, such as the Lake Le Vasseur Wetland Project Involves Working with State Agencies .......... .. 9-9 9-7 Protruding Bedrock Areas Are Notable in Good and Bad Weather ........................... 9-9 9-8 Protect Water Quality, Aesthetic Quality and Resource Integrity of Coastal Lakes and Rivers .. ....... ...... ...... ... ... ...... ...... ... ..... ....................... ....... .. ... ... ................. 9-11 9-9 Many Roads in Chocolay Township are Scenic, such as CR 480 .... .. .... .. ................. 9-14 9-10 Each Unique Historic Area Requires Individual Management .......... .... .. .. .. .... ....... .. .. 9-15 9-11 The Commercial Corridor of US-41/M-28 is an Area of Particular Concern ............... 9-16 9-12 The Casino Site has Little Frontage on M-28 .... .. .. .... .... ........... .. ......... .. .. .... .............. 9-17 10-1 Agriculture and Forestry ........................................ ...... .... ...... ................................... 10-4 10-2 Single Family is Expected to Continue as the Largest Housing Type ................ .. ...... 10-5 10-3 Small Expansions are Proposed to Existing Commercial Areas .. .. ............................ 10-8 10-4 All Public Lands, such as the Beaver Creek Recreation Area Should be Depicted on the Zoning Map ......................................................... ... ................. ........ 10-9 10-5 Land Use Along US-41 South of the US-41 /M-28 Intersection .................................. 10-11 10-6 Township Staff Works to Maintain and Improve Park and Recreation Services ........ 10-15 12-1 A Key Priority is to Study the Feasibility and Timing of Provision of a Public Water System to Serve the Northwest Portion of the Township, such as this Home in Harvey ......... .... ... .. ...... ......... .. ... .... ..... ... ... ....... .... .. .. .. ..... ..... ..... ............ 12-2 G:\WINWORD\PROJECTS\Chocolay Township\Draft Chapters 4-1-05 Final\TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 1 05 - F.doc (caf) The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 viii ��Chapter 1 DEMOGRAPHICS INTRODUCTION A basic component of the Comprehensive Plan is an analysis of demographics. It provides a profile of the people who live, work, and play in Chocolay Township. A thorough understanding of the people of Chocolay Township is a necessary basis for determining the future needs and opportunities of the community. The residents weave the cultural fabric of Chocolay Township; they demand its services, develop its lands, pay the taxes and ultimately determine the success of the Township. This chapter will examine the trends, composition and characteristics of Chocolay Township's population, and will conclude with a discussion ,of relative issues and problems. DEMOGRAPHICS Total Population A study of population trends is necessary for understanding the historic pattern of growth within communities. Past population fluctuations may provide insight to possible patterns of change in the future. The growth trends of Chocolay Township are compared with those adjoining units of government in Table 2-1. Table 1-1 Population of Chocolay Township and Surrounding Communities, 1980-2000 Community Chocolay Township Sands Township West Branch Township Skandia Township City of Marquette Marquette Township Marquette County State of Michigan 1980 1990 2000 Total Change 19802000 Change 19802000 Total Change 19902000 Change 19902000 5,685 6,025 6,095 +410 7% +70 1% 2,437 2,696 2,127 -310 -13% -569 -21% 2,166 2,241 1,648 -518 -24% -593 -26% 999 933 907 -92 -9% -26 -3% 23,288 21,977 20,714 -2,574 -11 % -1,263 -6% 2,669 2,757 3,286 +617 23% +529 19% 74,101 70,887 64,634 -9,467 -13% -6,253 -9% 9,262,078 9,295,297 9,938,444 676,366 7% 643,147 7% % % Source: U.S. Census Bureau , 2004 Note: Chocolay Township and Marquette City figures based on census figures as revised regarding Marquette Branch Prison population . The population of Chocolay Township increased by 41 0 persons between 1980 and 2000 to 6,095, according to the U.S. Census. See Table 1-1. This represents a 7% change during that time period. Within the same period, many of the communities that The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 1-1 �neighbor Chocolay Township experienced declines in population. The exception was Marquette Township , which gained 617 persons - a 23% increase. Between 1990 and 2000, Chocolay Township's population grew by 1%, adding 70 persons. As a whole, Marquette County experienced a population decline of 9,467 persons, or 13% between 1980 and 2000. This loss of population is primarily a result of the closure of the K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base. Chocolay Township's population gain of only 1% between 1990 and 2000 may seem low when compared with the number of new houses constructed, but the number of persons per household declined 14.5% from 2. 75 to 2.35 persons per household during that period. It should also be noted that there is a discrepancy in the 2000 Census data between Marquette City and Harvey CDP (Census Designated Place). Unlike past censuses, prisoners at the Marquette Branch Prison were included in the Harvey and Chocolay Township statistics, not Marquette City. In May 2001, a resolution was adopted by the Census Bureau to correct the discrepancy. The resolution caused Chocolay Township to subtract 1,053 persons from their census figures and Marquette City to add 1,053 persons to their figures. This amount appears to be the total population of the Marquette Branch Prison (according to the fiscal year 2000 Annual Report of the Prison), inclusive of the Garden Farm prisoner population. Population Projection By knowing the number of future residents in the Township, officials can invest in the proper community facilities needed to serve this future population. Many methods of projecting future population have been developed and tried over the years, but they all have the same shortcoming . They all use past information to predict what is going to happen in the future. Although some methods are more elaborate than others , they all make projections of future actions based on past trends. Photo 1-1 Chocolay Township is Likely to Experience a Significant Portion of Marquette County Growth The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 1-2 �If current growth trends continue, the population of Chocolay Township could increase by 455 persons, or 7.5% between 2000 and 2020, based on the 1980, 1990 and 2000 census figures. See Table 1-2. Marquette Township is likely to see an increase of 544 persons during the same period. Countywide, Marquette County should continue to experience a population decline. Based on current trends, the County stands to lose 8,961 persons, or 13.9% over the next 20 years. Even though the County population will likely decline, Chocolay Township and a few other townships surrounding the City of Marquette are likely to grow. If the growth rate of the last ten years continues to increase, it will be important to adjust this Plan at intervals of not less than 3-4 years. Growth within Chocolay Township depends on a variety of factors. These factors include lifestyle, commuting habits, economic influences, housing availability and more. Many of these factors are outside of the Township's control, and others may only be marginally influenced by actions of the community. However, it is likely that for at least the next decade, a portion of the population growth in Marquette County will occur in Chocolay Township. It appears that Marquette Township and Chocolay Township are the recipients of much of the growth around the City of Marquette, which is likely to include people migrating out of the City, in order to live in a more rural area. Should the economy of the area significantly improve, this projection is likely to be low. Similarly, if it were to decline, then these projections may be high. Table 1-2 Population Projection for Chocolay Township and Adjoining Jurisdictions: Based on 1980-2000 Census Total Change % Change Community 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2000-2020 2000-2020 Chocolay Township 5,685 6,025 6,095 6,345 6,550 455 7.5% Sands Township 2,437 2,696 2,127 2,110 1,955 -172 -8 .1% West Branch Township 2,166 2,241 1,648 1,500 1,241 -407 -24.7% Skandia Township 999 933 907 854 808 -99 -10.9% City of Marquette 23,288 21 ,977 20,714 19,419 18,132 -2,582 -12 .5% Marquette Township 2,669 2,757 3,286 3,521 3,830 544 16.5% Marquette County 74,101 70,887 64,634 60,407 55,674 -8,961 -13.9% Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Projections by Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. based on Linear Growth Method. Note: Chocolay Township and Marquette City figures based on census figures revised regarding Marquette Branch Prison population. Other Population Characteristics The population correction for Chocolay Township made by the U.S. Census Bureau, in which the prison population was moved from Chocolay Township to Marquette City The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 1-3 �makes further analysis of the Chocolay Township population difficult. The correction only detailed total population number and housing units, and so a detailed breakdown and analysis of the Chocolay Township population is not possible for Age, Education, Gender, Race and Ethnicity. See Appendix A for a copy of the census correction letter and all of the basic 2000 Census data for the Township. Photo 1-2 Trail Users in Chocolay Township John f:\winword\chocolay\final\Chapter 1 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 1-4 �Chapter 2 ECONOMY INTRODUCTION The economy of Chocolay Township is a complicated maze of ties with the surrounding area. The employers within the Township only form a small segment of the economic picture for the Township. Neighboring employers are a major income and employment source for Township residents. Within the Township itself, no single business dominates and employment is a mix of government, industry, and retail business. AREA ECONOMY County Employment This section will begin with a historical perspective of employment over the last several decades in Marquette County. Table 2-1 and Table 2-2 show employment figures by broad industrial categories. Table 2-1 Marquette County Employment by Category, 1940-2002 Category Total Labor Force Unemployment Govt. Employment Mining Wholesale/Retail Trade Finance, Ins. & Real Estate Services 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1988 2002 17,946 16,934 18,952 21,200 30,575 28,125 32,950 2,239 731 1,129 1,455 1,502 2,087 1,380 4,154 3,925 8,100 2,975 8,350 1,900 6,900* 3,074 2,225 3,408 2,714 2,830 2,625 3,210 4,127 No Data 4,950 2,700 4,775 1,675 4,415 152 294 300 597 825 900 1,114 2,312 1,974 2,490 3,855 No Data 5,050 9,965 Source: Chocolay Township 1989 Comprehensive Plan and Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development * Figure from FedStats, year 2000 The figures on total labor force show that there has been a fluctuation in the size of the workforce. From 1970 to 1980 the labor force grew substantially from 21,200 to 30,575, which was an increase of 44% in a ten-year period. Between the period 1980 to 1988, a drop of 8. 7% was recorded in the total labor force, which is a numerical drop from 30,575 in 1980 to 28,125 in 1988. In 2002, the labor force rose to 32,950, an increase of 3,725 or 13% from 1988. The unemployment figure, which was at 7.9% in 1960, dropped to 6.5% in 1979, but then rose to 12.8% in 1980. In 1988, it was 10.6%, in 2002 it was 5.7% and in 2004 it was again 5.7% (year-to-date January-August). During a thirty year period, government employment grew from 19.6% in 1970 to 29.6% in 1988 and down to 20.9% in 2000. The slow-down in the mining industry is represented by the fact that in 1970, mining accounted for 15.1% of the employment in Marquette County, where as in 1988, it only accounted for 9.6%. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-1 �Without doing a complete survey of the labor force not only in Marquette County, but in the central U.P. as well as Michigan and the United States, including a survey of employment of major employers in Marquette County and Chocolay Township, it is difficult to make determinations as to the trends in the economy. Suffice it to say that in Chocolay Township, much of the employment is derived outside of the Chocolay Township boundaries. For example, being located five miles outside of the city of Marquette provides a variety of employment opportunities in retail business and the government and service sectors, including personnel in the Marquette School system and Northern Michigan University. Many ancillary jobs are also created as a result of these facilities. In addition, Marquette General Hospital and the Michigan State Branch Prison employ many Township residents. Chocolay Township Employment The Township is mostly residential in character and relies heavily on outside employment. Recent developments in and around the greater Harvey area have added to the Chocolay Township tax base and will increase local employment within the Township. In addition, these new businesses will add services desired by local residents. Photo 2-1 Recent Developments in the Greater Harvey Area have Increased Local Employment In reviewing employment within the Township, three segments stand out. They are: 1. Government A. Marquette Area Public Schools (Cherry Creek Elementary) B. Michigan Department of Natural Resources (fish hatchery) C. Chocolay Township 2. Retail A. Grocery stores B. Restaurants C. Other retail stores including gas stations The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-2 �3. Light Industry and Manufacturing A. Car sales B. Service contractors and trucking C. Manufacturing (block plant) The U.S. Census reported that in 2000, over half (1,713 out of a total 3,016) of the Chocolay Township workforce 16 years and over were employed as private, for-profit wage and salary workers. See Table 2-2. Over one thousand of the Chocolay Township workforce, or 22.4% were employed by the local, state or federal government. Nearly 14%, or 417 worked for private, non-profits, and 6.3% were self-employed workers. Only ten persons, or 0.3% were employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting in 2000 in Chocolay Township . Table 2-2 Type of Employment in Chocolay Township, Persons 16 and Over, 2000 Number Percent 1,713 56 .8 Employees of own corporation 211 7 Private not-for-profit waQe and salary workers 417 13.8 Local government workers 173 5.7 State government workers 429 14.2 Federal government workers Self-employed workers 74 189 2.5 6.3 In aQriculture, forestry, fishinQ and huntinQ Unpaid family workers 10 21 0.3 0.7 3,016 100 Class of Worker Private for-profit waQe and salary workers Total employed civilian population 16 and over Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Unemployment Chocolay Township compares favorably with other communities in Marquette County and the Upper Peninsula in its level of unemployment. Unemployment was only 150 persons, or 4.4% of the workforce in Chocolay Township in 2004. See Table 2-3. Both Marquette City and Township were nearly the same with an unemployment rate of 4.3% and adjacent Sands Township had an unemployment rate of 4.4% in 2004. Marquette County unemployment was at 5. 7% in 2004 and the unemployment rate for the Upper Peninsula was 7% in 2004. Nearby Skandia Township unemployment was at 10.3% in 2004 and West Branch Township unemployment was at 8.1 % in the same period . The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-3 �Table 2-3 Chocolay Township and Neighboring Communities Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment, 2004 Employment Unemployment Unemployment Rate 3,175 11,650 3,050 11,075 150 50 4.4 4.3 1,425 1,350 50 4.3 925 875 50 4.4 Skandia Township 400 375 50 10.3 West Branch Township 675 625 50 8.1 32,950 31,075 1,900 5.7 155,100 144,200 10,800 7 Community Chocolay Township Marquette Citv Marquette Township Sands Township Marquette County Upper Peninsula Labor Force Source: Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth Due to rounding (by MDLEG) to the nearest 25 for communities and 100 for Upper Peninsula, figures in some columns do not always appear to calculate properly. Poverty Chocolay Township has very few families below the poverty level. According to the U.S .. Census, only 52, or 3% of all families fell below the poverty level in Chocolay Township in 2000. See Table 2-4. This included 40 families with related children under 18 years of age, of which 11 had children under 5 years of age. While the U.S. Census reported there are only 176 families with a female head of household in Chocolay Township, 35 of those, or 19.9% are below the poverty level. Of these 35 families, 28 had children under 18 years. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-4 �Table 2-4 Poverty Status of Persons in Chocolay Township Number All Income Levels 1,737 Below Poverty Level 52 Percent Below Poverty Level 3 With related children under 18 years 861 40 4.6 With related children under 5 years 263 11 4.2 1,459 982 36 11 2.5 1.1 Householder 65 years and over Family received: Supplemental Social Security 221 0 0 79 11 13.9 Social Security Income in 1999 331 0 0 Poverty Status Families Householder worked in 1999 Full-time, year-round Married-couple families 1,446 12 0.8 With related children under 18 years 645 7 1.1 With related children under 5 years 207 0 0 1,213 844 12 5 1 0.6 201 0 0 35 0 0 Social Security Income in 1999 297 0 0 Families with female householder, no husband present 176 35 19.9 With related children under 18 years With related children under 5 years 134 24 28 6 20.9 25 Householder worked in 1999 Full-time, year-round 142 74 24 6 16.9 8.1 Householder 65 years and over Family received: Supplemental Social Security Social Security Income in 1999 10 0 0 28 21 11 0 39.3 0 Householder worked in 1999 Full-time, year-round Householder 65 years and over Family received: Supplemental Social Security Source: U.S. Census, 2000 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-5 �SEV of Different Land Use Categories It is apparent from the State Equalized Value (SEV) of real property in Chocolay Township that the primary value is in residential property. Residential property accounted for nearly 92% of all real property value in the Township in 2003. See Table 2-5. While the value of residential property increased from $74,093,216 in 1995 to $135,365,100 in 2003, the residential category remained in about the same relative percentage of total value, with residential at 90.4% in 1995. Agricultural SEV was $1,348,600 in 2003, or 0.9% or total real property value, and commercial SEV was $10,989,500, or 7.4% of total real property in 2003. There was no property classified as industrial in either 1995 or 2003. The large percentage of residential property indicates that nearly all of the tax burden for public services falls on home owners. Residential property can be highly demanding of public services, compared to other uses such as agriculture, commercial, and industrial. Photo 2-2 The Primary Source of Tax Base in Chocolay Township is Residential Land Use Total real property increased from $81,991,114 in 1995 to $147,703,200 in 2003, from which the Township received approximately $505,395 in tax payments. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-6 �Table 2-5 Chocolay Township SEV, 1995 and 2003 A riculture 1995 Chocolay Townshi $450,000 %of Total Residential %of Total 0.5% $74,093,216 90.4% 0.9% $135,365,100 91.6% %of Total Industrial 9.1% $0 0.0% $81,991,114 7.4% $0 0.0% $147,703,200 2003 Chocolay Townshi $1,348,600 Commercial 1995 Chocolay Townshi $7,447,898 % of Total Total Real Pro ert 2003 Chocolay Townshi $10,989,500 According to the 2004 Township property tax records there are 2,384 residentially assessed buildings in the Township, as well as 71 agriculture buildings and 69 commercial or industrial buildings. This illustrates the overall dominance of residential uses, and the dearth of other land uses. ISSUES AND PROBLEMS Area employment is based primarily on the following four industries: government, wholesale-retail trade, services, and mining. Township employment is primarily based on jobs located outside of the Township. Past development surveys indicated citizens would welcome more retail and service businesses in the Township. Expanded job centers in the northwestern part of the Township, primarily along the US-41/M-28 corridor were desired by participants of the Visioning Town Meeting held on August 5, 2004 and this desire is reflected in the vision statement in Chapter 10. However, the quiet, rural, low-intensity lifestyle was also important and residents did not want that lifestyle destroyed at the expense of jobsmany of which are available outside, but close to the Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-7 �Photo 2-3 Residents Desire an Expanded Job Center in the Northwestern Part of the Township A balance of residential, commercial and industrial uses can provide the tax revenue to fund adequate public services , as long as the pattern of those uses does not drive the cost of the services too high to afford. Citizen sentiment appears to favor a balance of land uses that tips more toward residential. This will continue to place more of the burden for paying for public services on the individual residential owner, with the effect of limiting the extent and variety of those public services unless citizens are willing to pay for them . This Plan addresses all land uses and seeks to provide opportunities for a more diversified tax base. However, nonresidential development is proposed to be limited to a small area of the Township and adjacent to existing nonresidential development in most cases. John f:\winword\chocolay\fi nal\CHAPTER TWO final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 2-8 �Chapter 3 HOUSING INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the type, age, value and other characteristics associated with housing in Chocolay Township as of the 2000 Census. This information is helpful for the Township Planning Commission and Township Board in understanding the condition of existing housing and the need for future housing and services for residents. Housing Types According to the 2000 Census, there were 2,643 total housing units in Chocolay Township in 2000. See Table 3-1. Of the total, 2,448, or 92.6% were year-around homes, while 195, or 7.4% were seasonal. This is an increase of year-around homes and a decrease of the percentage of seasonal homes from previous years. According to the 1989 Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan, 240 or 11 % of housing units were seasonal in 1980 and 23.5% were seasonal in 1970. Table 3-1 Housing Characteristics, 2000 Unit Type Total housinQ units Number 2,643 Percentage 100.0% Year-around Seasonal 2,448 195 92.6% 7.4% Owner-occupied Renter-occupied Vacant 1,974 350 319 84.9% 15.1% 12.1% 319 45 7 100.0% 14.1% 2.2% 14 58 195 4.4% 16.6% 55.7% Vacant Vacant for rent Vacant for sale Vacant, rented or sold Other vacant Seasonal Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Note: While the number of total housing units reflects the correction memo of the U.S. Census in 2003, it is unclear if this detailed information also reflects the correction involving the prison population. Housing in Chocolay Township was about 85% owner-occupied in 2000, with about 15% renter-occupied. Another 12% were vacant. Of the vacant houses, over half (55.7%) were seasonal, 14% for rent and only about 2% for sale. Over 4% were vacant but committed for occupancy through rental or sale. Nearly 17% were categorized as "Other vacant." The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-1 �Photo 3-1 Housing in Harvey The mix of housing types in Chocolay Township suggests that the Township has become more of a bedroom community for Marquette City and less of a vacation destination. It has a high percentage of owner-occupied homes and relatively few rental units. Nearly 85% of all housing was single-family, detached, with 1,975 units in 2000. See Table 3-2. Mobile homes were a distant second in numbers, with 163, or 7% of housing in 2000. Of the mobile homes, a majority, 126, were occupied by their owners, while 37 were occupied by renters. There were 61 duplex housing units in 2000, or 2.6%, and only 8 attached, single-family units. There were 124 multi-family units of varying numbers of units per building, or 5.4% of all housing units. While owners occupied some multiple-family housing units, only renters occupied units where there were 5 or more to a building. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-2 �Table 3-2 Types of Housing in Chocolay Township, 2000 Classification Single-family detached Single-family, attached Duplex 3 or 4 units 5 to 9 units 10 to 19 units 20 to 49 units Mobile Home Total Owneroccupied Renteroccupied Total Percent of Total 1,823 152 1,975 84.7% 8 6 7 0 0 0 126 1,970 0 55 48 7 23 39 37 361 8 61 55 7 23 39 163 2,331 0.3% 2.6% 2.4% 0.3% 1.0% 1.7% 7.0% 100.0% Source: U.S. Census Chocolay Township is a fairly stable community, with nearly 70% of owner-occupants moving into their homes between 6 and 30 years prior to the 2000 Census. See Table 33. Those owners gaining occupancy within the five years prior to the 2000 Census accounted for 27%. Renters were far more mobile, with nearly 40% gaining occupancy in the one year prior to the 2000 Census and a total of about 71 % having moved in within five years of the 2000 Census. It is typical that renters exhibit greater mobility. A surprising percentage of renters, nearly 29%, lived in their rented units for more than 6 years. Photo 3-2 Manufactured Home, Beaver Grove The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-3 �Table 3-3 Longevity of Occupancy of Housing in Chocolay Township, 2000 Owner-occupied Renter-occupied Gained occupancy during last year 11 .0% 39.3% Gained occupancy during 1-5 years 16.0% 32 .1% Gained occupancy 6-30 years ago 69.8% 28.6% Gained occupancy more than 30 years ago 8.8% 0.0% Source: U.S. Census Bureau Age of Housing Home building in Chocolay Township in recent years has focused on single-family homes, owned by their occupants. The 2000 Census revealed that 345 housing units, or 17.5% of all owner-occupied housing in the Township were built in the previous ten years. See Table 3-4. The housing stock is fairly recent, suggesting it is in good condition, with 67.2% of owner-occupied homes only 30 years old or less in 2000. The median year of owner-occupied homes was 1975. Renter-occupied homes were slightly older than owner-occupied units, with a median age of 1973. See Table 3-4. Nearly one-third of rental occupied homes were between 20 and 30 years old as of the 2000 Census. While only about 6% of owner-occupied homes date from before 1940, almost 11 % of renter-occupied homes were of that vintage. There were only 35 occupied rental units less than ten years old in 2000. Of vacant homes in Chocolay Township in 2000, a large percentage were older homes. Nearly one quarter of vacant homes were built between 1940 and 1949, and another 16.7% of vacant homes were built before 1940. See Table 3-4. This may be a sign that many older homes need to be repaired or brought to present code in order to be occupied. A portion of these may also be seasonal units, which may be older cottages or cabins, which also may need to be upgraded if used for year-around residency. The 1989 Comprehensive Plan reported progress in upgrading homes, with 98% of homes having indoor plumbing by 1980. According to the 2000 Census, 100% of homes in Chocolay Township had indoor plumbing. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-4 �Table 3-4 Age of Housing Units in Chocolay Township, 2000 Year Structure Built Owner-occupied 1990-March 2000 1980-1989 1970-1979 1969-1969 1950-1959 1940-1949 1939 or earlier Number Percent 345 250 729 273 164 100 109 17.5% 12.7% 37 .0% 13.9% 8.3% 5.1% 5.5% 35 57 118 59 28 26 38 9.7% 15.8% 32.7% 16.3% 7.8% 7.2% 10.5% 34 17 65 28 28 72 49 11.6% 5.8% 22.2% 9.6% 9.6% 24.6% 16.7% Median year built= 1975 Renter-occupied 1990-March 2000 1980-1989 1970-1979 1969-1969 1950-1959 1940-1949 1939 or earlier Median year built = 1973 Vacant Housing Units 1990-March 2000 1980-1989 1970-1979 1969-1969 1950-1959 1940-1949 1939 or earlier No median year built reported in 2000 for vacant homes Source: U.S. Census Bureau Housing Values Housing in Chocolay Township is fairly affordable. Over 70% of renters paid less than $500 per month, with half paying between $250 and $499 per month, in 2000. See Table 3-5. Only about 12% paid between $500 and $749 per month and about 10% paid $750 or more per month . Median rent was $357 in 2000. Just over half of the owner-occupied homes in Chocolay Township were valued at less than $100,000 in 2000. See Table 3-6. About one quarter of owner-occupied homes were valued between $100,000 and $149,999 in 2000. Another 20% of owner-occupied homes were valued at between $150,000 and $749,999 in 2000. According to the 2000 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-5 �Census, there were no homes valued at $750,000 or more. The median value in 2000 was $97,000. Table 3-5 Average Rent in Chocolay Township, 2000 Rent per month Under $250 $250-$499 $500-$749 $750-$999 $1 ,000 or more No cash rent Number 98 180 44 10 25 Percentage 20.4% 50.4% 12.3% 2.8% 7.0% Median rent = $357 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Table 3-6 Owner-occupied Housing Value in Chocolay Township, 2000 Under $50,000 $50,000-$99,999 $100,000-$149,999 $150,000-$199,999 $200 ,000-$249,999 $250, 000-$299 ,999 $300, 000-$499 ,999 $500,000-$7 49,999 $750,000 and over Number 98 768 387 191 66 18 33 6 0 Percentage 6.4% 48.9% 24.7% 12.2% 4.2% 1.1% 2.1% 0.4% 0.0% Median value= $97,000 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Size of Families Occupying Chocolay Township Housing It appears that two person and larger sized families were the primary occupants of owner-occupied housing, while singles were the primary occupants of rental housing in 2000. Couples occupied 37.6% of owner occupied housing and families of 3 or more persons occupied 46.2% of owner-occupied housing in 2000. See Table 3-7. Nearly half of renters were singles, while about one quarter were couples and one quarter were families of 3 or more persons in 2000. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-6 �Table 3-7 Occupied Housing Family Size in Chocolay Township, 2000 Number Percent Owner-occupied 1-person household 2-person household 319 742 16.2% 37.6% 3 or more person household 913 46.2% 168 86 48.0% 24.6% 96 27.4% Renter-occupied 1-person household 2-person household 3 or more person household Source: U.S. Census Bureau Housing in the Future Chocolay Township will need more housing in the future, and a mix of housing types, but a portion of that housing may need to serve smaller families. Population projections for Chocolay Township suggest that 455 more people will reside in the Township in 2020 than did in 2000. This is a similar rise in population compared to the 20 years between 1980 and 2000, when the population rose by 410 persons. In the same period of 1980 to 2000, the number of housing units increased by 387. Ninety-two of the homes built in that 20-year period were renter-occupied, of which many may have been multi-family. Fifty-one of the housing units built between 1980 and 2000 were vacant in 2000. A portion of those may have been seasonal homes. Photo 3-3 Condominium Housing at Chocolay Downs The Township will need to look at the level of demand for different types of housing in the future. Following national trends, there may be a greater need for homes for more The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-7 �singles, young couples without children , empty nester couples and families with a single parent than in the past. This suggests smaller homes, attached town homes, and rental apartments will be important in the housing mix. The Township can provide for more multi-family housing close to its sewer system. However, the rural setting and Lake Superior shoreline will also attract people interested in buying or building larger homes for their families or as show pieces. There has also been an apparent pattern of movement of families from Marquette City into more rural, but close areas, such as Chocolay Township and Marquette Township . Generally, these are families with small children that move from city to country, and occupy detached, single family homes in mobile home parks, subdivisions, or on large lots in the country. Thus, the Township should provide for a wide range of housing types and densities to meet the needs of its population . Photo 3-4 Chocolay Township Farmstead 18 1 2005 John f:\winword\chocolay\fina l\CHAPTER 3 fi nal.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 3-8 �Chapter 4 NATURAL FEATURES INTRODUCTION The physical elements that make up Chocolay Township include its natural features and natural resources. These include its surface and bedrock geology, soil characteristics, mineral resources, topography, wetlands, groundwater, forests, and its other unique land and water formations . Analysis of this is basic to planning because each of these features yield both opportunities and constraints for development. Soil and bedrock conditions influence water supply and wastewater drainage. Steep topography can pose developmental problems, but also serve as scenic features. The presence of valuable mineral resources can positively affect the local economy, but extraction of those minerals can disrupt communities. While wetlands provide constraints to development, they provide the unique ecological setting for wildlife, help manage stormwater and serve as scenery. Many natural features are interdependent, and damage to the natural features of one part of the Township can negatively affect natural features in another area. Photo 4-1 Chocolay River All these factors are important and in planning for a community, natural features and resources cannot be ignored. This chapter provides an analysis and inventory of Chocolay Township's natural resources. It identifies natural features, such as geology, topography, water, etc., and focuses on those characteristics which offer themselves as determinants for development. These factors, coupled with the man-made features to be identified in the following chapter, will provide a framework wherein public policies can be formulated to produce a better environment. (See Chapters 8 and 9.) The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-1 �NATURAL FEATURES Bedrock Geology This is the solid rock layer usually found below the soils and surface geology. Its formation occurred during the earliest periods of the earth's history. Bedrock can be found hundreds of feet below the surface or protruding out of the soil as rock bluffs. In either case, the bedrock can help or hinder development. The occurrence of bedrock at the surface can be a problem in constructing a septic tank drain field or public sewer line. This factor has been considered in the soils section of this chapter. The major importance of bedrock as a resource in this investigation is its capacity to supply drinking water. The quantity and quality of a well water varies with the type of bedrock the water is retrieved from, and the layers of material through which the water has passed before reaching the bedrock. For each type of bedrock in Chocolay Township, its location and water capacity is discussed. This data was obtained from the Central Upper Peninsula Regional Water and Wastewater Plan approved September, 1971. Jacobsvil/e Sandstone This sandstone occurs throughout Chocolay Township. The only area not having this bedrock is the extreme southwest corner. It is the only important source of water to wells in this area. Although this sandstone is over 1,000 feet thick, most wells tap water at less than 100 feet. As with all bedrock, permeability decreases with depth due to the tremendous pressure that squeezes together the joints and fractures. Water from Jacobsville Sandstone generally is moderately hard to hard and locally it contains objectionable amounts of iron. Cambrian Sandstones This is the only other bedrock formation in the Township. It occurs in a triangular shaped area in the southwest corner of the Township. If a line was drawn from County Road 480 where it leaves the Township at the west boundary and where County Road 545 leaves the Township on the south, the line would define the corner where Cambrian Sandstone is located. Most wells drilled into this bedrock will yield enough water for domestic purposes. Large diameter wells drilled over 50 feet into bedrock may yield more than 100 gallons per minute. Some wells in bedrock will fail because of impermeable shale or crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks encountered at a shallow depth. Water quality is good except for moderate hardness. Surface Geology This material usually occurs between the soil at the earth's surface and the bedrock formations below surface. It is not as fine textured as the soil, but is a granular material far different from the bedrock. The different deposits of surface geology are categorized by names that relate to the particular process of formation and also variances in material content. For example, glacial deposits occurred in three main ways: material deposited directly from the ice with little or no transportation by moving water are called tills; materials deposited in and by moving streams of water are called outwash; and those deposited in glacial lakes are called lake deposits. More specifically, surface geology categorizes the deposits by the individual or combined actions of wind, water, and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-2 �glaciers that are responsible for their formation. Each category of surface geology that occurs in Chocolay Township will be described as to location and water capacities. Map 4-1, shows the areas of Chocolay Township containing the different surface geology types. Bedrock These are areas which have thin or nonexistent layers of glacial deposits over the bedrock formations. Therefore, the bedrock formation is at or near the surface. In Chocolay Township, this area of surface geology occurs along the east border as shown on Map 4-1. Photo 4-2 Rocky Section of Lake Superior Shore The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-3 �Map 4-1 Surface Geology in Chocolay Township Chocolay Township: Surface Geology Map lal State Highway County Highway Named Roads - Un-Named Roats End moraines of coarse-.textured till lakes Streams Glacial outwash sand and gravel and postglacial alluvium Township line Lacustrine day and silt Section line Lacustrine sand and gravel State Lands Thin to disoontinuous glacial till over bedrock Source Michigan Center for Geogrephic Information , Dept of lnformat10n Tecmology N Map Prepared by lhe Land lnformalton Access Association , August 2004 05 3 W~ .... E IO I..,,,---. - - -i - - ~-~·. <> 12 ~ County_ Road Bu ··. ~~"'Q, .. ~ . .'<1"1\- ~ - " ' ~ ,/ 14 15 ·v . 16 15 1) 20 ~T 31 / "r---7' I 33\ 34 I 3~ ,! ~ , 14 13 23 ,,. ·28 2' 35 'f Mangum Rd 19 \. ) I I 36 I' ~1 \ " .I 29 •. "' 22 I 27 .1~ 34 - • ~o ,, ~ · 3::, . ~ The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-4 ~ t , . ,-- / $- • ! �Glacial Lake Plain This material is usually composed of sand , but sometimes contains silt or clay. Deposits are generally well sorted and well to moderately permeable. Moderate quantities of water are generally obtainable. The amount of silt or clay in the lake plain deposit determines permeability and water yield. Concentrations of more than 25 percent silt or clay impede drainage and the effect in most cases is a swamp or marsh. These deposits are the most predominant of the surface geology features and occur throughout the Township. The locations of these deposits are also shown on Map 4-1. End or Recessional Moraine These deposits show where the glaciers stopped their forward progress and began receding. On the surface, these deposits appear as large hills. End or recessional moraines are composed predominantly of sands and gravel till, with small areas of sand and gravel outwash. Locally, till is clayey or silty. Permeability varies greatly, being low in clayey till and high in outwash areas. Moraines are a source of domestic water supply, and in some areas may yield moderate supplies of water. Morainal deposits can reach a depth of over 300 feet. On the surface they appear as ridges which are steep and rugged and were not exposed to wave action; elsewhere they are somewhat subdued. As shown on the surface geology map, the deposits are found in the southwest corner of the Township. Glacial Till - Bedrock These areas are made up of bedrock with occurrences of glacial till in scattered locations. The bedrock in this area is of Precambrian origin and, like the glacial till , is a poor source of groundwater. The till is thin and bedrock appears at the surface wherever the glacial till is nonexistent. This deposit just touches the northwest corner in the Harvey area of Chocolay Township. Soils Soil occurs at the earth's surface and has a finer texture than the bedrock or surface geology previously described. Soil is comprised of material derived from bedrock by the action of glaciers, waves, flowing water, freeze-thaw cycles and wind. It also contains organic material derived from plants and animals, plus micro-organisms, chemical precipitates, air and water. Glaciers were the primary soil-forming force in the Great Lakes region. As these huge sheets of ice slowly forced their way over the solid rock, a grinding action took place between the ice and rock. Material was shaved off the rock and trapped under the ice as it moved forward. While the glaciers moved , these trapped materials were ground finer and finer, thus forming the soil that is found here today. The glaciers traveled over various types of rock and added each new type to the trapped material carried with it. . This caused a mixing of rock types . As the rock material changed, so did the type of soil formed by the glacier. This is why there are so many different soil types. The composition and texture of the soil was dependent on the glacier's grinding action and the underlying rock material present and to the subsequent accumulation of organic mater. However, how and where the resulting soil was deposited also contributed to its final character. The primary factor is the presence of water. The amount of surface water present, depth to water table, amount of rainfall, and size of watershed all can have a great affect on the characteristics of soils. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-5 �By identifying soil characteristics, the types of development that each can support may be cataloged . Ignoring the character of the material to be built upon can prove a mistake. For example, a soil with seasonal high water table can seem suitable for building during part of the year, but be extremely troublesome during spring or periods of continued rain. Costly engineering and building methods can be used to overcome some soil limitations, but providing public roads and utilities in such areas can cause all taxpayers to share the financial burden. Some of the factors to consider about soil types are the moisture content needed for agriculture, weight supporting capacity for structures, permeability levels affecting drainage, cohesiveness for erosion resistance, and others. With the cooperation of the Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resource Conservation Service), soil types in Chocolay Township were identified and categorized as to their suitability for different potential uses. Appendix B includes a brief description of each major soil series found in Chocolay Township . Soils can be grouped according to their suitability for different uses within the Township. Two major uses are identified for study. These are urban uses and resource production. Resource production refers to farming activities and forest activities. The urban uses were rated as to their suitability for residential development without public sewer, residential development with public sewer, and those areas not suitable for any urban development. Tables 4-1 and 4-2 indicate the suitability of each soil series for the uses explained above. Tables 4-3 and 4-4 indicate prime farmland and hydric soils, respectively. Detailed soils maps are available from Chocolay Township and eventually from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Marquette Service Center, 1030 Wright St., Marquette, Ml 49855-1834, (906) 226-9460, (906) 228-4484 fax, (www.nrcs.usda.gov .. Whenever a specific parcel is in question, detailed data for that piece of land should be obtained from the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The information is useful to the Township as an indicator of the best future development area for the Township . Such development decisions will include considerations of private development and related public improvements. Based on these soil ratings, the Township can encourage future growth in the appropriate locations through placing their public improvements accordingly and through the zoning ordinance. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-6 �Table 4-1 Soil Suitability for Urban Uses in Chocolay Township Suitable Uses Suitable for all urban uses Suitable for urban uses if public sewer available Severe limitations for all urban uses Soil Series Abbreviations CrA,DkB, KaB,KeB,RoB,RuB,SeB AuA, BhB, BrA, DmB, DoA, DsB, KbA, KmA,MuB,OcB,SkA,WaA,YaB,YsA Ad, Bu, BwA, Ck, Cm, Da, Dt, Du, Ga, Gw, lnA, Kp, Kr, OnB, Op, Ts Source: Natural Resource ConseNat,on SeN1ce Table 4-2 Soil Suitability for Resource Production Uses in Chocolay Township Suitable Uses Suitable for farming and forests Suitable for forests Severe limitations for all resource production uses Soil Series Abbreviations AuA, BhB, BrA, CrA, DmB, KaB, KbA, KeB, KmA, MuB, OcB, OnB, RoB, Seb, SkA,WaA, YaB, YsA DkB,DoA,Ga,RuB Ad, Bu, BwA, Ck, Cm, Da, DsB, Dt, Da, Gw, lmA, Kp, Kr, Op, Ts Source: Natural Resource ConseNat,on SeN1ce Table 4-3 Prime Farmland Soils in Chocolay Township Prime Farmland Soil Key Numbers (to be used with soils map) 117b 126b 34b 72b 86b 90b Soil Series Fence Very Fine Sandy Loam, 1 To 6 Percent Slopes SundoQ Silt Loam, 1 To 6 Percent Slopes Onaway Fine Sandy Loam, 1 To 6 Percent Slopes Emmet Fine Sandy Loam, 1 To 6 Percent Slopes Mashek Fine Sandy Loam, 0 To 4 Percent Slopes Emmet-Escanaba Complex, 1 To 6 Percent Slopes These are Prime Farmland if Drained Minocqua-Channing Complex, 0 To 3 Percent Slopes 136a Reade Silt Loam, 0 To 4 Percent Slopes 187b 198b Shoepac-Reade Silt Loams, 1 To 4 Percent Slopes Charlevoix-Ensley Complex, 0 To 3 Percent Slopes 200a 32a Charlevoix Silt Loam, 0 To 3 Percent Slopes Minocqua Muck 42 Solana Fine Sandy Loam, 0 To 3 Percent Slopes 85a Emmet-Solana Fine Sandy Loams, 0 To 6 Percent Slopes 89b Source: Natural Resource ConseNat,on SeNJce The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-7 �Table 4-4 H1yd. ·1 . Ch ocoay I T owns h"1p nc S OISln Hydric Soil Key Number (for use with soils map) 18 19 27 42 46 48 57 58 71b 93 136a 166 167 176b Soil Series Kinross Muck Deford Muck Gay Muck, Stony Minocqua Muck Jacobsville Muck, Very Stony Burt Muck Carbondale And Tawas Soils Greenwood And Dawson Soils Evart-Pelkie-Sturgeon Complex, 0 To 4 Percent Slopes Tawas-Deford Mucks Minocqua-Channing Complex, 0 To 3 Percent Slopes Skandia Mucky Peat Skandia-Jacobsville Complex, Stony Greenwood-Croswell Complex, 0 To 6 Percent Slopes Source: Natural Resource Conservation Service Mineral Deposits Over the years man has learned more and more about the formation of earth and the properties of the material around him. With this knowledge, new technologies to utilize the material found on earth have evolved. So, over time, the demand for various minerals has increased as the uses are expanded. Because of this demand for certain minerals and their limited supply, it is important to identify occurrences of minerals. Considering the potential for extracting these valuable minerals, development by man that would be in conflict with the extraction process should be discouraged if at all possible. It is for this reason that such deposits are investigated in Chocolay Township. Valuable mineral deposits can be divided into two categories: 1) ferrous metals and 2) non-ferrous metals. The ferrous metals, particularly iron ore, are prominent in Marquette County. However, current mapping of the Marquette Iron Ore Range by Cleveland Cliffs Iron Ore Company shows the iron formation stopping some distance west of Chocolay Township, So far as ferrous metals are concerned, there are none in Chocolay Township of commercial value. Non-ferrous metals include gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, etc. There are also occurrences of these in Marquette County and gold has even been mined west of the City of Marquette. In relation to Chocolay Township, there have been some traces of copper, lead, and zinc found within the Township. These traces have appeared in test borings. The amounts found have been small and as yet are not considered large enough quantities to warrant any mining operations. However, other low value mineral resources such as sand and gravel do exist throughout the Township. Extraction of these resources are dependent on local needs and location economies. Because the hauling costs can easily exceed the resource's market price, deposits must be located in close proximity to the user area. For this reason, these mineral resources should be preserved as Areas of Particular Concern. See Chapter 9. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-8 �Topography When the earth was formed, it is obvious that the resulting surface did not end up flat. There are hills, ravines, mountains, flat plains, and a thousand other shapes to the earth. This changing surface can be said to have a changing topography. The vertical distance measured above mean sea level is elevation. These elevation changes in the landscape determine the size and slope of a watershed. Map 4-2 shows the relative elevation of land in the Township. Photo 4-3 Hills in the Green Garden Hill Area The importance of looking at topography in Chocolay Township centers on identifying the best suited areas of the Township for various uses. The steep topography (10% or greater slopes) is generally thought of as not desirable for most types of development. Construction costs are usually higher, chances of erosion occurring when this soil is disturbed is very high, and if public services are provided, the steep areas can cost more in providing service. For reasons such as these, steep areas are discouraged as prime development areas, especially when the flatter locations are available. Other significant topographic characteristics are unique geologic formations. In Chocolay Township this would include the sand bluffs along Lake Superior and the protruding bedrock formations. These areas, in addition to the steep-sloped areas, are Areas of Particular Concern. See Chapter 9. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-9 �Map 4-2 Chocolay Township Topography Chocolay Township: Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Map State Highway Lakes County Highway Streams Named Roads - - - Township Line Un-Named Roads C==:J C==:J c:J 593-639ft 640 - 701 ft 702 - 774 ft Secuon Line ~ 775 - 906 State Lands - ft 907 - 1,104 fl ' -~. · Source Michigan Center ror Geographic Information, De!X d lnformaton Technology Map Prepared by the land lnformatoo Access AssociatlOl'l, August 2004 1 2 3 e!!!!!!!!!!,s;;;iO ;;aS;;;;;;i!!!!!!!!!!!!!0 0- ' - ' - ' - ' - ' - ' - 'e!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5-a-a;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;a;;;a" Mies !:;'Jill\' ~==== ~ 12 15 ~ , - .. 13 ~ ,- ' 1/>.:. -~ ,' .( 14 ·v \ . . f· ~ ,1 i ,·, ;, ,. I 0 20 -"I <0 ~ r... .... "'-. ,,.,...."'" ~" .r . i "i"\\ \X i . 1 I ,__24_ __; 19 ~ 23 . ~ ~~" ~--r.e~'1~ \ --- CountyRoadBu ' r:. •·- - ,. 20 u~l-- I : ~ _ ,...; 1 .: - --;;;- . •. 16 ,. ;__ ~ 15 ~ ""-1" r~·-'";.., _- -~ • i·, 14 ~ I t•~"--t ?. ~➔ . . : . 12 .f, _ { r ._: ' .-. '·r· -1· · .,a- j MaumRd . t· . ~ rI. : ~_._ii • •. 22 23 · "r ;,;; rl·t .24 j i Cll "" .s, ,s 'J ·JO 21l t8 I ,5 f ' ~b ~· M I :;t1 , ) I 36 ~, 3" ~ , · ll, ,, ·#" The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-10 ,. l: ~ l ), C ' 3S , "" ~ ~-@ a: D �Water Features and Watersheds Streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands all play a valuable role in Chocolay Township's natural features. Chocolay Township residents enjoy the water for domestic use, waste treatment, recreation by bathers, fishermen, boaters, and nature lovers. Water is the habitat for a wide variety of water-bound creatures. These diverse and sometimes conflicting uses can strain water quality. It is important that all persons in the Township realize that the runoff from their properties and wastes from their septic systems can contain excessive waste and fertilizer nutrients, chemical contaminates, oil, pesticides and sediment. This also applies to persons and businesses in Forsyth, Sands, Skandia and West Branch Townships, as the Chocolay River watershed includes portions of each of those communities, in addition to Chocolay Township. If each individual, municipality, business, or land user will do their share to protect Chocolay Township water features from effluent, then no one will suffer the loss or degradation of these valuable natural features. The major water features have been marked on Map 4-3. They include the Chocolay River, Sand River, Cedar Creek, Cherry Creek, Big Creek, Kawbawgam Lake, and Lake Levasseur. Lake Superior is also a water feature associated with Chocolay Township. Lake Superior's water quality is influenced by the quality of the drainage from all of the above named water bodies. Photo 4-4 Flowage between Lake Levasseur and Lake Kawbawgam These water areas and the other lesser streams and ponds are all very important to the life cycle of both humans and animals, and deseNe to be Areas of Particular Concern (see Chapter 9). This brings us to the watersheds within Chocolay Township. Based on the topography of Chocolay Township, the surface and subsurface waters flow together in watersheds or basins. Each stream has a watershed or area of land that drains toward a central point of discharge or collection. Depending on the size of the watershed and amount of water collected within it, a body of water, usually a stream or river, will form to carry this The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-11 �water off. So all impurities or effluent released into one watershed eventually becomes consolidated in a stream or river serving the watershed. This is how each individual action affects all others downstream in the same watershed. The major watersheds are delineated on Map 4-3, Watersheds and Water Features. Wetlands Typical wetland areas include marshes, swamps, fens and bogs. Typical characteristics include the presence of water or wetland vegetation. Wetland areas differ in one major way from glacial lake plain deposits. Because of poor drainage and high water tables, an accumulation of muck and peat overlies the glacial lake plain. Water yields are similar to lake plain yields. These deposits occur in several areas in the east half of Chocolay Township. More specific locations are shown on the surface geology map. All wetland areas possess unique environmental qualities and should be preserved as Areas of Particular Concern (see Chapter 9). Wetland regulation in Michigan is provided for by the Wetlands Protection Act, Part 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, PA 451 of 1994, which is administered by the Department of Environmental Quality. Photo 4-5 Wetland Area along Lake Kawbawgam Floodplains Typical floodplain areas occur along the shore of Lake Superior, in wetland areas, and along river and stream watershed courses. Currently, floodplains are regulated in part by Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, PA 451 of 1994, the Floodplain Regulation Act, but also by local building and zoning codes which require special treatment for structures built in a floodplain. In addition, the Township participates in a Federal Flood Insurance Program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which provides for insurance of structures within a floodplain area or near a floodplain against losses occurring as a result of flooding. A finalized Floodplain Map was compiled in May of 1987 for the Township. See Map 4-4. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-12 �This map identifies floodplain areas based on a 100 year flood possibility. Identification of these areas is important in establishing land use development patterns. Because the floodplain provides an area of water retention in times of flooding to prevent flooding into other areas, these floodplain areas should be preserved as Areas of Particular Concern (see Chapter 9). Indiscriminate filling of these floodplains can affect other areas by causing damage and loss of property due to flooding, and therefore efforts to manage these floodplains and flood prone properties are essential to all concerned. The Township should ensure that local zoning approval for development in a floodplain does not occur until (and if) DEQ approval has been obtained. Shoreland Features Chocolay Township has approximately twelve miles of Lake Superior shoreline. This area of shoreland is looked at specifically because of legislation pertaining to the management of these areas. State consideration and finally legislation of the Great Lakes shoreline was prompted because of the high damage losses to shoreline development over the years. There is a great attraction to living along the shore. However, development constructed during low water periods that encroaches on the shore is endangered during high water years. A large amount of federal, state, and private money is invested each year in shoreland protection structures and reconstruction of damaged developments. Photo 4-6 Lake Superior Shoreline The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-13 �Map 4-3 Watersheds and Water Features ...------~--~--..~------------ Chocolay Township: Watershed Map State Highway Lakes - Big Creek County Highway Streams Named Roads Township Line Un-Named Roads Section Line Chocolay River ~ Lake Drainage - Lake Superior Sand River Slate Lands " w◊• Source: CUPPAO - Central U pper Peninsula Planning And Development Commission Michigan Center'°' Geographic Information, Dept of Information Technology M ap Prepared by the Land lnformabOn Access Association, August 2004 0.5 0 1 2 3 """"""""'"----""""""""'"--------------""""""""""""""""""""""""""""'"-------------a MIies ' \\ q. ~t,Lo ~ ~i•~.,.~ Ch fiil ~ v..,0 1551 e,.._<:\ v~ 0 T v. . ~ I~ ~ ocofayb. Kawbawgain Lake Z 16 ~ 5 Cherry i ~ , _, e .lil: • G> i "' l2 Mangum Rd n ,f C !l ,. ,~ ,. ~ 2l) ;#" ii a, 2~ "' tf ! ✓ Green Garden Rd 21 27 25 ,. fiil -1 .' 2'1 32 28 ,,~ ~t, ~ ✓~ • • . >,. I .__ 3J._ _. I ~ CJ d> ~ ! Lake Le Vasseur ! u .ll' 14 j James Jeske Flo(#tlng (currently bel'8) drawn down) ~ County Road Bu a, i" CounlyRoedBaa "Tllfer ve;b~ 1480 1 "O a: ·33 _14 I ':15 36 31 I )2 s1 I~ ( The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-14 \ J'.; ·· 1,; •J~ �Map 4-4 Floodplains in Chocolay Townshi_e Chocolay Township: Flood Insurance Rate Map State Highway - - Lakes County Highway Named Roads Un-Named Roads FLOOD AREA Streams - 100-Year Flood Township Line ~ 100-Year Floodway Area Section Line Other Flood Areas - State Lands Outside 500-Year Floodplain Source : Federal Emergency Management Agency, May 1967 w◊• Michigan Center for Geographic Information, Dept of Information Technology Map Prepared by the Land Information Access Association, August 2004 .......,. 1...,........,iiiiliilliiii..., 0.5 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _..., 1 ................................,. 2 _ _ _ _ _ __..3 Miles I f. I 13 ----.,,__,p i' / .Jr ~ ! 17 I I J Mangum Rd j 20 24 22 • ,. _- ·--t- • I 25 27 27 -i,-- 31 34 34 ~ The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-15 t �The intent of the 1970 Shorelands Protection and Management Act (now Part 323 of PA 451 of 1994) is to prevent future damage to permanent residential, commercial, and industrial buildings that may be built in the future in high risk erosion areas of the Great Lakes shoreline. The aim is to prevent damage to buildings, including septic systems and tile fields, for a 30-year period after their construction by requiring a setback distance from the bluff. It is not the State's intention to regulate all of the Great Lakes shoreline, only to encourage deeper setbacks at locations determined to be high risk erosion areas. The Act only permits the State to regulate areas designated as high risk erosion areas and only approximately ten percent of Michigan's Great Lakes shoreline fits this designation. It is also important to mention that the Act does not give authority to ban persons from using their property, it just allows a setback requirement. The Act pertains to undeveloped, and developed property in areas designated as having significant erosion. The Department of Environmental Quality by statute, has instituted a permit procedure for approving building setbacks in all high risk erosion areas. Chocolay Township has approximately 6.75 miles of shoreline that are designated as high risk erosion under the DEQ guidelines, although the entire shoreline is subject to the natural forces that cause erosion. These high risk erosion areas are shown on Map 4-5. Parts of this shoreline are developed and parts are not. Therefore, the Township should consider classifying these areas as Areas of Particular Concern and ensure that local zoning approval for development in high risk erosion areas does not occur until (and if) DEQ approval has been obtained. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-16 �Map 4-5 Hiah Risk Erosion Areas in Chocola Chocolay Township: High Risk Erosion Area Map - Named Roads Projected Recession Di stances•• Lakes State Highway Streams - - - County Highway - - - Township Line Un-Named Roads Section Line L7 c=J r--::J 85-50 95--55 11 5-65 125-70 State Lands - 130-70 •• The 60-year projected recession distance is listed first , followed by lhe 30-year distance Source Mchlgan Department of Envi ronmental Quabty, Geological .-1d Land Management Division _A__ Michigan Ceoter for Geographic Information, Dept of Information Technology w-y-1. Map Prep•ed by the land lnformalJ011 Access Association, August 2004 1 05 0 1 2 3 • ...,=----=-------...,======---------Miles _,. 0-:•'\'-"'"'"" ! 10 12 ...,.t 11 J ' 2b--- - ~, . ~ .I! ·v 1 ,.._ ;.,,. ,.._·"'1 _ t..4 "'.v, 1i, 19 r· ~1 24 ~ " j_ ~ . ~ \ 28 I \r ·- t - - • I ·- . L. - .,.,.,.. i ·~ r ' 1 25 27 ·" m ·7 ---30 I 36 34 33\ i .. [~51 "•--· l 29 - . ~ . I •. ----~-i• ---•--- · ;,,-"4'. 28- -• ;_ j1 ~ ' . ).·. 1 i. ,. • I <i-/,R~ &' 33 32 j I i l . ,.,, ---,,- ,Ii The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-17 r I ~ 14 .\1 g r -,."'l . ~ ' j 1\•• I i ! I I ;f I 23 'i I I I 24 't i - '-' -- 4~------ --··-i Ir ·-·-• .. ~ -~r • ~, --,.:o..--:- ,! e,(' I ", 7 ' 2H }". "f ' " 31 / < I ~ !1o . --:---r , ·7 l " r - f~:,t-' ;_1........,...-t-~. <I) j r ---' . L'-•· - L....t.. · 51 15 Mangvm Rd ( ----------"{ -~1 I , - t l 16 -• l j \ 29 ' 14 12. :__-~l County_ Road Bu 15 -., I ~.~-c1· --•-,.._+ ,.,__.. ,.,...T ; r"•f . : 34 25 .. 35 , ,. 1 l _.___ 36- 1 �Observations As the previous discussion investigated key natural features within the Township, particular issues and problems have been identified. These will be listed to allow the Township to concentrate their effort in these significant areas of concern. • The majority of soils in the Township are not suitable for urban types of development. • A large percentage of the Township has soil suitable for forest production. • Soil characteristics in the Township make conventional septic tank operation only workable in very limited areas of Chocolay. • Mineral deposits in the Township have only appeared in trace amounts and are not of commercial value . • There is an area of steep slopes (10% or greater) in the southwest corner of Chocolay Township, and development should be discouraged in this area. • There are a large amount of wetlands and floodplains in the Township which provide valuable benefits to the community, but greatly limit development potential in those parts of the Township . • Chocolay Township has 6.75 miles of designated high risk erosion areas. • Areas of Particular Concern have been identified, and the Township is encouraged to take steps in preserving them (see Chapter 9). Photo 4-7 Marquette State Fish Hatchery Outlet at Cherry Creek John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 4 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 4-18 �Chapter 5 EXISTING LAND USE I INTRODUCTION The previous chapter, entitled "Natural Features" was an investigation of the land forms and water features occurring in Chocolay Township. This included all aspects of the township that were naturally occurring and could be altered by human impact. This chapter looks at current development in the Township. This is done by an inventory of the various land uses within the Township. It shows the areas of the Township that are developing and the types of uses present. Two forms of inventory are examined in this chapter. One is a land use/land cover inventory. It is based on the interpretation of aerial photographs and mapping in a Geographic Information System (GIS). It classifies land into different land uses {how land is used, such as for residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural purposes), or land cover (the type of vegetation on it or the lack of vegetation). The second is a land use by tax class inventory. This looks at how land is classified by assessors, such as for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural use. This classification system is parcel based does not include such land cover types as wetlands, upland conifers or dunes. It is important to study land use and land cover, and to the extent possible, change in land use/cover over time, in order to understand how and where land is being developed in the community, where there may be important land resources that should be considered in the planning process, and to better understand the implications of current trends if they continue into the future. The most current land use inventory was completed in 2004. See Map 5-1 and Table 51. It was based on the Michigan Resource Inventory System data that used 1978 aerial photography, and then was updated through a ground-level visual survey. Photo 5-1 Homestead Golf Course is one Example of Many Different Land Uses The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-1 �Map 5-1 Existina Land Use/Cover, 2004 Chocolay Township: 2004 Land Use/Land Cover Map - Sta te Highway - - - County HighYlay - - - Named Roads - Streams Agricultural La nd Township Line - Barre n Wetlands State Lands Forest La nd Secuon Line Ur.Named Roads - Water Ra ngeland Urban and Built Up Source 1978 MIRIS Land Use updated by Chocolay Twp statfin 2004 Michigan Center for Geographic Information, Dept of lnfoonatiOn Technology ' w◊ • Map Prepared by the Land Information Access Association, December 2004 1 05 0 1 = 2 3 1!!!!!"!!!!!!5i. . .iii1!"!!!!!!"!!!!!5ii..................iil!!!!"!!!!!!"!!!!!!"!!!!!!"!!!!!!"!!!!!!"!!!!!!!!5.................. 15 14 M,les 13 ,g 17 16 20 ii 29 2ll n ' 26 27 36 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-2 :!4 ~ "~ 25 36 �Table 5-1 Summary of Land Use/Cover Types for Chocolay Township 1978 Acres 1978 % Total Area 2004 Acres 2004% Total Area Urban and Built Up 2,423 6.2% 2,917 7.6% Agricultural Land 2,684 6.9% 2,564 6.7% Land Use/Cover Description Open Land Forest Land Water Wetlands Barren Total Acres in Chocolay Township 1,896 4.9% 1,620 4.2% 28,146 72.5% 27,894 72.5% 348 0.9% 348 0.9% 3,186 8.2% 2,987 7.8% 148 0.4% 145 0.4% 38,831 100.0% 38,476 100.0% Sources: 1978 Michigan Resource Information System and 2004 visual survey by Chocolay Township Note: The difference in total acres between 1978 and 2004 is due to differences in the location of boundaries in the base maps from the two periods. LAND USE/LAND COVER IN CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP Urban and Built Up There were 2,917 acres of urban and built-up land in Chocolay Township in 2004. While single-family residential comprises nearly 90% of all urban and built-up land, Chocolay Township also has multi-family residential, mobile home park, commercial, services, institutional, primary/central business, secondary/neighborhood business, institutional, industrial, transport, communication, utilities, open pit, sand and gravel, and outdoor recreation uses. Most of the urban and built-up lands are in the western part of the Township, along the Lake Superior shoreline or along the US-41 and M-28 corridors. The most visible change in land use/cover in Chocolay Township occurred with an increase of about 500 acres of urban and built-up land between 1978 and 2004. At the same time there were decreases in the areas of agricultural land, forest land and wetlands. In part these decreases are due to conversion of those land uses to urban uses, and in part they may be due to conversions of agricultural land, forest land, open land and wetlands into other non-urban land cover categories, and in part they may be due to differences in interpretation between the two inventory dates. Agricultural Land Agricultural land, totaling over 2,500 acres in Chocolay Township is mostly crop land. Open Land or Rangeland This category comprises land that is not developed, forested or used for agriculture. It may at one time have been farmed or cleared of timber, but at the time of the land use inventory, was not actively used for either farming or forestry. This land use/land cover typically has meadows or fields of annual, biennial or perennial herbaceous plants and grasses. It may also have shrub growth and seedling trees. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-3 �Photo 5-2 Agricultural Land in Chocolay Township Forest Land This category comprises the largest percentage of land in Chocolay Township , with nearly 28,000 acres, or almost 73% of the entire Township area. Forest land in Chocolay Township is primarily northern hardwood, which generally contains Maple, Beech and associated other species. Pine and other upland conifers are the next most common species group, followed by Aspen/Birch, lowland hardwoods, lowland conifers and a small area of Christmas tree plantation . Photo 5-3 Forest Land Comprises the Largest Percentage of Land in Chocolay Township Water Excluding Lake Superior, open water areas comprise nearly 350 acres of Chocolay Township. There are many rivers , streams and creeks, but most of the water area is in inland lakes, such as Lake Le Vasseur and Lake Kawbawgam. The James Jeske flooding is being drained , and is changing from open water to wetland . The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-4 �Wetlands Wetlands are a land cover type characterized by certain soils and vegetation types and at least the seasonal presence of water. A precise determination of whether a parcel of land contains wetlands requires expert inspection, but the interpretation of aerial photographs can be fairly accurate. In 2004 there were nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands in Chocolay Township, a decline since 1978 of almost 200 acres. Wetland types in Chocolay Township include woodland wetlands, shrub/scrub wetlands, aquatic bed wetlands, and emergent wetlands. Wetlands provide many important values , including stormwater storage, groundwater recharge, water filtering and purification, a nursery for the food chain , habitat for desired wildlife species and scenery. Barren This land cover category includes types that have very sparse vegetation. There were 145 acres of barren lands in Chocolay Township in 2004, including beaches & riverbanks, sand dunes, and a small area of bare, exposed rocks. While not a very extensive land cover type in Chocolay Township, it is an important one, due to the potential for erosion of beaches, riverbanks and sand dunes. These areas can also contain unique ecosystems and rare and fragile species. LAND USE BY TAX CLASS According to assessment records for 2003, over 21,000 acres of Chocolay Township were classed as residential , about 55% of the land. See Table 5-2 and Map 5-2. This was in striking contrast to the area of the Township that was in urban and built-up use, which was less than 3,000 acres or 7.6% (which also included commercial and industrial land uses). Compare Tables 5-1 with 5-2. One measures existing area of land devoted to a particular use or land cover, whereas the other measures land use by tax class on a parcel basis, so if a part of a parcel is used for residential purposes, the whole parcel is classified that way. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-5 �Map 5-2 Chocolay Township Land Use by Tax Class Chocolay Township: Property Tax Class Map - 101 (Ag) State Highway - - - County Highway - - - Named Roads Un-Named Roads Streams - - - - Township Line [ Section Line 20 1 (Commercial) ] L "=:J State Lands 401 (ResidenUal) Exempt CFR Exempt Source Chocolay Twp EqualizaUon Dept Michigan Center to, Geographic Information, Dept of lnk>rmation Technolog y Map Prepared by the Land Information Access Association, November 2004 1 ' -~ · 1 2 3 aa5 iil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ioiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.,iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-i Miles !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1iiiii o .. ,. 15 24 23 J7 ~"'' ,;>-◊ :, r/',~ , . '? 3J The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-6 p :34 ~I-: 35 . 25 l �Table 5-2 Land Use by Tax Class in Chocolay Township, 2003 Property Class Agricu lture Commercial Res idential AQriculture Exempt Commercial Forest Reserve Exempt (public or non profit owned) ROW and lake Total Acres 690 891 21,125 5,179 953 8,662 1,006 38,506 % of Total Acres 1.8% 2.3% 54.9% 13.5% 2.5% 22 .5% 2.6% 100.0% Source: Marquette County Assessor and Chocolay Township. Note: The difference in the total land area between Tables 5-1 and 5-2 are due to differences in mapping. Parcels with the tax classification "exempt," were second in area, with "agriculture exempt" third in 2003. These areas included state and other public lands. Most of the "exempt" and "agriculture exempt" lands were state-owned, and in the eastern half of the Township. State-owned lands included portions of the Escanaba River State Forest, the Marquette Branch Correctional Facility Mangum Farm and other Department of Corrections properties, MOOT Lake Superior shoreline and highway scenic turnouts and several smaller parcels owned by the DNR, including the Cherry Creek Fish Hatchery. A total of about 36% of the land in Chocolay Township was tax exempt. Commercial Forest Act (CFR) lands accounted for 953 acres of Chocolay Township in 2003. These are private lands, and under the CFR agreement, the owners pay a reduced tax of $1.1 O per acre on forest lands greater then 40 acres if a management plan is developed. The Department of Natural Resources, Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division, offers the property tax incentives to owners of forested lands if they agree to properly manage their commercial forest lands for recreation or wildlife. Forest species benefit from this program, such as deer, turkey, grouse, nongame forest birds, amphibians, reptiles, etc. Cutting of trees is approved by permit only. Properties classed as "commercial" accounted for 891 acres in 2003. Commercial parcels in the Township included two golf courses, and both large and small parcels along the US-41/M-28 corridor in the northwestern part of the Township. There were only 690 acres with a tax classification of "agriculture" in 2003, while 2,564 acres were identified as agriculture in the land use/cover inventory in 2004. None of the 2,564 acres of agricultural land in the land use/cover inventory were tax exempt. This means that approximately 1,800 acres of agricultural lands were not classified as such. A comparison of Maps 5-1 and 5-2 shows that much of the agricultural land not classified as agricultural for tax purposes was classified as residential. Table 5-2 displays a tax classification, "ROW and Lake," and that it comprises about 1,000 acres in Chocolay Township. This classification includes portions of the land not within the boundaries of identified parcels. It includes the rights-of-way of roads, lakes and other land or water areas not part of a parcel. This is land that is not likely to change in area over time. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-7 �RELATIONSHIP OF LAND USE/COVER INVENTORY TO LAND USE BY TAX CLASS INVENTORY AND OTHER INFORMATION A comparison of the land use inventories, one of actual use, or type of development (as well as land cover) and the other by tax classification illustrates that far more land is assessed at a higher development level than that for which the land is used. Already developed parcels and most of those classified as residential (and thus presumed to be developable) are in close proximity to sensitive natural features or have severe development limitations. These natural features include the Lake Superior shoreline, the Chocolay River and the many high quality streams and creeks that feed the River, inland lakes and Lake Superior. There are also large areas of floodplains, wetlands and soils with development limitations. The natural features of Chocolay Township provide for the rural quality of life that residents prefer, and help the local economy. It will be important to ensure as land is developed, that these natural features are protected. Photo 5-4 Natural Features Should be Protected in Order to Promote the Local Economy t d 18 1 2005 John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 5 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 5-8 �Chapter 6 PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the public facilities and services provided to residents in Chocolay Township. These include fire and police protection, governmental administration, solid waste collection and disposal, water, sewage, recreation, education, health, library, cemeteries and others. These facilities are owned and operated by the Township and state government, and in the case of a few recreational facilities, by private owners/operators. TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION The operation of Township business takes place at the Municipal Complex, on a nearly 2.8 acre parcel at 5010 US-41 South, located on the corner of Silver Creek Road and U.S. 41 South, in Harvey. See Map 6-1. A staff of 12.5 full-time,¾ time or on-call staff members use the office complex 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. See Table 6-1 Photo 6-1 Chocolay Township Hall The municipal complex was built in 1978 by remodeling an old schoolhouse and adding a large addition. It contains offices for all Township departments, including the Supervisor's office, the Clerk's office, the Department of Public Works office, the Community Development Department office, and a front office area utilized by the Treasurer's Department and the secretarial/receptionist support staff. In the old schoolhouse portion of the building, there is a meeting room that is used for board and commission meetings, community groups, and the general public. The Police Department has an office adjacent to the meeting room. Two storage areas are located off of the meeting room. There is an outside storage building for use by the Public Works Department. Funds are set aside annually in the Capital Improvements Fund for major building maintenance. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-1 �Table 6-1 Chocolay Township Employees Department Office staff (1 Director of Planning and Community Development, 1 Zoning Administrator (3/4 time), 1 Director of Assessing, 1 Secretary/Records Clerk, 1 Deputy Clerk & 3/4 time Deputy Treasurer, 1 Director of Recreation and Grants, and 1 on-call Temporary Secretary) Department of Public Works (1 DPW Supervisor, 1 Lead Maintenance Worker, 1 General Maintenance Worker I and 1 General Maintenance Worker II) Police Department (4 full-time police officers, two part-time officers, 1 administrative assistant and 1 secretary) Total Employees Number of Employees 8 .5 full-time, ¾ time and oncall 4.0 8.0 full-time and part-time 20.5 Photo 6-2 Chocolay Township Vehicle The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-2 �Map 6-1 Chocolay Township Public Facilities Chocolay Township Community Facilities Sliver Creek Sites - State Highway Lakes - -- County Highway Streams - - - Named Roads LEGEND • Township Site • Township Land • State Facility State Lands Private Recreation State lands - - - Township Line Un-Named Roads Section Line SO!Jroe Michigan Center kw Geographle lnfonn,tlOl"I Dept of lnfonnatlOl'I T.chnok)gy " ~~· Map Prepared by the land lnformat10n Access Assooation August 2004 Kawbawgam Park and Cross Country Ski Trall MOOT Scenic Turnout MDNR Publlc Access to Chocolay River Lakewood Lane/M-28 Access Strip I.. - - - - '-r~ -=----- \ MOOT Scenic Turnouts / J /---==re:::~ J-=:. .--------4 ~~~l ' - owmobile Tra - in . •J: :t yvn) ay Downs Golf,fourse • \J \.1 Lake Le Vasseur Waterfowl Area " Escanaba River State Forest Boundary The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-3 . ~ "' I �Community Center Several efforts have been initiated to establish a permanent community center in Chocolay Township. The Township purchased the Silver Creek Elementary School in 2001 and has used it occasionally as a community center. There is a playground and tot lot outside and basketball courts inside, plus meeting rooms. Millage elections to fund operation of the community center have failed, and the building has been sold. PUBLIC WORKS The Chocolay Township Public Works Department oversees maintenance of the Township Municipal Complex, Township-owned recreation lands and facilities and the wastewater collection facilities. The Public Works Department has 4 employees. Wastewater Facilities There is a Township installed a sanitary sewer collection system servicing the greater village of Harvey area, built in 1975. The system was extended in 1976 to serve the Ewing Plaza commercial area and in 1977 to the Ewing Park residential subdivision. The latter extension included a pump station. The system consists of gravity lines as well as five large pump stations and three small grinder stations. A large force main was installed to connect the collection system to the Marquette City Treatment Plant where the wastewater receives final treatment. Capacity of the wastewater plant in Marquette City is 12.6 million gallons per day (mgd). The Township's share of plant capacity is 2.5 mgd. The Township's flow capacity is greater than 1.5 mgd. Pump station #1 has a capacity of 1.1 mgd, but can be upgraded through the addition of another pump. The area of existing sewer service and areas of planned expansion are shown on Map 6-2. Extensions will be made at the request of and expense of landowners who request the extension. In rural areas of the Township and in outlying areas of Harvey, private septic systems are utilized. The County Health Department inspects all new systems to verify that soil conditions will allow the system to operate properly and not contaminate streams or wells in the vicinity. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-4 �Map 6-2 Chocolay Township Existing and Planned Sewer Service Area LEGEND - State Highway - - - County HlghNay - - Narn«t Roads State Lands Lakes - Streams - - - Town1h1p Lile ~Named Roads Section line w◊ • Soun:e Mldlipnc.ntfffor~ll'lfofmatioro DeploflntOfrnal:IOf'ITechnology Map Prepa,ed by the uncl ll'lfom,at10n Access Assoaat10n August 2004 Existing Sewer System Planned Sewer Expansions before 2025 Public Sewer and Water Service beyond 2025 -M .. ...,""'""'""'""'""'1;_............ .,,,""',..Jai;;;...,""'l-;............... ,. . .._, ~ l 2~ ~I - '- ~ I ,r-r ,~ ....... 1 ~ " ~ ~ I ,. "" •··!1t " 1 " . ~~ I I r ,. ' ' I . ( r a)'~ • l' / ' ,, The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-5 I / ,, ~ ,. I t I I :1 ... Jf"l ~ t 27 l .... -----tI " l ,j .., --· ,, 2S ~ t 1 ~ �Water Facilities At present, all Township residents and businesses are served by private wells, each varying in quality and capacity. The Township provides no public system for distribution of water. In 1975, when the sewer was constructed, in anticipation of future needs, crossing pipes were placed under the U.S. 41 highway in Harvey so that the highway would not have to be disturbed when and if water lines are utilized in the future . Concern over petroleum contamination of several wells in the Harvey area has led to discussion of a municipal water system. Contaminated wells in this area were replaced by drilling to a deeper aquifer, through State of Michigan funding. Mitigation of the contamination plume was also initiated. Chocolay Township has had studies prepared several times in the past 25 years to investigate the potential and costs for the development of a municipal water system to serve the more populated areas of the Township. The latest study was prepared in 2001 by the consulting firm of STS Consultants, Ltd. The study found that for the vast majority of Township residents and businesses, individual wells provide an adequate quality and quantity of water. The cost to provide municipal water remains prohibitive for the current population size. However, in the future, it may become feasible to provide a water distribution system to the more populated areas, and the US-41 /M-28 commercial corridor. Until that time, those areas with groundwater contamination should continue to be monitored. If contamination spreads, a public water supply may need to be constructed. Photo 6-3 It may be Possible to Provide Public Water to the US-41/M-28 Corridor in the Future SOLID WASTE/RECYCLING Township residents generate about 25 pounds of solid waste per resident per month. Total residential solid waste is between 65-75 tons per month, depending on the time of year. The Township contracts with private haulers to provide curb-side garbage collection at a rate of $7.50 for 5 garbage bags. Businesses hire private waste haulers The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-6 �for their solid waste. Solid waste is deposited in the Marquette County Landfill , which is located about 9 miles west of the Township. Residents may haul their own waste to the landfill after purchasing a permit from the Township. Weekly curbside recycling is available and takes place along with garbage collection. Residents are encouraged to recycle clear glass, newspapers, magazines, tin cans and number two plastics. There are no figures on the amount recycled, but sanitation workers report that there are recyclables put out at every nearly home on garbage collection day. In addition, brush can be dropped off in the spring, fall and in January for Christmas trees. Brush is chipped and provided to residents for landscaping. UTILITIES The Marquette Board of Light and Power and the Alger-Delta Cooperative Electric Association provide electricity to Chocolay Township. SEMCO Energy provides natural gas to homes in the most densely populated areas of the Township. There are no major gas lines through the Township. EMERGENCY SERVICES Police The Chocolay Township Police Department consists of a staff of four full-time officers, two part-time officers, and administrative assistant and a secretary. The Township currently utilizes two patrol cars, one four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle used exclusively in the winter, and two snowmobiles, equipped for a rescue sled if needed, which is used for patrolling the DNR Trail. The Township is purchasing an additional snowmobile. The nearest State Police post is about twelve miles west of Chocolay Township in Negaunee Township. Photo 6-4 Chocolay Police Department Vehicle The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-7 �Fire The Township Fire Department has 26 volunteers, including officers. There are two pumpers, one tanker and one unit equipped for extrication and rescue. Because the Township does not have a municipal water system, all water used in fighting a fire must be transported by tanker and mutual aid trucks, or extracted from dry hydrants located along creeks and rivers. There are no plans for expansion of equipment or personnel. The firehall is located in the municipal complex. It is a 36' by 50' building with a 20' by 50' addition. The Township has mutual aid agreements with surrounding communities. These agreements allow equipment and manpower to assist in fire calls reciprocally with these units of government. There are no Township regulations regarding open burning. Yard waste, but not building materials, can be burned in a container without a permit and in the open with a permit obtained by calling a toll-free number. Photo 6-5 Dry Hydrant along Lake Kawbawgam for Use in Fighting Fires Homeowner and business insurance is tied to ratings of the fire suppression capability of the community. The Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating for all of Chocolay Township is 9. This is a high number, and is likely reflected in relatively high insurance premiums. The Fire Department continually works to reduce the ISO rating, which would indicate safer conditions for residents and lowered insurance premiums. Reduction in the ISO rating could come from the installation of an elevated water storage tank or other options for rapid filling of fire fighting equipment, or the installation of a municipal water system in the Harvey area. A reduction of the ISO rating from 9 to 8 may come with the purchase of the next tanker truck, but there would be no reduction in insurance premiums for commercial properties as a result. Ambulance Marquette General Hospital provides Ambulance service. Marquette General is the nearest hospital to Chocolay Township and is located in the City of Marquette, about five miles west of the Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-8 �HEALTH CARE Marquette General Hospital contains over 300 beds. It offers a wide array of emergency, surgical, treatment and wellness services. Family medicine and obstetrics/gynecology services are offered at Lakewood Medical Associates in Harvey. EDUCATION Children in Chocolay Township attending public schools do so in the Marquette Area Public School system. The entire Township is within the Marquette Area Public School District. Total enrollment in the fall of 2004 was 3,655. This was down from the 2003 enrollment of 3,757. Enrollment totaled 992 in the four elementary schools (Cherry Creek, Sandy Knoll, Superior Hills and Vandenboom) offering grades K-3, 476 in grades 4 and 5 at Graveraet School, 849 in grades 6-8 at Bothwell School and 1,338 at the High School. Cherry Creek Elementary School is located on Ortman Road in Chocolay Township. It had an enrollment of 343 in 2004. It is the only public school in the Township. Photo 6-6 Cherry Creek Elementary School The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-9 �RECREATION FACILITIES In 2004, the Township updated its Recreation Plan. The Plan is reviewed by the Planning Commission annually in order to review, prioritize, and budget for recreation activities, and updated every five years in order to obtain certification from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The Recreation Plan provides an inventory of existing recreation-related facilities and lays out plans for improvements and expansions. In the past, the Township has relied heavily upon grants to fund recreational facilities, such as the Lawcon grant for the Silver Creek Recreation Area and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for the Beaver Grove Recreation Area. For a complete description of recreation facilities in the Township, please refer to the Recreation Plan, which is kept on file in the office of the Department of Land Use Management. Table 6-2 and the following text provide a brief oveNiew of recreation facilities and their features. Photo 6-7 Beaver Grove Recreation Area The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-10 �Table 6-2 Chocolay Township Recreation Facilities Chocolay Township Recreation Facilities Matrix ... Cl) ~<C: Cl) Cl) ·-0 ... 'la (.) ... ~ Cl)(.) ~ Cl) iii Soccer Field 0:: X X X Playground/Tot Lot Picnic Facilities .Sl iii (II (II C: "C (!) :a (!) Cl) > (II Cl) a:i :::ii: ci. 3: I- ... (II C: Cl) ~ (!) ... ~ (II 0.. Ill C: 0 :J X X X X F '5 0 ...::::s C: ::::s 0 Cl) (.) (.) ...CD <... C. Cl) E (II I- (.) Cl) ci ci ~ :::ii: Ill Ill > ii: 0:: ~ z C Ill C: 3: 0 C >, (II 0(.) 0 .i;: (.) 0 (!) "C (II .Sl Ill Cl) E 0 :c ..: u "' ~ ~ 'i: ::::s E E 0 (.) (II J:. (.) Cl) ~ (.) i!:' ... Cl) .i;: (.) Restrooms X Cl) C: '6 0 0 Li: Cl) C. ~ Cl) Cl) ... (.) ~ Cl) (.) Cl) "") 0 Ill > Horse Shoe Court Hiking/Nature Trail X X X-Country Skiing X X F Swimming F X F Fishing X X Cl) ... ~ (II 'i: >< 0.. ::::s Cl) :::ii: C. ai ci.E 3: 0 I- (.) X X ~ (.) 0 0.. X X ::::s (,) Ill Ill Cl) 0:: ~ (II > (II ...I Cl) 3: Cl) ...0 a:i ~ (II ...I X X X X X F X X X X X F Boat Launch Access Basketball Court 'i3 X X X X X F X X X X X X X X ... ... < .; CD X Open Space Baseball Diamond Ill Cl) Ice Skating Rink Tennis Court C: C: Cl) > 0 ... ... "C X X X X X X X X X X F Warming House Primitive Camping Camping Utilities F Showers Golf Course X X X X X X Covered Pavilion X Hunting X X X Source: Chocolay Township 2004 Recreation Plan Note: "X" existing and "F" future. = = Township Owned Recreation Properties (from 2004 Recreation Plan) This section summarizes Township-owned properties used for active and passive recreation. See Map 6-1 for their locations. Chocolay River - Green Garden Site This property is located on Green Garden Road approximately 1.5 miles from US-41 in the south central part of the Township . It is approximately 1.08 acres in size and currently undeveloped but is used as a local swimming and fishing spot. The site also offers a primitive carry-down boat launch to the river. Both of the parcels that comprise the site are zoned Rural Residential-2 (RR-2). The RR-2 district allows for parks as a conditional use on parcels consisting of a minimum of 20 acres. The deed giving title to Chocolay Township requires that the property be used exclusively for providing a park and other recreational facilities for the children and the members of the public in and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-11 �about the Township of Chocolay. Silver Creek Recreation Area (SCRA) The SCRA encompasses 23.7 acres in the northwest corner of the Township. The size and location of this recreation site make it especially suited as a "community play field." Due to its central location the SCRA, is the most widely used recreation facility the Township owns and is in a Public Lands district. Existing facilities at SCRA consist of the following: four tennis courts, soccer field, baseball diamond, basketball hoop, totlot/playground, picnic area, restrooms, and paved drives. The developed portion of the site utilizes the southern 1/2 of the property while a primitive trail system is interspersed throughout the western and forested northern 1/2. The SCRA is extensively used for organized baseball, softball, little league and soccer throughout the spring, summer and fall. The trail system is utilized year-round. The tennis courts, tot-lot/playground, and picnic area are used extensively from late spring to late fall. Chocolay Township Marina The Township's only marina is located along Main Street in the northwestern corner in the village of Harvey. The marina is situated on the Chocolay River approximately 1500 feet from Lake Superior. The site contains an improved skid pier boat launch, pit toilet and picnic area. It provides boat access to the Chocolay River and to Lake Superior. Unfortunately, the river mouth is often too shallow to permit easy access to Lake Superior, resulting in limited public use. It is located in an R-1 zoning district that allows parks as a conditional use subject to Township Planning Commission approval. In 1999, the Township purchased a small island adjacent to the marina shoreline. This island is recommended as a possible campsite of the NTN Water Trail and open for passive recreation use. Photo 6-8 Chocolay Township Marina and Boat Launch The Voce Creek Open Space Area This undeveloped 12.33 acres, located east of US-41, is approximately 1 mile south and east of the Beaver Grove location. Its soils, topography, and location severely limit its The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-12 �use for active recreational opportunities. It contains a considerable sand blowout and low land areas that would be very costly to develop into a conventional recreation facility. The area has been identified as a passive recreation tract. The parcel is in a RR-2 zoning district that does not conform to local zoning in terms of lot size. Its distance and lack of a bike path from the developing areas of Harvey and Beaver Grove pose traffic and accessibility problems for children in the Township. The Marquette County Soil Conservation District, in cooperation with the Township, currently is using a portion of the property as an experimental American Beachgrass planting and sand dune stabilization project. The Chocolay Township Municipal Complex The Chocolay Township Municipal Complex is located on a 2.79 acre parcel with frontage on the west of US-41 in the village of Harvey. Besides housing the Township's governmental facilities, the property supports a 30' by 50' pavilion on its northeast corner. Supplied with a number of picnic tables, a permanent grill, and nestled among towering pines, this location provides an ideal passive recreation site for tourists and residents alike. During the winter months the pavilion is flooded and used as an ice skating rink. It conforms to existing permitted uses since it is located in the Public Lands district. At the time of this Plan update it was listed for sale. Beaver Grove Recreation Area (BGRA) This is a combination of two adjoining parcels making up a 29.1 acre recreation site. The property is located west of US-41 and north of County Road 480 and is accessible from either road. The site has considerable frontage on Big Creek that flows along its eastern border. Direct access to the river from a recently developed hiking trail provides fishing opportunities, as well as unique passive recreational outlets. Facilities at this site consist of a baseball field, soccer field, basketball court, pavilion, tot-lot/playground, horseshoe courts, picnic facilities, multi-use open space, hiking trail, improved parking and restrooms. Photo 6-9 Beaver Grove Recreation Area The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-13 �These facilities are all concentrated on the original 15.11 acres. The adjoining 14 acre parcel was purchased in 1990 and is currently undeveloped. It is currently leased for agricultural purposes. This site is in the R-1 zoning district. In January of 2001, Chocolay Township received a matching grant from the Clean Michigan Initiative (CMI) Recreation Bond Project of the Department of Natural Resources. This grant provided 65% of the total cost required for the purchase/construction of the following upgrades: basketball court, pavilion, fencing, irrigation, spectator seating, entrance signs, scoreboard, display cases, additional parking and covered dugouts. At present, a strategic plan for the undeveloped acreage has yet to be established. Residential development in the south central region of the Township makes this section of the BGRA an ideal location for future recreational development. Brower's Property The Brower property is located on 50 acres, approximately 8 miles southeast of Harvey, Michigan. It is predominately lowland with a mix of trees dominated by spruce, cedar, hemlock, birch and maple. There is a small stream that bisects the property. This parcel was donated in 1999 to the Township with the stipulation that it will be used exclusively for educational and recreational activities. In 2002, the Township received a DNR grant to develop the Brower property as a demonstration area that promotes forest stewardship, while providing passive recreational opportunities. It is in a Resource Production zoning district that allows trails and management activities subject to Planning Commission approval. Lions Club Park This 10.7- acre recreation area is located on M-28, approximately 2.5 miles east of the US-41/M-28 intersection. It is situated in the Varvil Center area and is currently zoned R-1. In 2000, this property was purchased from the Marquette Area Public Schools. The Lions Club Park has a baseball field, ice-skating rink, 1/2 basketball court, pit toilet and large parking lot. Approximately 5 acres remain undeveloped. Photo 6-10 Skating Rink at Lions Club Park The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-14 �Community Center The Marquette Area Public Schools sold Silver Creek Elementary School to Chocolay Township in 2001. This one-story masonry building, containing 28,227 square feet, is located on 10 acres on the north side of Silver Creek Road. Millage elections to fund operation of the community center were defeated. The building has been sold. Kawbawgam Cross Country Ski Trail The Kawbawgam Cross Country Ski Trail is located on state land and is approximately 2 miles south of M-28. The parking area is located on the Lake Le Vasseur public access road. This trail has 2 loops. The beginning loop is 1.5 miles long and rated easy. The Levasseur loop is 3.9 miles long and rated difficult. The Kawbawgam Cross County Ski Trail is groomed and offers spectacular views of forested hills overlooking Lake Le Vasseur. Photo 6-11 Kawbawgam Cross Country Ski Trail Kawbawgam Pocket Park The Pocket Park is located on Kawbawgam Road just south of M-28. This small neighborhood park contains a basketball court, swings, picnic table, pit toilet and parking lot. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-15 �Photo 6-12 Kawbawgam Pocket Park 3 8 ·2004 Green Bay Street Park This property on the corner of Green Bay Street and Lakewood Lane runs along the Chocolay River and was donated to the Township in 2001. It has functioned as a fishing site for residents for many years . The Township requested, and received, a conditional use permit for a "park" designation in 2002. A grant was obtained through the Marquette County Conservation District and the Lake Superior Watershed Partnership to address critical erosion problems. Funds were used to stabilize the stream bank, install stairways and fencing, and establish plants to help control erosion . These improvements have curtailed further erosion and enhanced access for residents, especially seniors. Other Public and Private Recreation Sites (See Map 6-1) Michigan Department of Transportation Scenic Turnouts MOOT owns 3 roadside scenic turnouts by the M-28 corridor along the Lake Superior shoreline. The Township maintains these facilities under contract with MOOT. Site #1 is approximately 6 miles east of the US-41/M-28 intersection near Kawbawgam Road. It consists of½ mile of frontage on Lake Superior. It has restrooms, map display case, picnic area, well water, and a stairway accessing the beach. Sites #2 and #3 are located approximately 7 and 11 miles east of the US-41 /M-28 intersection. These turnouts are a 1.5 mile strip overlooking Lake Superior. Together. they have 2 small picnic areas. These turnouts are very popular with residents since they provide the only public access to Lake Superior in the Township. They also offer convenient, yet scenic, rest stops for tourists. Chocolay River Public Access Fishing Site The Michigan Department of Natural Resources developed this 5. 7 acre site on M-28 approximately one mile east of the US-41 /M-28 intersection. It is situated in a R-1 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-16 �zoning district. This handicap accessible site has restroom facilities, expanded parking, a public fishing pier, and carry-down boat launch. It is currently only 1 of 2 handicap accessible fishing sites located in Marquette County. Lake Le Vasseur Waterfowl Area The Michigan DNR constructed this public access site to Lake Le Vasseur off Kawbawgam Road. It is approximately 8 miles from the US-41/M-28 intersection and situated in a Resource Production zoning district. The DNR also rebuilt the dam on the west-end of the lake to provide improved hunting and fishing opportunities for the public. Photo 6-13 DNR Dam that forms Lake Le Vasseur Waterfowl Area James Jeske Flooding at Sand River The Michigan DNR built this wildlife flooding area on the Sand River approximately 11 miles from the US-41/M-28 intersection. Located just south of the mouth of the Sand River and Lake Superior it covers more than 700 acres of land. It has become a popular fishing and hunting location as well as a passive scenic site. The dam was opened in 2004, and while the flooded area will be reduced dramatically, it will remain a natural area. Cherry Creek School Playground The Cherry Creek Elementary School is located near the intersection of Cherry Creek Road and Ortman Road, 1 mile west from the US-41/M-28 intersection. This playground has a variety of recreation equipment for school children. It also has a soccer field and large open space area for general recreation activities, a portion of which has been developed as an interpretative nature trail supported by classroom projects. Gitchee Gurnee Campground This privately owned campground is located 7 miles east of the US-41/M-28 intersection. Constructed in 1980, it consists of a restroom/shower/laundry complex, an office, and 100 campsites . Nearly 1/2 of the sites support water, sewer, electrical service, while the remaining sites are considered primitive. It is the only campground in the Township and is a popular tourist stop. Chocolay Downs Golf Course This planned 36 hole golf course is located on M-28 about 3 miles east of the US-41 /M- The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-17 �28 intersection. Several holes are completed and the remaining holes are under construction . Privately owned and operated, it is expected to fill a large void in offering residents and visitors a modern golfing facility. Photo 6-14 Chocolay Downs Golf Course Homestead Golf Course This privately owned 18 hole golf course is currently under construction with 9 holes completed and operational. It is located on County Road 480 approximately 1 mile west of the US-41 and County Road 480 intersection. It is situated very close to Beaver Grove Recreation Area and complements all of the recreation opportunities offered in this section of the Township. COUNTY LANDS AND FACILITIES There are no county facilities in the Township. STATE LANDS AND FACILITIES Escanaba River State Forest The largest state holding in Chocolay Township is the Escanaba River State Forest. The area within the State Forest boundary in Chocolay Township is about 16,000 acres, but only about 11,000 acres are in State ownership. The remainder is in private in-holdings. The State Forest is used primarily for recreational activities such as hunting, hiking and skiing. Marquette Branch Correctional Facility, Mangum Farm The Michigan Department of Corrections runs a prison farm in Chocolay Township . The main farm property is about 400 acres along US-41 . The Michigan Department of Corrections also owns another 480 acres in two sites in Chocolay Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-18 �Photo 6-15 Mangum Prison Farm Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) MOOT owns nearly 2 miles of Lake Superior shoreline in two parcels in Chocolay Township. These are along M-28 in the eastern part of the Township. Within the two parcels are 3 scenic turnouts. The Township maintains picnic facilities at the three sites and these are the primary source of public access to Lake Superior in the Township. Department of Natural Resources Marquette State Fish Hatchery The fish hatchery is located at the far western edge of Chocolay Township on Cherry Creek Road. It is the primary broodstock and rearing facility for brook and lake trout that are used in both inland and Great Lakes waters. The facility also rears brown trout and splake (a brook trout - lake trout hybrid) for both Great Lakes and inland waters. This hatchery has both indoor and outdoor rearing facilities. The hatchery uses both well water and water from Cherry Creek for use in the rearing tanks. The hatchery is open to the public and has interpretive facilities. Photo 6-16 Marquette State Fish Hatchery on Cherry Creek The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-19 �FEDERAL FACILITIES There is only one federal facility in Chocolay Township, the U.S. Army Reserve Center. The nearest Post Office is in the City of Marquette. Many Township residents would like a Post Office in the Township . Photo 6-17 U.S. Army Reserve Center in Harvey John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 6 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 6-20 �Chapter 7 TRANSPORTATION INTRODUCTION In Chocolay Township, as in all communities today, the economy is heavily dependent on the transportation system. US-41 and M-28 serve not only local residents, but long distance travelers. Chapter 2 noted that the large majority of Township residents work outside the Township and drive to work. Therefore, the growth of the area becomes largely dependent upon a safe, convenient, and economical transportation system to facilitate the easy movement of people, goods, and services both within and outside the Township. This makes the local transportation system, including highways, railroads, airports, and harbors, even when outside the Township, key elements in the future of Chocolay Township. This chapter examines existing transportation modes, presents several road classification systems, reviews key access management issues and identifies major needed road improvements. TRANSPORTATION MODES Within the Township there is only one principal transportation mode, and four minor alternate modes. The principal mode is vehicular movement on public roads. The alternate modes include Marq-Tran transit service, and seasonally, snowmobile, bicycle and walking which are largely recreational modes. However, other modes nearby provide important transportation services to Township residents. These include air and water transportation. Photo 7-1 The Primary Transportation Mode in Chocolay Township is Vehicles on Public Roads Air transportation services are available at the Sawyer International Airport. The facility has a 12,300 foot main runway with an instrument landing system. The site also contains a new passenger terminal building and new air crash protection facility currently under construction. Service is provided by regional carrier aircraft with most airplanes carrying The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-1 �less than fifty seats. Three major services are provided by American Eagle, Midwest Connect, and Northwest Air Link, which provide a three service hub from Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee. The area is also served by water transportation from nearby harbor facilities in Marquette. Both recreational and commercial use is made of these local harbors. There are two deep-draft harbors within Marquette. The lower harbor contains a public marina with access to a municipal park and various other cultural features. The south end of the lower harbor is also a coal unloading facility that supplies fuel for the local electric utility. Portions of Chocolay Township receive power from this utility. The lower harbor also receives large quantities of limestone used in the pellatizing of iron ore. The second deep-draft harbor, the upper harbor, is used to ship iron ore from Marquette to the steel mills and for unloading coal for the Wisconsin Electric power plant. The merchandise dock is available for receiving bulky items, the mooring of larger boats and off loading of equipment. Recreational use by local boaters is made of both the upper and lower harbors. Sport fishing and general pleasure boating are primary activities of the recreational boaters. There is also a marina on the Chocolay River in the Township. Bus transportation is another mode without a facility based in the Township, but serves the community through the transfer of people and a limited amount of goods. The Greyhound line has one run daily to Calumet and two daily to Chicago. Southbound pickup includes a stop in Harvey on the way to Escanaba/Chicago. In addition, westbound pickup is also made at the Escanaba connection. There is also a local mass transit system (Marq-Tran) that will be discussed in detail in a later section. The transportation mode that everyone is familiar with is the road system. It is the primary transporter of goods, services, and people. Each of the roads within the Township has a specific traffic capacity, design standard, and design use. The road classification system will first be discussed and then the Township roads will be inventoried as to how they fit into the system. CLASSIFICATION OF ROADS Roads have a two-fold purpose: The movement of traffic and the provision of access to adjoining property. All roads in the Township serve these two purposes to some degree. Through the process of defining road functions and correlating these with land use policies, several benefits should be realized by the local or even state government responsible for their operation. By defining the function of roads and their service to the community, the appropriate land uses can be encouraged adjacent to these roads and with proper access management, the public investment in these roads can be preserved. The design of a road depends principally on its functional classification and the traffic volume it is expected to carry at some future time. Such design factors as the number of lanes, width and surfacing of shoulders, width of structures, type of surface, and design speed all depend on traffic volume and functional classification. See Figure 7-1 which depicts the typical range of road types within a metropolitan area. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-2 �Figure 7-1 Design Characteristics of Types of Roads FREEWAYS ,ERVF LONGER DISTANCE --TRIPS, AND HAVE LIMITED CONTROLLED COLLECTOR STREETS CONNECT LOCAL STREETS TO ARTERIALS, SERVE INTERNEIGHBORHOOO TRAVEL ( - - EXPRESSWAY --- ARTERIAL ---- COLLECTOR --- LOCAL COLLECTORS ARE ONLY CONTINUOUS BETWEEN ARTERIALS Source: Arterial Street Access Control Study, Tri County Regional Planning Commission, 1981, p.3. Since land use patterns are largely determined by transportation facilities, functional classification is important because it permits coordination of land use policies with the transportation system. Once a functional classification is adopted, zoning regulations can be structured to ensure that specific land uses are guided to locations on the road network which are consistent with the existing or planned capacity of the network to accommodate the traffic generated. Access controls can be employed along arterial and collector routes whose principal function is to carry traffic. This will ensure that traffic carrying capacities are not usurped by turning movements to and from uses located along these routes. Similarly, subdivision regulations can provide for the dedication of sufficient right-of-ways, and in some cases, the installation of improvements based on the design standards outlined above. A typical road classification system includes the following road types: 1. Limited Access Highway -- Major highways providing no direct property access that are designed primarily for through traffic. These are also called freeways. 2. Major Arterial -- Arterials are roadways of regional importance intended to serve moderate to high volumes of traffic traveling relatively long distances. A major arterial is intended primarily to serve through traffic where access is carefully controlled. Some major arterials are referred to as "regional arterials". 3. Minor Arterial -- A roadway that is similar in function to major arterials, but operates under lower traffic volumes, over shorter distances, and provides a higher degree of property access than major arterials. 4. Major Collector -- A roadway that provides for traffic movement between arterials and local streets and carries moderate traffic volumes over moderate distances. Collectors may also provide direct access to abutting properties. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-3 �5. Minor Collector -- A roadway similar in function to a major collector but which carries lower traffic volumes over shorter distances and provides a higher degree of property access than a major collector. 6. Local Street -- A street or road intended to provide access to abutting properties, which tends to accommodate lower traffic volumes and serves to provide mobility within that neighborhood . Figure 7-2 shows the relationship of the movement function of roads relative to the access function. Freeways absolutely preserve the movement function while local streets primarily serve as access to abutting property. Arterials and collectors provide some of both, with arterials primarily there for the movement function. It is very important to preserve the movement function of arterials and collectors or congestion will greatly reduce the utility of such roads for safe travel over a distance. When communities poorly plan and regulate land uses next to arterials and collectors, then considerable tax dollars must be spent that would not have had to be spent to try and remedy the resulting congestion and unsafe conditions. Figure 7-2 Functional Classification of Roads I I I I I I I I I I I I z 0 G z ACCESS FUNCTION I I I I ::::::> I I LL i "' !s ::!8 ALL ACCESS i ! I I1 I I ~< C I MpVEMENt FJJNCTIONl I I ~==~-,'~=~~~....,,.,,,.,..,.....,..-..._-1--.,.,,.,..,...,,..,,.,,,.,,..,,-i--_::::::~~=---EXPRESSWAY PRIMARY ARTERIAL SECONDARY ARTERIAL COLLECTOR LOCAL CUL DE SAC FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION Source: Arterial Street Access Control Study, Tri County Regional Planning Commission, 1981, p.3. The major roads in Michigan are included in the National Functional Classification System in order to be eligible for federal road funds. Under this system, roads are classified into the following categories: • Rural or Urban Interstate (analogous to "limited access highway" above) • Rural or Urban Other Freeway (analogous to "limited access highway" above) • Rural or Urban Other Principal Arterial (analogous to "major arterial" above) • Rural or Urban Minor Arterial (analogous to "minor arterial" above) • Rural Major Collector or Urban Collector (analogous to "major collector" above) • Rural Minor Collector (analogous to "minor collector" above). The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-4 �Map 7-1 Roads in Chocolay Township According to the National Functional Classification System = Rural Principal Arterial Collector = Rural Major Collector Yellow= Rural Minor Source: Michigan Department of Transportation [Note: the pink in the upper left corner is the urban boundary line for urban aid highways, it is not a road.] Within Chocolay Township, only three of these classifications apply (as follows and as illustrated on Map 7-1 : 1. Rural Principal Arterial - These arterials provide the next to the highest level of traffic mobility available on the total highway system. US-41 and M-28 are statewide arterials as well as major arterials. 2. Rural Major Collector - These interconnect and augment the statewide and regional arterial system. County Road 480 and 551 from US-41 to 480 are major collectors. The primary function is to interconnect people in the economic activity centers not seNed by statewide arterial highways. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-5 �3. Rural Minor Collectors - These function primarily as collector- distributor roads. County Road 545 fYvest Branch Road) from U.S. 41 South is a minor collector. These roads provide service between minor population and economic centers within the County. Traffic mobility and trip continuity are not as essential as on arterials. Serving through traffic may not be a major consideration . Photo 7-2 M-28 is a Statewide Arterial The remaining roads in the Township are grouped as Local Access Streets/Roads. These provide access to adjacent properties and these streets and roads carry practically no through traffic since traffic desires are mostly local in nature. The best route continuity is not important. The major functions of these streets and roads are to: • Provide access and service to the residential developments adjacent to them. • Provide access to homes, farms, and other uses, or to provide access to commercial and/or industrial establishments (these streets should be constructed to carry heavy vehicles if the conditions warrant). For road funding purposes, three systems of road classification are used . The National Functional Classification system was listed above. Only classified roads are eligible for federal highway aid. It is used to determine whether federal aid can be obtained for these roads . Funds originate with the federal portion of the gasoline tax paid by motorists on each gallon of gas. The State classification system is tied to Act 51. It includes five categories: state trunklines, county primary roads, county local roads, city and village major streets, and city and village local streets. Funds originate from the state portion of the gasoline tax. A statutory formula determines how much goes to MOOT, how much to County Road Commissions, and how much to cities and villages. Townships are not eligible for federal or state highway funds. The county road system includes only two categories: primary and local roads. County road commissions also receive Act 51 funds and sometimes federal aid highway funds for special projects on certain roads. Within the Township, County roads 480, 545, and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-6 �551 are the only county primary roads and they are also on the federal National Functional Classification system. All other public roads in the Township are county local roads. Gravel roads serve large parts of the Township. Such local roads do a good job of meeting access needs when traffic volumes are low. However, once traffic exceeds 500600 vehicles/day on an average quality gravel road, then maintenance demands go up sharply. Paving is often not an option because of the high construction cost (often $300,000 plus per mile), even though the maintenance cost is much less. In addition, a paved road often has a capacity of 12-15,000 vehicles/day, which is far more than needed in many rural areas and may induce more development into the area (sprawl). Thus, it is very important that Township zoning regulations keep density lower than 1 dwelling unit per 10 acres in areas served by gravel roads. This density reflects the highest traffic volume a gravel road can accommodate without constantly needing grading, and even then it assumes the gravel road is of the highest quality possible with a proper sub-base and a good gravel surface. Photo 7-3 Kawbawgam Road, a Gravel Road in Chocolay Township TRANSPORTATION DECISION MAKING All of the decisions on roads in the Township are made either by the Michigan Department of Transportation (on US-41 and M-28) or the Marquette County Road Commission (which is responsible for all other public roads in the Township). MOOT has a five year plan that lists priority road and bridge improvements throughout the state. Local governments provide input on priority road and bridge needs directly to MOOT through the local TSC office in Ishpeming . The federal government through the Federal Highway Administration and the state government through the Michigan Department of Transportation have input on county level road decisions primarily through the funds they provide and the strings they attach in the form of regulations and guidelines. The Township has input on the Road Commission's decisions in any of the following three ways. First, each year the Township Board decides its priorities for the roads in the Township: what roads need work, where, and when. This procedure is outlined in Appendix C. The Township Board, in an advisory role, then meets with the Road Commission to present The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-7 �their priorities and to exchange other pertinent information. The Road Commission, to a large extent, follows the Township's desires fairly closely. Since the Township participates fifty percent (50%) in the funding of construction projects on roads in the Township, the Township has a significant role in determining which roads are fixed, providing the County is willing to provide their fifty percent (50%) match. It should be noted that the Township's road needs are always greater than either its or the Road Commission's financial and physical abilities to meet those needs. Thus, the degree to which the Township's priorities are acted on will depend in part on how much money the Township has to help provide funding for those priorities, and the funds available to the County Road Commission. The second way the Township can affect Road Commission decisions is through the County Board of Commissioners who appoint the County Road Commissioners. The third way is for Township officials or citizens to call the Road Commission directly to provide information or make a complaint. When used, this approach provides valuable information directly and immediately. Further, the number of calls can give a rough indication of the magnitude of a problem. In addition, the Township often receives road complaints from citizens, and it can provide valuable information to the Road Commission in managing these complaints . ACCESS MANAGEMENT What • • • • • • • • • • • • • are the Consequences of Poor Site Access and Circulation Design? Inadequate access capacity On-site congestion Congestion on the public street system High crash experience on the public street High crash experience on-site Pedestrian-auto crashes Limited flexibility to adjust the design or operation to changed conditions Loss of customers Frustrated motorists Unstable land use - declining commercial corridor stability Decrease in property value Decreased tax revenues Diverts motorists onto neighborhood streets. In 2004, the Michigan Department of Transportation with input from representatives of each of eight jurisdictions along the US-41/M-28 corridor (from Chocolay Township west through Ely Township), prepared an access management plan for the corridor. Entitled US-41/M-28 Comprehensive Corridor & Access Management Plan, the Plan sets · forth a series of proposed road and intersection improvements, as well as driveway redesigns and closures proposed to be implemented as the opportunity presents itself. Those elements of the US-41/M-28 Comprehensive Corridor and Access Management Plan that apply within Chocolay Township are hereby adopted by reference as the guide for future corridor and access management improvements. In order to implement the US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan and the Memorandum of Understanding all the participating jurisdictions signed to be a part The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-8 �of the project leading to the creation of the US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan, the Chocolay Township Zoning Ordinance should be amended to reflect the uniform approach to access management advocated by the Plan and being adopted in each of the eight jurisdictions that helped to create the Plan. Those zoning amendments are based on the model access management ordinance sanctioned and promoted by the Michigan Department of Transportation in the Access Management Guidebook published by MOOT in 2001 . In addition, implementation of the recommendations in the US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan will be further facilitated by active participation by Chocolay Township in future joint site plan review meetings as they relate to a particular site plan pending in Chocolay Township or an adjoining jurisdiction. These meetings will involve review of access management issues and corridor improvement issues related to a particular site plan. Such joint meetings will include representatives of Chocolay Township, MOOT, Marquette County, and other corridor communities, as pertinent. 15 ACCESS MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES 1. "Reasonable access" to property abutting a state highway or county road is protected by state law. (Act 200 of 1969). Direct access is not mandated if other access options are available. 2. Proper application of access management techniques assures businesses and drivers of safe and convenient access and taxpayers of more cost-effective use of their money spent on roads. 3. The more important the roadway (the higher its functional classification) the higher the degree of access management that should be applied so that the road continues to perform according to the function it was designed to serve. 4. Interconnections between adjacent sites and between new subdivisions and the existing street system is important in maintaining safe and efficient traffic flow. 5. Limit the number of driveways and other conflict points. 6. Separate driveways and other conflict points. 7. Improve driveway operation by fitting the best design to the need. 8. Remove turning vehicles from through traffic lanes. 9. Reduce conflicting traffic volumes. 10. Improve roadway operations on arterials by achieving the proper balance between traffic flow and access to abutting property. 11. Lay the foundation for correcting existing access management problems and preventing future ones in the local comprehensive plan and/or an access or corridor management plan. 12. To optimize the benefits of access management, coordination with all appropriate transportation agencies is essential when preparing access management plans, design techniques and the elements of local access management regulations. 13. To optimize the benefits of access management, multi-jurisdictional coordination with all appropriate transportation agencies is essential when applying access management standards on lot split, subdivision, site plan and other zoning reviews. 14. Educate the public about the benefits of access management and involve them in development of access management plans and implementation activities. 15. Many access management techniques are best implemented through zoning and others through local lot split, subdivision, condominium and private road regulations. Source: MOOT Access Management Guidebook, 2001 , pg.2-2. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-9 �Traffic Volumes Average daily traffic (ADT) volumes on M-28 range from 3,900 vehicles on the east end of the Township to 9,700 vehicles at US-41. This is up sharply from 1994 when it was 5,900 vehicles/day. About 450 vehicles/day are commercial trucks. Average daily traffic volumes on US-41 are about 4,900 vehicles/day from the south end of the Township to M-28. This is down from about 5,600 vehicles/day in 1994. About 330 commercial trucks travel this stretch daily. From the intersection of US-41 /M-28/Cherry Creek Road north to the Township line by the Visitor's Center, traffic builds to about 18,600 vehicles/day. This is slightly less than in 1994 when it was 19,000 vehicles/day. Map 7-2 depicts 2003 ADT's on these roads. 2003 Avera Map 7-2 Traffic Volumes on Ma·or Arterials MARQUETTE E ~ HUMBOLDT ~ 1-EGAUNEE . ~ 0 --•, tSHPEM \IG 2600 ALGER HANNII<{, 2500 DICKINSON 1300 1300 Source: MOOT, Michigan 2003 Annual Average 24-hour Traffic Volumes Traffic Crashes The US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan includes an analysis of high crash intersections of which there are two in the Township. The first is at Silver Creek . Road and US-41 /M-28, and the second is at the junction of US-41, M-28 and Cherry Creek Road. Neither intersection has marked pedestrian markings or crosswalks, although the Silver Creek intersection has an overhead pedestrian bridge on the north leg of the intersection. On Silver Creek Road there were 21 crashes in the three years from 2000-2002. Eight were southbound rear ends, 5 were angle and 4 were head-on left-turn crashes. Visibility of the signal may be affected by the pedestrian bridge. Improved clearance intervals may reduce left-turn crashes. There should also be pedestrian crossing markings on Silver Creek Road and on Corning Street, but not across US-41 because of the pedestrian bridge. Corning Street should be realigned so it The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-10 �squares with the intersection. On Cherry Creek Road there were 23 crashes from 20002002. Nine were southbound to eastbound left-turn collisions. An intersection operations study was recommended to provide safer left-turn opportunities. Since there are pedestrian pathways on both sides of US-41 at M-28, there should be pedestrian crossing markings on all four legs of the roadway surface and pedestrian crossing lights should be considered . Driveway Closures/Consolidations The US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan also identifies several driveway closures or consolidations that should occur as the opportunity presents itself. This is one of the most fundamental access management principles (see sidebar in gray). Driveway closures or consolidations reduce the number of conflict points at which crashes could occur. Crashes go up with the number of driveways if the separation distance between driveways is substandard. As a result, where there are two or more driveways on the same parcel, and they are not properly separated for the speed of the roadway, driveways should be closed or combined to meet the MOOT safety requirements. Exceptions may apply for driveways serving semi-trucks but even then, not more than two driveways on US-41 or M-28 should be permitted. Driveway closures or consolidations are most easily accomplished when a landowner comes in for development approval on a new development, expansion of an existing development or a redevelopment of property. Opportunities to combine driveways and gain access via a frontage or rear service road should also be capitalized upon. Photo 7-4 Very Few Businesses Need Two Driveways Restricting Access on US-41 and M-28 Will Improve Safety and Traffic Flow INTERCONNECTED STREETS The emerging system of streets and roads in the Township is characteristic of one that will present major problems in the future. That is because many of the new, especially residential, developments are built in subdivisions or site condo projects with an independent street design that is not connected to abutting property, nor leaves stub street openings for future connections. This is not only more difficult for residents or users of those developments, it is also not nearly as safe. If a bad storm blocks the The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-11 �entrance, then fire trucks, ambulances, electric or telephone utility trucks or police cannot get down the street, and that is when residents are more likely to overdo themselves and have a heart attack or get injured. The Township should require in its subdivision and zoning regulations that all developments have an interconnected street system, or include stub roads for a future connection as abutting property is developed. Figure 7-3 Interconnected Streets STREETS ARE NOT INTERCONNECTED _J JL l_ _ _ STREETS ARE INTERCONNECTED _J l_______j L Store Store A School 7r 11 7 • Increases congestion along perimeter roads • Kids traveling from home A to B have to be driven • Creates more conflicts and crash potential. • • • • • • • r ,I Residents have choices to access arterials Kids can walk from home A to B Kids can walk or bike to school more safely Easy access to neighborhood stores More efficient for snow plowing Easier access for emergency vehicles Larger sense of neighborhood. Source: MOOT Access Management Guidebook, 2001, pg. 2-7. PUBLIC ROAD CONDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS The county road network consists of 283.85 miles of county primary roads and about 988.39 miles of county local roads. The County plows about 67.7% or about 861.6 miles of roads. There are 5.58 miles of county primary road and 73.59 miles of county local roads in Chocolay Township . The Road Commission plows 83.2% of it, or all but 13.31 miles. Improvements to the county primary roads, both maintenance and construction, are scheduled by the Road Commission as their funds allow. As mentioned above, the County Road Commission bears the responsibility of construction and maintenance on both the primary and local road systems. The Township, however, must contribute 50% of the cost of construction on the local road system. The Road Commission must finance fill maintenance costs on both the primary and local road system. In addition, the Road Commission is responsible for preliminary signing on the roads under their jurisdiction. On local roads, the Township is often the determining factor of when the roads get worked on, mainly because Township funds are usually scarce. The Township's share of construction projects may be anywhere from $10,000 to $80,000 for one project. Because of the tight budget that the Township operates under, a payment schedule is usually worked out over several years . This payment system is 5% on the unpaid balance and is not a practice the Road Commission is required to do by statute. In the past, this arrangement has been very successful in improving county roads within the Township . While the Township is not required to participate in this type of arrangement, the general budget constraints necessitate this type of cooperative venture to handle priority projects as desired by the Township. Design standards should be adhered to. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-12 �Improvements to the Township road system fall into two categories: 1) upgrading existing roads, and 2) future roads. As far as the existing roads are concerned, their general routes and locations are established. But as the roads carry increased traffic volume, their level of construction should correspondingly increase. Some of the first streets in the area were much narrower than current design standards would allow and their base is not as sturdy as present design would provide. A gradual improvement of the existing roads should take place so that they also meet contemporary design specifications Existing Road Improvements The state highways and the county primary roads in the Township are in fair to good shape. According to the Five Year Highway and Bridge Program, published by MOOT, there is scheduled repair work on state road M-28 to be constructed in 2005. Beginning at US-41 heading easterly to the Alger county line, M-28 is to be resurfaced. Also M-28 is to be widened between Kawbawgam Road to Scenic Turn Out road. There is one bridge repair scheduled on M-28 located at the crossing over the Chocolay River. Relative to county primary roads, County Road 545 contains an extreme ninety degree corner and is a curvy road. County Road 480 contains residential strip development. This strip development and the large number of driveways accessing onto this road decreases the safety of this road system. Relative to local roads, there are some problem areas (not ranked). These include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Wright Place is breaking up at the intersection with US 41 and has linear cracking on the section west of US-41. The east side has pot holes at the intersection with US 41 and heaving from Corning Street to Green Bay Street. Terrace Street west of US-41 has linear cracking from Ripley Street to US-41 and is breaking up at the intersection with US-41. Terrace Street east of US-41 has heaving in areas and is breaking up at the approach to US-41. Corning Street is chunking in the vicinity of the Day Care and the corners are deteriorating at the intersection with Wright Place. East Main Street has heaving from the house at 145 E. Main to the end of the street. Lakewood Lane has minor linear cracking from Green Bay Street to Superior Street. Shot Point Drive has been breaking up in the low swampy areas and continues to do so. Riverland Drive is starting to lose the inside shoulders on the corners. Riverside Road is deteriorating on all of the inside corner radii and there are pot holes at the intersection with US-41 and where the street meets the old railroad grade. Carmen Drive is breaking up at the US-41 intersection. Juliet Street is starting to pothole at the intersection with US-41. Ortman Road from Cherry Creek to US-41 has linear cracking and is starting to break up (alligator pattern). Ortman Road from Cherry Creek north has minor linear cracking and heaving. Woodvale Drive is starting to heave at the corner of the "s" curve. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-13 �15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21 . Ford Road is starting to develop cracks on its entire surface. Cherry Creek Road south of Co. Rd. 480 and past Old Kiln Road is starting to break apart at the corner radii. Co. Rd . 545 is in very poor condition throughout. Foster Creek Road is starting to break up in places. Orchard Lane has minor linear cracking. South Big Creek Road 's shoulders are breaking down. Green Garden and Greenfield Roads are in very poor condition from the Green Garden hill to Mangum Road and Mangum Road's first¼ mile from US-41. Boulevard on US-41/M-28 One idea put forth by the Township Planning Commission as the US-41/M-28 Corridor and Access Management Plan was being prepared called for converting the current 5lane section between the northwest corner of the Township at the rock outcrop/MOOT Visitor's Center to the US-41 /M-28/Cherry Creek Intersection into a boulevard. MOOT seriously considered this suggestion since boulevards are generally a safer roadway design, but rejected it for numerous reasons, including: • The low incidence of crashes along this stretch, • The lack of right-of-way for a boulevard built to MOOT design standards, • The high cost to purchase ROW and rebuild the road, relative to other roadway needs in the area, • The adequacy of the existing capacity of the roadway. Photo 7-5 One Proposal Calls for Converting Part of US-41/M-28 to a Boulevard -----Upon further examination of existing MOOT right-of-way (which is largely 100 feet) and physical inspection of the US-41 /M-28 roadway and the location of adjoining buildings, the Planning Commission still desires the installation of a boulevard along this stretch of road . It will greatly help improve the physical character of this stretch of road and provide an aesthetic focal point to the one place in the Township passed over by most Township residents every day. To that end, the Township will prepare and analyze a drawing with the following information: • Right-of way (ROW) • Existing pavement location • Existing building footprints The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-14 �• • • • • • Existing zoning setback lines Topography Future ROW line at 150' width Zoning setback from new ROW Tree line and spacing for a tree lined boulevard Other related information as needed. The Township will identify the number of structures affected by such a change and make an initial determination if it is practical to proceed with a boulevard design. If it is, the Township will convene a meeting at which of all landowners along US-41/M-28 will be invited, as well as the general public, to review the information with them and receive feedback. If interest remains and a boulevard appears desirable and feasible, the Township will begin a series of other actions. • First it will contact MOOT about its intentions. The Township fully understands that this might be a project with a time line 10 or more years in the future. • Second, to help facilitate the construction of such a boulevard, the Township will work with MOOT on establishing a cross section for the boulevard and a new tree line for each side. At 150' for ROW, the cross section would be characterized by MOOT as a "narrow width" boulevard, with very few median crossovers. It is not intended to accommodate the LI-turning movements of large semi-trucks, so alternate routing for such vehicles will need to be found. Jug handle (turn right to circle around instead of making a left turn, like one leaf of a cloverleaf intersection on a freeway) and other indirect U-turn designs should be explored for their feasibility where semi-truck turning movements are needed. Figure 7-4 illustrates one possible cross section. It is similar to that on M-43 as it goes through East Lansing. If Figure 7-4 were used as the cross section design, then the new tree line is the 12 foot area on both sides of the right-of-way. If another cross section design is selected, then the tree line will need to be established and should be added as an element to the Zoning Map so everyone remains aware of it. • The Township will attempt to acquire as much of the right-of-way as feasible through voluntary donations by landowners, either associated with new development or redevelopment, or simply as tax deductible donations. • Once the tree line has been established, the Township will initiate a major tree planting program to green the corridor. This is anticipated to begin long before any road reconstruction occurred. The Township will seek enhancement grant funds from MOOT to help pay for such enhancements, as well as new sidewalks on both sides of the road. • The Township should seek assistance from MOOT for seeking funding for some of the other road improvements described below, as they will help with some of the truck turning issues created by installation of a boulevard. A list of potential plants for use along the boulevard and other streets in Chocolay Township appears at the end of this Chapter. If it turns out to not be feasible to establish a boulevard design along US-41 /M-28, then the Township should go forward with establishing a tree line outside the existing right-ofway. This will require working closely with property owners to ensure it is implemented as soon as possible. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-15 �Also, the current pedestrian overpass on US-41 /M-28 at Silver Creek Road should be relocated so it is not so close to the intersection and so that a bicycle can be easily transported across it. Now, children must carry their bikes up and down the steps which is a struggle for small children. Some may choose instead to try and cross the highway instead of using the overpass. Figure 7-4 Proposed Boulevard Cross Section for US-41/M-28 as it goes through Harvey New Roads Future roads should also meet these design specifications. Consideration should particularly be given to where these roads should be located . An improved road can be a great attraction for development. But the development should be where it can be conveniently served by local services, such as the sewer and water, ease of maintenance, access to public facilities, schools, recreation facilities, and other goods and services. Therefore , determination of where development should occur should be a major determinant to deciding where the new roads should be built. The other major determinants for new roads are: • Provid ing missing links on an interconnected road pattern • Relieving and preventing congestion • Providing alternative means of access for certain types of traffic. There are five locations that should be considered for new roads (plus some small connectors) in the Township over the next twenty years . Each meets the three criteria above. They are very generally depicted on Map 7-3. Specific route alignments would be determined following detailed study in each area. Future land use along these new roads is depicted and described on the Future Land Use Map in Chapter 10. • The first is a north/south connection between US-41 and M-28. This would be an expensive road as a river crossing is involved . Several locations should be explored , but extending the North Big Creek Road to M-28 would be the shortest distance and would come out at an existing commercial area and is a good distance away from the US-41/M-28/Cherry Creek Road intersection. • The second involves use of the old Lake Superior and Ishpeming railroad line east of M-28 all the way to North Big Creek Road. This would put a connection to M-28 about a half mile from the US-41/M-28/Cherry Creek Road intersection, and an effort should be made to keep it at least that far away if possible. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-16 �• • • The third is a connecting road from Harvey behind existing businesses to M-28. Routing the road adjacent to the old railroad right-of-way (which is in private ownership for this segment) may be a possible location, but that would take the road farther east than necessary (but would align it with the second option described above). If that was not feasible, a new road from the east end of Wright Place (or perhaps another street) in Harvey that paralleled US-41 /M-28 all the way to US-28 would give another connection option to M-28 from Harvey and hopefully permit a connection from the trucking company property so east bound trucks would not have to do a left-turn onto US-41 /M-28 and could instead do a left-turn onto M-28 which has a lower volume . In any event, this road should connect to M-28 at least 1/3 mile east of the existing US-41 /M-28 intersection and½ or more miles east is better. With any option, the Township is strongly encouraged to balance the needs of the transportation network with the potential intrusion of commercial vehicle traffic within a close proximity of a residential area. The fourth is continuation of the radial street design already in place on the south quadrant of the US-41/M-28/Cherry Creek intersection, on the other three corners. A large part of this continuation on the north side of the intersection would be accomplished by the third suggestion above. The other two corners are of a lower priority and should occur as the opportunity presents itself. It is essential that all the new streets line up with one another, but it is likely that as traffic grows at the intersection that only right-turns in and out of these new streets would be permitted on all legs. The fifth is connection between streets on the west end of Harvey, south of US41 /M-28 to Willow Road. There appear to be several possibilities that should be explored. Going through the Township owned property is likely the most feasible. This will help continue the interconnected street pattern in this area and facilitate future residential infill development in this area. This may be feasible to accomplish with developer contribution of at least a portion of the ROW as part of the approval of a new project. The developer would also construct that portion of the road serving his development. If the railroad right-of-way is to be used for the second option, efforts should be made soon to determine the ownership of the ROW and the potential for public acquisition. Consideration should also be given to acquisition of the ROW for recreational trail purposes as well. Construction of a road and recreational trail in the same ROW may be more eligible for state or federal funds, than just the road itself. If so, the rest of the ROW to the southeast should also be considered for acquisition for trail purposes at the same time. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-17 �LEGEND -I ::::, - StateHighway - -- County Highway - - - Named Roads CD () ······· General Proposed Location of New Public Roads Streams - - - Township Line Un-Named Roads ::::, Ol ;:::i. State Lands Lakes "tJ Sedion Line ""I .A y , Source Md'tigan Ceni.r for Geographic lnfonnation Oepl ol lnfOffflalion TechnolOgy 0 "'C 0 Map Prapared by the Land lnfonnahon Aeces• Auoaat1011. August 2004 .... "r} CD VI CD C. :i: -5· G) CD :::, CD ...., ~ :J (/) ::::, ""I 0 r- () ::::, --..J 0 0 a-o o· ~8 oo ru --..J '< -v 3 . ( l "O co :::, ,,-v~ ,, () 0 I •• ~ Ma I. CD :J (/) <" !I CD -u "' \ u ~-, f j ci" ru :J N ~ ~ l :·.1 J,,) - 1 I "tJ ,, ;·, 31 ~, ,._ I (}1 ,._ "I C" \. ) r ,. "!"- ' I I~ 11 ;;o 0 DI C. "' 1" r r. c=;· ·t I,.,_ ... I I C I 31 0 A s.z i " .ll { ::::, 0 s: n ru ~-~t '?-b ~~. c>«'I VI ,. i I ) ,. ,. 'f- I v,) �PRIVATE ROAD CONDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS Another significant part of the road system in Chocolay Township is private roads. Unfortunately, private roads are frequently laid out and constructed without any consideration of road design standards. The result is that private roads are often located where geologic conditions are unsuitable, roads have insufficient or no roadbed preparation, and have inadequate drainage, inadequate right-of-way, etc. They are also often overgrown with vegetation. This makes it difficult or impossible to safely bring a fire truck, trash truck or delivery truck down them. Because of safety concerns, many communities do not permit the construction of new private roads. Such roads are also often costly to maintain. However, unless the road contains a 66 foot right-of-way and is built or brought up to County Road Commission specifications, the County will not take over the road and provide maintenance. The result is generally after-the-fact hard feelings on the part of residents who may not have realized the responsibility of living on a private road and who feel they are being denied public services that others take for granted. In the 1977 Zoning Ordinance, the Township provided requirements for private roads. These standards originally provided for approved private streets to have a minimum 66 foot right-of-way, an 18 foot width and be paved with gravel or similar material. Since then, however, the requirements have increased to insure that private roads are developed properly. Services such as public school buses will typically not travel on private roads and some Township services such as refuse collection will not be provided to the property owners on a private road unless the road is properly maintained and passable. Improvements to private roads, as well as construction and maintenance, is totally the responsibility of the property owners. However, the additional regulations have not resulted in private roads with the same quality as public roads and the Township should require that all future roads in the Township serving more than a single residence or business, be public roads. This may pose a problem in implementation however, when open space developments are concerned. These are projects where dwellings are clustered on a small part of the site and the balance is left in permanent open space. These projects attract residents who want to be in the country and enjoy a natural setting. When trees are cleared for a full 66 feet (as is often required for public roads), then the rural character of open space developments is often badly undermined. Speeds are slow on these roads and few homes are served, so a narrower pavement width and clearing of vegetation for only one car width (and to 12' in height) on either side of the pavement is all that is necessary. The Planning Commission should work with other area Planning Commission's and the County Road Commission to create a new set of public road standards for open space developments serving a small number of lots. If this does not happen, the Township will either have to accept public roads with current standards, or substantially beef up its private road standards to ensure the design, construction and maintenance is much higher (i.e. up to public road standards). This will require new standards on road design and construction and number of lots served. It will require imposing road maintenance agreements that are signed by the developer and Township and recorded with the Register of Deeds for all property affected. It will also require a special assessment clause permitting the Township to special assess all properties served by the private road if it is not adequately maintained. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-19 �Following is a list of the private roads in Chocolay Township as of early 2005: Acorn Trail, Acre Trail , Anna 's Trail, Apple Trail, Autumn Trail, Bayou Street, Cedar Lane, Cheryl Court, Chocolay River Trail, Cindy Lane, Deerview Trail, Dock Street, Edgewood Trail, East Chocolay River Trail, Hidden Creek, Hillcrest Trail, Hotel Place, Industrial Drive, JH Lane, Keweenaw Trail, Lara Lei Trail, Morning Meadow Drive, Norway Trail , Ojibwa Trail, Pine Cone Trail , part of Poplar Trail, Red Fox Trail, part of Sandy Lane , part of Shimon Court, South Willow Road, Tia Trail, Vista View Trail, Wanda Street, Welsh Trail, and Willow Road. The Township does not currently have a program to monitor the maintenance of private roads and the responsibility lies with the residents located on the private road. However, because not all private roads have been properly maintained, the Township needs to be more assertive to ensure that emergency vehicles and fire trucks can always access dwellings and businesses along private roads. The changes to the Township private road ordinance outlined above will go a long way to solving this problem, but only conversion of all private roads to public will completely ensure this. MASS TRANSIT Marq-Tran provides a fixed Marquette/ Sawyer International Airport/ Gwinn route, which stops in Harvey and travels north and southbound US-41 through Chocolay Township. It passes through Harvey 12 times a day, seven days a week. In addition to this service, Marq-Tran also provides a Door-to-Door service, which provides service to township residents seven days a week. Figure 7-5 Marquette/Sawyer/Gwinn Route of Marq-Tran • Morq-Tron C.nt.r Hol'\Htil Area Citeo Station • • Horvev.Area Choe~ Twp Holl Cromoods• 76 Station • Crossroads c-n1enc• Store • SD TralJerParlt Inter~ Airport Gwinn Hl9h School • Kount,y • Korner Source: Marq-Tran website, 2004. Note: The Marq-Tran Center shown on this map has moved. A new map was not available as of August 2005. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-20 �FUTURE TRAILS Chocolay Township is the home of several all-season trails that provide important recreational opportunities for residents and nonresidents. However, existing trails were not planned with the kind of citizen and property owner input that is typical of Township initiatives and any future trails must be-irrespective of the entity proposing the trail. The nuisance effects of snowmobiles very near single family dwellings is considerable, and wh ile future 4-cycle eng ines are expected to cut noise considerably, there are other issues that need to be addressed as well, including speed, clear vision at intersections and driveways, and travel off of designated trails. In particular, the Riverside Road Lakewood Lane intersection and the Green Bay Street - Lakewood Lane Intersection with the existing trail have bad sight distances and poor stopping distances and these safety issues need to be addressed in the near future, and similar problems need to be prevented by better trail planning in the future. Increased monitoring and enforcement of public safety laws should also be a key component of future trail planning and development. Photo 7-6 All-Season Trails need Improvements to Address Safety and Noise Issues CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM The Township should use a capital improvements program (CIP) to schedule all future public improvements. A CIP is a timetable or schedule of all future capital improvements to be carried out during a specific period and listed in order of priority, together with cost estimates and the anticipated means and sources of financing each project. Usually the time period is six years with the first year being a capital budget. The Township enters into contracts with the County Road Commission for reconstruction and repaving on local roads on a 50-50 match basis. As discussed earlier, this type of arrangement has been beneficial to the Township as well as to the Road Commission in prioritizing which roads in the Township need reconstruction or repaving. This type of an effort should be continued. The County Road Commission ranks all paved roads every four years. 1996, 2000 and 2004 data are available. The Township Planning Commission should review this data when available as well as other road needs. Appendix C includes a road ranking system that was included in the original Township Plan. It may need updating, but is a relevant starting point for a contemporary ranking The Charter Townsh ip of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-21 �system. Road improvement recommendations should be considered annually as part of the CIP process in order to allow the Planning Commission to identify transportation needs and to recommend projects consistent with this Plan . In addition, the Township should pay additional attention in the future to construction projects such as bridges, culverts, drainage, etc. that have previously not been considered a priority for funding . Similarly, more attention should go to constructing new pedestrian and bicycle paths now that a path runs from the US-41 /M-28/Cherry Creek Road intersection all the way to Marquette. POTENTIAL PLANTS FOR USE ALONG STREETS AND HIGHWAYS The following plants are suitable for planting along public streets and highways in Chocolay Township. Some are more salt tolerant than others and care should be given to selection of plants that are best suited to the conditions they will face when planted. Deciduous Trees: Common Name Shademaster Locust Larch* Ornamental Pears Red Oak* White Oak* Black Locust* Paper Birch* Basswood Shrub Maple Ginkgo Serviceberry* Scientific Name Gleditsia triacanthose 'Shademaster'' Larix species (a deciduous conifer) Pyrus species Quercus rubra Quercus alba Rob inia pseudoacacia Betula paovrifera Tilia Americana Acer ginnala Ginkgo biloba Amelanchier species Even:1reen T rees: Common Name Wh ite Spruce* Colorado Spruce Austrian Pine Junipers (*Eastern Red Cedar is native) Norway Spruce Scientific Name Picea glauca Picea pungens Pinus nigra Juniperus species (* Juniperous virginiana) Picea abies Shrubs: Common Name Alpine Current Siberian Pea Honeysuckle Bridalwreath Spirea Snowberry Lilacs Forsythia American Cranberrybush Viburnum* Mockoranqe Arrowwood Viburnum * Scientific Name Ribes alpinum Caragana arborescens Lonicera species Spireaea Vanhouttei Symphoricarpus species Syringa species Forsythia species Vibrunum trilobum Philadelpus species Viburnum dentatum *Native species. These plants may be more likely to survive than ornamental species and can more favorably contribute to a natural, rural visual character. John f:lwinwordlchocolaylfinal\CHAPTER 7 final.doc ; The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 7-22 ��Chapter 8 VISION, GOALS, POLICIES, AND OBJECTIVES INTRODUCTION The bulk of the Comprehensive Plan is composed of statistics, maps, figures, projections, and hundreds of details ranging from specific land use criteria and local soil conditions to the locations of Areas of Particular Concern. This information, when digested properly, will provide a framework for understanding the Township's planning needs and a rational growth strategy. To implement the growth strategy, decisions must be made by Township leaders. This chapter will assist those decision-makers in determining what directions the Township could take by outlining specific goals, policies, and objectives for each of the functional decision areas. To assist in a complete understanding of this chapter, four basic terms must be explained: Vision: This is a description of what residents of the community want it to be like in the future, usually about 20 years into the future. It is based on a series of exercises conducted with residents at a public, visioning or futuring meeting . Goal: (Long term) The generalized end toward which all efforts are directed. It is normally stated in terms of fulfilling broad public needs or the alleviation of major problems. Goals tend to not be immediately attainable because they are generally unmeasurable and idealistic. Policy: A statement of position or course of action which provides a means to attaining the stated goal. They are factual rather than value-laden, and can be measured by the impact it has on existing conditions. Since it is an adopted strategy, it must be periodically evaluated and revised. It must also be within the Township's authority and resource capabilities. Objective: (Short term) A specific alternative towards which effort is directed, derived from goals. It is expressed in measurable terms and is quantifiable. It must therefore be attainable and realistic considering the Township's resources. Objectives are targets to be achieved, relating what has to be completed to achieve the goal. VISION STATEMENT Introduction The Township website (www.upsell.com/choctwp.htm) opens with the following: Our vision for Chocolay Township is a community: • Which is forward thinking, • Where there is a strong sense of place, belonging and pride, • Where development is compatible with the maintenance of our "quality of life", • Where development is "park-like", • Where quality of development is favored over quantity of development, • Where the community is environmentally conscious, The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-1 �• • • • • • Where water is clean and accessible, Where sound forestry and agricultural land use is encouraged, Where the community is known for its beauty, Where there are green zones which include parks, corridors and naturally buffered activity areas throughout, Where we develop along the "village concept", and Where the total community (public and private) supports the vision. This vision was developed for the Chocolay Township Strategic Plan in October 1995 and remains a succinct description of the future desired for the Township. Following is a vision statement that describes Chocolay Township as residents in 2005 want it to be in the year 2025. This statement was prepared based on a Visioning Town Meeting conducted on August 5, 2004 and a leadership survey two months earlier. It was refined following subsequent Planning Commission, Township Board and public input. Photo 8-1 Chocolay Residents Help Create the Vision for a Sustainable Community in 2025 The vision statement is organized into topic areas that separately focus on key elements of the Township and the process of planning for and managing its future. It is consistent with the vision on the Township website, and attempts to give a clearer view of the desired future. Following the vision statement are goals and policies to chart a path for achieving the vision statement. These provide a clear direction for future decisions, both short and long term, to achieve the vision. When reading this vision, it is necessary to mentally "transport" yourself into the future. Thus, there are references "back" to the early 2000's. This approach is intended to give the reader a clearer sense of the desired future. Proactive Planning and Sustainability Chocolay Township has moved into the third decade of the 21st century as one of the most desirable places to live within the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Residents and businesses in Chocolay Township enjoy a rich, diversified quality of life and are reaping the benefits of proactive planning The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-2 �and commitments started in the 1990's and refined in the early part of this new century. Chocolay Township has become a true reflection of sustainability. Sustainability means meeting the needs of all the people of the present generation, in all parts of the Township, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Neighborhoods, businesses, local government, parks and natural resources are healthy and self-sustaining in 2025. Reaching sustainability required the community to look beyond short-term gains in order to plan for a better life for its children and grandchildren. Growth in Chocolay Township has been characterized by a mix of land uses, that have helped balance the tax base, with commercial and limited industrial growth helping to support services desired by both businesses and the residential population. Some of the stores that Chocolay residents had to drive a considerable distance to reach have now located in Chocolay Township. Where business development has occurred, it has done so in a character that has maintained or enhanced the visual character of the community, and has been built close to existing population centers. Quality of Life: Impressions, Standards and Visual Character When asked about Chocolay Township, residents use descriptive terms like "lots of green," "sense of space," "avoids problems of city," "good schools," "quick work commute," "great recreational opportunities," "no sprawl," "woods and forests," and "clean water." In Chocolay Township, large-scale changes to the landscape have been minimized by the consensus decision of community leaders to permit growth that meets standards of sustainability, maintenance of the natural resource base and visual character. Photo 8-2 Chocolay Residents Envision "Lots of Green" as a Measure of a Hi h Qualit of Life 3 8 2004 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-3 �The major corridors within Chocolay Township have a vegetated, natural, visual character, with well-designed and well-kept businesses, homes and signs. Special efforts to improve areas of decline have paid off with a turnaround in those neighborhoods and business areas. Quality of Life: Close to the City but Retaining Rural Qualities Chocolay has the advantages of close proximity to Marquette, which provides jobs and many stores, health care services and cultural attractions, and a quiet, low-intensity, rural quality of life. The vegetated landscape does more than simply provide scenery, as the benefits of nature, quiet and nature-based recreation to citizen mental well-being are recognized as very important. The large area of stateowned land in the eastern half of the Township ensures that natural landscapes will continue. Farming continues as a viable economic enterprise for those landowners interested in continuing in agriculture. Woods and fields help with water infiltration, maintain biological diversity, provide habitat for wildlife and serve as hunting and snowmobiling recreational areas. Property owners have coordinated the retention of natural areas, forming connections to create ecological corridors, enhance recreation and provide a more continuous natural scenic view along transportation corridors. Lakes, streams, wetlands and ponds have buffer plantings that help protect water quality. The Lake Superior shoreline remains one of the major visual, recreational and environmental features of Chocolay Township. Views of the Lake Superior shoreline have not deteriorated over the past two decades and improved public access is now available. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-4 �Photo 8-3 Visual and Recreational Access to the Lake Superior Shoreline Remains a Major Quality of Life Feature Citizens, well-versed in land and water protection approaches, have been deeply involved in making decisions about preservation. Key recreation and natural features parcels have been preserved in the western part of the Township to complement the extensive state holdings in the eastern part. This has occurred by working with landowners, conservancies, developers, Marquette County and the State. Many approaches have been used over the past two decades, including donations, conservation easements and development rights purchases and transfers from willing landowners. As a result, wetlands, forests, farmland and green spaces that comprise the scenic character and ecosystem of the Township have been permanently protected while protecting the property rights of affected landowners. Quality of Life: Neighborhoods Chocolay Township residential neighborhoods are well-kept and provide a variety of housing choices, especially with the expansion of opportunities for seniors over the past two decades. Neighborhoods that had once suffered deterioration have been improved. There is greater pedestrian access within and between neighborhoods than at any previous time, leading to a safer and healthier lifestyle. Quality of Life: Access to Opportunities Commercial and industrial employment centers have expanded in Chocolay Township in carefully planned locations that are easily accessed from the county and state road system. These job centers provide new opportunities for some residents to live close to work. Transportation corridors to existing job centers both within and outside the Township have been improved and access has been managed in order to provide for safe and efficient commutes and an attractive and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-5 �largely natural view from the road. Quality of Life: Recreation The Township has long held recreational opportunity as an important aspect of quality of life. Recreational opportunities abound in all seasons, both indoors and outdoors. Chocolay Township is an important destination for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, hunting and fishing, plus wildlife viewing. A community center, established through creative partnerships, provides indoor recreational opportunities for people of all ages, including youth and seniors. Township parks have been maintained and expanded. Chocolay Township is known as a walkable and bikable community, providing safe connections for recreation, enjoying nature and for a transportation alternative to driving. These connections are part of a Township-wide greenspace system that includes greenway trails and undeveloped open spaces. There are also links to greenways with trails that extend beyond Chocolay Township into other communities throughout the region. Through manufacturing improvements, appropriate trail siting and new bridge crossings, snowmobiles are no longer a noise nuisance. Recreational riders enjoy their ATVs in designated areas within well-enforced laws. Photo 8-4 Recreational Opportunity Abounds in Chocolay Township Quality of Life: Urban Infrastructure Beginning in the early 2000s, the Township carefully planned for the extension of utilities and the expansion of roads in order to foster pockets of growth where appropriate, while preserving uncongested travel and using designs that protect community character. Good quality County primary roads help move people around and through the Township and access management has helped preserve the public investment in roads. In order to maintain a rural character many roads in the rural parts of the Township remain gravel. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-6 �Quality of Life: Enrichment Chocolay Township has gained many of the features and amenities of a city while maintaining its low-intensity quality of life. Township residents have been enriched by new restaurants and unique shops, as growth in the Township population has occurred to support them. These have been clustered where they are convenient to residents, as part of walkable communities and so they do not contribute to sprawl. They fit with the character of the community. GOALS, POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES Balanced Growth Goal: 1. Guide development in a manner which is orderly, consistent with the planned improvement of the transportation system and expansion of public facilities, and strives to preserve the quality of life, scenic beauty, foster the wise use of natural resources, protect areas of particular concern, and enhance the special, low intensity character of Chocolay Township. Policies: 1. The Township shall carefully plan for a balanced mix of land uses so that the tax burden of public services is not all borne by residential landowners. 2. Development should occur in locations that are consistent with the capacity of existing and planned public services and facilities, and are cost effective in relation to service extensions. 3. All new development should be consistent with this Plan, the Township Zoning Ordinance and all related ordinances. 4. New development should occur in compact increments adjacent to existing development. 5. The Township should review and comment on all draft plans by other public entities for expansion and improvement of existing road and street networks for impacts on growth patterns and for consistency with the goals and policies of this Plan. 6. Consider the impact of land use planning and zoning changes along the borders of the Township on neighboring jurisdictions, and discuss proposed changes with the affected jurisdiction(s) prior to making such changes. A common procedure for such communication shall be established and followed. 7. Ensure that private property rights are both respected and protected in the implementation of this Plan and related Township ordinances. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-7 �Photo 8-5 New Development Should Occur Near Existing Development Objectives: 1. Update the Zoning Ordinance to reflect the updated goals and objectives of this Plan. 2. Approve infrastructure improvements and development projects that require increased services according to the capacity of the Township to pay for those improvements with as much of the cost of the new improvements borne by those who will directly benefit as possible. 3. Provide educational opportunities and materials for Township residents on the fiscal and quality of life reasons for guiding growth in a planned manner and steps the Township is taking to guide growth. Explanation: The goal and the accompanying policies and objectives recognize that the Township has a responsibility to protect and enhance the quality of life of its residents, and to be fiscally prudent in doing so. Unmanaged growth could overextend public services, raising the cost to provide them, and could also destroy the character of the community that resident's value. This Plan and the Township Zoning Ordinance are designed to prevent the negative impacts of unmanaged growth. Housing/Residential Goal: 1. Encourage a variety of residential dwelling types in a wide range of prices which are consistent with the needs of a changing population and compatible with the character of existing residences in the vicinity. Policies: 1. Recognize through the administration of land use controls and other development policies that the provision of housing is a public as well as private responsibility. 2.New housing should be located in areas without significant environmental hazards. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-8 �3. Encourage variety in the housing stock through revision and enforcement of the Zoning Ordinance, subdivision regulations, and other land use controls. Photo 8-6 Encourage Variety in the Housing Stock 4. Encourage energy-efficient housing types. 5. Encourage improvement of housing and subdivision design. 6. Encourage improvement of the numbering system to improve emergency vehicle accessibility. 7. Stabilize property values by protecting residential areas from the encroachment of incompatible land uses. 8. Encourage the upgrading and improvement of residential dwelling units showing signs of deterioration . 9. Discourage the pattern of scattered , rural housing in areas of important and prime farmland . 10. Maintain within the Zoning Ordinance acreage for multi-family and mobile home development. 11 . Consideration should be given to the need for housing assistance for the elderly, low income, and handicapped families and other segments of the Township population. 12. Maintain "rural residential" with a large minimum lot size as the primary residential land use in the Township in those areas where sewer and water are not available or planned . Encourage the clustering of such dwellings where the land is suitable for such a design and it would help preserve the rural character of the area, especially as viewed from the road. 13. Explore alternative measures to reduce housing costs and make home ownership The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-9 �more affordable, such as zoning regulations and other programs which are designed to reduce the cost of constructing new housing, provided the exercise of these measures still preserves the character of the area in which the housing is to be built. 14. Expansion of existing mobile home parks or construction of new mobile home parks adjacent to existing mobile home parks should be encouraged over the creation of new mobile home parks elsewhere in the Township. 15. Allow only quiet, low traffic, low intensity home occupations in residential areas to preserve the stability of existing neighborhoods. 16. Consider, adopt and enforce a basic property maintenance code. 17. Encourage the preservation and retention of older homes to maintain community character and history and utilize zoning regulations to prevent homeowners from splitting older single family homes in neighborhoods of exclusively single family homes into multiple family apartment or condominium units. 18. Encourage eligible landowners to participate in federal, state or county housing rehabilitation grant programs. Objectives 1. Annually review changes which have occurred in the Township's housing stock (new construction, demolition, conversions, etc.) to determine the extent to which adequate choices exist with respect to housing type and price range. 2. Perform an evaluation of the Zoning Ordinance and other codes and regulations and modify them if necessary to insure that a wide variety of housing types and prices is enabled. 3. Foster educational opportunities for Township residents on increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. 4. Foster educational opportunities for Township residents on building maintenance codes and any changes in Township codes, and in assistance programs available to improve deteriorating structures. Explanation The goal and the accompanying policies and objectives recognize that currently there exists little variety in housing types within the Township. The predominant housing type is the single-family home. The second most prevalent is the mobile home. While the Township does not directly decide the precise mix of housing types, it does have an influence through the administration of zoning and other land use controls. Housing prices are also influenced by land use controls. The strategy set forth above will help ensure that land use regulations do not present an obstacle to the construction of a variety of housing types and price ranges on a variety of different sized lots and via ownership or rental means. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-10 �Goal: 2. Housing needs are met in Chocolay Township without straining the capacity of local governments to provide essential public services. Policies: 1. New developments should pay for the full cost of sewer and water extensions (if a public water system is created) and densities will be sufficient for the long-term costeffective support of those systems in areas where these services will be extended. 2. The Township should ensure new residential subdivisions and site condominium projects are permitted of a size and scale that does not exceed the capacity of roads serving the development. Photo 8-7 Residential Developments Should Not Exceed Road Capacity 3. Residential development patterns throughout the Township should reflect economical and efficient use of land and be especially mindful of the value of protecting renewable resource lands such as agricultural, forestry and other land-based resources from premature conversion or land fragmentation. Objectives: 1. Local officials, developers, realtors and residents understand housing trends and the relationship between different residential development patterns and their fiscal, environmental and scenic quality effects. 2. The Zoning Ordinance will be updated to direct new, higher density residential developments to areas where roads and infrastructure are available or are planned to accommodate such density, with larger lot sizes away from Harvey and other settlements. 3. The Township Planning Commission, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, realtors, developers and other interest groups will develop educational materials for citizens and home buyers on housing trends in the Township, and the potential impact of those trends with alternatives that provide for residential development that minimize adverse The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-11 �effects on community finances, the transportation system, scenic character and the environment. 4. New developments should be discouraged in areas where there are not all season roads. The Township will adopt zoning regulations limiting development on gravel roads to a level that does not exceed gravel road capacity. 5. The Township will strongly encourage that all roads in new developments be public roads, and adopt regulations that require whenever more than two dwelling units are served, the road shall be public. However, since there are already nearly three-dozen private roads in the Township, the Township will maintain private road standards that require adequate emergency vehicle access without excessive surface water runoff or damage to rural character and which ensures proper long term maintenance of the road. 6. The Zoning Ordinance will be updated to zone rural areas of the Township with a density based standard to prevent over development. Overall density will be tied to maximum lot sizes to encourage clustering and the retention of open space. Explanation: This goal, objectives and policies recognizes that an unplanned pattern of new housing development can place a tremendous strain on the capacity of the Township to provide a variety of services to residents. In order for the Township to continue to be fiscally responsible, it will need to guide intensive development in a compact pattern the taxpayers can afford to service. Goal: 3. Land is not divided into parcels of a number and/or size that negatively affect transportation, the environment, areas of particular concern, provision of services by local governments and rural character. Policies: 1. The regulation of land division is actively and thoroughly implemented to the full extent of the law by Chocolay Township. 2. Appropriate land division standards prevent unbuildable lots or those that create traffic hazards, harm the environment, limit agricultural activities, create unnecessary public service burdens or contribute to the destruction of rural character. Objectives: 1. Land division regulations are periodically reviewed to ensure they remain consistent with state law, this Plan and the Zoning Ordinance. 2. The Township land division standards are posted on its website, so they are readily available to land owners, realtors and persons interested in buying land in Chocolay Township. 3. The Township makes available educational materials on appropriate land division practices. Explanation: The goals, policies and objectives recognize that how land is divided-the size and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-12 �shape of a parcel and the capacity of the land to support development of that parcelaffects the use of roads, the health of the environment and the cost for the community to provide services compared to the revenue generated by those parcels. It also affects the range and type of land uses that might be built there . Thus, it is an important tool for managing growth and needs to be periodically reviewed and updated. Goal: 4. Residential development fits the scenic, rural character of Chocolay Township. Policies: 1. The Township should adopt rural residential development standards that set aside open space and employ vegetative buffers along roadsides and where there are sensitive environments, greenways and potential trail and wildlife corridors. These standards should be adopted as part of site plan review, cluster ordinances, conservation subdivision ordinances, site condominium ordinances and planned unit development ordinances. 2. The Township should adopt and promote design guidelines for residential development, both for single parcels and for large parcels developed with multiple homes, that promote roadside open space and buffers to protect or enhance scenic quality. 3. The Township will employ capital improvements planning to phase investment in new infrastructure and improvements. Objectives: 1. Chocolay Township will identify important open space and scenic resources, including public lands, focus attention on protecting open space, rural character, scenic views and provide a package of tools to accomplish this. Photo 8-8 Vegetative Buffering can Protect Scenic Quality 2. The Zoning Ordinance will be updated to ensure new residential development respects the natural conditions and characteristics existing in the Township . The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-13 �3. Design guidelines (such as the extensively illustrated Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook) will be used to educate landowners and developers on how residential development can protect scenic quality through vegetative buffering and other techniques. Explanation: This goal, policies and objectives recognize that the Township Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance and other regulations and actions foster a style of compatible development that is not self implementing and that without the Plan and appropriate regulations, new development can destroy the visual character of the Township. The Township can modify its regulations and actions to better protect Chocolay Township scenery and visual character. Goal: 5. New residential development enhances Harvey and existing concentrated settlement areas and is compatible with historic sites. Policies: 1. The Township Planning Commission will help develop design guidelines for historic preservation within the Township. 2. The Township Planning Commission will help develop design guidelines for residential development that identifies local architectural character. 3. The Township will require that new subdivisions and site condominium projects include provision for bicycle and pedestrian circulation between residential areas, town centers and important natural features. 4. The Township Planning Commission will encourage new residential development to occur adjacent to and to be of the same character as existing neighborhoods of Harvey and other settlements. Objectives: 1. Actively encourage redevelopment and expansion of existing neighborhoods, reinforcing and strengthening the small town character in the Township. 2. Encourage new residential development that creates a sense of place and achieves harmony with existing development and historic sites. 3. Create new neighborhoods which are pedestrian oriented and interconnected with the larger community by non-motorized forms of transportation. Explanation: This goal, policies and objectives recognize that both the pattern and the design of new development will affect the quality of life for community residents, and new development that provides for efficient movement of cars and pedestrians, protects the visual identity of historic and newer places, and protects the environment will fit most comfortably into the life of Chocolay residents. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-14 �Commercial Goal: 1. Encourage the development of commercial land uses in appropriate locations which serve the current and future needs of residents and visitors, are of a character consistent with community design guidelines, and which promote public safety through prevention of traffic hazards and other threats to public health, safety, and general welfare. Policies: 1. Encourage new commercial development to locate adjacent to existing commercial areas, with the only concentration of commercial development at the US-41 /M-28 intersection and west to the MOOT Visitor's Center (the west Township line) along only the east side of US-41 (except at the intersection with M-28). 2. Promote the development of small commercial centers off M-28 and US-41 adjacent to existing commercial development, rather than as lot-by-lot commercial strips. Photo 8-9 Promote the Development of Small Commercial Centers Adjacent to Existing Commercial Development, Such as Beaver Grove 3. Encourage the design and location of commercial development in a manner which complements and does not conflict with adjoining residential areas. This will require separate regulations for neighborhood commercial development and general commercial development. 4. Encourage a compatible and desirable mix of commercial uses. 5. Provide design guidelines to commercial landowners which promote similarity in the height and design of storefronts and buildings and which prevent the creation of structures whose mass is too great for the lot and structures on adjoining lots. 6. Improve unsafe and unsightly strip commercial development along the M-28/US-41 corridor through design and landscaping requirements such as maintaining existing large trees, creating berms, planting , and providing shared access and shared parking when possible. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-15 �7. Encourage landowners to maintain and where necessary improve the condition of commercial structures and parking lots. 8. Avoid separate parking lots for each business and encourage centrally placed lots which serve several businesses, where feasible. Photo 8-10 Encourage Centrally Placed Parking Lots that Serve Several Businesses 9. Implement access management regulations along both US-41 and M-28 consistent with the Access Management Plan for US-41/M-28. Objectives: 1. Assist in the design and creation of a commercial center in Harvey, from the west Township line to the US-41 and M-28 intersection. 2. Acquire the right-of-way for the eventual construction of a boulevard on M-28/US-41 from the west Township line to the US-41 and M-28 Intersection. Ensure appropriate context-sensitive design standards are used to respect and enhance community character. 3. Foster the visual enhancement of, safety and pedestrian and bicycle access to the small commercial nodes at the intersection of County-480 and US-41, the intersection of Hiawatha Road and M-28, at the Varvil Center and at the Casino. 4. Create and distribute commercial development design guidelines. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-16 �Photo 8-11 Foster Visual Enhancement, Safety and Pedestrian and Bicycle Access at the Varvil Center Explanation: This goal, policies and objectives recognize that in order for the Township to diversify land uses, and tax base it is necessary to include commercial uses in a pattern and design that has a positive impact on the community. The Township will have to take an active role in the process, helping to acquire rights-of-way for a transportation corridor, adopting access management measures and revising the Zoning Ordinance to promote attractive and efficient designs. Industrial Goal: 1. Encourage the location of non-polluting light industry in the Township without damaging the environment, spoiling the scenic beauty of the area, or overburdening local roads, utilities, or other public services. Policies: 1. New industries should locate contiguous to existing industrial facilities and in new locations with appropriate public utilities and adequate roads to minimize service costs, traffic problems and negative impacts on other land uses. 2. Implement site plan requirements for light industries which are designed to incorporate generous amounts of open space, attractive landscaping, and buffering from adjacent non-industrial uses. 3. Require the separation of industrial sites from residential areas through buffers made up of any combination of parking, commercial or office uses, parks, parkways, open space, forests, tree plantings or farmland. Objectives: 1. Provide opportunities for an industrial park in the Township. 2. Attract appropriate industries to the Township in order to expand the tax base and increase jobs. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-17 �Explanation: The goal, policies and objectives recognize that diversification of the tax base and expanding jobs is important to the community, along with insuring that new industrial development fits into the existing pattern of the community without placing a burden on residential areas, transportation networks and the environment. Transportation Goal 1. To provide for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods with a balanced transportation network at minimal environmental and fiscal cost. 2. To coordinate the improvement of the transportation network with the overall development of the Township. Policies 1. All road construction, whether public or private, should meet appropriate minimum design standards. 2. Encourage alternative uses for abandoned rail and road facilities, such as pedestrian/bike trails in the summer and ski pathways and snowmobile trails in the winter. 3. Encourage and properly provide for the use of alternative forms of transportation , such as bicycles, car-pooling, etc. 4. Discourage the proliferation of curbcuts and driveway intersections so that the capacity of major traffic corridors can be maintained and public safety improved. 5. Establish the maximum capacity of existing gravel roads and zone contiguous land at densities that do not exceed gravel road capacity and in a manner consistent with this Plan. Objectives 1. Develop the M-28/US-41 corridor from the Township line to the M-28/US-41 intersection as a boulevard which is tree-lined and appropriately landscaped. 2. Develop a ring-road around the M-28/US-41 intersection in order to safely accommodate local commercial and industrial traffic, off the main road . 3. Develop a new road into Harvey on the east side of US-41, to link to the downtown. 4. Implement access management regulations on the M-28 and US-41 corridors. 5. Provide pedestrian cross-walk signals at the M-28/US 41 intersection in order to improve pedestrian safety and access. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-18 �Photo 8-12 Improve Pedestrian Safety and Access Along US-41/M-28 6. Continually revise and strengthen the Township's Zoning Ordinance, subdivision regulations, and other land use controls to reflect the Township's transportation needs and design standards. 7. In cooperation with the Marquette County Road Commission and the State, adopt and implement an annual Capital Improvements Program for road improvements. Target roads and intersections for improvement in areas with recent and planned increases in development. 8. Annually review road conditions throughout the Township and recommend a priority for road improvements. Gravel roads should remain gravel until such time as the density or intensity of development requires paving. 9. Identify and classify roadways within the Township as suggested by the State Department of Transportation. 10. Periodically review the potential for providing public transportation service in the Township. 11. Seek methods of reducing the number and length of unused county road right-of-ways. Explanation Since the Township is inhabited by a number of persons who commute to adjacent areas to work, shop, etc., the automobile is the most important transportation mode. For this reason, the goals, policies, and objectives strongly emphasize appropriate improvements to the road system and the coordination of these improvements with the overall development of the Township . This will ensure that future development, which will be influenced by the road network, and will occur in areas which are consistent with the desires of the Township as expressed in the Comprehensive Plan. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-19 �Economy Goal 1. To provide an environment within which a diverse and stable economic base may be developed . Policies 1. New economic development should be limited to that which will significantly increase local employment, tax revenues, and/or commercial services in relationship to the cost of providing services to the development. 2. Balance the supply of public services provided by the Township with the demand and willingness to pay for those services. 3. Wherever possible, services should be financed by users of the service through special assessment districts, user fees , etc. 4. Encourage well designed , safe, convenient, well landscaped and attractive commercial plaza type developments. Objectives 1. Annually review the area economy to identify emerging trends and work with other governments in the area to expand employment opportunities. 2. Encourage expansion of retail-wholesale and service industries within the Township to meet the needs and services desired by Township residents and study the use of limited special tax incentives without competition with the City of Marquette for big box retailers. Photo 8-13 Encourage the Expansion of Retail, Wholesale and Service Businesses BREAKFAST- LUN (I&. 8 2 2005 3. Encourage conversion of noncommercial land use within existing commercial zones to commercial uses. 4. Encourage carefully designed commercial areas which are safe, convenient, environmentally sound, well landscaped and attractive. Explanation Taken together, the above statements express the realization that further economic The Charter Townsh ip of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-20 �development is important, but that the character of the Township should not be sacrificed for the sake of short term economic gains. Similarly, the relationship between the Township's ability to provide services and the people's demand for services, and willingness to pay for them , is acknowledged. Lastly, it is suggested that the Township make use of special assessment districts and user fees whenever possible so that only the benefiting landowners pay for the cost of the expanded services. Natural Features Goal 1. Preserve and enhance Chocolay Township's natural environment by utilizing the natural resources in an orderly and prudent manner. Policies 1. Ensure that the use of land and the intensity of use is suitable to the natural environment. 2. Encourage the preservation of prime agricultural and forest production areas from more intense types of land use. Photo 8-14 Encourage the Preservation of Agricultural and Forest Production Areas 3. Avoid further development of land in designated "areas of particular concern." 4. Encourage the preservation of high quality fish and wildlife habitat. 5. Coordinate watershed management activities with the Chocolay River Watershed Advisory Council and the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District. Objectives 1. Periodically review designated "areas of particular concern" and enact strict controls on development in those areas of high risk erosion, steep slopes, wetlands, and other natural and cultural "areas of particular concern ." 2. Encourage the state Department of Natural Resources and the Marquette County Soil and Water Conversation District to further study the sedimentation problem in the Chocolay River and its tributaries, and to work with the Chocolay River Watershed Advisory Council to recommend solutions. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-21 �3. Enforce high risk erosion area and floodplain regulations by including in the Zoning Ordinance. 4. Continue to enforce the sand dune protection regulations in the Zoning Ordinance. Photo 8-15 Continue to Protect Sand Dune, High Risk Erosion Areas and Floodplains 5. Annually evaluate the performance of the Zoning Ordinance, subdivision regulations, and other land use controlling ordinances to protect natural features. 6. Prepare educational materials for Township residents and business owners featuring the "areas of particular concern," and best management practices to protect those resources. Explanation Several concerns are embodied in the above statements. First, there is the need and desire to give full consideration to the natural character and qualities of the land and water resources in making development decisions. The vehicles for accomplishing this include: the designation of "particular areas of concern," zoning and subdivision regulations, and the provision or non-provision of utilities and services. Secondly, there is the need to learn more about the nature of the problems associated with the Chocolay River in particular, which the Chocolay River Watershed Advisory Committee seeks to understand and correct. Lastly, it is recognized that the Township is growing and developing, and therefore development controls must be reviewed periodically to assure that they are producing the desired results. Recreation Goal: 1. Enhance the well-being of area residents by providing a variety of opportunities for relaxation, rest, activity, and education through a well-balanced system of private and public park and recreational facilities and activities located to serve identified needs of The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-22 �the area. Policies: 1. Identify and explore opportunities to cooperate with other jurisdictions, with county and state agencies, including Marquette County and the Department of Natural Resources , as well as with other local organizations, on recreation projects which would benefit area residents and strengthen the tourism industry. 2. Examine the feasibility of, and establish if feasible, a shared use building to house a community center to serve residents of all ages. 3. Examine the feasibility of expanding low cost opportunities for public beach facilities for area citizens . 4. Promote a system of non-motorized , biking, hiking and cross-country ski trails with other jurisdictions or agencies if possible, through the use of local funds, grants and loans, and coordinated long-term capital improvement programming . Photo 8-16 Promote a System of Non-Motorized Trails with Other Jurisdictions, Such as on this Abandoned Railroad Right-of-Way 5. Encourage local government participation in activities designed to enhance the area's seasonal festivals. 6. Retain, maintain, and improve all existing publicly owned parks so that they continue to meet the diverse recreation needs of area citizens and tourists. Objectives: 1. Implement the recommendations of the 2004 Recreation Plan, and those of subsequent Recreation Plans. 2. Prepare a non-motorized transportation and recreation plan for the Township. 3. Expand trail opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian use of the snowmobile trail by providing a smooth surface that will make it usable for persons with disabilities or a wide The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-23 �variety of users and seeking funds to acquire and develop other trail routes. 4. Prepare educational materials for citizens and developers on the health benefits of having a walkable community and on techniques to make new and existing developments more walkable and bikable. Explanation: This goal, policies and objectives recognize the importance of recreation sites in general, and walking, biking and other activity trails specifically in the well-being of residents, and seeks to foster an expanded recreation system and a trail system connected to residential , commercial, governmental and recreation sites. Community Facilities Goal 1. Provide public facilities and services as requested by Township residents, and at the best value for the expenditures. Policies 1. Continue to provide adequate administrative facilities for governmental and community use. 2. Provide a sewage collection system in accordance with decisions based on environmental needs and public cost. 3. Encourage the Township to pursue planning and financing for future, phased water facilities . 4. Encourage conservation and maintenance of the existing quality of the water supply. 5. Continue to provide solid waste collection with an economically equitable system and consider expanding recycling opportunities. 6. Provide adequate recreational facilities to meet Township needs. 7. Provide adequate police and fire protection for the Township. 8. Develop, annually update and implement a Capital Improvements program which meets the Township's needs and is consistent with this Plan. 9. Provide other services to the Township in accordance with the ability and willingness of the people to pay for them. 10. Update the Township's Recreation Plan every five years in order to qualify for Natural Resources Trust Fund grants. 11 . Whenever feasible, expand recycling opportunities. Objectives 1. Prepare a plan for the future expansion of the Township Offices. 2. Prepare design plans for development of local park areas and public access to water The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-24 �areas. 3. Obtain advice from the state Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers on the feasibility of keeping the Chocolay River mouth open. Photo 8-17 Study the Feasibility of Keeping the Chocolay River Mouth Open 4. Encourage the state Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Conservation Service to assist the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District to implement action items in the Chocolay River Watershed Plan. 5. Develop a mapping and numbering system of the Township to provide adequate fire protection and other emergency services. 6. Consider installing an elevated storage tank or other options for rapid filling of fire fighting equipment and construct a public water system to serve Harvey and US-41 /M-28 from the west Township line to the area served by the intersection of the two highways. 7. Study and adopt special assessment districts to fairly distribute public costs in critical service areas where deemed necessary. 8. Annually review and prioritize a program of capital improvements. Explanation: This goal, policies and objectives recognize that the Township needs to provide facilities and services for a relatively small, residential population spread over a large area, which requires careful use of limited funds, while at the same time, residents increasingly desire more elaborate and sophisticated services. Thus, it focuses on providing and expanding services first in the Harvey area, where the bulk of the Township residents and most businesses are located. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-25 �Community Character Goals: 1. Retain and enhance the quiet, scenic, and small town/rural character of Chocolay Township. 2. Preserve the established character of neighborhoods within Chocolay Township. Policies: 1. Encourage architectural and site design that complements, rather than detracts from existing development on neighboring parcels. 2. Encourage the preservation and restoration of historically significant structures. Photo 8-18 Encourage Preservation and Restoration of Historically Significant Structures 3. Preserve the character of the area by encouraging land uses and densities/intensities of development which are consistent with and complement the character, economic base, and image of the area. 4. Improve the appearance of entrances into the Township through landscape designs, signs, and land development which promote the vitality and character of each community, without unnecessary clutter or safety hazards. 5. Manage the trees lining streets in residential and commercial areas to provide a continuous green canopy. Plant indigenous trees along the M-28/US-41 corridor and maintain them along other roads in the Township. Encourage the use of "context sensitive design" on roads in Chocolay Township. 6. Discourage the development of "bigfoot" homes that restrict views, block light and the free flow of air for neighbors, detract from the charm of a neighborhood, and serve as a catalyst for sending excess stormwater runoff onto abutting properties and into lakes and streams. 7. Discourage designs which would block significant views and vistas . 8. Ensure enforcement of existing ordinances and regulations to better preserve the The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-26 �established character of Chocolay Township and promote the goals and policies of this Plan. 9. Consider the adoption of "dark sky" provisions to the Zoning Ordinance that will provide for adequate down lighting of streets, parking lots, sidewalks, yards and signs in order to prevent the creation of a halo of dispersed light over the Township that can diminish the view of stars and the northern lights. Objectives: 1. Prepare and implement a Scenic Character Preservation Plan for Chocolay Township with mapped scenic areas and design guidelines for property owners on how to manage their properties in order to protect the scenic quality of the Township. Photo 8-19 Prepare and Implement a Scenic Character Preservation Plan for Chocolay Township r 2. Update the sign ordinance to insure it helps protect the visual quality of the Township as viewed from Township roads and highways. 3. Provide residents with educational materials on the historic structures in Chocolay Township and on approaches to protecting them. 4 . Update the Zoning Ordinance to provide for setbacks, natural landscaping, buffers and other provisions to protect scenic visual character. 5. Consider creating and enforcing property maintenance codes for the upkeep and maintenance of homes and businesses. Explanation : These goals, policies and objectives recognize that the appearance of Chocolay Township , which has both natural scenery and small town charm, is important to the quality of life of the community, and that it will require an active involvement of the Township and knowledgeable, committed citizens in order to preserve the community's visual character. John f:lwinwordl chocolay\fi nal\CHAPTER 8 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 8-27 �Chapter 9 AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN INTRODUCTION Throughout this Plan, mention has been made of "areas of particular concern." Originally an environmental planning concept used by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to indicate potentially threatened habitat areas, the term, "Areas of Particular Concern" was expanded in the 1989 Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan to include both cultural and natural resource areas. In this update of the Comprehensive Plan, Areas of Particular Concern are defined as those geographic areas which are significant because of their importance to a quality of human living and the enrichment of the human experience. This may be due to unique values, resources, problems, or conflicts. They incorporate these key concepts: a) they are limited in quantity either in total amount or within any given geographic area; b) they are irreplaceable; once destroyed or altered, the resources will not or cannot be replaced, c) they are sensitive and fragile areas, and d) Township growth patterns place a unique burden on the land, water, infrastructure or existing or future occupants of the area. Photo 9-1 Areas of Particular Concern Include Areas that are Irreplaceable, Fragile, Limited and have Unique Value - Many are Natural Areas For areas identified as such, the underlying objective is to express some measure of concern, and to manage these areas so as to conserve resources, resolve conflicts, and foster preferable land and water uses. It is inevitable that the expanding needs for development will impact Areas of Particular Concern, either directly or indirectly. However, to provide for the orderly and coherent development of those areas and surrounding lands, this Plan should incorporate the appropriate management principles for Township Areas of Particular Concern, including measures to coordinate with agencies at various levels of government. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-1 �This chapter will attempt to provide a guide in identifying and dealing with Areas of Particular Concern. This discussion will include natural, and cultural Areas of Particular Concern. It will consist of those areas previously mentioned in this Plan and other significant Areas of Particular Concern found within the Township. This chapter then concludes with suggestions for specifically managing Chocolay Township's proposed Areas of Particular Concern. The 1989 Plan included a Decision Map to indicate areas used, suitable or suitable with limitations for different purposes. Instead of a Decision Map, an Areas of Concern Map (Map 9-1) has been created to reflect current important issues, including areas of particular concern. Many other special areas, especially environmental ones, are depicted on maps in other chapters (especially Chapter 4). PROPOSED AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IN CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP The list below is an inventory of those areas deserving classification as an Area of Particular Concern. It is separated into natural areas and cultural areas. Natural areas are those characterized by a lack of human land change activity even though they may or may not be under human control now. Cultural Areas of Particular Concern are man-made or developed artifacts. Other areas include those involving infrastructure or recent and anticipated settlements. The categories are clear-cut and self-explanatory. The following listing is by no means conclusive, and should continue to be periodically updated. Natural Areas of Particular Concern 1. Environmental (wetlands, wildlife, plant life areas, etc.) • Cherry Creek watershed • Waterfowl area on Lake Levasseur • Escanaba River State Forest • Jeske Flooding • Natural features as identified in the Marquette County Natural Features Inventory • All wetlands within the Township as identified in the Comprehensive Plan or as determined by the DNR or Zoning Administrator Photo 9-2 Chocolay Township has Significant Natural Areas of Particular Concern, such as Lake Le Vasseur The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-2 �2. Wilderness and Natural/Scientific Area • Fish hatchery on Cherry Creek • Waterfowl area on Lake Levasseur 3. Geologic Formations • Steep sloped areas as identified in the Comprehensive Plan • Protruding bedrock areas as identified in the Comprehensive Plan • Rock Bluff area. See Map 9-1, Areas of Particular Concern Map. 4. Flood Areas • All flood areas identified in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Rate, Flood Hazard Areas Map, Map for Chocolay Township . See Map 4-4 in Chapter 4. 5. Erosion Areas • High-risk erosion areas on Lake Superior shoreline as identified on Map 4-5 in Chapter 5. 6. Shorelands • High-risk erosion areas as designated on the Lake Superior shoreline. See Map 4-5. • Chocolay River mouth • Coastal shores of Lake Superior (Harvey and Shot Point area) • All Lake Superior waters and bottomlands 7. Lakes (inland) • Lake Kawbawgam and Lake Levasseur 8. Rivers and Streams • All rivers and streams within the Township • In particular, the Chocolay River Watershed. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-3 �Photo 9-3 Stream Crossing Stabilization on Chocolay River Source: Chocolay River Watershed Project 9. Agricultural Lands • All land currently under cultivation. 10. Prime Forestry Lands • Forested areas on steep slope areas • Forested area in southeastern part of Township along M-28 11. Mineral Resources • Existing gravel and sand operations in the Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-4 �Map 9-1 Chocolav Township Areas of Concern Map Rock Bluff Scenic Entry I US-41/M-28 Corridor - State Highway - -- County Highway - - - - Named Roads Q Other Areas of Concern Streams - Un-Named Roads LEGEND State Lands Lakes Township Line Section Line N w◊ • Source Michigan Center for Geographic Information , Dept of lnfOfmation Technology Map Prepared by the Land lnformatlOfl Access Association. August 2004 Lake Superior Shoreline Scenic En~ !!!!!!!!!!!.,_;;:::_,!!!!!!!!!!!!!laa-a;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!S-a;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;i M1le5 US-41/M-28 Intersection ~ ~~ry 10 I 1;, County Road Bu r ,;- ·~ 14 -v l • r l I 'I ,. I ' I 19 ~ 1=- j 15. Mangum Rd I 1 I ...,-''"-:- 1~ I '3 ... 0 33' )4 r ,I.- r t :24 ~ ..,,__-~~ ,-1 Green Garden US-41 Scenic Entry "- I -- Lr . . . I .,. J I ~"'' 0•.,<,Q , ~ n The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-5 ' 'j• I .l ! - ~~ . .. ·t• - - - · . 1 "' J: a ♦ l' ~ �Cultural Areas of Particular Concern 1. Aesthetic Areas • US-41 corridor from the Township line south toward Green Garden. • Eastern entry and highway scenic turnouts on M-28 along Lake Superior. • Natural scenery along highways and local roads in general Photo 9-4 Green Garden Area is an Aesthetic Area of Particular Concern 2. Recreation Areas • Marina on Chocolay River. • Snowmobile trail and Chocolay River crossing. • Rock Bluff Area (privately owned). • State forest lands. The Escanaba River State Forest occupies a large portion of Chocolay Township, but primarily in the sparsely settled eastern part of the Township. It provides a variety of recreational opportunities, including hunting, hiking, and fishing. • Highway scenic turnouts on M-28 • State roadside park on M-28 • Public access site on Lake Levasseur and Jeske Flooding 3. Historic Sites • Those areas identified by the Marquette County Historical Society 4. Urbanizing Areas • Shot Point residential area • Kawbawgam Lake • Lakewood Lane area east of Harvey • Harvey-nonconforming Zoning with regards to lot dimensions. • Intersection of M-28 and US-41. • The commercial corridor of M-28/US-41 from the west Township Line to the Intersection of M-28/US-41. • Casino Area. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-6 �Photo 9-5 The Casino Area is an Urbanizing Area of Particular Concern MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP'S PROPOSED AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN For those potential Areas of Particular Concern identified in Chocolay Township, a program of management and preservation must be explored. The kinds of management techniques employed are dependent on local decisions. To assist in this decision making, Chocolay must make a concerted effort to officially identify and develop an inventory of Areas of Particular Concern on a regular basis. The inventory in this chapter is intended to begin the process. The discussion on the Criteria for Areas of Particular Concern will provide a minimum basis for the identification process of any other, or new areas. Once identified, the Township must prioritize its listing, recognizing that each area represents a certain "value." Areas will vary in importance. Those given a higher priority will require more stringent protection. Those less important will have less rigorous regulations or be put off to a later point in the implementation process. For the most part, the Township's management program will be limited to use of zoning and development controls as described previously. It is recommended that they participate with County, State, or Federal programs geared towards preserving these unique areas. They should continue to enforce the traditional protective ordinances, such as the county health codes, building permits, zoning permits, etc. The following discussion will identify possible management programs for those Areas of Particular Concern in Chocolay Township. Parts of this discussion will be more detailed than others. That is because many of the Areas of Particular Concern identified were general in nature - rivers and streams, lakes, wetlands, etc. - while others are more specific - the waterfowl area, fish hatchery, etc. - requiring specific management techniques. The DEQ has a helpful local guidebook available that addresses many of these areas. It is entitled Filling the Gaps: Environmental Protection Options for Local Governments, 2003. It is available for downloading at http://www.michiqan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313 3677 3696-73358--,00.html, and the appendix to the report includes sample zoning regulations. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-7 �Natural Areas of Particular Concern 1. Environmental Areas A. Cherry Creek Watershed, Lake Le Vasseur Waterfowl Area and Escanaba River State Forest The Cherry Creek Watershed, which supports the State Fish Hatchery, and waterfowl area on Lake Levasseur are both outside the jurisdiction of the Township. They are in State ownership and are presently under a management program. The Township should actively participate in management planning for these areas. However, for zoning purposes, it is recommended that both areas remain zoned Open Space. The Township should take steps to safeguard the Cherry Creek watershed area by supporting the activities of the Chocolay River Watershed Project, which benefits the Cherry Creek watershed. B. Chocolay Township Wetlands A management program for the Township wetlands should include enforcement of county health codes, state building codes, and Land Division Act, (formerly the Subdivision Control Act) , P.A. 288 of 1967 as amended, as well as the Wetlands Protection Act, Part 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, PA 451 of 1994. The Farmlands and Open Space Preservation Act, Part 361 of PA 451 of 1994, offers certain tax deferral options to property owners who enter into an open space agreement with the State or local unit for at least ten years. The Township should also endorse and enforce where appropriate those sections of the Inland Lakes and Streams Act, Part 301 of PA 451 of 1994 of 1972, the Endangered Species Act, Part 365 of PA 451 of 1994, the Shorelands Protection and Management Act, Part 323 of PA 451 of 1994, and the Wetlands Protection Act, Part 303 of PA 451 of 1994, related to the preservation and utilization of wetlands . For zoning purposes, all large wetlands should fall into the Open Space and Resource Production districts. C. Natural Features. A wide variety of management techniques are available for protecting natural features on private lands. Primarily, education of landowners is needed in order to raise their consciousness about the existence and importance of natural features. A landowner's guide is available from the DNR (Managing Michigan's Wildlife: A Landowner's Guide, available from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/landowners Guide/Re source Dir/Acrobat/index.htm.), plus the assistance of staff of the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District should be promoted. In addition a publication targeted to both citizens and Township officials is also available. Entitled Your Upper Peninsula: A Guide to Planning for Tomorrow's Shorelines, it presents a variety of shoreline planning tools that can help preserve a natural appearing shoreline as well as water quality. It is available from the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org ) and the Central Lake Superior Watershed Partnership (www.superiorwatersheds.org). 2. Wilderness and Natural/Scientific Areas See the discussion under subsection "A" under Environmental Areas for the areas identified under this section, the State Fish Hatchery, the Lake Levasseur Waterfowl Area and Escanaba River State Forest. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-8 �Photo 9-6 Management Concerns over Wilderness and Natural/Scientific Areas, such as the Lake Levasseur Wetland Project Involves Working with State Agencies 3. Geologic Formations A. Steep Sloped Areas: The steeped sloped areas of the Township are generally less desirable for most types of development because of the higher construction costs, high erosion possibilities when soils are disrupted, and the high cost of providing public services like road construction, snow plowing, sewage collection, etc. Therefore, intense types of development should be limited. The two larger areas in the southwestern portion of the Township can support good timber production; this is encouraged to avoid erosion problems. The area should be zoned Open Space. Photo 9-7 Protruding Bedrock Areas are Notable in Good and Bad Weather r B. Protruding Bedrock Areas: Protruding bedrock can create development problems in construction of septic tank drain fields, public sewer lines, or construction on its rock bluffs. It is recommended that intense development be limited in those areas because of those problems; and if development occurs, it can be monitored by enforcing the health, building, and subdivision controls . Most of the bedrock areas on The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-9 �the eastern portion of the Township is on State-owned lands and should remain zoned for Open Space. The rock bluffs in the northwest corner of the Township should be closely monitored because the pressure for intense development exists. 4. Flood Areas The Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a final Flood Hazard Boundary Map identifying those lands lying within the one hundred year floodplain. It is recommended that the Township prohibit any new construction, expansion of existing structures or fill within the floodplain areas and that they participate in the Federal Flood Insurance Program to provide proper protection for those areas affected by floods. Most major flood areas should remain zoned for Open Space or Resource Production. 5. Erosion Areas Management efforts to curtail Lake Superior shoreline erosion stem originally from the Shorelands Protection and Management Act (now Part 323 of PA 451 of 1994). The State has performed a study of the High Risk Erosion areas and has developed a management program of which Chocolay Township is a part. The DEQ has established setbacks by calculating the known receding rate of the banks. Permits must be obtained from the DEQ for construction on properties designated as high risk erosion areas. Those lands not developed should be zoned Open Space. Map 45 identifies all High Risk Erosion areas in the Township. 6. Shorelands A. High Risk Erosion Areas: Refer to the high risk erosion discussion above. B. Chocolay River Mouth: The Chocolay River mouth is experiencing a sedimentation problem, sometimes restricting access to Lake Superior. Keeping the mouth open for public use would help boating access from the marina. It is also a problem identified by the Chocolay River Watershed Project. The Township should contact the Army Corps of Engineers to determine what procedures would be necessary to keep it free flowing, and promote best management practices identified by the Chocolay River Watershed Management Project to help reduce sedimentation. C. Coastal Lakes, Lake Superior Waters and Bottom Lands: Coastal lakes and rivers are covered by the Shorelands Protection and Management Act, Part 323 of PA 451 of 1994 and Great Lakes Submerged Lands, Part 325 of PA 451 of 1994. It is recommended that reasonable setbacks be established in the Zoning Ordinance to provide protection of water quality, aesthetic quality, and resource integrity. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-10 �Photo 9-8 Protect Water Quality, Aesthetic Quality, and Resource Integrity of Coastal Lakes and Rivers 7. Lakes (Inland) Lake Le Vasseur is wholly within the jurisdiction of the State and is discussed in Subsection "A" of Environmental Areas. Kawbawgam Lake is in private ownership and is experiencing rapid development along its shores. The area surrounding the eastern, western and southern sides of the lake is within the proposed flood hazard area and wetland area, and should follow those recommendations, as discussed above. For those developed areas, it is recommended that reasonable setbacks be established in the Zoning Ordinance to preserve their integrity. The Township should enforce all developmental controls, the Subdivision Controls, State Building Code, and Health Code, as well as the Inland Lakes and Streams Act. 8. Rivers and Streams All streams and rivers should be afforded a minimum amount of protection from overuse and intense development. Those portions surrounded by wetlands or flood hazard areas should follow the recommendations for those areas. Reasonable setbacks should be established through the Zoning Ordinance. The Township should enforce developmental controls, as well as honoring the Inland Lakes and Streams Act, Part 301 of PA 451 of 1994 and the Local River Management Act, Part 311 of PA 451 of 1994. The Chocolay River Watershed Project, managed by the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District along with many partners, developed a program of restoration, education and conservation in order to protect this valuable water resource. The Chocolay River Watershed Management Plan is available by contacting the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District or online at http://www.portup.com/%7Elindq/. The Watershed Project has been involved in the clean-up of contamination, stream restoration, dam removal, implementing forestry best management practices and other stewardship activities. There are many road crossings of streams in the watershed, and these are of particular concern as possible sites of sediment and other contamination. See Map 9-1. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-11 �Map 9-2. Road Crossings of Streams in the Chocolay River Watershed From Updates to the Chocolay River Watershed Restoration and Management Plan. Chocolay River Watershed Project. 9. Prime Agricultural Lands Only agricultural lands under current cultivation have been identified as prime agricultural lands for Chocolay Township. It is recommended that the Township work closely with the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District to continually redefine Chocolay's responsibility to agricultural production needs. Zoning agricultural land as Open Space or Resource Production can provide the necessary protection from unwanted development. The Farmlands and Open Space Act will also prevent development for the period of the PA 116 contract, as discussed earlier, if property owners were inclined to enroll. 10. Prime Forested Lands Chocolay Township has no major commercial timber production even though it is · extensively forested . Much of the eastern portion of the Township is within the Escanaba River State Forest and therefore is outside the Township's jurisdiction. It is recommended that Chocolay work closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and DNR to determine the potential productivity of the private forested lands. To preserve the quality and quantity of forested lands along roadway, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, reasonable setbacks could be utilized. To preserve larger tracts of forested lands the Private Forest Reserve Act, Part 5 of PA 451 of 1994, could be instituted . If commercial land is involved, the Commercial Forest Act, Part The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-12 �511 of PA 451 of 1994, would be involved. Lands intended to be preserved for its timber resources should be zoned Open Space (timber resource) or Resource Production. 11. Mineral Resources Existing gravel and sand operations are the only mineral resource areas in Chocolay. More valuable mineral resources only exist in trace amounts and are not economically feasible for extraction at this time. To ensure protection to those resource areas and provide maximum limits on how much extraction should occur, it is recommended that an industrial mining zoning classification be used on only those specified areas, if and when they are ever formally identified. Cultural Areas of Particular Concern The location of some of the cultural areas of concern identified below can be found on Map 9-1, Areas of Concern and maps in other chapters should be referenced where indicated . 1. Aesthetic Areas A. US-41 corridor from the Township line north toward Green Garden. This area lies in the viewshed along both sides of US-41 as it slopes down toward the north, allowing distant views of relatively undeveloped scenery. Most of the area is in private ownership and protecting this scenic resource will be a challenge if conservation easements are not obtained. An overlook at a high point along the highway should be developed. MOOT grant funds should be explored. B. Eastern entry and highway scenic turnouts on east M-28. These are valuable public assets owned by MOOT and maintained by Chocolay Township and should be protected. They provide stunning views of the Lake Superior shoreline. (See scenic turnouts on Map 6-1 ). C. Natural scenic areas in general. Scenic roadsides in all areas of the Township can be protected by adequate setbacks, appropriate sign regulations, and design guidelines that promote the use of scenic easements (can be donated instead of purchased if owners are willing) and natural vegetative screening, either left standing during the construction process or restored in roadside areas already cleared. A scenic protection plan should be prepared to identify areas worthy of long term protection . The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-13 �Photo 9-9 Many Roads in Chocolay Township are Scenic, such as CR 480 2. Recreation Areas For the location of recreation areas, see Map 6-1, Chocolay Township Public Facilities in Chapter 6. The state forested lands, highway turnouts, and Lake Levasseur public access site are out of the jurisdiction of the Township. For zoning purposes, they should remain zoned Open Space. A. Marina. The marina, which is primarily a boat ramp, is located on the Chocolay River about 1,500 feet from Lake Superior, and shallow water is sometimes a problem for boaters seeking access to the big lake. The 2004 Recreation Plan proposes minor improvements to this site. B. Snowmobile trail and Chocolay River crossing. Snowmobile owners can use their machines on a trail in the northern part of the Township. However, there are problems with the trail. It passes through a residential area, with resulting conflicts over noise, late night use and speeds. There is no separate snowmobile crossing of the Chocolay River, so snowmobilers use the M-28 bridge, which is not designed for safe snowmobile use. A separate bridge should be constructed. The trail could be used by pedestrians and bicyclists in the warmer seasons if it were surfaced with crushed compacted limestone. C. Rock Bluff Area. The Lake Superior shoreline across from the Michigan Department of Transportation Welcome Center on US-41 /M-28 has a scenic rock bluff. This is a natural location for a viewing place, which could be a tourism draw. Development of a scenic viewing place would require coordination with the property owner and Sands Township. Access to the site may pose some challenges. 3. Historic Areas Current protection for all state and federal registered sites come from the Historic Division of Michigan's Department of State. All local preservation efforts (funding and enforcement) should go through their office or the Marquette County Historical Commission. Each area identified is unique unto itself so will require individual attention in its management. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-14 �Photo 9-10 Each Unique Historic Area Requires Individual Management 4. Urbanizing Areas A. Shot Point. The Shot Point area development is within the Flood Hazard Area of Lake Superior. See Map 4-4 in Chapter 4. Since development exists, zoning and developmental control ordinance should be rigidly enforced to preserve the quality of the resources and protect existing and future development. Setbacks would be most useful here. Zoning in this area should be Lake Shore/Residential. Undeveloped areas and environmentally sensitive areas should be rezoned Open Space. B. Kawbawgam Lake. Although not an immediate problem, the Kawbawgam Lake area is a potential candidate. As an Area of Particular Concern, development is spreading in an area that is both wetlands and a Flood Hazard Area. Here too, zoning and developmental control ordinances should be rigidly enforced. C. Lakewood Lane. The Lakewood Lane area development consists of areas designated as High Risk Erosion Areas. Since development exists, the Residential-One single family zoning should be maintained, and coordination with the DEQ should occur for all proposed developments. D. Harvey-Nonconforming Zoning. Most of the lots in the Harvey settlement are . non-conforming according to current zoning with regards to lot size. This places an unnecessary burden on property owners, on the Planning Commission and on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Zoning needs to be updated for this area in order to remove the non-conforming status of most parcels. E. Intersection of M-28 and US-41. This intersection, located just southeast of Harvey, is of particular concern due to the two major highways that intersect at this point, generating traffic conflicts, and because of the existing growth and the likelihood for more growth immediately adjacent to it. Due to the location of a major The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-15 �trucking terminal just northwest of the intersection on US-41/M-28, the intersection receives substantial truck traffic. A ring road that would allow local traffic, especially trucks, to by-pass the intersection may relieve some congestion, improve safety and help manage access to existing and future businesses in the area. Pedestrian crossings also need to be improved in the area of this intersection. Sidewalks exist, but pedestrian signals do not. F. The Commercial Corridor of M-28/US-41 from the Township Line to the Intersection of M-28/US-41. The US-41 /M-28 corridor from the Township line, southeast to the intersection of the two highways currently has a mix of uses, but its location suggests development as a commercial corridor. It is the main route for people in Chocolay Township entering and exiting from the city of Marquette. Major existing businesses include a trucking depot, which is more industrial than commercial. This corridor is a prime location for businesses serving commuters, rather than industrial uses. Conflicts between trucks, commuters and users of future commercial development will need to be avoided by access management solutions put in place before more growth or redevelopment occurs. Buffers between commercial and industrial uses and residential uses should be provided. There are challenges to development of this segment of highway as a commercial corridor. The existing pattern of residential streets crossing US-41 /M-28 and the shallow setback of many homes to the highway will make acquisition of additional right-of-way and access management difficult. The lack of a municipal water supply is also a problem. A water supply study has been completed by STS Consultants, Ltd., which recommended that if a public water system were needed, a connection with the Marquette City system for the developed area of Sands Township and this area of Chocolay Township is the most feasible alternative to a new, separate public water system involving new wells. The cost of development of a public water system could be at least $5 million, and community sentiment was against using public funds for its development at the time this Plan was prepared. However, expanded commercial development and redevelopment along this corridor is unlikely to occur without it Photo 9-11 The Commercial Corridor of US-41/M-28 is an Area of Particular Concern The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-16 �G. Casino Area. The Marquette Ojibwa Casino is located at 105 Acre Trail, accessed by Kawbawgan Road, south off of M-28 about midway between the east and west borders of Chocolay Township. The casino is operated by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. It is a relatively small casino, and there is interest by the Indian Community in expanding the operation, either at its present site or at another site in Negaunee Township. There is room to expand at the present location, but if the casino relocates to Negaunee Township, the Indian settlement surrounding the existing casino may be able to use the existing building for another use, related to the community. The present casino site has little frontage on M-28, where there are a number of privately held , undeveloped parcels. This presents the opportunity for commercial development related to the casino, such as motels and restaurants, but such development should only occur if the casino is expanded and with appropriate access management and visual character protections. A zoning change from the present residential classifications would also be required. Photo 9-12 The Casino Site has Little Frontage on M-28 John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 9 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 9-17 �Chapter 10 FUTURE LAND USE & INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION This chapter opens with a general description of the purpose of this chapter. It is followed by a description of future land uses in the Township. Then the key infrastructure management strategies necessary to implement the future land use arrangement are described. The last section addresses issues associated with ensuring consistency with the plans and zoning regulations of adjoining jurisdictions. This chapter is directly related to the next chapter which presents the Zoning Plan for the Township and the two should be read and used together. PURPOSE OF THE CHAPTER This chapter presents the arrangement of future land uses in the Township for at least the next twenty years. This arrangement is intended to implement the vision, goals, policies and objectives presented in Chapter 8, in a manner that properly respects the areas of particular concern described in Chapter 9. In some parts of the Township, proposed future land use is merely the continuation of existing land uses. In others, more intensive use is proposed. Where more intensive use is proposed, as around Harvey, it is because a higher level of public services already exist there, and additional public services are both needed, and most economical to provide because of economies of scale in this area. Future land uses are depicted on Map 10-1, entitled the Future Land Use Map. Each future land use category corresponds to one or more zoning districts which are described in the next chapter. The density of all land is as permitted by the corresponding zoning district. Where land is presently used and zoned for a low intensity use, like farming or forestry, and a more intensive use is proposed, approval of the more intensive use should not occur unless a determination is first made that all the public infrastructure and services necessary to adequately serve that development are in place, and that the environmental impacts of the change to a more intensive use are minimal or properly mitigated according to applicable federal, state, county and Township laws. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-1 �Map 10-1 Future Land Use Chocolay Township: Future Land Use Map Township Line - Agriculture-Forestry r:= County Highway Section Line - Commercial - Named Roads State Lands - Industrial State Highway - Un-Named Roads Lakes -- Multiple Family Residential Rural Residential Single Family Residential Lakeshore Residential - Local Public Lands Streams Source : Chooolay Twp Equalization Dept. Michigan Center for Geographic lnf0<mati:>n, Dept of Information Technology " w◊• Map Prepared by the Land Information Access Association, March 2005 05 3 Miles County_ Road Bu The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-2 �FUTURE LAND USES Map 10-1 depicts future land use in the following categories which correspond to existing and future zoning districts as listed on Table 10-1 below: Table 10-1 Relationship Between Future Land Use and Zoning District Categories Future Land Use Map 10-1 Agriculture and Forestry Lakeshore Residential Single Family Residential Multiple Family Residential Commercial Industrial Local Public Lands Existing Zoning Districts (early in 2005) RP - Resource Production OS - Open Space RR-2 - Rural Residential 2 RR-1 - Rural Residential 1 LS/R - Lakeshore River R-1 - Residential R-1 Residential R-2 Residential R-3 Residential RR-1 Rural Residential 1 R-4 Residential C-1 Commercial C-2 Commercial C-3 Commercial PL - Public Lands Proposed Future Zoning Districts AF - Agriculture and Forestry LS/R - Lakeshore Residential R-25 Residential R-12 Residential MFR Multiple Family Residential C-1 Commercial C-2 Commercial I - Industrial PL - Public Lands Generally these proposed changes to the zoning districts would accomplish the following: • Streamline the number of zoning districts by consolidating similar districts • Once the revised districts were created, the Zoning Map would be changed. Many properties, especially in Harvey, would then be conforming with the dimensional regulations of the district, because the zoning standards would match the most common lot sizes in the district. Currently, there are many nonconforming lots in the Township, especially in Harvey. This will reduce administrative burdens and hassles for the property owners. Following is a description of each of the categories of land use on Map 10-1. Ag ricu ltu re-Forestry This future land use category is made up of two major types of land use: agriculture and forests. In addition, many wetlands are associated with each of these land uses. Most of the eastern half of the Township is either forested or wetlands (or both) and much of it is publicly owned and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This category is comprised of all lands in early 2005 zoned as RP and OS, plus all lands zoned as RR-2. All lands in this category would principally be permitted to be used for Agriculture-Forestry activities as principal uses by right, such as agriculture and forest management. The minimum lot size would continue to be 20 acres. A single family home would also be permitted as a use by right in this area. In the portion of this category presently zoned RR-2, zoning district standards would be changed to allow one single family home by right on 20 acres and additional dwellings at a density of one dwelling The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-3 �unit per 5 acres, only if clustered on a part of the property and at least 50 percent of the property maintained as permanently protected open space by means of a conservation easement or other protection acceptable to the Township. For example a 100 acre parcel would be permitted to have 20 lots (100 divided by 5), which would be clustered on not more than 50% of the property. The minimum lot size of each clustered unit would be not smaller than that required by the Public Health Department, nor on average, more than 2.5 acres in size (or else more than 50 acres would be used up for the residences). A new cluster ordinance provision would have to be added to the Zoning Ordinance to permit this and it would allow such developments by right. Photo 10-1 Agriculture and Forestry Agriculture In addition to the above changes to the Zoning Ordinance, the following strategies should be pursued to encourage continued agriculture in the Agriculture-Forestry area: • Encourage farmers to farm as long as they want to • Encourage farmers to participate in PA 116, the state Farmland and Open Space Protection program which gives an income tax benefit to farmers who agree to keep their land in agriculture for a period of at least 1O years. Special attention should be paid to future residential development along gravel • roads in this area, because once the number of dwellings exceeds about 80 with no other road users (fewer homes ifthere are other road users), then the gravel road capacity will be exceeded and it will either have to be frequently graded, or paved, and if paved, it will serve to attract additional residences. Thus, the density of development along gravel roads should be kept low to preserve gravel road capacity, while still permitting Agriculture-Forestry activities. Higher density residential development should be permitted where roads are paved , and at levels commensurate with the need for other public facilities, such as sewer and water. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-4 �Forest Management In addition to the above changes to the Zoning Ordinance, the following strategies should be pursued to encourage continued forest management in the AgricultureForestry area: • Encourage private owner participation in Commercial Forest Reserve Act. Landowners of forested property managed for long term forest production can receive significant tax benefits by participating in the Commercial Forest Reserve Act. Several landowners in the Township already participate in the program. Others should be encouraged to. • All forested landowners should be encouraged to use sustainable forestry management practices consistent with state policy and industry guidelines. • Work with landowners to stage tree harvesting in key viewsheds. This will require identification of key viewsheds and then private landowners who plan to harvest trees. By staging harvesting and avoiding large clearcut areas, the impacts on key viewsheds will be greatly reduced. The most important area to target for viewshed protection is the view of the Green Garden valley from westbound US41 at the south central portion of the Township. Residential Citizens and local leaders strongly believe it is important to provide for a wide variety of types and densities of residential dwellings. All homes are desired to be sited in surroundings which permit quiet enjoyment of the property, whether or not the lot or dwelling is large is small. Some is expected in more urban small lot settings, while others are expected on large lots in the country surrounded by large quantities of open space. Photo 10-2 Single Family is Expected to Continue as the Largest Housing Type 6 10 2004 Single family housing is and is expected to continue to be the largest type of residential housing, but it could be provided in many forms, such as detached site constructed single family homes and detached manufactured homes. At the same time multiple family dwellings could be provided in apartments and attached site constructed single family homes and condominiums. Large and small lot development could be involved. To accomplish this goal will require some modification of residential zoning districts in the Zoning Ordinance to create new options. It is critical that accompanying such districts be a strong set of subdivision regulations and if necessary incentives to The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-5 �encourage subdivision development (as opposed to lot split and metes and bounds development) so that over time, the interconnected street system in Harvey is continued to serve all the most intensely developed parts of the Township (present and future). Four categories of residential development are depicted on the Future Land Use Map and each is discussed below. Rural Residential These are areas planned for low density residential development surrounded by open space. As of early 2005 there were two rural residential zones. The RR-2, 5 acre minimum area was addressed above in the Resource Conservation category. It would be retained as a district in the Zoning Ordinance, but would be developed as either one dwelling unit per 20 acres, or using cluster zoning, at a density of one dwelling unit per five acres. It is shown on the Future Land Use Map as part of the Agriculture-Forestry category because it would have the same base density. Figure 10-1 shows a comparison of conventional land division, conventional subdivision and a conservation subdivision based on a 5 acre minimum lot size. In addition to permanent preservation of open space for buyers and the community, there are substantial benefits to the developer in the form of lower costs to develop. The RR1 area is presently a 2 acre minimum lot size. Consideration should be given to rezoning undeveloped portions of this district into the AF classification, or the R-12/R-25 category to be consistent with abutting property. If this was done, then the RR-1 category would be eliminated, or revised, so that no new lands would be zoned into this category. Lakeshore Residential The existing title of this district is Lakeshore/River District, yet in spite of miles of lakeshore and riverfront properties, there is a limited amount of land zoned LS/R in the Township. This district is specifically targeted to all waterfront property but in reality, is only applied to some lakefront property. While most of the lakefront property has already been developed and it is appropriate that all residential lakeshore property be zoned into this classification, it makes less sense that all riverfront property be so zoned unless, following a careful review, it is determined the existing regulations make sense on all the riverfront property and all the lakeshore property. It may be that a separate Riverfront District is more appropriate for those properties. Permitted uses in the LS/R are residential and recreational uses. If this district is renamed and applied to all lakeshore property, then existing resorts would be permitted to continue and new buildings or alterations would be regulated through the special use permit process. New resorts, except perhaps B&B's under special use permit conditions, would not be allowed. Rezoning some RP, some RR-2, and some R1 lands into the LS/R classification would be necessary to achieve this goal. Some new special use permit standards would also need to be adopted. This change should be carefully considered and the boundary lines between districts carefully studied before making any change. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-6 �Figure 10-1 Cluster Subdivision Compared to Other Land Division Options on the Same Land 230 Acre parcel with density = 1 dwelling unit per 5 acres. Conventional strip residential development. 38 home sites and 14 driveways (some shared) on the public road. No large open spaces. ! · ,.,.. ~--,. '\ Conventional subdivision development. 34 home sites. Five have access to existing public road, rest to a new road. No large open spaces. \ ' / [:?)~>~~\;./ '· ~-.. . \ ··,'• \ ' ~,-,; ' ' .. ..c:I.. - .. -··-· _.. _.. _,,_.. _,,_,' -~..4_ ' .. _ .. _ .. _ ,._ ... I.. - .. _ .. _ ,,_ ,,_ ,, _ ,, I_ ! r·-..~..-.._.. .._ .. _,,_,,_,,_,,_,,_,,_i ,,_ .. _ .. _,,_ .. I i .. - .. - .. - .. , _,._.,_, _,_,_,_,_..L . _. _, _,_, . I ! ··- ··-··- ··-··- ··-··- ··..J_ .. _ ,._ .. _,___, Road Conservation subdivision. 46 home sites. Extensive open spaces, some of which can remain income producing. Meets 5 acre density but with maximum 2 acre lot size . All homes are served from two new cul-de-sac roads . ' Reserved Open Space (through conservation easement) ,-. l'" i\ Open space that could be used for trails. Can be designated for agrlcultura i ·. or forast management. Can be i1 allowed to grow up u meadow ;--·· and woods. Can never be used for i,... more houses. i--· i..i..- ~--- i.. - _ ,._, ,_ ,. L.. __________., ____ ,,_,,_ .,_ ,, _ ,. ____, _________ , Important location for open space. Road In this illustration , the community is choos ing to preserve fa rmland . A commun ity may choose to preserve woodlands. Single Family Residential As of early 2005 there are three residential districts that require a 25,000 square foot minimum lot size. There is no material difference between these districts and they should be combined into a single district. In addition, a new single family residential district should be created that has minimum lot size and setback requirements that are The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-7 �consistent with what has already been built upon in Harvey. Presently most lots in that hamlet are nonconforming which requires property owners to obtain waivers or variances before making any changes to property. This is an unnecessary burden on property owners and zoning administrators. A new district should be created that has standards which would make the overwhelming bulk of existing lots in Harvey conforming . Land abutting those lots should be permitted to be divided with the same dimensions as existing lots, if served by public sewer (and public water if available). This will increase the likelihood of the construction of more affordable housing and the efficient provision of sewer services in the Township. Implementation of these two changes would result in the elimination of the R1, R2 and R3 districts and the rezoning of all lands in those districts to one of two new districts: R-12 (for Harvey) and R-25 (abbreviation for 25,000 square foot lots) reflecting where they were located. Multiple Family Residential As of early 2005, the R-4 district is used exclusively for lands zoned for mobile home parks. This is a similar density to multiple family dwellings or apartments. The R-4 district should be renamed MFR and the text revised to accommodate both manufactured homes in parks and apartments. All such residences should be required to be served by public sewers , and if available, by public water. Nonresidential There are three types of nonresidential lands in the Township . The first are commercial, the second are industrial and the third are local public lands. These lands are important to the creation of a balanced tax base and a complete community. Photo 10-3 Small Expansions are Proposed to Existing Commercial Areas Commercial The lands zoned C-1 and C-2 commercial in early 2005 represent the bulk of commercial property in the Township . They include both traditional retail commercial businesses, personal , home and business services and highway services. The lands presently zoned into these districts are proposed to be retained in those uses and small expansions may be appropriate depending on the circumstances described in the The Charter Townsh ip of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-8 �special corridor analysis below. Expansion of nonresidential tax base should only be permitted along US-41 /M-28 from the west township line to the intersection of these two roads and to 500 feet either side of the intersection, with the exception of possible small expansions along M-28 in front of the Casino and adjacent to the Varvil Center on M-28, and at Kassel's Korner (corner of US-41 and County Road 480). Industrial Lands zoned as C-3 are permitted to be used for both commercial and light industrial uses, but most such lands are used for light industrial purposes. Since there is no separately described industrial zone, and on first glance, this may appear to be exclusionary, the Township should consider renaming the C-3 zone as I Industrial (or 1-1 Industrial), and permit certain heavier intensity, but not retail commercial uses in this zone. That would include commercial wholesale and highway service, but not retail commercial uses, along with light industrial uses. Local Public Lands This is a category limited only to lands in Township ownership as the large amount of state land is included in the Agriculture-Forestry category. This designation identifies these park and Township Hall lands separately because of the significance they have on community development and services. All local public lands (except for trails) should be similarly included and depicted on the Zoning Map or allowed as uses in all zoning districts. Photo 10-4 All Public Lands, such as the Beaver Grove Recreation Area Should be Depicted on the Zoning Map 18 1 2005 Areas of Particular Concern Chapter 9 identified a number of areas of particular concern that deserve special attention as new development takes place in the Township. Most are natural areas with special natural features that are desired to be maintained. Some are cultural areas. The following recommendations relate to future actions that should be taken to protect these areas of particular concern . Natural Areas of Particular Concern Zoning regulations should be updated to ensure that the natural areas of particular concern in Chapter 9 are adequately addressed. This is most important with regard to: floodplains, wetlands, high risk erosion areas, sand dunes, ground water, surface water, The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-9 �shorelands, areas with endangered plants and animals and the exposure of soil as new development occurs. These areas are already subject to state laws which seek to protect them, but separate local regulations can also be adopted (see Filling the Gaps: Environmental Protection Options for Local Governments, DEQ, 2003). At a minimum, zoning regulations should be updated to ensure Township approval of development is linked with approval by other governmental entities such as the DEQ, County Health Department, MOOT and the County Road Commission. Beyond that, the Township should consider preparing and adopting a separate greenspace plan which identifies important ecosystems and viewsheds and includes recommendations on specific measures that could be implemented to protect those areas. Cultural Areas of Particular Concern Areas with special aesthetic features and recreation areas can be identified for linkage in a greenspace plan with a greenways element. Greenways could be public or private land planned for active or passive human use, but must respect private ownership. Viewshed protections can be a part of such a plan, as could protection of key historic structures or areas. A comprehensive trail system for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiles (on certain trails) should be an integral part of the greenspace plan. There were a number of urbanizing areas of particular concern identified in Chapter 9 as well. Key future land use issues associated with most of them are addressed in the description of future land use along and/or near key corridors are discussed in the next section. Special Corridors Land use in area along M-28 east of the intersection of US-41/M-28 There are three subareas along this corridor that should be the focus of special attention in the future and following detailed study, may result in future rezoning if done consistent with this Plan. • There is already considerable strip residential development along this corridor which adds unnecessarily to crash risks. All new residential lots should be required to have at least 300 feet of frontage unless access comes from a parallel road (such as in a double frontage lot in a subdivision). Subdivisions should be strongly encouraged instead of lot splits, with no new residential lots fronting on M-28. • Additional but limited, traveler related commercial services (like hotels and restaurants) should be permitted contiguous to the existing Casino if the tribe makes a decision to expand the casino here. However, if there is no casino expansion, there should be no additional nonresidential development permitted in this area. • The nonresidential services area at the Varvil Center could be expanded if a connecting road between US-41 and M-28 is created with the M-28 connection contiguous to or very near here. Otherwise, expansion of nonresidential development in this area should only occur if not incompatible with development of adjacent lands for residential purposes. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-10 �Land use in area along US-41 south of the intersection of US-41/M-28 There are two subareas along this corridor that should be the focus of special attention in the future and following detailed study, may result in future rezoning if done consistent with this Plan. • There is already considerable strip residential development along this corridor which adds unnecessarily to crash risks. All new residential lots should be required to have at least 300 feet of frontage unless access comes from a parallel road (such as in a double frontage lot in a subdivision). Subdivisions should be strongly encouraged instead of lot splits with no new residential lots fronting on US-41. • No additional land area should be approved for commercial (or industrial) development along this segment for the next 20 years, except perhaps adjacent to existing neighborhood service commercial uses at the corner of US-41 and County Road 480. These should be permitted only in the face of significant residential development in the area, and not in response to increased traffic on US-41. The commercial needs of through traffic should be met by commercial land uses in the next corridor segment. Photo 10-5 Land Use Along US-41 South of the US-41/M-28 Intersection US-41/M-28 west of the intersection (business strip through Harvey) There are three subareas along this corridor that should be the focus of special attention in the future and following detailed study, may result in future rezoning if done consistent with this Plan. • First, a special residential zoning district should be created in the hamlet of Harvey so homes are on lots that are not nonconforming and homeowners can more easily use and improve their properties. • The second subarea includes all lands abutting US-41 /M-28. A study to determine the feasibility of a boulevard should be the first initiative (see Chapter 7). If a safe boulevard design is not feasible, then a major and dense tree planting program should be initiated to both green up and close in this corridor. This will help to both improve aesthetics and slow traffic through this, the densest part of the Township . The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-11 �• Third, based on the results of the boulevard feasibility analysis (above), a detailed land use/transportation plan should be prepared for this subarea and for all abutting lands. New connecting roads should be planned and constructed and new residential development should be encouraged off the corridor. Commercial and service uses should be planned and permitted along the corridor. A mix of highway service and community service businesses should be sought. The provision of public water service should continue to be examined and if a financially feasible way is found to provide it, then it should be provided. Nothing else has more potential to facilitate the appropriate expansion of planned development in the Harvey area, than a new public water system and planned interconnected streets. These infrastructure management issues are discussed in more detail in the next section. INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT The efforts the Township makes to support future road, sewer, water and recreation services in the Township consistent with this Plan will have more to do with the location and type of development in the Township than anything else beyond merely zoning the land for various uses, densities and intensities. Properly conceived and executed, the following strategies will both support and stimulate land use change consistent with this Plan. Road Improvement Strategies Following is a list of strategies that should be implemented to improve roads and highways in the Township: • Adopt access management regulations consistent with the US-41/M-28 Comprehensive Corridor & Access Management Plan cooperatively completed with the cooperation of MOOT and seven other adjacent units of government along the corridor in 2004. • Following further study, if it is feasible, adopt new expanded right-of-way line along US-41 /M-28 to accommodate a future right-of-way of 150 feet and establish a new setback in the Zoning Ordinance from the future right-of-way line. • If feasible, work with MOOT to adopt a cross section boulevard design similar to that in Figure 7-4. • Develop a right-of-way acquisition program and local funds for use to acquire right-of-way as the need/opportunity exists. Acquire as much as possible through voluntary donations by landowners as new development or redevelopment of properties along the corridor occurs. • Develop an enhancement grant application for additional vegetation, stylish street lamps, improved sidewalks and related features if boulevard plan is feasible, and even if it is not (but not until a firm determination is made). • Initiate a comprehensive tree planting program along this corridor to create a solid green canopy from the US-41 /M-28 intersection west to the rock bluff: Add vegetation requirements and buffer standards to the Zoning Ordinance for all • new development along state highways and county primaries in the Township. • Increase driveway separation distances for all lots fronting on and taking their access from US-41 or M-28 or a County Primary Road, by increasing lot width to 300 feet. Consider increasing lot width requirement in the Commercial Districts to a similar amount when they front on these roads, unless they use shared access, frontage roads, or rear service roads. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-12 �• • • • • • • • • • Support intersection improvements and new pedestrian crossing alternatives as described in Chapter 7 on Silver Creek Road and Corning Street at US-41/M-28. Support installation of pedestrian crossing markings and pedestrian signals at the intersection of US-41 /M-28. Support efforts to redesign the ninety degree corner on County Road 545 and improve road condition throughout its length. Build a connector road between US-41 and M-28 following the guidelines in Chapter 7. Build a connector between east end of Harvey and M-28 following the guidelines in Chapter 7. Continue the radial street design on the other corners of the intersection of US41 and M-28 as the need and opportunity exists. Update Township subdivision regulations and require interconnected streets and stub connections to permit future interconnection between new streets. Encourage all existing private roads to be upgraded and converted to public roads when they meet public road standards. Increase maintenance responsibilities of landowners on existing private roads. This may require a new separate ordinance that uses special assessments to require private road maintenance. Require all new roads serving more than two dwellings to be public. As discussed in Chapter 7, private roads are proliferating in the Township, as are requests for conversion to a public road. However, it is often financially difficult, if not impossible to do so after the fact. Many private roads are not well enough maintained to permit safe emergency vehicle access. Public roads are much better over time, especially when it becomes necessary to connect roads. Sewer and Water Strategies Following is a list of strategies that should be implemented to improve sewer services and add water service in the Township: • Sewer service will continue to be expanded upon request and at the expense of the benefiting property owners. • Sewer service will be expanded only within the area illustrated on Map 10-2 over the next 20 years. • A means to provide economical water service should continue to be explored for the Harvey area and from the west Township line along US-41/M-28 to onequarter mile from the US-41 /M-28 intersection. The market demand for a broader range of commercial and personal service businesses along US-41/M-28 will not be likely to be met without a municipal water supply. • Water service will only be provided within the area illustrated on Map 10-2 over the next 20 years if a water system is established in the Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-13 �Map 10-2 Public Sewer and Water Service Area Map Beyond 2025 LEGEND rw.l State Highway - - - - County H1gt...vay - - - Named Roads State Lands Lakes Streams . - - - Township Line Un-Named Roads - Sectiool.ine w~ Souroe Mtdi9¥1 Center for Geographic lnfonnauon, Dept of lnfOffllalion Tecmology Existing Sewer System Planned Sewer Expansions before 2025 Public Sewer and Water Service beyond 2025 • Map Prepared by the Land Information Access Associauon August 20CM Countt Road Bu ----; ,. '4 ' -\J •· · .•I l • ae 19 ,_ I " ,t ,. •l m " -~ --r I + I 11 I. " .:4 -~-~ 1 -i · ~ , .-, I " .' 23 ,. ill V) I M I ] l I I ~1 2 2, ~ (/,,~ ""~al,, c> 13 .d. ---l -- . . --- ,. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-14 ;I; 2' " • •l • 2' lp - ' �Recreation Following is a list of strategies that should be implemented to improve park and recreation services in the Township: • Existing park and recreation facilities should continue to be improved per the Township Parks and Recreation Plan. • New park and recreation land should be acquired consistent with the Parks and Recreation Plan, or in response to a unique opportunity presented to the Township which is approved by the Township Planning Commission and Township Board. • Expansion of existing snowmobile and non-motorized trails should be undertaken consistent with a Township Greenspace Plan with a greenways element, and such plan should be consistent with the Township Park and Recreation Plan. • The Township Park and Recreation Plan should be updated every 5 years to continue to be eligible for state and federal park and recreation improvement funds . Photo 10-6 Township Staff Works to Maintain and Improve Park and Recreation Services Entryway Strategies Following is a list of strategies that should be implemented to improve entryways into the Township: • Work with MOOT and private land owners to maintain where good and improve where needed the aesthetic character of the lands at the entry to Chocolay Township. • Create and install a quality sign with appropriate landscaping at each entryway to the Township. • Work with MOOT to construct a scenic turnoff at the south end of the Township on US-41 where it overlooks the Green Garden area. The Township may desire to help acquire the land necessary for the turnout in order to ensure a quality design and use by Township residents as well as travelers. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-15 �• Explore the potential for a scenic viewing area on the top of the Rock Bluff at the western end of the Township. This needs to be done in conjunction with the Michigan Tourist Center, Sands Township and the landowners involved. Budgeting Strategies Most of the above strategies will require careful budgeting for the preparation of special studies and subarea plans, as well as for some major capital improvements. As a result it is important that the Township Board, with input and support of the Planning Commission: • Adopt an annually update a capital improvements plan to aid in implementing the infrastructure strategies in this Plan. • Annually incorporate into the general fund budget, or other special budgets, adequate funds for conducting special planning studies, preparing updates to zoning or other related land regulations, or for the design of other implementation tools consistent with this Plan. RELATIONSHIP TO FUTURE LAND USE PLANS AND ZONING IN ADJOINING JURISDICTIONS Chocolay Township shares a border with six jurisdictions. Adjoining jurisdictions are illustrated on Figure 10-2. Figure 10-2 Adjoining Jurisdictions Marquette Township LauSuperlor Onota Township Sands Township West Branch Township Skandia Township ~ z ::> 0 ~ II- w ::> 0 >- Rock River Township I- §0 (.) a:: w (,!) ..J a:: < < ~ The comprehensive or future land use plans and zoning ordinances of each of the six communities adjoining Chocolay Township were requested at the start of the Plan update process. The intent was to examine them for their potential to affect land use in Chocolay Township. The Onota Township Policy Plan and Marquette City Plan were obtained and examined. Future land use plans and zoning ordinances were not provided for Skandia and West Branch Townships, however, the County Planning Department and the Skandia Township Zoning Administrator provided some basic zoning information. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-16 �Onota Township Plan Onota Township and Chocolay Township share a common boundary on the east side of the Township. Onota Township is in Alger County. There were only 146 occupied dwellings in the Township in 2000 and most were along M-28. The Township worked with CUPPAD and prepared a draft Policy Plan in October 2004. It does not include a future land use map, but focuses on preservation of rural character and future residential as opposed to nonresidential development in the Township. It is difficult to say more about the degree of compatibility between planned future land uses. No copy of a zoning map was provided and it is unclear what zoning controls are being implemented along the Onota Township border with Chocolay Township. The present land uses are compatible with Chocolay Township zoning for that area. Rock River Township No response was received from Rock River Township and nothing is known about proposed plans or zoning in the Township. Chocolay and Rock River only touch at a point and no major road is located there, so the likelihood of any land use incompatibilities are small. Existing land uses are compatible. Skandia Township Zoning Skandia Township and Chocolay Township share a border along half of the southern boundary of the Township. Sections 1 through 5 are zoned TP-40 which is Timber Production and has a 40-acre minimum lot size. This zoning classification occurs on land of which a majority is owned by the State of Michigan. Section 6 is zoned RP-20 which is resource production on 20-acre lots. Each of these zoning classifications appear to be consistent with proposed future land uses in Chocolay Township. West Branch Township Zoning West Branch Township and Chocolay Township share a border along half of the southern boundary of the Township. A portion of Section 4 and Sections 5 and 6 are zoned RP-20 which is resource production on 20-acre parcels. A portion of Sections 3 and 4 are zoned RR-10 which is rural residential on 10-acre lots. The rest of the property is zoned RR-5 except for a small portion of Sections 1 and 2 which is zoned RR-2. Each of these zoning classifications appear to be consistent with the future land uses in Chocolay Township except for the RR-2 and RR-5 districts which may promote a higher density than what is desired in this part of the Township, although this density will not have a significant negative effect on the Chocolay Township RR-2 and RP districts. Sands Township Zoning Sands Township shares a border with Chocolay Township along the west side of the Township. There is no future land use plan in Sands Township. The Zoning Map has four different zoning categories on lands abutting Chocolay Township. In Section 1, and parts of Sections 12 and 13 the land is predominantly zoned R-1 A which permits residential development on 30,000 sq.ft. lots (0.688 dwelling units/acre). In parts of Sections 12, 13 and 24, the land is zoned R-1 B which also permits residential development on 30,000 sq. ft. lots. In the lower half of Section 24 the land is zoned F-1 which permits one dwelling per 2.5 acres. In Section 25, the land is zoned for Forestry and Recreation (F-2) which permits dwellings at one dwelling per 5 acres. Each of these zoning categories are compatible with proposed future land uses in that portion of Chocolay Township. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-17 �City of Marquette Plan and Zoning The City of Marquette touches Chocolay Township only at the point that Sands Township and Chocolay also meet at the rock bluff on the northwestern edge of the Township. The City has the area at the point along the Lake Superior shore planned for residential use, and the area on the south side of US-41 /M-28 planned for recreation/open space. These are compatible land uses. However, land in this area is currently zoned General Business and, if developed as currently zoned, may create a conflict with the future land uses provided for in this Plan. Marquette County Comprehensive Plan The Marquette County Comprehensive Plan was adopted in July 1982 and has been amended several times. The Plan is a general policy plan and does not contain a future land use map, however, the Goals and Policies outlined in the Marquette County Comprehensive Plan support the future land use recommendations in this Plan. John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 10 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 10-18 �-- Chapter 11 ZONING PLAN INTRODUCTION This chapter opens with a general description of a zoning plan. It is followed by a brief explanation of the relationship between this Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Ordinance of Chocolay Township. Next, the intent and key dimensional standards of the zoning districts in the Zoning Ordinance are briefly described. As they exist, the districts are consistent with the Future Land Use Map and land use descriptions in Chapter 10, but they could be revised to be significantly closer to that proposed in Chapter 10. If the districts are changed , this chapter should be updated to reflect the changes made. WHAT IS A ZONING PLAN? A "zoning plan" is another term for a "zone plan" which is used in the Michigan planning and zoning enabling acts. Section 1(a) of the Township Planning Act, PA 168 of 1959, as amended, requires that the plan prepared under that act serve as the basis for the zoning plan. Section 7 of the Township Zoning Act, PA 184 of 1943, as amended, requires a zoning plan be prepared as the basis for the zoning ordinance. The zoning plan identifies the zoning districts and their purposes, as well as the basic standards proposed to control the height, area, bulk, location, and use of buildings and premises in the township. It must be based on an inventory of conditions pertinent to zoning in the township and the purposes for which zoning may be adopted (as described in Section 3 of the Township Zoning Act). RELATIONSHIP TO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE This Comprehensive Plan Update sets forth the vision, goals and policies for growth and development in Chocolay Township for approximately the next twenty years. It includes a specific strategy for managing growth and change in land uses and infrastructure in Chocolay Township over this period, and will be periodically reviewed and updated at least once each five years. This chapter presenting the Zoning Plan, along with the rest of the relevant parts of this Comprehensive Plan, is intended to guide the implementation of and future changes to the Zoning Ordinance. However, existing permitted uses of land, including density, setbacks and other related standards are as established in the Zoning Ordinance. DISTRICTS AND DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS Following are the general purposes and characteristics of zoning within Chocolay Township. The specific purpose of each zoning district and permitted land uses are listed in the Chocolay Township Zoning Ordinance. The Section references indicate where detailed ordinance language is located within the ordinance. Table 11-1 presents a summary of key dimensional standards under the Zoning Ordinance requirements as they existed in Chocolay Township in early 2005. ZONING DISTRICTS Residential Districts The following zoning districts are considered "residential districts." Section 202 R-1 Residential 1 District Section 203 R-2 Residential 2 District The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 11-1 �Section Section Section Section Section 204 205 206 207 208 R-3 Residential 3 District R-4 Residential 4 District LS/R Lakeshore-River District RR-1 Rural Residential 1 District RR-2 Rural Residential 2 District The principal purpose of these districts is to provide for a range of residential dwelling types at various densities within individual zones tailored for specific uses. Minimum lot areas range from 25,000 square feet to 20 acres. R-1 and R-2 districts, address detached single family residences in a low density setting. The R-3 district is similar to R-1 and R-2 but encourages medium density by allowing multiple residences. The minimum lot area for all three districts is 25,000 square feet. The R-4 district addresses mobile home parks where the density is limited to 7 mobile homes per acre. The Lakeshore-River district borders portions of Lake Superior and Lake Kawbawgam and accommodates both residential and recreational uses. The minimum lot area for this district is 25,000 square feet. The RR-1 district is a low density district established to maintain the integrity of the rural environment in an alternative residential setting. The minimum lot area for this district is 2 acres. The RR-2 district is a low density district with limited accessibility and infrastructure. This area of the Township is where farming, dairying, forestry operations and other similar rural-type land uses exist and are intended to be encouraged and/or preserved. Detached single family residences are allowed in the RR-2 district on lots with a minimum area of 5 acres and a minimum lot width of 300 feet. Chapter 10 proposed that the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts be consolidated into a new R-25 zone in recognition of the minimum lot size and that a new R-12 district be established. It would be applied to lots within Harvey where most lots are nonconforming under existing zoning. The R-12 district with a 12,000 square foot minimum lot size would make them conforming. The R-4 district is proposed to be renamed to MFR to reflect a permitted density appropriate for mobile home parks and apartments. The RR-1 district is also proposed for possible elimination (see related text in Chapter 10). The RR-2 district is proposed for revision to establish 1 dwelling unit/20 acres as the base density (like the OS and RP districts), but land could be developed at 1 dwelling unit/5 acres if done using cluster zoning with a minimum of 50% of the land preserved as permanent open space. The zoning map is proposed for changes (see related text in Chapter 10) consistent with the above changes, plus the LS/R district is proposed to be extended along the entire Lake Superior Shoreline and along Lake Kawbawgam, and be renamed to Lakeshore District. Commercial and Industrial Districts The following zoning districts are presently considered "commercial districts." Section 209 C-1 Commercial 1 District Section 210 C-2 Commercial 2 District Section 211 C-3 Commercial 3 District The basic purpose of these districts is to provide opportunities for regulated commercial or office activities serving both local and area shopping needs. Minimum lot areas range from 25,000 square feet to one acre in size. The C-1 district provides small retail and service establishments designed to promote convenient pedestrian shopping and stability of retail development by targeting local and area residents and minimizing heavy commercial impact. The C-2 and C-3 districts are located along the main highway The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 11-2 �corridors and are designed to promote automobile-oriented shopping with on-site parking . In addition, the C-3 district promotes light industrial use and locations are most compatible when adjacent to C-2 districts. Motor vehicle sales, rental of farm equipment, food packing and bottling works are typical uses for this C-3 district. Minimum lot area for both the C-1 and C-2 districts are 25,000 square feet and the minimum lot area for the C-3 district is 1 acre. Chapter 10 proposes renaming the C-3 district I-Industrial, revising the purpose statement to more closely match light and perhaps heavier industrial uses. Commercial, wholesale and highway service uses would also be permitted, but not general retail uses. Resource Production District The following zoning district is considered a "resource production district". Section 212 RP Resource Production District This district is designed for low intensity use due to its location and environmental surroundings. It is best suited for agricultural, forestry, and recreational uses. Single family housing is allowed on lots or parcels that are 20 acres or more in size. Open Space District The following zoning district is considered an "open space district." Section 213 OS Open Space District This district is designed to maximize preservation of existing environments by discouraging development on land that because of their soil, drainage or topographic characteristics, have been deemed unsuitable for intensive development. The minimum lot area for a single family home in this district is 20 acres. There is very little difference between the OS and RP districts and they are proposed to be merged and renamed Agriculture-Forestry (A-F). Public Lands Zoning District The following zoning district is considered a "public lands zoning district." Section 214 Public Lands District The purpose of the Public Lands district is to provide adequate land resources for the purposes of administering and performing necessary public services by the Township of Chocolay and other public agencies. Land in this zoning district is intended solely for public buildings and related uses. There is no minimum lot area within this district. Not all public lands are in this district. Lands managed by the DNR for forestry, wildlife or recreation are in the RP or OS districts. Chapter 10 recommends that only Township owned lands be permitted in the PL district. Schools would be permitted in any residential or commercial district. Planned Unit Development District The following zoning district is considered a "planned unit development district." Section 215 PUD Planned Unit Development District The Planned Unit Development district was established to incorporate mixed residential and commercial land uses. The goal of the district is to encourage innovative ways to develop this land by having more flexibility in the zoning than the other zoning districts, although the predominant use is residential, except in the case of golf course PUDs where it both recreation and residential. The district also encourages open space for The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 11-3 �recreational activities and preservation of the existing environment. The minimum lot area within this district is 2 acres. The lands in this district are reflected on the future land use map in the land use category most dominant in the PUD-single family residential. Table 11-1 Chocolay Township Zoning District Regulations 2005 Minimum Lot Area Minimum Lot Width 125 ft. Maximum Ground Coverage Ratio None Maximum Floor Area Ratio None 30 ft. Front Setback R-1 25,000 S.f. D R-2 25,000 S.f. D 125 ft. None None R-3 25,000 s.f. 125 ft. 25% 30 ft. R-4 20 acres ** None 30% None None 30 ft. LS/R 25,000 s.f. 2 acres 125 ft. 200 ft. None RR-1 None None RR-2 C-1* 5 acres 300 ft. None 25,000 s.f. 125 ft. C-2* C-3* RP OS PUD Public Lands s.f. Side Setback Maximum Building Height ts 25 ft. 30 ft. F 30 ft. r 30 ft.,. 30 ft. 30 ft.,. 30 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. B 30 ft. 30 ft.,. None 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. None 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. A 40% 80% 30 ft. 5 ft. 20 ft. 30 ft. ,. 40 ft. 5 ft. 20 ft. 30 ft.,. 30 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. Rear Setback B 0 35 ft. 25 ft. 25,000 s.f. 125 ft. 40% 80% 1 acre 20 acres 150 ft. 40% None 80% 40 ft. 5 ft. None 30 ft. 30 ft. 20 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. None 20 acres None None None 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. A 2 acres 200 ft. None None E E E E None None None None 40 ft. 20 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. =square feet, ft. =feet Footnotes: A. Height at any point on a structure shall not exceed the horizontal distance to any lot line. B. A detached accessory building not exceeding 14 feet in height and not exceeding 720 square feet may be located within six feet of a side lot line and 20 feet from a rear lot line. A detached accessory building less than 100 square feet and so located that no portion is located in the front yard setback is exempt from the provisions of the zoning ordinance. C. Lot width shall be measured at front setback line. D. 18,750 sq .ft. where lot is served by public sewer and/or water supply E. Setbacks and height limits are to be determined as required by the original zoning district. Any modifications are subject to the final approval of the PUD. F. No detached accessory building shall exceed fifteen (15) feet in height nor exceed the exterior perimeter dimensions of the principal structure on the lot. * See Section 400 of the Chocolay Township Zoning Ordinance ** See Section 205 (D) (1) of the Chocolay Township Zoning Ordinance RECOMMENDATIONS Chapter 10 set forth a number of recommendations for changes to the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map to best implement this Plan. Those recommendations are incorporated into this Chapter by reference and are summarized briefly below. In addition, other proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance are proposed to address day-to-day problems encountered with zoning administration. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 11-4 A �1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Consolidate the RP and OS districts into a new district named AgricultureForestry and keep the same dimensional standards as presently exist, with a continuation of the 300 front footage requirement. Eliminate the RR-2 district as a separate district, but modify the AF district to continue allowing a minimum lot size for uses by right of 20 acres, and permit rural clustering with a minimum of 50% open space based on a density of one dwelling unit per 5 acres by special use permit. The ordinance should specifically acknowledge that any existing 5 acre lots are not nonconforming. Eliminate the RR-1 District by consolidating portions of the district into AF or R12/R-25 Districts to be consistent with abutting property, per the guidelines in Chapter 10. Rename the LS/R district to Lakeshore Residential and rezone all the privately owned lots on Lake Superior into that zone. Allow single family uses by right and resorts or other recreation uses by special use permit. Consider creating a separate Riverfront Residential district, if warranted. Consolidate the R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts into a single district since they all have the same minimum lot size and setbacks and call it R-25. Create a new district for all lots in Harvey with dimensional standards that match existing lot lines and call it R-12. Rename the R-4 district to MFR to permit both manufactured homes and multiple family uses at the same density, and consistent with the other dimensional regulations presently allowed. Rename the C-3 district as 1-1 and permit industrial uses and some commercial uses by right, and possibly other commercial uses by special use permit. Retain the PL district, and put all Township public lands used for a structural use in the district, but keep all DNR lands in the Agriculture-Forestry district. Allow schools as a use by right in any residential district. Amend the private road regulations in Section 402, to add better design, construction, and maintenance standards, including authority to require a special assessment for improvements on private roads that have been neglected, per the recommendations in Chapter 10. Provide a maximum length for cul-de-sacs, require stub streets for future connections to streets on abutting property and require all developments with more than thirty lots to have two or more means of public ingress and egress. Consider adding a section regulating fences, and if added, be sure to require that the finished side of the fence must face abutting property. Add snow storage requirements to Section 500 - Off-Street Parking. Change the last sentence in the first paragraph of Section 403 to require ordinance setbacks be applied to nonconforming parcels. Consider adding additional flag lot (20' requirement in Section 402), requirements to greatly limit where they can be created, or prohibit flag lots altogether. If prohibited, decide how best to address land-locked parcels. The general standards of the Ordinance need to be updated along the lines of Section 80.60 of the City of Marquette Zoning Ordinance. Definitions in the Zoning Ordinance need to be updated to reflect all of the terms used in the ordinance. At a minimum there needs to be a definition for a trail (motorized and non-motorized), junkyard, and park. Create guidelines that address the placement of temporary storage structures used as accessory buildings. John :\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 11 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 11-5 ��INTRODUCTION As important a benchmark as this updated Comprehensive Plan represents, the initiatives proposed in this Plan will not implement themselves. It will take continued support and commitment for many years. The central ingredients to successful Plan implementation will be: • Commitment by the Planning Commission, the Board of Trustees, and staff of the Township . • A citizenry better educated on the vision in this Plan. FOCUSING ON PRIORITIES As the body principally responsible for preparing and maintaining a land use plan for a community, but one which also has substantial responsibilities in review of proposed developments for zoning compliance, it is easy for a Planning Commission to become distracted with ongoing tasks or ad hoc, controversial issues. Still, the Commission needs to prioritize its tasks relative to implementation of this Plan. Time needs to be set aside for high priority items. These include the preparation of an annual report and work program for the next year, drafting updates to the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations , assisting the Township Board with any capital improvements or public land acquisitions or disposals, and the five-year Plan update. These are discussed below. ANNUAL TASKS As required by the Township Planning Act, the Planning Commission should prepare an annual report to the Board of Trustees on all the activities it undertook in the previous year, with a special focus on actions taken to implement the Plan. A proposed work program that identifies priorities and projected expenses for the next year should also be prepared and submitted in time to be included in the annual Township budget process. TOP PRIORITIES The Planning Commission cannot be expected to implement all of the measures listed Chapter Eight (Vision , Goals, Objectives, and Policies), Chapter Ten (Future Land Use & Infrastructure Management) and Chapter Eleven (Zoning Plan) alone. Many of these can only be accomplished with support from the Township Board and with help from other agencies or groups. It is essential that discussions begin with each of these entities so that they understand the goals, find agreeable common ground as well as where there are differences, and obtain a commitment to a common action . One approach to establishing priorities is to use the following guidelines: • Establish as a high priority those actions that are the precursor to other actions or initiatives. One example is the action to reexamine the residential zoning districts with an eye to eliminating or consolidating some, and rezoning some lands. • Those actions that are assigned to a particular group (like the Planning Commission) elsewhere in this Plan are a high priority. The Charter Townsh ip of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 12-1 �• • A lower priority may be those actions that are not assigned to a group or broadly identify the "Township" as the responsible party. If an action does not list a responsible party, it remains a lower priority until a group or agency steps forward. Photo 12-1 A Key Priority is to Study the Feasibility and Timing of Provision of a Public Water System to Serve the Northwest Portion of the Township, Such as this Home in Harvey The following activities should be the key priorities of the Planning Commission for the next five years: • Educate all citizens about the vision, goals, objectives, and policies of the updated Comprehensive Plan and provide technical assistance in the integration of these elements into property owner development and redevelopment efforts. • Undertake the ROW study along US-41/M-28 to determine the feasibility of a 150' boulevard, and if feasible, change zoning standards to assist with ROW acquisition, as well as creating a budget element to acquire ROW as the opportunity exists. Be sure to retain the portion of land in front of the existing Township Hall for future ROW in the event of any sale of that property. See the guidelines in Chapter 7. • Update the Township Zoning Ordinance to be consistent with this Plan as outlined in Chapter 10 and 11. Adopt access management regulations as part of the Zoning Ordinance and • implement the recommendations of the US-41 /M-28 Comprehensive Corridor . Access Management Plan. • Review other land development regulations in the Township (such as land division and subdivision regulations) and update as necessary to be consistent with this Plan. • Review the private road regulations and revise to require a maintenance agreement whereby landowners served by the private road pick up all future maintenance and improvement costs, and require connections to other existing private or public roads in the area wherever feasible. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 12-2 �• • • • • • • • • • • Conduct a feasibility study for the creation of the new roads depicted on Map 7-3 and develop the best mechanisms to pursue development of those roads at the appropriate times Continue to study the feasibility and appropriate timing for development of a water system to serve the northwest developed part of the Township. Assist the Township Board with decisions on public land acquisition, development or disposition. Develop a Township Greenspace Plan with a Trails Plan sub-element in conjunction with the Township Board, the Park and Recreation Commission, the DNR, MOOT and the County Road Commission. The Trails Plan sub-element would identify trail locations and options for creating the trails, as well as identify and implement tools for acquisition of title or development rights from willing sellers, and set up funding mechanisms for implementation. Use this Plan in the analysis and review of proposed rezonings, zoning text amendments, site plans, and new or amended master plans of adjoining jurisdictions submitted to the Township for statutory review and comment. Exercise the inter-jurisdictional review authority of draft plans and plan amendments in ways to improve local decisions by guiding decisions toward integrated and coordinated solutions based on the core policies in this Plan. Monitor neighboring jurisdiction and County agency decisions and periodically inform other local governments and the County Board of Commissioners on the status of efforts to implement this Comprehensive Plan. Join efforts with others outside the Township to modernize planning and zoning enabling legislation and to authorize or use new tools to better manage growth and preserve open space. At least once each five years, the Comprehensive Plan should be thoroughly reviewed and updated by the Planning Commission with support from the Township Board. Develop a Capital Improvements Plan Consider developing sub-area plans in conjunction with large scale property owners in the Township. John f:\winword\chocolay\final\CHAPTER 12 final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 12-3 �Appendix A The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 A-1 �2000 Census Demographic Profile ) Chocolay township Marquette County MCD's Number Number Percent TOTAL POPULATION SEXAAl>AGE Male 7,148 PERSONS BY RACE 4,157 58.2% Female 2,991 41.8% Onc~c White Black or African American American Indian/Alaska Native Asian TOTAL POPULATION Under 5 Ycan S to 9 years 10 to 14 years 15 ro 17 yea,, JS and 19 years 20 ro 24 yem 320 421 ·458 546 696 731 710 588 6 .4% 7 .6% 9.7% 10.2% 9.9% 8.2% 402 288 371 172 33 5.6% 4.0% 5.2% 2.4o/1 0.5% 1,570 5,344 576 22.0% 74.8% 8.1% 499 25 ro 29 years 30 to 34 years 35 to 39 years 40 10 44 yea,, 45 to 49 yea.rs to 54 yea.rs so 55 10 59 year, 60 to 64 years 6510 74 years 75 to 84 years 85 years and over Persons under 18 years Persons 21 yean and over Persons 65 years and over FEMALE t;oder 5 Years Sto9ycan lOto 14yem IS to 17 ycars JS and 19 years 20 to 24 ycan 149 208 252 155 ycan yem years years ycan 55 to 59 years 60 to 64 years 65 to 74 years 15 to S4 years 85 years and o"·c r 2.9% 115 143 179 277 288 317 254 2.0% 2.5% 3 .9% 4.0% 4.4% 3.6% 186 132 171 Females under 18 ycan Females 21 years and ovCT Females 65 years and over 2.1% 3.5% 2.2% 0. 8% l.6Y• 56 25 ro 29 yean 30 ro 34 35to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 330 158 425 4.5% 5.9'/4 7 .0% 4.6% 2.2% 5.9'/4 2.6% Native Hawaiian/Pacific I.slander Some Other Race Two or More Races Percent 7,023 6,193 619 144 41 98.3% 86.6% 5 0.1'/4 21 125 0.3% 1.7% 8.7¾ 2.0¾ 0 .6% PERSONS BY HISPANIC ORIGIN AND RACE Hispanic or Latino(of any race) Not Hispanic or Latino Oncl!acc White Black or African American American Indian/Alaska Native AJian Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Some Other Race Two or more races 0.8% 57 7,091 99.2% 6,162 616 143 41 86.2"/4 8.6% 2.0% 5 5 0 . 1'/4 0.61/, 0 .1% 1.7% 119 PERSONS BY RELATIONSHIP TO HOUSEHOLDER 1,479 1,883 1,799 84 Spouse Child Natural born or adopted Stq, Grandchild Brother or sister Parent Othc:r relatives NonrclativC$ Roomer or boarder Housemate or roomatc Foster child Other nonrc:lativcs 20.7% 26.3% 25 .2% 1.2% 0.6% 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% 3.2% 0.2% 40 26 20 31 229 16 36 14 163 o.s•;. 0.2% 2.3% CHILDRE!'( BY LIVJNG ARRANGEMENT Total children In households In group quarters In.stirutionaliz.ed population NonillSlltut1onal ized 1,570 1,566 99_7•;, 0.3% 0.3',0 0.0% 4 4 0 1.8% 88 2.4% 1.2% 21 0.3% 764 2,146 280 10.7% 30.0% 3.9% PERSONS 65 YEARS+ BY LI\T.\'G ARRANGEMEST 576 Total persons 65 years and over In households 568 In group quarters 8 lnstirutionaliz.ed population 8 Noninstitutionalized 0 98 .6% 1.4% 1.4% O.O'lc MEDIA.'i AGE Total 38.I 37.2 Male Female 39.4 POPULATION IN OCCUPIED HOUSr.-lG UN1TS Populatioo in owner-occupied units 5,329 Popu.latioo in renter-occupied units 703 74.6% 9.8% ) H'SUIC~ntcr for Urba1t Stwdiu/MJMJC Sourct: The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 A-2 ]O<)() c~n.nu �2000 Census Demographic Profile Chocolay township Marquette County MCD's Number Percent HOUSING OCCUPANCY Total housing units Occupied housing units Vacant housing units For rent For sale onJy For seasonal, recreational, or HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES Total households Total persons in households A\·eragc household size 2.324 6.032 2.60 Total fa.'Tlilies 1.742 5.221 3.00 Total pe~n.s in families Average family size Percent Number 2,643 2,324 319 45 occasional use 87.9% 12.1% 1.7% 7 0.3'Y~ 195 7.4¾ All percents: Ul this column are based oo total bouseh0Jd1 HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE (related cbUdn,a) Family Households (families) With related children under 18 With related children under 6 1,742 863 298 75.0% 37.1% 12.8"/4 Married~ouple family With related children under 18 With related children under 6 Male householder, no wife present With related children under 18 With related children under 6 1,479 671 237 63.6% 91 61 24 3.9% 2.6¾ 172 131 37 7.4% Female householder, no husband present With related children under 18 With related children under 6 HOUSL1'G TENURE Occupied bouslng units 2,324 Owner-occupied housing units Renter-occupied housing units 1,974 350 84.9% 15.1% 28.9% 10.2% AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE BY TENURE A veragc size of owner-occupied units A veragc siu of renter-occupied units 1.0% 2.70 2.01 5.6% 1.6% HOUSEHOLDS BY TENURE AND AGE OF HOUSEHOLDER ) UNMARRIED-PARTNER HOUSEHOLDS Total unmarried-partner households Male householder and male partner Female householder and female partnerMale and female partners Owner--occupied units 113 4 4.9'/4 8 IOI 0.2¾ 0.3¾ 4.3% 582 487 252 235 25.00/i 21.0% 10.8% 10. 1% 175 139 70 7.5% 6.00/4 3.0% Householder 15 to 24 years Householdu 25 to 34 years Householder 35 to 44 yean Householder 45 to 54 yean Householder 55 to 64 years Householder 65 to 74 years Householder 75 to 84 years Hoosehold.er 85 years and over NOliFAMILY HOUSEHOLDS Total nonfamily households Householder living alone Male householder Female householder Houic:holder 60 yean and over Householder 65 years and over Householder 75 years and over Renter~c11pled units Householder 15 to 24 years Householder 25 to 34 years Householder 35 to 44 years Householder 45 to 54 yea~ Householder 55 to 64 years Householder 65 to 74 ye.an Householder 75 to 84 years Householder 85 years and over HOUSEHOLDS WITH CHILDREN Total households ""'ith children Family households Married-couple families Olhcr families Nonfamily households 884 865 673 192 19 38.0% 37.2% 29.0o/, 8.3% 0.8% HOUSEHOLDS \\1TH PERSO:-iS 65 YEARS AND OVER Total households with person(s) 65 years-;Family households Nonfamily households 408 261 147 17.6% 11.2% 6.3% 487 828 428 370 165 31 15 21.00/4 35.6% 18.4% 15.9'/4 7.1% 1.3% 0.6% ) 18 201 489 576 363 207 98 22 0.8% 8.6% 21.0% 24.8% 15.6% 8.9'/4 4.2% 0.9% 350 40 92 77 57 34 25 21 4 1.7% 4.0% 3.3% 2.5% 1.5% l.]% 0.9% 0.2°,, GROUP QUARTERS POPULATION lnsntutionalizcd population Correctional institutions N~~Homes Other institutions Noninstinuionalized population College dormitories Military quarters Other group quarten HOUSEHOLD BY SIZE I-person household 2--person household 3-pcrson household 4-pcrson household S•pcrson household ~person household 7-or~morc person household 1,974 WSU/Cenier for Urban Studie~'IMJMJC 1,116 I.I 12 0 4 0 0 0 0 100.00/4 99.6% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% o.o,, Source: 2000 Census The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 A-3 �UNITED ST ATES DEPARTMENT OF CO MM ERCE Economics and Stat ist ics Adm in istration U .S. Census Bu reau Washington :JC 2C233-00C 1 OFFICE OF 7HE DIREC-OR \1arch 11, 2002 FRO:.f THE ACTING DIRECTOR C.S CEXSUS BUREAU This is an official statement of the reYised Census 2000 population and housing unit coums for Chocolay township, Marquene County, :'vfichigan, including corrections made through March 4, 2002. According to the official returns of the TWENTY-SECO>.'D DECE°N">.'IAL CE:'iSuS OF THE L">-"1TED STATES, on file in the l.".S. Census Bureau, the counts as of April 1. 2000, for Chocolay township, :-.1arquette County, Michigan, are: Population . . ........ . . . ... . .. 6,095 Housing Units ......... . ....... 2,643 Sincerely, William G. Barron, Jr. This sta:ement is being sent to the highest elected official of this goYemmental unit, the Secretary of S:ate, and other state officials. Census counts used for Congressional apportionment and legislative redistricting and the Census :woo data products will remain unchanged. The Census Bureau will include the corrections in the errata information to be made available via the Lrnemet on ihe American Fac1Finder system and used specifically to modify the decennial census file for use in yearly postcensal estimates beginning in December 2002. De;ails regarding the Census Bureau ·s calculation of these figures are attached. lfyou require addi:ional information, please call the Census Bureau's Count Question Resolution program staff. toll-free, on I (866) 546-0527. USCENSUSBUREAU www.census.g::::,•; John f:\winword\chocolay\final\Append ix A final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 A-4 �Appendix 8 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 B-1 �APPENDIX B Summary of Major Soil Series in Chocolay Township Au Gres (AuA): Somewhat poorly drained soils developed in sixty inches or more of sand . Occurs in outwash and till plains. Water table fluctuates between two and ten feet. Alluvial (Ad): This is a soil that occurs along streams. It is subject to flooding by stream overflow. Drainage is variable. The water table fluctuates with the level of the stream. Textures are variable in short distances, but the sandiest material is usually closest to the stream. Water movement through the soil is variable. Bohemian (BhB): Well to moderately well-drained soils with loamy surface layer over loam to light silty clay loam, which in turn is underlain with calcareous, stratified silts and very fine sands. Occurs in lake plains. Thickness and texture of layers variable. Brimley (BrA): Somewhat poorly drained soils with loamy surface very fine layer over loamy material. Calcareous, stratified sandy loamsilts and very fine sands at a depth ranging from 24 to 42 inches. Nearly level lake plains. Water table fluctuates between two and ten feet. Texture and thickness of layers variable. Burt (Bu): Poorly drained soils with less than 20 inches of mucky sand sandy loam sand over sandstone bedrock. Numerous sandstone fragments and slabs on surface and in profile. Water table at or near the surface unless drained. Subject to ponding. Burt (BwA): This is a somewhat poorly drained sandy soil loamy sand underlain by sandstone bedrock at 10 to 20 inches. It has a seasonally high water table which fluctuates between about six inches to below the bedrock. Water movement through the soil is rapid in the soil material. Natural fertility is low. Carbondale (Ck): Very poorly drained soils with more than 42 inches of muck and peat. Derived from coniferous woody plants mixed with fibrous materials. Nearly level and depressional areas subject to water ponding. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Chippeny (Cm): Very poorly drained soils with 12 to 15 inches of muck or peat over limestone bedrock. Organic material derived from wood material mixed with fibrous material. Subject to ponding. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Thin mineral layer is common between organic material and bedrock. Crosswell (CrA): Moderately well-drained soils with sandy surface sand layer over acid sands to 60 inches or more. Found in low dunes, outwash and lake plains. Drouthy and subject to wind erosion. Water table commonly below five feet, but can be within three feet of surface in wet periods. Dawson (Da): Very poorly drained soils with 12 to 42 inches of muck extremely to strongly acid muck and peat over sands. Level and depressional areas subject to water ponding. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Deer Park (DkB): Well-drained soils with sandy surface layer over acid sandsands to 60 inches or more. Found in low dunes, outwash, and lake plains. Drouthy and subject to wind erosion. The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 B-2 �Deerton (DmB): Well or moderately well-drained sand or loamy sand sand soils 20 to 40 inches deep over acid sandstone bedrock of 20 to 40 inches. Occurs in till plains and bedrock benches. Deerton (DoA): This is a somewhat poorly drained sandy soil sand wet underlain by sandstone bedrock of 20 to 40 inches. It variant has a seasonally high water table which fluctuates between about one foot to below the sandstone. Water movement through the soil is moderately rapid to rapid in the soil materials. Deerton (DsB) This is a well-drained sandy soil underlain by sand shale-sandstone bedrock at 10 to 20 inches. Water movement low variant through the soil is moderately rapid to rapid . Deford (Dt): Poorly drained to very poorly drained soils with loamy fine loamy fine sand surface soil over stratified fine sand, very fine sand and loamy fine sand . Thickness and texture of layers vary greatly. Nearly level and depressional areas of outwash and lake plains. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Dune land (Du): This miscellaneous land type consists of long narrow strips of sand dunes which occur along the shore lines of Lake Superior. The areas of dune land comprise partly stabilized dunes which lie immediately inland from the lake beach. The dunes have slopes that range from 8 - 40%. Soil profiles developed in these areas are virtually absent. Vegetation is sparse and consists of beach grass, yew, and scattered jack pines. Gay muck (Ga): Poorly and very poorly drained soils with loamy sandy loam surface layers over sandy loam or light sandy clay loam. Acid sandy loam at a depth ranging from 33 to 48 inches. Depressional areas on till plains and moraines. Water at or near surface unless drained. Subject to water ponding. Greenwood (Gw): Very poorly drained soils with more than 42 inches of peat strongly acid muck and peat. Derived from mosses and sedges in leatherleaf bogs. Nearly level and depressional areas subject to water ponding. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Ingalls (lnA): Somewhat poorly drained soils with 18 to 42 inches of sand, loamy sand or sand over calcareous stratified silts and very fine sands. Occurs in lake plains. Water table fluctuates between two and ten feet. Kalkaska (KaB): Well-drained soils with sandy surface layer over acid sands to 60 inches or more. Found in low dunes, outwash and lake plains. Weakly cemented at 10 to 24 inches in some area. Drouthy and subject to wind erosion . Kawbawgam (KbA): Somewhat poorly drained soils with 20 to 40 inches of sandy loamsandy loam over sandstone bedrock. Sandstone fragments on the surface and throughout the profile in some areas. Keweenaw (KmA): Well-drained or moderately well-drained soils having loamy, sandy loamy, sand surface layer over loamy sand with a thin sandy loam layer and a very weak to moderate fragipan . Acid loamy sand at about 30 inches. Occurs in till plains and The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 B-3 �moraines. Strata of sand or sandy loam below 24 inches in some area. Keweenaw (KmA): This is a somewhat poorly drained predominantly sandy loamy sand soil. It has a seasonally high water table which wet variant fluctuates between about one and six feet. Water movement through the soil is moderately rapid . Keweenaw (Kp ): This is a poorly drained predominantly sandy soil. It has a seasonally high water table which fluctuates poorly between the surface and about three feet. Water drained movement through the soil is moderately rapid. Kinross (Kr): Poorly to very poorly drained soils having a sandy mucky sand surface layer over very strongly to strongly acid sands. Depressions and nearly level areas of outwash and lake plains. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Subject to water ponding. Munising (MuB): Well-drained to moderately well-drained soils with sandy loam, loamy surface layer over sandy clay to sandy loam. Acid sandy loam glacial till at a depth ranging from 30 to about 50 inches. Occurs in till plains and moraines. Stony in some areas. Moderate to strong fragipan at about 18 inches. Ocqueoc (OcB): Well-drained and moderately well-drained soils with fine sand18 to 42 inches of sand or loamy sand , over calcareous stratified silts and very fine sands. Occurs in lake plains. Onota sand (OnB): Well-drained and moderately well-drained soils having loam20 to 40 inches of sandy loam glacial material over sandstone bedrock. Numerous sandstone fragments and slabs on surface and throughout profile in some areas. Onota sandy (Op): This is a poorly drained loamy soil underlain by loam poorly sandstone bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. It has a drained seasonally high water table which fluctuates from the variant surface to about three feet. Water movement through the soil is moderate. Rousseau (RoB): Well-drained soils with fine sandy surface layer over fine sand. Acid stratified fine and very fine sands to 60 inches or more. Found in low dunes, outwash and lake plains. Drouthy and subject to wind erosion . Rubicon (RuB): Well-drained soils with sandy surface layer over acid sand. Sands to 60 inches or more. Found in low dunes, outwash and lake plains. Drouthy and subject to wind erosion . Seney sand (SeB): This is a well-drained sandy soil. Water movement through the soil is rapid . Skanee (SkA): Somewhat poorly drained soils with loamy surface sandy loam layer over sandy loam or sandy clay loam. Acid sandy loam glacial till at a depth ranging from 24 to about 36 inches. Occurs in till plains an moraines. Water table fluctuates between two and ten feet. Weak to moderate fragipan, 5 to 18 inches thick, at about 24 inches. Tawas muck (Ts): Very poorly drained soils with 12 to 42 inches of muck and peat over sands. Organic material derived from coniferous woody plants mixed with fibrous The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 B-4 �material. Level and depressional areas subject to water ponding. Water table at or near surface unless drained. Wainola (WaA): Somewhat poorly drained soils with loamy fine sand fine sand surface soil over stratified fine sand, very fine sand and loamy fine sand. Thickness and texture of layers varies greatly. Nearly level areas of outwash and lake plains. Water table fluctuates between one and ten feet. Yalmer (Ya): This is a well-drained sandy soil underlain by loamy material at 20 inches to 40 inches. It has a hardpan (fragipan) in the upper 4 to 16 inches of the loamy material. Water movement through the soil is rapid in the sandy layers, moderately slow in the pan and moderate below the pan. Yalmer (YaB): This is a poorly drained sandy soil underlain by loamy sand . Loamy material at 20 to 40 inches. It has a seasonally high loamy sand water table which fluctuates between the surface and about three feet. Water movement through the soil is rapid in the sandy layers and moderate in the loamy layers. Yalmer (YsA): This is a somewhat poorly drained sandy soil wet underlain by loamy material at 20 to 40 inches. It has a seasonally high water table which fluctuates between one and five feet. It has a hardpan (fragipan) in the upper 4 to 12 inches of the loamy material. Water movement through the soil is rapid in the sandy layers, moderately slow in the pan and moderate in the remainder of the soil. John f:\winword\chocolay\fi nal\Appendix A final.doc The Charter Townsh ip of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 B-5 �Appendix C The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 C-1 �CHOCOLAY TOWNSHIP TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Criteria and the Plan The transportation goals, policies and objectives expressed in the Comprehensive Plan should provide the basis for developing a set of criteria to prioritize future road improvement projects. Of course, the actual criteria design will necessitate considerable amplification of the goals, policies, and objectives to obtain enough detail for point assignment. This process relies heavily upon the judgment of the Planning Commission and their understanding of the Comprehensive Plan. The actual criteria to be used for this sample Capital Improvements Program grew out of policies and objectives of Chocolay Township as contained in the plan. One of the plan's transportation goals is "to coordinate the improvement of the transportation network with the overall development of the Township." This recognizes the close relationship between road improvement and increased development and the need to use road improvement expenditures to influence development patterns. The plan further states that new development should primarily "occur in areas where it can conveniently be served by local services, such as the sewer system, schools, school bus, recreation facilities, etc." It was felt that the utilization of zoning district boundaries would adequately represent future growth areas and areas where better roads should be encouraged (refer to zoning map). Points were allocated according to which district a project fell into. That is, a proposed road improvement in a R-1 zoning district would receive more points than one in a Rural Residential zoning district, since it would occur in a more developed, service-accessible district. The result of this criterion will be more road investment in areas where growth is encouraged. One transportation policy of the plan states that, "all road construction, whether public or private, should meet minimum design standards." This is done to ensure that roads are able to accommodate traffic quickly and safely. Standards for each road upon which a project was proposed were established from the Road Design Manual of the County Road Association of Michigan. A proposed project was given four points if it brought a road into compliance with surface design standards, or two points for other design standards. The effect of this criterion will be to eventually bring all roads up to a specified standard, a design standard which varies by type of road. Because these standards are assigned to make road design and construction reflect road use, the end result will be wise expenditure of public road investment dollars. The final criterion stems from the plan objective, "to annually review road conditions throughout the Township and recommend a priority for road improvements." Under the system developed, a project receives points in an inverse relationship to the condition of the road for which it is proposed. For example, a road judged to be in good condition will receive zero points, since any improvements needed certainly are not urgent. A project on a road in fair condition will receive two points, and one on a road in poor condition, since repairs are so vitally needed, will get four points. Procedure The procedure for establishing eligibility for consideration of ranking for road projects shall require an annual review of all existing public roads in the Township by the Supervisor of the Department of Public Works, Police Chief, and the Zoning The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 C-2 �Administrator. A listing of roads and associated problems and/or improvements needed shall then be forwarded to the Marquette county road Commission. The Road Commission will then review the list and break projects into major and minor categories. Major improvements shall be those so designated as to require a 50/50 local match for the improvements. Minor improvements are those which are maintenance projects which are part of normal maintenance conducted by the Road Commission. A project shall be listed as a maintenance project unless resurfacing or reconstruction is requested. This list is then analyzed and forwarded to the Township Planning Commission to rank the major projects into the point allocation system. This list is then forwarded to the Township Board to be used in formulating budget priorities. Goals, Policies and Objectives Goals To provide for the efficient movement of people and goods with a balanced transportation network, accommodating travel patterns safely and efficiently at minimal environmental and fiscal cost and with a maximum conservation of resources. Sub-Goals 1. 2. 3. Maximization of energy conservation. Utilization of transportation facilities and planning to implement and guide land use planning. Avoid proliferation of curbcuts and driveway intersections, especially along M28 and U.S. 41, which are statewide arterials. Policies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. All road construction, whether public or private, should meet specified minimum design standards. For roads located in the RP and OS zoning districts, the minimum design standards shall not include paving with a bituminous material. Encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles. Encourage participation in regional, state and county transportation planning. Encourage improvement of transportation safety and convenience and maximize the mobility of road systems within the Township consistent with other portions of the plan. Minimize traffic conflicts between abutting land uses and the principal roadway along statewide arterials and principal collectors by means of land use controls, such as zoning and roadway access point geometrics. Discourage continuing ownership and maintenance f portions of county roads serving areas not suitable for development. Encourage use of public transit, van or car pooling. Objectives Continually revise and strengthen the Township's Zoning Ordinance, subdivision regulations, and other land use controls to reflect the Township's transportation needs The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 C-3 �and design standards. In cooperation with the Marquette County Road Commission and the State, adopt and implement an annual Capital Improvements Program for road improvements. Annually review road conditions throughout the Township and recommend a priority for road improvements. Identify and classify roadways within the Township and suggested by the Department of State Highways. Periodically review the potential for providing public transportation services in the Township. road located within an R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C- Points *4 road located in an RR-1 zoning district road located in an RR-2 zoning district. road located in an RP or an OS zoning district. *3 *2 *1 Location 1. 2, 2. 3. 4. Project occurs on a C-3 zoning district. Project occurs on a Project occurs on a Project occurs on a *If project occurs on a road which is determined to serve as a collector/distributor, an additional two points shall be given. If project occurs on a secondary residential street, an additional point shall be given. If project occurs on a dead end road, no additional points shall be given. Road Conditions Points 1. Project occurs on a road in good condition (can be traveled year round 80-100% of length at design speed). 2. Project occurs on a road in fair condition (can be traveled year round, 50-80% of length at design speed. 3. Project occurs on a road in poor condition (cannot be traveled year round and/or only 0-50% can be traveled at design speed). 0 2 4 Design Standards Points 1. Project brings a road into compliance with standards in terms of surface design. 2. Project brings road into compliance in terms of resurfacing design 3. Project brings a road into compliance with other design standards. 4 Density 3 2 Points 1. Project occurs per mile. 2. Project occurs per mile. 3. Project occurs per mile .. 4 . Project occurs per mile. 5. Project occurs on a road located with a density of 25 or more houses 4 on a road located with a density of 20 or more houses 3 on a road located with a density of 10 or more houses 2 on a road located with a density of less than 10 houses 1 on a road located with a less than 5 houses per mile. 0 The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 C-4 �Administrative Considerations A Capital Improvements Program requires a significant commitment by the Planning Commission in terms of time and effort. Annually, the Planning Commission should review and update policies within the Comprehensive Plan, as needed. If policies are changed, then criteria (outgrowth of policies) must also be altered to properly reflect those changes. Of course, the Planning Commission cannot hope to do all of this by itself. Strong staff support is needed, along with the assistance of various outside professionals. For example, very detailed information will be needed from the Road Commission or township supervisor in order to evaluate road condition criteria. Lastly, it can be mentioned that a Capital Improvements Program for the area of transportation is relatively more difficult than for recreation, for example. This is due to the fact that many of the proposed projects are very similar, and require very technical criteria . John f:\winword\chocolay\final\Appendix C final.doc The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan - 2005 C-5 �Resolution of Adoption of Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan Whereas the Chocolay Township Planning Commission has supervised an update to the Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan to replace the Plan adopted on _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ; and [insert date of adoption of prior plan] Whereas the public provided input to development of the Plan via Town Meetings on ___ and _ _ _ ; and [insert dates of town meetings] Whereas the Chocolay Township Planning Commission has reviewed the draft Plan and provided comments for its refinement which have been incorporated into the Plan; and Whereas the Chocolay Township Planning Commission has duly reviewed the joint plan and accepts it as a basic plan for the development of the Township pursuant to the authority of Act 168 of 1959 (known as the Township Planning Act); and Whereas the Chocolay Township Planning Commission has conducted a duly advertised joint public hearing on August 4, 2005 to receive public comment on this plan; and Whereas a set of Plan amendments were presented at the hearing as a result of public comment, planning commission and governing body review over the last four months; [delete this whereas if there are none] Now therefore be it resolved that the Chocolay Township Planning Commission does hereby adopt on the date listed below the Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan along with the amendments attached to the th minutes of the August 4 public hearing and does direct the Chairperson of the Township Planning Commission to deliver a copy of the adopted Plan to the Township Board and following their adoption, to the County Planning Commission along with this Resolution as certification of the adoption of the Plan; [delete reference to amendments if there are none] Be it also resolved that this Resolution be published inside the back cover of each copy of the Chocolay Township Comprehensive Plan to certify that all maps, charts and descriptive and explanatory matter therein are a part of the Plan as so signified by the signature of the Chairperson of the Chocolay Township Planning Commission on this Resolution. Roll Call Vote: �Date: Signature of Chairperson Chocolay Township Planning Commission MW:E;\word\chocolay\Twp Plan Resoultion .doc � 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 Chocolay-Charter-Twp_Comprehensive-Plan_2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chocolay Township Planning Commission, Chocolay Township, Marquette County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005 Title A name given to the resource The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan Description An account of the resource The Charter Township of Chocolay Comprehensive Plan was prepared by the Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. under the direction of the Chocolay Township Planning Commission in 2005. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. (consultant) Subject The topic of the resource Comprehensive plan publications Chocolay Township (Mich.) Marquette 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/f04c6a7b94fe640485c6cbcc1089f15a.jpg 6c5d16612cf867197d044b69cfe9f267 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 Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng 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 RHC-183_M148-0005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1972-06/1972-08 Title A name given to the resource The Chequers Pub, Oxford, England Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of an exterior view of "The Chequers," a historic Oxford pub located on Quarry Hallow Road (now Beaumont Road) in the Headington Quarry residential district of Oxford, England. In the photograph, there is a sign posted near the entrance that reads, "Ind Coupe, The Chequers, Ind Coupe," advertising the public house, which has a long history in the area dating back to the early 1800s. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Bars (Drinking establishments)--England--Oxford Restaurants--England--Oxford Headington (Oxford, England) Oxford (England) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s 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/3a93dd37a325e336e5cfa69118765aee.jpg 025da10805a857d3852b9045cc7d2eb0 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 Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng 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 RHC-183_M148-0007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1972-06/1972-08 Title A name given to the resource The Chequers Pub, Oxford, England Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of an exterior view of "The Chequers," a historic Oxford pub located on Quarry Hallow Road (now Beaumont Road) in the Headington Quarry residential district of Oxford, England. In the photograph, a sign is posted near the entrance that reads, "Ind Coupe, The Chequers, Ind Coupe," advertising the public house, which has a long history in the area dating back to the early 1800s. A road sign is posted to the left of the building in the foreground which reads, "Quarry Hollow, Formerly St. Mary's Road." Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Bars (Drinking establishments)--England--Oxford Restaurants--England--Oxford Headington (Oxford, England) Oxford (England) Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s 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/06f7ccf120d914d0e47752dd3e355644.mp3 6be2c5e04c4628fb9c8e6202e7499ef5 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent IV Scripture Text Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:7, Mark 10:15 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Henry Nouwen, Reaching Out, Out of Solitude 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 KII-01_RA-0-19861221 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-12-21 Title A name given to the resource The Child - A Sign of the Kingdom Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 21, 1986 entitled "The Child - A Sign of the Kingdom ", on the occasion of Advent IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:7, Mark 10:15. 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/e0a260109cd10af0bea3a893f7856229.jpg 4522f6b4df7a5482726eaa95cf829f16 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS3523.I58 C5 1920. 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 DC-01_Bindings0336 Title A name given to the resource The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems Description An account of the resource Binding of The Chinese Nightingale and Other Poems, by Vachel Lindsay, published by The Macmillan Company, 1920. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 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/ec241c9fb279810aacf916488b1609bc.jpg dda96d54270ce286e01aadaed25ef169 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Seidman Rare Books. Z1003.R52 1881 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 DC-01_Bindings0372 Title A name given to the resource The Choice of Books Description An account of the resource Binding of The Choice of Books, by Charles F. Richardson, published by American Book Exchange, 1881. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1881 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/46172e8cea3544dd5ee4288f4183d567.jpg 6b7c0011de7bc9d23aaa6b67f3a75210 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 Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection 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 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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 image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 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. Source Seidman Rare Books. PS1034 .C5 1897 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 DC-01_Bindings0377 Title A name given to the resource The Choir Invisible Description An account of the resource Binding of The Choir Invsible, by James Lane Allen, published by The Macmillan Company, 1897. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng 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> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 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/266ac6454238c82004473f4c2db0a04c.mp3 b2ddaa4ad8de39132bb1c50ab5f6e774 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Eastertide VII Scripture Text Ephesians 1: 18-20 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19890507 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989-05-07 Title A name given to the resource The Christ Community Experiment: Rhem and Gordon VanHoven Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on May 7, 1989 entitled "The Christ Community Experiment: Rhem and Gordon VanHoven", on the occasion of Eastertide VII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ephesians 1: 18-20. 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/b940f6e884ccfcdbeb0f7820b74edc8b.mp3 72c7daeff82291e6639776a2855c1ded 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event World Wide Communion Pentecost XIX Scripture Text Isaiah 65:17 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19851006 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-10-06 Title A name given to the resource The Church - A Sign of Newness Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 6, 1985 entitled "The Church - A Sign of Newness", on the occasion of World Wide Communion, Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 65:17. 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/bc50d5f76951f91e4caf5bd404ccf465.pdf e145e9517fd457752535311d84ca521b PDF Text Text The Church in Conflict – Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Prepared Text for the Address to The Synod of the Mid-Atlantic, Reformed Church in America To be delivered at Ramapo, New Jersey October 4, 1996 Editor’s Note: See “Regarding the Conflict About Christian Exclusivity” for the edited transcript of the spoken address followed by questions & answers. Let me begin by saying that we are focused on the wrong question; the issue is not whether non-believers can be saved, but rather, whether those who yearn for God and seek God can experience God's gracious embrace outside the revelation of that grace as it has appeared in Jesus Christ and been mediated through the Christian tradition. I suspect the question means to raise that issue - can nonbelievers in Jesus Christ as the sole mediator between God and humankind be saved? But, we ought to be careful that we not give the impression that those who believe in Jesus Christ are the world's only believers. If pressed, I doubt any of us would claim that, but our language can be thus construed and create such an impression. As for the first phrase in the day's theme, “The Church in Conflict,” there is no doubt. The Church is in conflict and I have been at the center of that conflict. I was given the ultimatum by the Classis of Muskegon to recant my views on the extent of God's grace, on the possibility of knowing God savingly beyond the limits of the Christian tradition or leave the ranks of ordained clergy in the Reformed Church. Refusing to deny my conviction that the grace of God is broader than that grace operative within the Christian tradition, I resigned my ordination. How did we come to such a point? A brief review is important in order to understand the conflict situation because the salvation question was not the issue that fomented the conflict. The catalyst for the Classis of Muskegon to investigate my ministry was a feature article in The Muskegon Chronicle on the Muskegon Metropolitan Community Church. For nearly two years that small community had been conducting Sunday evening worship in our chapel. We had hosted a pastoral care seminar on ministry to persons suffering from AIDS. At that seminar we learned from the pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church that they were meeting in the basement of a Muskegon bar because they could not © Grand Valley State University   �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 2   find a church facility open to them. We brought the matter to our Consistory which unanimously invited the group to use our facility without charge. The Consistory saw the invitation simply as an act of hospitality. The newspaper feature appeared on the Friday before the Spring session of the Classis in March of 1995. The article mentioned that the group met in our chapel and accompanying pictures were taken in our chapel. At the close of the Classis session, someone brought up "Christ Community's ministry to homosexuals." There followed an emotional discussion of our ministry, which can only be explained as an outburst of pent-up hostility to our ministry in general. That was the beginning. A task force was appointed to investigate our ministry to homosexuals. Our Consistory gathered at the request of the task force and answered their questions - the real question being, "Do you call these people to repentance?" Our Elders answered yes, that we are all called to repentance every time we gather in worship. Obviously, that was not the answer being sought. The interrogators wanted to know if the Metropolitan Community people were challenged to turn away from their homosexuality. Not being satisfied with the task force findings, the Classis Executive Committee requested I present myself for questioning from the floor of Classis at its Fall meeting. At the October, 1995, meeting, I was asked to give my view of homosexual relationships. I answered that I believed sexual orientation was for the most part a given at birth and that homosexuality was not a moral issue. That viewpoint shocked the Classis. From there it led to the charge that I obviously did not believe in the authority of the Bible. And further, I was questioned about salvation through Jesus Christ alone. I am not even certain how that question came up. The meeting got out of control. There were calls for my immediate dismissal. Finally, it was moved that the Executive Committee engage me in theological discussion. On Reformation Day, 1995, the Executive Committee came to Christ Community for the discussion on the three issues that surfaced at the Classis meeting: 1. What do you believe and teach about the scriptures as the only rule of faith and life? 2. What do you believe and teach about the way of salvation apart from Jesus Christ? 3. What do you believe and teach about the need to repent of homosexual behavior? For about two hours I gave account of myself. Although two tape recorders were used, neither one produced a usable recording. Therefore, one of the Executive Committee members summarized what they had heard from me and he and another committee member came to me with the summary. Scanning the summary, I said I felt my views had been heard and were quite well represented. I offered to take the summary and put it in my own words, keeping to the same © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 3   format and length. I also promised to be as clear as possible so that the issue in each case would stand out clearly. I then suggested the Classis meet to discuss my response to their questions at a session in which no vote would be taken. This was done. On February 1, 1996, the Classis met in special session, breaking up into small groups to discuss my paper, hoping to come to a consensus on whether or not my views were within what was judged to be acceptable parameters of Reformed faith. Of the eight groups, five held I was beyond the limits, two that I was within and one group couldn't come to a consensus. With that indication from the body, the Executive Committee called a special session for February 29. They had decided to drop the issue that had been the catalyst for the whole discussion - the issue of homosexuality. I suspect they realized the Classis was getting bad press on that issue and it was the issue the press grabbed on to. I think, too, they came to recognize that Christ Community was living out the General Synod's directives concerning pastoral ministry to persons of homosexual orientation more than any other congregation in the Classis. The charge that I have an inadequate view of biblical authority has never been discussed. Again, I suspect the Classis was not overly confident they could make a case there and I resolutely rejected their charge. Thus, the centerpiece of the case against me was that I denied that salvation was available through Jesus Christ alone. That issue was clear and simple and it generated emotional response. Because the conflict took on this sharp focus, we are here in conversation around the question of salvation, not whether nonbelievers can be saved, but whether only those who believe in Jesus Christ can be saved. To the question put to me by the Muskegon Classis regarding salvation apart from Jesus Christ, I responded: SALVATION I am a Christian. I trust in, worship and serve God as God has been revealed to me by God's Spirit in the face of Jesus Christ. For me, Paul has expressed it well: ...the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"... has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 4:6 That is the God I have preached for thirty-five years, twenty-nine of them in Spring Lake. The Good News that appeared in Jesus is the Gospel preached at Christ Community, the Gospel that has built this Christian community. © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Is this God, Creator of all - God alone, known by any others through any other manifestations? Is God's Spirit operative savingly through any other revelation? My study, reflection and experience would say, "Yes." There are three answers given to the question of salvation in the Christian tradition. Although there are shades of difference within each position, for simplicity's sake, let me define the three positions thus: The exclusivist position says salvation is available only through Jesus Christ consciously embraced by the believer. The inclusivist position holds that salvation was accomplished only through Jesus Christ but some will be included even though they make no personal appropriation through faith in Jesus Christ. My position is the pluralist view: Jesus Christ mediates to the Christian community salvation, but the God of whom Jesus is a true revelation is known by others in their respective traditions. I use the example of a cathedral resplendent with stained glass windows. The windows tell stories, biblical stories, but think for our purposes, for example, of Jewish folk gathered in the nave, the Christians in the choir, Muslims in the transepts. Each group is reading the story of faith in their respective areas through their specific windows, the windows of their tradition. But that is possible only because there is a common source of light that filters through all the windows. I see the respective religions as historical concretizations of founding revelatory experience, but the common source of all true revelation is the one God - the God who, for me, is the God whose heart is revealed in the face of Jesus. It is to that God that I witness; it is to the grace of God that I point. But I can enter authentically into dialogue with other faith traditions, bearing my witness but also listening, open to learn new nuances of truth. All religions are not equally true (or equally false). That is where dialogue and mutual understanding come in. There is clarification, growth and transformation possible where such dialogue is entered into without fear and defensiveness, but with deep trust in the God whose Spirit leads into truth. Salvation became the single focus of the inquiry into my theology and, in spite of my affirmation of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ as the center of my faith and my preaching and teaching ministry, I have been judged as outside acceptable parameters of Reformed faith because I will not go on to say that only those who come to God through Jesus Christ can be saved. I have made this point concisely before the Classis. I was very clear that, if they would scratch the word "alone," I would gladly assent to the statement they called upon me to affirm. In "A Pastoral Letter to Muskegon Classis Churches © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Regarding our Relationship with the Rev. Richard Rhem," the Executive Committee wrote: • We affirm theological search, questioning, and struggle. Clearly these are values of the Reformed tradition. At the same time, we affirm the integrity and the appropriateness of communal belief. • We affirm Dick Rhem's love for Christ. • We recognize Dick Rhem's respect for and struggle with Scripture. • We know that many have been very blessed by the work and ministry of Dick Rhem as it has been carried out for 25 years at Christ Community Church. However, setting aside the issue of personal faith and based on our serious and sincere consideration, we believe that what is being taught and preached by Dick Rhem at Christ community Church in regards to the authority of Scripture and salvation by Jesus Christ must be considered unacceptable. This conviction comes from out of a time of honest wrestling, and causes us much pain and sorrow. To the extent that this stance will hurt and bruise fellow children of God, we do grieve that result. Having said this, we hereby recommend that, unless Dick Rhem publicly recant his views, as clearly espoused, which are not fully supportive of the definitive authority of Scripture and salvation by Jesus Christ alone, Rev. Rhem and the Muskegon Classis purposefully move toward a peaceful separation, with humility and a gentle spirit. Muskegon Classis Executive Committee February 22,1996 It was the "alone" I could not in good conscience declare. I stated in the special session of February 29, 1996, that I did believe the revelation of God was possible beyond the Christian tradition and that the grace of God could be mediated other than through Jesus Christ. I also affirmed that I felt it arrogant to deny that, as well as presumptuous to declare that God must save universally. But the "alone" was the part at issue and on February 29,1996, Classis Muskegon voted 2 to 1 against me, thus leading to my being set outside the Reformed Church of America. At its June, 1996, session, the General Synod of the Reformed Church seemed to confirm the decision of Muskegon Classis relative to the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ. A news release stated: © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 6   RCA General Synod Reaffirmed Doctrines of Christ and the Scriptures The General Synod of the Reformed Church in America, meeting June 814 at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, strongly reaffirmed two tenets of the church - that salvation is only through faith in Christ and that the Bible is the Word of God, the only rule of faith and practice. It also approved (subject to approval by two-thirds of the RCA's 46 classes) a Book of Church Order change which would require ministers to annually affirm these beliefs. The news release did not go on to relate the further action of the Synod which was reported in the July/August, 1996, issue of The Church Herald. THE UNIQUENESS OF CHRIST The General Synod adopted the following resolution upon the unanimous advice of the advisory committee on theology: The 1996 General Synod of the Reformed Church in America joyfully and gladly reaffirms its confession that God's unique, unrepeatable, and decisive activity in Jesus Christ is the only sure hope for this world. God's work in Jesus Christ alone saves all who believe. Indeed, there is salvation in no one else, as the Old and New Testaments themselves teach. Further, this position marks not the end, but the beginning of the church's attempts faithfully to witness to the gospel. In our culture, there is an increasing tendency to view religious issues merely as matters of personal preference. Such an attitude renders the church's confession more difficult for many to understand and to embrace. Increasing contact with adherents of other religious traditions and those outside the Christian faith also stretches the boundaries of Christian understanding, as Christians recognize truth and value in religions and perspectives other than their own, even while challenging them with Christ's unique claims about himself. Therefore, in light of these changes in our world, the Reformed Church in America seeks fresh guidance on how to interpret and to live out its faith in the uniqueness of Christ in the midst of a pluralistic world with diverse religious perspectives; and further, The General Synod directs the Commission on Theology, in consultation with Evangelism and Church Development Services, to engage in a study on "Christian Witness to the Uniqueness of Christ among People of Other Faiths" which will both interpret the nature and character of Christian claims regarding the uniqueness of Christ and also guide Christians in understanding and assessing the religious experience and claims of those outside the Christian faith. © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 7   Thus, the conversation in which we are engaged today is part of the RCA agenda at the present time. Let me move on now to give the background of my claim that God's gracious embrace is broader than the Christian Church. As I do that, I want to be clear that my movement from an Exclusivist position that salvation is possible only through the atoning death of Jesus Christ consciously embraced by faith - to a Pluralist position - that God's revelation "happens" not only within the biblical tradition (Israel and Jesus), but also beyond that tradition in other religious traditions, and, further, that God's saving grace is mediated also through other traditions beyond the biblical tradition - is the result of long wrestling with the biblical tradition and the theological tradition of the Church in the light of my own human experience. Those three, the biblical witness, the theological reflection of 2000 years, and present human experience, must be understood as the mix out of which my present position is arrived at. They are the matrix upon which thoughtful reflection - the exercise of one's rationality - is focused as one carries on the interpretive function of the theological task. If I were to identify the catalyst for my in-depth probing, I suspect it would be my experience of a world marked by global consciousness in which the great religious traditions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism in their respective expressions are being practiced in close proximity to each other. I have for some time questioned the idea that the whole world would be brought to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It simply does not appear a likely possibility, given the long traditions of those great traditions that arose in the First Axial period, 800-200 B.C., and their present vitality. Questioning the possibility of world evangelization, I found my concrete experience calling into question the propriety of the effort to turn the respective traditions from their path to Christian faith. That experience was a close encounter with Jewish faith in its concrete observance. In a day-long dialogue between Rabbi David Hartman and Bishop Krister Stendahl in 1991, sponsored by the West Shore Committee for Jewish-Christian Dialogue in Muskegon, Michigan, David Hartman raised the question, Do I have to deny your truth to affirm my truth? Do I have to deny your joy to celebrate my joy? From the depths of my soul, I answered, "No, of course not." It was not only the actual content of this all-day discussion that deeply impacted me; it was the manner in which two totally committed religious scholars and leaders in their respective traditions engaged each other. It was a moving experience to watch these two persons wrestle with the issue of faithful interpretation. © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 8   That experience led me to accept an invitation to join the West Shore Committee and that experience has led to many concrete encounters with Jewish people and Jewish observance - a briss in which I recognized precisely the same yearning for God's grace to embrace the child, the same commitment of parents and grandparents and community that I experience at the baptism of an infant in the Christian community; a Bat Mitzvah at which I experienced the same passage into spiritual adult faith that we experience at the confirmation of our youth; Sabbath worship in which the Word is heard and prayers are offered before the mystery of the God of Israel. Beyond these formal moments of ritual and worship, it has been my privilege to come to know in meaningful friendship persons in the Jewish community and sense with them our solidarity in the human family. Such experience is powerful; it is transforming. It calls in question one's traditional posture that would disallow the validity of the religious tradition of the other. One finds the sharp divide created by religious exclusivism eroding. What does one do with that experience? If one would be serious and responsible to one's calling to be a minister of the word and sacrament, one will necessarily be sent back to one's own tradition: to the biblical story and the theological formulation of the faith. For me, this was not a new endeavor; I had been wrestling with the biblical word and Reformed confessional formulations for a quarter century since my return from study in The Netherlands with Hendrikus Berkhof. While with Berkhof I recognized that the inability of my own conservative Reformed tradition to deal with ongoing human experience stemmed from its understanding of the nature of scripture. My theological education had taught me that Scripture is God’s inspired word, infallible in all that it intends to teach. Further, I was taught that Scripture is to be interpreted by Scripture– an individual passage in light of the whole testimony of Scripture; there could be no contradictory material within the Bible. The presupposition was that there was finally one unified biblical witness. To determine the content of that witness, one had to apply a confessional hermeneutics – that is, one approached the biblical material with a pre-formed doctrinal system. To be sure the biblical theological scholars and the systematic theologians carried on their debates, the biblical people pointing out the gaps and flaws of the system by reference to biblical texts that did not “fit.” However, in the Reformed Church and in conservative evangelical theology generally, the system prevailed – Scripture interpreted by Scripture subsumed and explained away the contradictions. In this hermeneutical approach the rich diversity of the biblical witness was smothered and the diverse voices that came to expression within the canon of Scripture were silenced. © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page 9   My awareness of this failure to listen to the whole diverse biblical testimony dawned as I read Berkhof’s Well-Founded Hope, a study of the biblical teaching of themes of heaven and hell, judgment and salvation. From his study I learned that the scheme of things I had always believed – that faith in Jesus Christ brings salvation from eternal damnation and failure thus to believe destines one for eternal punishment – was not the whole story. From Berkhof I learned there are also passages that point to a universal salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Further, I learned that this was not something that lessened Berkhof’s passion for witness to God’s grace in Jesus Christ but, rather, gave him the hope that ultimately God’s “Yes” to humankind would prove stronger than the human “No.” Cautious, not presumptive, nevertheless a positive hope that the gracious God would overcome all human alienation. Yet it was obvious that, not only the followers of other religious traditions lived and died without knowledge or experience of Jesus Christ, but in the secular society of the West many lived and died without any apparent Christian faith or practice. How would all those who “died without Christ” be reconciled to God through Christ? If it were the case that God’s grace was universal in its embrace, how would that grace be mediated to those who never heard or heard but never heeded? I was moving away from exclusivism toward an inclusivist understanding of salvation but had no sense of what was involved in such a move. After twelve strenuous years of building Christ Community, it was time for a sabbatical. Without this as my goal, my sabbatical experience set me on a course of investigation that gave foundation to my nascent inclusivism and paved the way for my eventual movement to a pluralist position. In the fall term of 1983, Hans Küng, the noted Roman Catholic theologian, gave a series of lectures at the University of Michigan entitled, “Eternal Life?” It was an investigation of life after death as a medical, philosophical, and theological problem. He faced squarely and straightforwardly all the difficult questions surrounding the subject, dealing with ancient and contemporary issues, the question in the history of religions, the modern denial of anything beyond death, and the near-death experiences recorded in recent years. He dealt with biblical material, the question of resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus, and the church’s teaching on judgment, heaven, and hell. The lectures were subsequently published under the title Eternal Life. By virtue of my sabbatical, I attended the lectures and was a participant in a cross-discipline seminar with Küng for the term. I came away with two striking realizations: first, that there was intense interest in these questions of death and dying, of life after death, of heaven and hell on the campus of a large secular university. The lectures had to be moved from the largest lecture hall available to the Rackham Auditorium. Secondly, I realized © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page10   how little these vital questions were probed in the church, how little reflection I had personally given to them in my ministry, and how comfortably and uncritically we in the church have accepted traditional answers. Once awakened to the questions that are not nearly so simply answered as once I had thought, and also to the deeply existential interest of today’s people, both secular and religious, I began to open again questions on which I had come to premature closure. For me, the greatest surprise came in a new appreciation for the teaching of purgatory, which was resolutely rejected at the time of the Reformation and which has received little serious reflection in the Protestant tradition. For the first time ever I sought to understand what the ancient tradition of the Roman Church taught. To my surprise my own mentor, Hendrikus Berkhof, also recognized a place for some process of purgation following death. He wrote, God is serious about the responsibility of our decision, but he is even more serious about the responsibility of his love. The darkness of rejection and God-forsakenness cannot and may not be argued away, but no more can and may it be eternalized. For God’s sake we hope that hell will be a form of purification. (Christian Faith, Revised, p. 536) I found C. S. Lewis’ treatment of the subject in The Great Divorce profound and helpful. And in his Letters to Malcolm the imagery is moving. Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, “It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy”? Should we not reply, “With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I’d rather be cleaned first.” “It may hurt, you know.” – “Even so, sir.” I assume that the process of purification will normally involve suffering. Partly from tradition, partly because most real good that has been done me in this life has involved it. But I don’t think suffering is the purpose of the purgation. I can well believe that people neither much worse nor much better than I will suffer less than I or more. “No nonsense about merit.” The treatment given will be the one required, whether it hurts little or much. My favourite image on this matter comes from the dentist’s chair. I hope that when the tooth of life is drawn and I am “coming round,” a voice will say, “Rinse your mouth out with this.” This will be Purgatory. © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page11   I was convinced. Whatever the nature of the encounter with God at our death, the redeeming intention of the God of all merely seemed to me consistent with the whole movement of God in the historical outworking of the covenant of grace. I returned to the biblical story, reading with new eyes, with new questions, and I discovered a rich vein of material that pointed to a wideness in God’s mercy I had never discovered in the Scriptures before. Along with the witness of Scripture, I found a long line of theologians from the early Church Fathers who affirmed the universal triumph of God’s redeeming grace. I summarized my research in an article I wrote for the journal Perspectives (September, 1988)” Throughout Christian history some have understood God’s redemptive action in Jesus Christ to be universal in its scope. The early church was far more universalistic in its understanding of the radical renewal of reality, the radical alteration of the human situation through God’s action in Jesus Christ, than was the church of subsequent centuries. Among the fathers of the early church we find statements pointing to the final conquest of evil and rebellion, if not within history, then beyond, through some kind of purgation process. Clement of Alexandria wrote, Punishment is, in its operation, like medicine; it dissolves the hard heart, purges away the filth of uncleanness, and reduces the swellings of pride and haughtiness; thus restoring its subject to a sound and healthful state (Pedagog,1.8). Clement’s more famous pupil, Origin, wrote, …God is a consuming fire, what is it that is to be consumed by him? We say it is wickedness, and whatever proceeds from it, such as is figuratively called “wood, hay, and stubble” (I Cor. 1:ii), which denote the evil works of man. Our God is a consuming fire in this sense; and he shall come as a refiner’s fire to purify rational nature from the alloy of wickedness… (Contra Celsum, Lib. IV, 13). Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, declared, All evil, however, must at length be entirely removed from everything, so that it shall no more exist. For such being the nature of sin, that it cannot exist without a corrupt motive, it must, of course, be perfectly dissolved and wholly destroyed, so that nothing can remain a receptacle of it, when all motive and influence shall spring from God alone (De Anima et Resurrectione). Theodore of Mopsuestia held © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page12   That sin is an unavoidable part of the development and education of man; that some carry it to a greater extent than others, but that God will finally overrule it for their final establishment in good. Among these early Christian thinkers there is no denial of evil and sin, but they seem to entertain no doubt that God will finally conquer the last vestige of evil and restore all things through remedial punishment. It was not until 544 A.D. at a local council called by Justinian that the teaching of universal salvation was condemned. In the Perspectives piece I brought the discussion closer to our time, referencing Karl Barth. In our century the question of universalism has surfaced in Reformed theology in the work of Karl Barth. Berkouwer’s early study of Barth was entitled, The Triumph of Grace in the Theology of Karl Barth. Barth’s detractors labeled him a Universalist and wrote him off as dangerous. Yet the matter is not that simple. Barth resisted systematizing; he defied neat pigeonholing. In a lecture delivered to a Swiss Reformed minister’s association in 1956, he reflected on those early, heady days and the theological ferment he fomented. He entitled his remarks, “The Humanity of God.” One consequence of the humanity of God, Barth maintains, is that the sense and sound of our word must be fundamentally positive. He writes: To open up again the abyss closed in Jesus Christ cannot be our task. Man is not good: that is indeed true and must once more be asserted. God does not turn towards him without uttering in inexorable sharpness a “No” to his transgression. Thus theology has no choice but to put this “No” into words within the framework of its theme. However, it must be the “No” which Jesus Christ has taken upon Himself for us men, in order that it may no longer affect us and that we may no longer place ourselves under it. What takes place in God’s humanity is, since it includes that “No” in itself, the affirmation of man (The Humanity of God, p. 58). After developing that notion, Barth raises the question, “Does this mean universalism?” He then makes three observations “in which one is to detect no position for or against that which passes among us under this term” (p. 59). Barth suggests one ought not surrender to the panic that that term seems to spread before informing oneself exactly concerning its sense or nonsense. One should, he contends, at least be stimulated by Colossians 1:19 and parallel passages to determine whether the concept could not perhaps © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page13   have a good meaning. And he suggests finally that the ‘danger’ with which universalism seems to be attended should be balanced by concern for an even greater danger: a theology that fosters suspicious questioning because of its own legalistic perspective and morose spirit. Of this Barth is certain: we have no right to set limits to the lovingkindness of God which has appeared in Jesus Christ. Rather, he argues, it is our duty to see and to understand it as still greater than we have seen before. And, of course, my mentor, Hendrikus Berkhof, was an important guide for me as I wrestled with issues of ultimate concern. I wrote, Hendrikus Berkhof gives a full discussion to the question before us in Well-Founded Hope, the chapter entitled “The Double Image of the Future.” He deals seriously with the biblical witness but concludes, as was stated above, that Scripture leaves us with a double track. Countless attempts have been made to subsume one track of texts under the other by ingenious “exegetical tricks” but, Berkhof concludes, “we cannot smooth out this contradiction in the New Testament.” All that we read about the future, texts offering consolation and texts of warning, do not “fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.” In the case of the passages giving warning, these present the gospel in its nature as a call to decision; the passages offering consolation give hope and the promise of eventual salvation of all. We must hear both witnesses; we must not reduce one to the other. But we cannot simply allow them to stand with no link between them. Berkhof suggests we pronounce them “one after the other,” for “only the person who has learned to tremble at the possibility of rejection may speak about universal salvation.” It is the believing church, declares Berkhof, that can confess the last secret. In the end it is the power of God’s “yes” that triumphs over the recalcitrance of the human “no.” This is our last word but a last word that must be spoken if we believe God is ultimately not powerless or cruel or arbitrary, but rather infinite in mercy through Jesus Christ. Summarizing his conclusion on the issue in Christian Faith, Berkhof writes: We know that the covenant means that God’s faithfulness ever and again does battle with man’s unfaithfulness. What ultimately will be forced to yield: divine faithfulness or human unfaithfulness? Paul raised that question with respect to Israel, as the trial grounds of God’s relationship to man; and he ends with the confession: “God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy © Grand Valley State University �Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Richard A. Rhem Page14   upon all” (Romans 11:32). These considerations compel us, not to detract from the gravity of the human “No” against God and its consequences, but to think just a little more of the divine “Yes” to recalcitrant humans. God is serious about the responsibility of our decision, but he is even more serious about the responsibility of his love. The darkness of rejection and God-forsakenness cannot and may not be argued away, but no more can and may it be eternalized. For God’s sake we hope that hell will be a form of purification. (Revised edition, p. 536). Is this universalism? Karl Barth was unwilling to be so labeled and rightly so. In my own wrestling with the question I have come to realize that it is not for us to dictate to the Eternal God what is or what must be. It would be arrogant to deny that God’s gracious embrace did not include all; it would be presumptuous to insist that it must. But for me, the serious revisiting of the biblical story and reflection on the Christian theological tradition convinced me that the extent of God’s grace is far wider than I had ever thought. As I concluded the piece I wrote for Perspectives: In light of God’s gracious election in Jesus Christ, of God’s steadfast love and covenant faithfulness, of God’s infinite power and patience, we have good reason to trust and confidently hope that the habit of God’s heart will finally heal every wound, overcome all opposition, and gather all God’s children safely home. References: Hendrikus Berkhof. Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Study of the Faith. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979, Revised edition, 1986. C. S. Lewis. Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. Harcourt, Inc., 1964. Richard A. Rhem, “The Habit of God’s Heart,” Perspectives, September 1988, pp. 8-11. © Grand Valley State University � 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf 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. Series Address to The Synod of Mid-Atlantic, Reformed Church in America Location The location of the interview Reformed Church Synod of Mid-Atlantics, Ramapo, New Jersey 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 RA-3-19961003 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-10-03 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource The Church in Conflict - Can Non-Believers Be Saved? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Talk created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 3, 1996 entitled "The Church in Conflict - Can Non-Believers Be Saved?", as part of the series "Address to The Synod of Mid-Atlantic, Reformed Church in America", at Reformed Church Synod of Mid-Atlantics, Ramapo, New Jersey. Tags: Inclusive Grace, Nature of God, Pluralism, Global Community. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Global Community Inclusive Grace Nature of God Pluralism https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1d4f143520a043be029200762d159c5f.pdf e095ab928f4350f93a4ac915ca0f254d PDF Text Text The Church Must Die or Die From the series: Moving On To Maturity Text: Ezekiel 37:14; John 12:24, 43; 13:5 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 1, 1999 Transcription of the spoken sermon On Thursday, the Grand Haven Tribune called my secretary, Jane, and asked if she had made a mistake in the newspaper ad. Jane asked, "Why?", and they said, "Well, the sermon title is listed as, ‘The Church Must Die or Die,’" and Jane said, "No, unfortunately, that’s what he means." I think, upon a little reflection, you might understand what I mean. The Church must die to itself, its institutional forms, its prestige, its power, its selfaggrandizing tendency - must die to all of that, or it will die because it will fail to fulfill the purpose that God has for the Church. The death and resurrection image is a very common New Testament image. Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live." In the 6th chapter of Romans, he talks about being buried with Christ in baptism in order that he might be raised again to newness of life. Dying to self, rising to new life in the Spirit of God is a very central image, the idea that we do come to the end of our self, our self project, our self-centeredness, dying to that, we become open to that which would open us to the eternal, to God, to the sacred, to the Holy. While I know that the references in the New Testament are personal references, I don’t think I’m stretching it too far to apply that to the community, the body of Christ, in our case, to the Church. It is true, just as an individual has to come to the end of self in order to be filled with that which is beyond, so the Church needs not just once, but again and again, to die to its forms and its structures and its formulations and rules and regulations and modus operandi in order that it might experience the freshness and newness that the Spirit would continue to create. I want to say that this morning. I was intending to deal with that in the fourth of my presentations on Tuesday night about "How My Mind Has Changed," but I never got to that one, so I’m going to take it up this morning, nonetheless, because I do believe it is so critical to our experience, our experience of being Christian, our religious life, our spiritual life. It is so important that we understand that our diverse religious experience and expression is the © Grand Valley State University   �Church Must Die or Die Richard A. Rhem Page 2   consequence of the fact that it is a human response, that religion is a human phenomenon. My mind has changed about that because I grew up, was nurtured and trained and began my ministry thinking quite differently about religion. In the first place, I thought there was only one true religion and I had it. But, more than that, I thought religion was dictated from God, that it was divinely arranged, and that it was incumbent upon us to determine, to discern that which was true and absolute because religion was the product of divine revelation, rather than recognizing that the vast diversity of human religion is the consequence of the fact that religion is human response to that initiative from beyond, that sense of the holy or the sacred. It is our human response to the encounter with God in the mystery of our existence. Those questions that obtrude themselves upon us, particularly at those critical moments of life, draw from us questions and lead us on a quest, a quest for that ultimate mystery that defies our attempts to neatly package and domesticate it. Human religion is response to the Ultimate Mystery, and the diversity of religious forms and shapes and creeds and practices reflect the diversity of humankind and the diversity of human experience, and it is not as though my response is right and true and yours somewhat questionable, but rather, that being different people with different experiences, we respond out of the depths of our being with a wonderful diversity that marks human religion. That makes a huge difference in how we understand the pursuit of our own spiritual life and how we relate to others individually and institutionally. The institutional Church is a necessity. No movement of the Spirit can ever perpetuate itself without institutional forms. But, the very moment that the institutional forms take shape, the seeds of death lie in the movement of the Spirit. That’s just the way it is. I don’t know how it could be any different than that. But, at least the awareness of that can alert us to the danger of absolutizing the respective religious forms which cover the face of the earth. The Church hasn’t taught us that, by and large, for we have claimed divinely grounded revelation and divinely shaped institutional forms, creedal forms, liturgical forms, the way the Church is organized and structured. And the Church has taught us that kind of absolutizing. It was in July of 1049 or so that the delegates from the Pope in Rome went to Constantinople and stood before the altar at St. Sophia and excommunicated the Patriarch who was the head of the Eastern Orthodox wing of the Church. Within a few days, the Patriarch in Constantinople returned the favor, and we had the first major schism within the Church. Then it was the western Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic, the Latin right and the Eastern Orthodox right. And then, of course, in the 16th century the catalyst, Martin Luther, but other reformers besides, led that movement that we call the Reformation of the Church and once again we could get language many places about how they mutually excommunicated each other. With the advent of Protestantism out of the 16th century, the Church continued to splinter and it © Grand Valley State University �Church Must Die or Die Richard A. Rhem Page 3   splinters still, and I do believe that the problem is that we fail to recognize the human dimension of our religious experience. I know there is something endemic in all of us that really wants to have the truth, the last word, absolute security. There is something human in us that wants our way, our truth, our institution, our society to be infallible and inerrant and absolutely trustworthy. As a matter of fact, in the human scene, that doesn’t happen. And, as a matter of fact, if we demand that that happens or have the illusion that ours is "it," we’ll be in a situation of constant conflict and mutual excommunication, and the whole scene will be what it has been over nearly 2000 years. Church history is not a pretty story, and I really think at the core is that inclination to absolutize my vision, my view, my form, justifying it on the basis that it is divine rather than simply recognizing that there is this tremendous diversity of religious expression which points to the universality of the religious quest, the question deep within, and all of that diversity reflecting the diversity of humankind and human experience that forms that response in all of the respective ways that we find. I think it’s a very crucial insight to see that our religious expression is a human, creative, imaginative construct. It is not sacred, it is not holy, it is not inerrant or infallible, and it didn’t come from God. It is because God has come to us, but the varieties of religious experience are reflected in the varieties of religious institutions, forms, and structures, and if we could just get there, religion could become a part of the world’s solutions rather than the volatile fuel to continue to be part of the world’s problems. This, I think, is what was going on with Jesus. That’s why I read these selected passages. His movement creates a stir. There’s life; there’s passion; the people hear him gladly; his words resonate with something deep within them, and in that climactic sign that makes them call a Council, they say, "What are we going to do?" and Caiaphas, spokesperson for the established Church, with a bit of cynicism which is peril for those of us who are in this thing professionally, says, "Look, don’t be silly. With one man gone, everything stays intact. Simple." Let me say a word for Caiaphas. There are authorities, leaders within the institution, necessarily so, and there are concerns for the well-being of the institution, for its faithful perpetuation and its fruitful life. But, the danger is, and we can see it here, that that fresh voice will be stifled and that movement be killed. Jesus comes into the city, they hail him, and the cry is, "Look, we can’t do anything. The whole world’s going after him." The Greeks want to see him and that triggers with Jesus the realization of where he is on the calendar of his life. The hour has come, and now it’s his struggle. Will I be true? Will I be true to that newness that I see and embody? Or, will I buckle and allow the old to go on undisturbed? A grain of wheat falls in the ground and dies, yet bears fruit. The one who grasps unto his life loses it. The one willing to give his life away gains life eternal, life in a whole other dimension. And John sums up the end of that first half of the Gospel by saying, "In spite of everything they saw, they didn’t listen." Even some of the leaders knew it. Even some of the leaders believed. But, for fear © Grand Valley State University �Church Must Die or Die Richard A. Rhem Page 4   of being put out of the synagogue, loving human glory more than the glory of God, they didn’t join the movement and Jesus was executed. It is a paradigm, a picture, a model of what has happened over and over again. Because we identify our forms, our structures, no matter how loved they may be, no matter how precious they may be, we tend to make them gods which we just happen to possess rather than our poor stumbling, stammering attempts to respond to the one who has encountered us. In a recent issue of Christianity Today, the conservative journal, there were some 130 signatures to a declaration of doctrinal definition straight out of the 16th century, the evangelical, fundamentalist group who signed that document declaring once again what has been declared right down the line. And in the journal of more liberal Christianity, the editorial in The Christian Century, after discussing that declaration from the fundamental group, says the believers with such questions about the atonement or about evangelical landmarks such as the infallibility of scripture and the lost state of non-Christians will not find their questions addressed or acknowledged by the document, either on biblical or theological grounds. They will only find the old claims reasserted. Such a summary of doctrinal claims can be a rather empty gesture, if not accompanied by a deep engagement with the real questions that are on people’s minds. I find it very interesting that, in a time when certainly the Church is in great difficulty there is this retreat, this attempt to define, to dot the i and cross the t, and all they can do is assert it, and there is no engagement with our contemporary situation or the questions that are in the minds and hearts of people because they are people, not because they are Christian or not or evangelical or conservative or liberal. And, of course, the mainline denominations, likewise, are struggling with some critical issues that threaten to tear apart two or three or four of them and again I think it is because we’re all knotted up in this problem of authority. If what we have always been is divinely sanctioned, then I’ll fight for it. But, if we could just come to look at one another in the eye and understand the authenticity and the passion of one another’s hearts and believe one another and recognize that, out of diverse human experience and diverse kinds of people, these diverse responses are made, if we could live together under the canopy of love, it seems like it would be so simple. Ezekiel’s wonderful vision - Israel is in tough shape. They said our bones are dried up; we’re dead. And the voice of the Lord comes to the prophet, "Can these bones live? O, Lord God, You know." Then there was the coming together of the bones and the sinews and the muscles and they were a standing army, but they were still dead until the Spirit of God, the breath of God, blew and brought them alive, and the promises, "O, House of Israel, you shall live by my spirit," says the Lord. I concluded the Gospel readings with those five verses from chapter 13 of John’s Gospel as the passion story opens with Jesus at supper with his disciples, taking a © Grand Valley State University �Church Must Die or Die Richard A. Rhem Page 5   basin of water and a towel and washing their feet, because I think there’s a picture, a symbol, a model of authenticity that is not based on any authoritarian claims. It won’t work anymore simply to quote a verse, recite a creed, or call the Church to witness. The authenticity will be demonstrated or the Church will die. The Church must die to its absolutizing, to its divisions that point to human diversity that are claimed the consequence of divine revelation. The Church must die to its vested interests, its power structures, and it must allow the Spirit of God to blow through it, take a basin and a towel and wash the world’s feet, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be a community of compassion, of passion, of love, and it will not need absolute claims, it will not need an infallible Bible, it will not need some creed that can never again be touched. It could live! It could be real, it would be powerful, and the jaw of the world would drop and say, "My God, behold how they love one another and all God’s world." It’s as simple as that. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/43865dc48d6c2eddfbf735e1aaa6a084.mp3 fdf14723498f3354fc9e539a6c8ec7e3 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XI Series Moving On To Maturity Scripture Text Ezekiel 37:14, John 12:24, 43, 13:5 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19990801 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1999-08-01 Title A name given to the resource The Church Must Die or Die Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 1, 1999 entitled "The Church Must Die or Die ", as part of the series "Moving On To Maturity", on the occasion of Pentecost XI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ezekiel 37:14, John 12:24, 43, 13:5. Authority Compassion Spirit https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1223610e5d2c58061a324a8c59259dfa.mp3 8bd64f4ab7f8f434d4eb309f8a6c5ae2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/12ab3716818658641056afca62ceee92.pdf 788283e70bfb9f4a773724c65de742ef PDF Text Text The Church: From Tradition to Mission Text: Acts 6: 5, 8 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan June 30, 1985 Transcription of the spoken sermon The Church lives in a tension. It is always caught in the dilemma of having to find the forms and structures that will enable it to execute its mission to the world and having to remain open and flexible so that those very forms and structures do not bind the Spirit and paralyze the mission. The Church will inevitably develop tradition and must continually struggle free from that tradition in order to get on with the mission. Perhaps I should use traditionalism rather than tradition, for actually tradition is a positive factor in the life of the Church. There is a living tradition - the ongoing moving of the Faith embodied in the community of faith. Someone has said tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition rightly understood is a living, growing movement always being expanded, modified, enlarged in the light of experience, the experience of being in mission. But tradition can so easily become traditionalism. Then movement ceases and the mission is paralyzed. Thus the Church must be always vigilant, self-critical, humble before her Lord, ready to learn new truths, gain new insight and design new structures that will enable her in every age to be God's agent of reconciliation in the world. We cannot learn all we need to know about the form of the Church or the translation of the Gospel from the New Testament. We do have, however, in Acts and the Epistles some principles and models that can help us to find our way in our day. Let me use the early experience of the Church - the experience clustered around Stephen - out of which to make these very significant statements about the Church. These principles have been lived out in our past; they must remain our charter of freedom for the future as we seek to be God’s people – the instrument of His purpose and grace in our day. I want to say a word about Church structure, about Church growth, and about theological understanding. © Grand Valley State University   �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 2   My points are simple: The form of the Church must flow from the function of the Church. The growth of the Church must result from the care of the Church. The theology of the Church must be shaped by the experience of the Church. Form follows function. Growth rises from care. Knowledge is shaped by experience. First of all, from the story of Stephen we can see that structure flows out of mission; form follows function. You know the story. That beautiful community that took shape in the wake of Pentecost was a community of spontaneous sharing where no one considered his possessions his own but all shared their possessions so that none were in need. It was the true community of the Spirit and it was a beautiful sign of the presence of the Kingdom, but it did not last long. Soon the harmony was shattered. The Hellenist group - those who spoke Greek - complained that their widows were discriminated against in the distribution of food. The Apostles, deeply involved in the proclamation of the Gospel, saw the need of others to take responsibility for the physical needs of the community and they appointed seven whose names are listed in the sixth chapter of Acts, one of whom was Stephen. Although the name Deacon is not used we have generally seen that appointment as initiating the office of Deacon. However these seven were viewed, Stephen at least did not serve at table very long because soon we find him a powerful, persuasive preacher of the Gospel. But let me underscore the point I am trying to make - the Apostles met a specific crisis, a concrete historical situation with an improvisation of structure. Now, to be sure, there was as yet no set structure. In fact, from the New Testament it is impossible to derive a structure for the Church. Whatever form of Church structure may be followed - Episcopal as in the Roman Church, or Congregational, or Presbyterian as in Reformed Churches, all can find data in the New Testament but no one system of polity arises as we have developed them in our structure. Indeed Edward Schillebeeckx, the Dutch Catholic New Testament scholar, has published a book entitled, Ministry, in which he demonstrates beyond question that the Early Church in the first centuries after Christ had a fluid form of structure and government - a book by which he has not endeared himself with the Vatican. This should put us on notice that the forms and structures of the Church are negotiable and that a constantly changing historical milieu in which we minister will call for changing structures. Structures are negotiable. Jesus Christ remains the same. Form must follow function. © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 3   This may seem obvious enough. Yet how often do we not get bogged down in structural questions? We tend to absolutize forms that arose in a given situation to meet a specific need, freezing that form forever as though to change the structure would compromise the Gospel. Paul says, "Where the Spirit is there is freedom." The Spirit directed the mission of that Early Christian community, improvising forms into order to enable the community to function. We must live in that same freedom, determining how best to structure our life in order most effectively to get the Gospel out. The structure of the Church must flow out of the mission of the Church. My mentor, Professor Hendrikus Berkhof of the Netherlands, writes in his book Christian Faith in the chapter on the Church that the Book of Church Order must be done in loose-leaf today. The implications of that are far-reaching. If only we would remember that when classes and Synods convene we would save ourselves so much energy. We would avoid painful debate and endless discussion and we would be able to get on with the task. Otherwise we are simply playing Church and we are no good to God or the world. II. There is a second learning from this story that can aid us in getting the right perspective on our calling as the People of God. It is this: Growth is the consequence of community, a caring community. Certainly there was strong proclamation of the Gospel in those Apostolic days and my claim here in no way is meant to detract from that powerful proclamation of the Lordship of Christ. But from the window Luke gives us on the life of that early community we can see that it was indeed a community that the Spirit created. The description of the life of the community in the second chapter is a marvelous picture of a caring community, where no one was left out, no one's needs neglected and where the wellbeing of the whole community was the deepest concern of all its members. Barnabas’ action is a case in point. He sold his estate and brought the money to the Apostles. In that paragraph in the fourth chapter, we read, There was not a needy person among them.... Again we read, ... The company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. Stephen and six others were appointed to see that the physical needs of the members of the community were met. The early Church was characterized by caring and that community life was so attractive that it drew thousands in those exciting days following Pentecost. © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 4   There is a great deal of talk about Church Growth in our day. At Pasadena, California, there is an Institute on Church Growth and from that center other leaders of the Church Growth movement have spun off. And, of course, who could or would desire to argue against Church Growth. The great Commission still stands and we are called to be witnesses to Jesus Christ bringing the message of His grace to the whole world including our own neighborhoods. Yet I sense sometimes that we get interested in Church Growth out of desperation. We see the statistics. We know if we do not turn things around many congregations will continue to wither and die. And so we decide to grow. Now it is true that a church must decide to grow and without that intentionality it is not likely that much will happen. Yet to aim at growth for growth’s sake is to commit a fatal error. Let me suggest that we must commit ourselves to be the People of God, a caring community reaching out in Jesus’ name to share the compassion of God, ministering His grace with no question asked. We are called to give our life away – literally to die that new life may spring forth. Church growth as I find it practiced today smacks too much of institutionalism, the preservation and perpetuation of our institutions. We get trapped into thinking that it is the institution - be it the denomination or our local congregation - that we must preserve when what God is asking is for a people willing to die to pride of tradition and denomination and congregational security and invest our lives in caring for the world. We get so turned in on ourselves and begin to feel that in our church we are ends in ourselves, forgetting that we are blessed of God to be a blessing to the world. Let me suggest that the Christian Church would do well to forget its heavy focus on evangelism and learn to love the world. We must concentrate on making our congregational life reflect the quality of the Spirit of Jesus. When we become a caring community the bruised and bleeding will come in seeking refuge, healing and grace. Harvie Conn, a professor of Mission at Westminster Theological Seminary, was the Pre-Synod Festival speaker at Kalamazoo this year. He had spent some years in Korea as a missionary before becoming a teacher. He told of the first year of language study which was so frustrating because he wanted to get on with the work but first he must master the language. After nearly a year when he was still very insecure in the language, he could not stand it any longer. He packed a bag and took a train to a Korean city where there was an army base. As he arrived he walked by the base entrance where the prostitutes were lined up. A Korean came up to him and asked if he were a Christian. He said yes and the Korean invited him to his home. He was a Christian pastor and opened his home to him. He was served a plate of uncooked, beaten rice for supper and then when it came time to retire, he learned he was to sleep with the pastor’s father, an old man who had asked him many questions. The family lived in very small quarters and he found that Grampa’s bedroom was really a small space between two buildings with © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 5   walls improvised to keep out the wind. Grampa had one blanket and Harvie simply got under the blanket with Grampa, sleeping on the ground. Two years later he received a letter from the pastor asking him to come to the village to baptize his father. He explained that his father had not been a believer. When Harvie ate the simple meal with the family and spent the night in those primitive circumstances without complaint, Grampa was impressed. He came to believe and now wanted to be baptized by Harvie. It was not the answers he gave in broken Korean, but the genuineness of his life, his love that penetrated the heart of that old man. It was the same thing with two prostitutes with whom he shared a meal. He learned a few years later that they had become Christians because for the first time in their lives a Christian had treated them like human beings. It is when God’s love becomes concrete in the love with which we touch another that one becomes open to grace. If only we could genuinely love the world, God would handle the rest and the result would be a growing Church. Growth flows out of care. III. The third learning I would share from this passage is that knowledge of God flows from experience of God. This is a word about our theology - the articulation of what we believe about God and His revelation of Himself to us in the New Testament. God revealed Himself in Jesus: ... if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. That revelation in Jesus finds expression in the New Testament. The New Testament along with God’s revelation in Israel’s history is our Scripture and is the authoritative record in which we hear the Word of God, the witness inspired by the Spirit and the instrument the Spirit uses to reveal God to us today. From the Scripture the Church draws its knowledge of the Faith and, as that Scriptural knowledge mixes with our present experience, we seek to translate the Gospel for our day. The point I am seeking to make here is that there must be an ongoing encounter with the witness of the Scripture and the contemporary culture in order that the Gospel of God’s grace may come to expression in every age and generation in meaningful fashion. The Church historically has erred on two counts: The failure of orthodoxy has been to take the biblical record and absolutize it in every aspect - not only its witness to God’s grace and that salvation that appeared © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 6   in Jesus, but also the shape and form of that revelation - that is, the historical accoutrements of that revelation. The result has been the freezing of the Word of God in the thought forms and world and life view of the first century. The failure of classical Liberalism has been to fail to take seriously the biblical record as an authoritative norm by which every new expression of the Gospel must be judged, and to determine the "truth" only through analysis of the contemporary world with its "modern" understanding. There are two poles of knowledge by which our expression of the Gospel must be shaped - the biblical record and the contemporary scene. Both are important. It is meaningless to convey biblical knowledge with no attempt to translate that knowledge in terms of what we have learned in the explosion of knowledge in the modern world. It is equally meaningless to master the latest of scientific knowledge and cultural wisdom and fail to bring it into confrontation with the biblical word. The proclamation of the Gospel in every age must be a translation of the event of Jesus in the idiom of the day, which is the result of hearing the Gospel and possessing the best wisdom of the age. We must read the Bible and read the world. We must hear the witness of Scripture and be sensitive to the questions and insights of our age. Let me illustrate this from the experience of the Apostolic Church. Think for a moment of what radical revolution the understanding of the Apostles had to undergo to realize that God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself. It took a vision on the Damascus Road to break through to Paul. His fierce persecution of the followers of Jesus was his effort to stamp out a dangerous heresy. It was carried out in the name of the God of Israel. Peter did not understand that God’s grace was for all people, Jews and Gentiles, until the housetop vision and the experience at Cornelius’ house, where he experienced the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit just as had the Disciples on Pentecost. Look at the Scripture lesson – Stephen’s great witness that brought him to martyrdom. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, and gazing intently up to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. "Look, he said, there is a rift in the sky; I can see the Son of Man standing at God's right hand!” Acts 7:i>5-56 What a moving spectacle that must have been. Stephen, about to be the first martyr for Jesus because he had been the first to see and understand deeply all that had been accomplished in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – because, © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 7   therefore, he was the first eloquent witness - and witness and martyr are the same word in Greek - Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand and he cried to all present, oblivious to the hostility and violence breeding in their breasts – There is a rift in the sky! I can see…! And there you have it; all the ingredients that eventuated in the historic Church’s confession that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One God, blessed forever. The Risen Lord has promised He would not leave His own alone but would come to them and He did. On the day of Pentecost those gathered in the Upper Room knew a power and a Presence that overwhelmed them with the conviction that God was in their midst, that the Spirit of Jesus was with them, that the Spirit of Jesus or the Spirit of God was one Spirit and suddenly it all became clear; they began to comprehend what God had been doing in and through His Servant Jesus. It took a long time for the Church to be able to articulate that experience – centuries, in fact. The need to give expression to experience was obvious, for they were called to be witnesses to the world, but that was not so simple, for how does one express the inexpressible? The Christian mission advanced through the Hellenistic world shaped by Greek language and Greek thought forms. Greek philosophy was the highest expression of human reflection on life’s ultimate issues. Christian apologists borrowed the language and the philosophical concepts and did their best to say, God has visited this world. God revealed Himself in Jesus. The Spirit of God is with us, dwelling in us. After centuries of struggle to articulate the experience of the Apostolic community and the ongoing experience of the Church, creedal formulations were advanced - the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian formula - with which the Church has lived all these centuries. My point is that creeds derive from experience and those first Apostles had to do some radical revising of their theological understanding in the light of what confronted them in Jesus, his cross and resurrection and the baptism of the Spirit. To be sure, God’s dramatic intervention in our history was in Jesus. What happened in Jesus became normative for every subsequent age. But history is dynamic, history is movement and we continue to gain knowledge and understanding of our world, of history, of ourselves. All of that must be understood in the light of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ must be proclaimed in the light of that knowledge . © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 8   Jesus Christ is the answer. That is true for every age. But what is the question? The question that moves the human heart will be variously formulated in every age and it is the task of the Church to listen for the questions and then speak to the questions the Gospel in ever-new translation. Therefore, theological understanding will be dynamic, just as history is dynamic. Theology is derived from two poles - one rooted in a concrete history, the history of Israel and Jesus, one moving with each new age and generation. Theology must be the expression of God’s grace and salvation in Jesus in terms of contemporary culture in order that the timeless Gospel may come to timely expression. Knowledge of God and experience of God are reciprocal. The knowledge in which we are nurtured prepares us for the experience of God in our life situation and out of the experience of God in concrete living our knowledge is reshaped and translated anew. Thus we do not have the knowledge of God expressed in creeds once for all with the last word spoken. We have the knowledge of God revealed in Jesus coming to ever-new expression in every new historical context. It is thus that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Stephen’s death was an eloquent witness to the insight of faith he had received. He died as Jesus died. He was filled with the Holy Spirit; he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. Stephen saw a "rift in the sky;" he was given a vision of God. The reality of his faith and knowledge was demonstrated in the manner of his death. In the midst of a violent crowd with murderous intent he gazed into heaven. They stoned him but he, falling to his knees, prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them. With that, he "fell asleep." Is that not a remarkable description of the manner of death of one being stoned by an angry crowd? And is not the truest test of one’s knowledge and faith the way one lives and dies? What a dynamic movement the Church was in those days. A handful of convinced and committed disciples turned the world upside down. The Cross conquered the mighty Empire of Rome. It could happen again if we stopped arguing about structure and got on with the mission; stopped worrying about bringing everyone into line with our faith formulas and simply loved the world; stopped debating doctrinal points that divide and allowed the Gospel to come to ever-new expression. © Grand Valley State University �The Church: From Tradition to Mission Richard A. Rhem   Page 9   If, in a word, we could move from tradition to mission, we might become again a fruitful instrument in the Master’s hand for the salvation of the world and the triumph of the Kingdom of God. © Grand Valley State University � 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost V Scripture Text Acts 6: 5, 8 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19850630 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-06-30 Title A name given to the resource The Church: From Tradition to Mission Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on June 30, 1985 entitled "The Church: From Tradition to Mission", on the occasion of Pentecost V, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Acts 6: 5, 8. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Creeds Followers of Jesus Grace Mission Nature of Theology Non-exclusive Pluralism Stephen Traditionalsim https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a2f4c3e91fbce4e814ae530f82829f25.mp3 610c63a7b269c64330a8b9f82b020c99 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Eastertide IV Scripture Text Matthew 11:4-5 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19860420 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-04-20 Title A name given to the resource The Church: God's Emergency Ward Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on April 20, 1986 entitled "The Church: God's Emergency Ward", on the occasion of Eastertide IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 11:4-5. 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/dedef21f77bfe5535f425a703d987a4e.pdf 86ead1cdcb67145c08cba3516911538f PDF Text Text The Church: Has It a Future? From the series: The Church: Critical Questions Text: Matthew 7:4; 31:31; Matthew 23:37-38 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 4, 1998 Transcription of the spoken sermon It is the month of October, and being the son of the Reformation, the month of October always makes me think about the church and I have often in the fall season reflected on the nature of the church, its mission, and its function. I want to do that again this year in October, raising critical questions about the church and, in November, talking about the nature of the community that is the church. I do so this year, perhaps particularly, because I am anxious that we should think together about the nature of the church, the church’s future, a future that cannot be taken for granted, ever, but certainly in this congregation as we go into a new church year with a status of independence, somewhat unusual because most of the time, most of the church is interconnected. Not that we are outside of the body of Christ. Nonetheless, we have a particular situation, a circumstance, I believe a particular opportunity, but we ought to be about it intentionally and thoughtfully. And so, if you would for a few weeks just think with me about the church and, this morning, The Church: Has It a Future? I think I can answer that immediately - of course it has a future, but I would also respond to that immediately by saying it will not be the nature of the church as it has been in the past, I believe, as we look into the future. There will be some significant transformations, I’m quite sure, and I do believe that we can be a part of that movement toward a creative newness, which I would hope we would find ourselves engaged with. Think with me, then, for a bit about the church and perhaps the future shape. Maybe that would be a better title. The kinds of things that will be true, increasingly, as we move together into the future. I cannot help but remember the couple of weeks that some of us traversed the European continent. Every place you go, there is another church or another cathedral. There are those who have accused me of leading ABC Tours - "another bloody church." But, we seldom miss one. When one is on the European continent, one is impressed with the fact that those spires that ascend heavenward all over that continent bespeak an age of faith. There was a time when the European culture ,which has become so thoroughly secular, was marked by faith, Christian faith, to be specific. Those magnificent sacred spaces, © Grand Valley State University   �Has the Church a Future? Richard A. Rhem Page 2   still awesome upon entrance, taking your breath away, making one realize the function of sacred space, of the aesthetic that is able to reach the depths of our being and draw out that attitude of worship, causing us for a moment simply to be still. In one such moment someone said to me, "Whatever else one can say, one would have to admit that was a day when somebody really believed in God." They say you can determine the nature of a culture by its architecture, and that certainly is true of that European scene as it reflects those centuries in which faith was dominant and great cathedrals were raised to the glory of God. I suppose our own day would be marked by the glass and steel skyscraper of the commercial world, the business world. Ours is a different age. But, there was a time when in every village, in the most prominent location, there stood the church as a symbol of that faith in God that was as solid as the rock on which the church was built. But one cannot traverse that continent today without the sense that, when one enters those magnificent spaces, one is in the environment of the museum. That is not to say that there are not still godly people gathering in worship, but one does have the feeling that many of those beautiful edifices are more now a place where tourists come and light candles and stay a moment to pray, rather than being the cutting edge of the society over which the spire dominates. And so, one recognizes the fact that with religion and with now specifically the church, there are periods of ebb and flow and that to raise the question about the future is significant, it is important. I read an article some time ago about some of these buildings in The Netherlands. When a building has served as a place of divine worship, there is a general recognition, even for those who have no affiliation or participation in that act, nonetheless some feeling that such a building, such a place ought to be used appropriately when its function is no longer needed in the community. There are a lot of such buildings in The Netherlands, for example. So, how do you find a use for an old church? How do you use a place with dignity that once was a house of worship but no longer functions in that way? What of the future of the church? What of the future of this congregation? As I was thinking about this a month or six weeks ago, and put together this present series, I received an issue of The Christian Century that had an excellent article in it by Peter Berger. Peter Berger is a Lutheran; he’s a sociologist; he’s been one of the most acute observers of the religious scene, and he writes an excellent article, which was precisely what I had been thinking about, entitled "Protestantism and the Quest for Certainty." He raises the question whether or not the church can survive and have a future if it must live with less than absolute certainty in matters of faith. His answer is "Yes," but not to be taken for granted. In his analysis of the present situation, he says in our world, which is marked by pluralism, there is the interfacing of cultures and religions such as formerly was not the case. Formerly, in previous generations, people could live pretty much isolated in their own communities. People were socialized pretty much the same © Grand Valley State University �Has the Church a Future? Richard A. Rhem Page 3   way and, where there is a stable community and a stable tradition and a relatively homogenous population, you have a lot of things that are very important about life that are simply taken for granted. Peter Berger plays on that phrase, "taken for grantedness." Much of life is taken for granted, and that’s not all bad. It simplifies life a bit. You don’t have to think about every action. You don’t have to make a decision every time you make a move. There are things one takes for granted. But, in the arena of religion, the pluralism of our times, the presence of the great religious traditions in our own communities means that, in terms of our religious faith, we can no longer take it for granted. We simply know that there are other options. There are other people who evidence the fruit of the Spirit who believe differently, who act differently than we do, and whenever that happens, when you come into a situation that is genuinely pluralistic, that taken-for-grantedness is obviously undermined. One has to begin to think about what one believes and how one behaves and how one values, etc. Peter Berger says that’s our situation. He quotes the philosopher John Dewey, who speaks about a quest for certainty, and recognizes that it is endemic in the human heart, in yours and mine, that we do seek certain certitudes, certain securities. I like to use the phrase, "lust for certitude." Some things we want to know absolutely. We want to be able to say, "Here I stand," and we don’t want to waffle all over the place. Religion and the church as the bearer of religion have fed into the human desire and quest. It’s simply quite normal, but I think the disservice that the church as a religious community has visited on its people is to give the impression that it’s possible to live with absolute certainties, failing to point out that it is the very nature of our human existence that absolutes are denied us. We are in the stream of history; our lives are marked by change, by development. The future is open, and it is impossible to freeze, absolutize church structures, liturgical forms, creedal formulations, and consequently, we live with a tension, a tension that stems from our quest for certainty and the reality of our human situation which denies us certitude. I happen to think that the church has played into that lust for certitude and promised what it really cannot promise honestly, and that what we ought to do, what we must do, rather, is help our people learn to live by faith where those absolutes are unavailable. But the question is, can such a church have a future? Can such a community face honestly the human situation and survive, refusing to play into that which has motivated so much religious activity, that quest for certainty and security which, once again, I must say I think is simply not available in our human situation? Well, Peter Berger in this very fine article says the very heart and center of the Protestant movement of the 16th century Reformation was the refusal to absolutize any human structure, be it the structure of the church, or be it the structure of the faith, or even be it the Bible as the infallible, inerrant word of © Grand Valley State University �Has the Church a Future? Richard A. Rhem Page 4   God. Anything that a human hand has touched is denied absoluteness. That was the insight of the 16th century. The nuance of the word Protestant is negative, like protest, as being against. But, as a matter of fact, in the 16th century the Protestants were protesting. Pro is for. Calling for something, so that out of that 16th century movement, at its heart, which was already denied by the 17th century, there was a recognition that there is always a danger to absolutize human forms and structures and institutions, and freeze against the future, and try to create a situation of taken for grantedness, and I have to tell you there’s no such place. My question is: Can a congregation survive where there is that kind of honesty up front that denies you the certainty for which your soul longs? But, in taking that position, I am being true to my heritage, because the essence of the 16th century was that the church was being reformed according to the word of God, and always being reformed, and there was no point, no creed, no structure that could ever finally be absolutized. That’s what the whole thing was about, because there was an explosion in the 16th century because churches do what churches do. It happened in Jeremiah’s day. They thought, as long as the temple was sitting in the midst of Jerusalem, everything was going to be hunkydory. And so, the prophet comes. How does God speak to Jeremiah? I don’t know. Middle of the night, or did he just overeat the night before and have indigestion? Anyway, he stands on the church steps on the high holy day and they’re coming to worship and he says, "Don’t trust these deceptive words, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord is this.’ Do you think you can just go out and live any old way you want to live, denying the justice and the compassion that God requires, and everything will be just fine because the temple is standing? Not on your life." Oh, Jeremiah’s got a story. What a story. I can’t go into it, but they call him the weeping prophet no one ever heeded. Finally he lost his life, but he wasn’t alone. And Jesus, in his controversy with the religious leadership of his day, confronting them with the best in their own tradition, and yet recognizing that it would be true of him as it was true of Jeremiah. Jesus said to the religious leadership of his day, "You’ve always done it. You’re simply the children of your parents who have shed all that righteous blood down through the centuries. The prophet, the one who dares shake the foundations, the one who dares to tell the truth, the one who refuses to cotton to that lust for certitude where certitude cannot be found, that one who will give answers knowing more than one can know." Jesus says, "I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not." So, Judah went into exile. The Jesus movement split off from the Jewish movement. The Reformation was a rending of the body of Christ because institutions will not live in the light of reality, which is a non-absolute posture in all of life. That’s the nature of human existence. I’m sorry to deny you the kind of security and certainty you would want, but if I would give you security and © Grand Valley State University �Has the Church a Future? Richard A. Rhem Page 5   certainty in this human pilgrimage, I would be giving you something that is not possible. You, rather, have to learn to live by faith. Sola Fidei; Luther, one of the cardinal planks - By faith! There’s no church that’s absolute; there’s no doctrine that’s absolute; there’s no book that’s absolute; there’s only God Who is absolute and God is Mystery and we trust by faith, we lay hold of God. Colette prays a moving prayer that touches us deeply and recognizes the infirmities and the fragility and the tragedy and pain of our human existence, and then the choir sings, "All will be well. All will be well; all manner of things will be well," quoting Julian of Norwich who is quoted here regularly and will continue to be quoted here. Eventually we’ll sing it, as well. All will be well. All will be well; all manner of things will be well. I believe that. I live in faith; I trust that, but in the meantime, I don’t know. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I don’t know about the next decade or the next century or the next millennium. I have to live, trusting, trusting. The Protestant Principle, said Paul Tillich, refuses to absolutize anything human - church, state, culture, social, whatever. We are pilgrims, we are on a journey, the future continues to open up, we move toward it, trusting, without that kind of certainty that we would so love to have. I’m thinking about all this, and then I’m reading this article and Berger says, "How can one build institutions on such a fragile base?" I said, "Peter, you tell me. How can you build institutions on such a fragile basis?" Don’t viable institutions require a strong foundation of taken for granted verities? Require representatives who exude self-assured certainty? Let us assume that over time it is difficult to fake this, and we must ask, if one constructs institutions on the basis of the sort of skepticism that the Protestant Principle implies, will these institutions not be extraordinarily weak, associations of individuals with no deep commitment? Can such institutions survive? I want to say, "Peter Berger, you’re reading my mind." Do you know what sells in Peoria? Do you know where the vitality and the strength and the resources are in the religious world? They are in places where there is absolute certainty, where there is promise without qualification. Where there is triumphalism. Where there is reveling in this victory and triumph of God that makes all things well. They’re flourishing, folks, and my question to you is not whether we will flourish, but simply whether we’ll survive. Can an institution that is deadly honest with the human situation, simply trusting God, survive? Peter Berger says, "Yes," but he said there will be a difference. You can believe a lot of the same things, but you hold them differently because you know there are other options, and you know that you have intentionally decided to be here, and that you have deliberately embraced a certain faith and posture, and that you are an association of voluntary members. There’s no coercion. Nobody forces you. No peer pressure. No community pressure. Just plain saying, "That’s what I believe, and I can live with that kind of uncertainty because underneath it is a deep trust © Grand Valley State University �Has the Church a Future? Richard A. Rhem Page 6   in God that will enable me, come triumph or tragedy, light or shadow, radiant sunshine or the dead of winter, to prevail. In 1972, a man who was working for the National Council of Churches named Dean Kelly, wrote a book, Why Conservative Churches are Growing. This was 1972. I had been back here about a year. Kelly was observing, as Peter Berger, sociologically, phenomenally, the church scene, and he asked why conservative churches were growing, that is, churches with a very rigid creed and a very rigid social code, (you do this and you don’t do that), and a series of demands, (you’re here on Sunday, Wednesday night, you tithe your income), etc., etc. Why, he said, are conservative churches marked that way growing? He said, "As a matter of fact, they are the churches that are growing," and he has been proven to be at least partially right. In 1972 I took that book into the pulpit in that little sanctuary over there and I held it up and I said, "Folks, if Dean Kelly is right, we are doomed, because I am trying to do something that is absolutely opposite, diametrically opposite from what he says works." So, if we’re in trouble, it was intentional, and it’s the only way, it’s the only way that I can be a part of any church in the future. An honesty, a trust, and that’s all there is. So, let’s keep thinking about it. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fd60ddece2cf83937ac2a19a0f9c8454.mp3 82144e330a9ba21a45ec16887bb490bb 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XVIII Series The Church: Critical Questions Scripture Text Jeremiah 7:4, 31:31, Matthew 23:37-38 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19981004 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998-10-04 Title A name given to the resource The Church: Has It a Future? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 4, 1998 entitled "The Church: Has It a Future?", as part of the series "The Church: Critical Questions", on the occasion of Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 7:4, 31:31, Matthew 23:37-38. Nature of Religion Prophetic Voice Protestant Religious Quest https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/514721b9ec747b2102d2b4f7d658ce8f.pdf 14faa1fd3e31c82fbb7357de1b6367fc PDF Text Text The Church: Has It a Place in the Spiritual Life? From the series: The Church: Critical Questions Text: Mark 7:8; I Corinthians 12:7; 12:27; 13:13 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 11, 1998 Transcription of the spoken sermon The question this morning in this month of October, when we are thinking together about the church, is whether or not the church has a place in the spiritual life. A rather strange question, isn’t it, because one would assume at least superficially that the church is precisely the place for the development and cultivation of the spiritual life. Of course, at its best, that’s exactly what it is, and yet, the question is not ridiculous at all for, if you stop to think for a moment, the church as an organization, as an institution that is ministered to and over by flawed human beings, that is full of structures and traditions and all sorts of diverse baggage - the church as an institution can be a detriment to the spiritual life. It can dampen devotion and undercut the freshness of faith. Christ Community over the years has been a place that has collected all sorts of birds with broken wings, wounded in the struggle of religion in its organizational and institutional forms. So I think probably it is perceived here immediately, that it is a legitimate question, the church can be a detriment to spiritual life. There are those who would say, "The church has no place in my spiritual life, and it was in finally shucking off the church that I found my spirit beginning to sing." Unfortunately, that has too often been the case. That is understandable because, whatever else the church is, as the mediator of the Spirit, as the arena in which God moves upon us by the Spirit, it is also a human organization and institution and, to that extent, it is a flawed body, and it can do damage. Religion has been the source of great nobility and marvelous movements on the part of the human spirit, and it has a shadow side which has been to be a participant in some of the horrific experiences in the human story. So, to ask whether the church has a place in the spiritual life is an effort to get us to think together about the distinction between the spiritual pursuit, the pursuit of God, the experience of God, and our life together in an organized, religious institution. Obviously, it is my hope and my intention that a community like this foster spirituality and not hinder it or become a barrier to it. That can never be taken for granted and I think that we ought always, anew, to ask the question, "Is this © Grand Valley State University   �Church’s Place in Spiritual Life Richard A. Rhem Page 2   community such that it enhances human beings and inspires people and brings them into the experience of God, or has the institution moved into a phase in which, rather, it drains and detracts from the Spirit of God?" That’s the question asked this morning. As one looks back over the history of the church, obviously there have been those times again and again when the church became, not an institution inspiring, but an organization dominating and exploiting. If we simply think about the rise of religion, think of our own biblical tradition, the Jewish-Christian tradition (someone hears a voice, Abraham and Sarah move out, knowing not where they’re going, and eventually out of that family comes a people enslaved in Egypt, and another one named Moses encounters a bush that burns but isn’t consumed and has a sense of divine mission and calling, brings that people out of slavery through the wilderness, into their own land), we see that it is a movement, dynamic, alive. But, before too long, in that land, organization happens and structures are developed. Eventually, there’s a king named David, a great politician, a savvy leader of the people, who organizes the nation. His son, Solomon, builds the magnificent temple, and before long this people who had heard the voice of God on Mount Sinai become a people who are domesticated, as it were, in the organized structures of religion with a priesthood and a temple and altar and sacrifices and all of the accouterments of organized and institutional religion, and all of that arising out of the founding vision, all of that a sort of natural and inevitable development and yet, a development which loses the spontaneity and the freshness of the first love, that driving vision that sweeps people along and lifts them up, and it becomes ordinary, it becomes pro forma, it becomes highly structured, routinized, and loses its soul. And through all of the experiences of that people here and there, now and again, a prophet’s voice is raised, raised about the dominance of this institution, raised about the lack of soul and the emptiness. The prophets are silenced because their message is not popular. One day on the banks of the Jordan River, a man named John stands up and becries the situation of his people, their religious life, the temple crowd, the collaboration with the Roman occupying power, and he points to another one by the name of Jesus and Jesus, with his own vision, his own particular fire and his own particular spirit, filled with the Spirit, challenges the institution, challenges the tradition of the elders to such an extent that they know they have to silence him, and in collaboration with the Roman authorities they put him to death because he had the audacity to stand up in the face of the whole temple establishment and say, "You’ve lost your heart; you’ve lost your soul; you’ve lost your way." The religious institution, with all of the vested interests of those who are a part of it and who eat out of the trough has every reason to keep the status quo, but that which begins with a fresh blush of the winds of the Spirit, that which is, first of all, the experience of a new love, the freshness, the spontaneous movement of the © Grand Valley State University �Church’s Place in Spiritual Life Richard A. Rhem Page 3   Spirit, that which is inspiring, liberating, and causes people to sing and to dance, becomes domesticated, ordinary, forgets the fact that it is a means to lift people heavenward and becomes an end in itself that uses people for its own ends, always justifying, of course, as being this divine institution, when all the time it is human, all too human, petty, mean-spirited, losing vision, becoming protective, defensive, perpetuating itself, when all of that about which it finds its life circling around is anachronistic, out of another day, refusing to move along with the wind of the Spirit. Jesus said, "You stick to human traditions rather than the commandment of God." We have to read those Gospel passages, understanding that when they were written several decades after Jesus, they were written with the brokenness between the Jesus movement and the Rabbinic Jewish movement. I don’t believe that Jesus himself in his own day would have had the sharpness of those discussions. But, there can be little doubt that Jesus challenged the temple establishment. There can be little doubt that the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are reflective of that confrontation of Jesus with the religious establishment of his day, which eventuated in his death. It has always been so. The little struggling Jesus movement, persecuted, hunted down, finally in the fourth century, with Emperor Constantine, becomes the established religion of the Empire. It becomes the dominant religious expression. Cathedrals are built and the religious leaders dominate the European continent. It becomes a lush institution. It becomes wealthy; it is corrupt. And in the 16th century there is a movement of Reformation and the church is re-formed according to the word of God, and reformed is a verb, an action verb. It’s a verb of movement; it is a movement of renewal. And then, once again, just as has happened in the time of Jesus, the institutional forms of the church get rigid, brace themselves, will not be renewed, will not acknowledge that they’ve lost their first love, brokenness, the tearing, the rending of the body of Christ. The essence of that Reformation movement of the 16th century was never to absolutize any ecclesiastical form or creedal statement. But, the renewal only lasts so long and before very long, the essence of that which was a spirit that it would reform and always be reformed by the word of God, the verb, becomes a noun. Now there is a reformed presence in the world and it becomes an adjective, so there is reformed worship and reformed evangelism and reformed theology. The verb degenerates into a noun, a static thing, another institution to be protected, to be defended, to be perpetuated, to resist the winds of the Spirit. And so, it goes. Over and over and over again. And the institution which ostensibly is organized in the human arena becomes a dominating, exploiting institution that uses people for its own end, its own aggrandizement, its own perpetuation. That’s why organized religion in our day, the mainstream out of which we stem, of which we are a part, is in a survival mode, defensive and protective. © Grand Valley State University �Church’s Place in Spiritual Life Richard A. Rhem Page 4   The Utne Reader is an interesting journal with commentary on the contemporary scene. There was an article this summer entitled “God With a Million Faces,” and it began with the story of Ann Marie, who said that organized religion was, for her, dis-empowering. She said it’s bogus. She took some of the trappings of her Christian upbringing, she added a pinch of Buddhism and a little bit of this and a little bit of that and she came up with a sect of one, the sect of Ann Marie. She is on her individual quest, her quest for spirituality, her own thirst and hunger for the experience of the living God which she couldn’t find in the institution. She is an example of a very large trend in our day. We hear a lot about the vocal rhetoric, the Religious Right. We hear stories, news articles, etc., of the megachurches that are growing by leaps and bounds, and we hear about the noisy part of religion which seems to be alive and well in the US of A. But, we don’t hear much about the Ann Maries, the thousands and millions who have been disenchanted with organized religion, who have left the institutions. We hear a bit about the New Age and some of it is very bizarre, and some of it is more responsible, but all of it points to a deep spiritual hunger. It is very easy to say, "Well, the world is growing less religious, less spiritual. People are pursuing their own ends and their own pleasures," but I don’t believe that for a moment. I believe that there is as much hunger and thirst in the human heart, in the human soul as ever there was. But, there are all kinds of people who have taken the warning that institutional religion can be bad for your spiritual life, and they’ve gone off on their own quest, because the institution can be an albatross on the human spirit, and I don’t know of any movement that has been able to avoid that movement into organization and institutionalization, except maybe A.A. We’re familiar with the Twelve Steps of A.A. in terms of that personal healing and recovery, but A.A. also has its traditions in regard to it as a movement which has historically positioned itself against the possibility of becoming an institution with lands, buildings, and wealth. Maybe in the Christian movement, the Quakers have avoided it with their little white frame buildings, coming together and sitting in a circle of silence. But you, what do you do? You hire a preacher. You build a building. You have to put a new roof on it. You have a Minister of Music and a large organ - all of the accouterments that make it such a pleasure to be a part of this community. And it can become a real drain and a drag. And it can ring the zest out of your spiritual life. In the Utne Reader, in this same article, there are comments in the margins by six or eight people of all kinds of religious spiritual movements and traditions. I’ve printed a couple of them in the liturgy for you. One, in particular, Gangaji, I don’t know who she is or what she’s a part of, but I like what she says and that is that if the rituals and the forms can be the instruments by which the Mystery becomes present, then wonderful, but, she distinguishes very, very carefully between the freedom of the spirit and that ritualism that so easily comes and entraps us. And she reminds us that the people we follow were the people who © Grand Valley State University �Church’s Place in Spiritual Life Richard A. Rhem Page 5   would not follow, that the ones that we have made our leaders, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, whomever, are the very ones who shattered the forms, who broke out of the tradition, who undercut the institution, who got back to the heart and the spirit of the matter. That’s the way it is, isn’t it? Someone sees a vision. Someone breaks through the crust, the barnacles, and then everyone says, "Ha, that’s it!" And before long, that one becomes the one who’s worshipped and followed and a whole new set of things are organized, institutionalized, absolutized, and before long you have to take an offering again. Ann Marie says, "The church didn’t do it for me. I’ve taken my tray and gone down the cafeteria line and borrowed a little of this and a little of that and I am a sect of one." But, there are voices in that same Utne Reader article that suggest the difficulty of being the sect of one, going it alone. We really do need community. It is possible for human community to enhance our individual lives and our walk and our quest for the reality of the Spirit. I think that’s what Paul was trying to point out. The congregation in Corinth was exuberant, full of all kinds of gifts, and he had to write to them to calm down a bit, to recognize one another’s gifts and to do things decently and in order. He reminded them that all spiritual diversity has one Source and that is the Spirit, and that all of the diverse gifts are to be used not for personal exaltation, but for the building up of the body. And so, he encourages those people in Corinth, in that community, to recognize the unity of their spiritual gift and their calling to be concerned for their brothers and sisters and the upbuilding of the body which is the image that he uses, the body of Christ. And then he says, "When you’ve discovered your gift, when you’ve brought your gift to the service of the rest, then let me show you an even more excellent way." And he breaks out into that beautiful hymn of love, the 13th chapter of I Corinthians, in which he reminds us, as he reminded the Corinthian congregation, that the most profound proclamation, the proper creedal posture, the exuberant offering of oneself, making even the supreme sacrifice, apart from love, is nothing. And then he goes on to describe what love is and what love is not. He comes back, then, to remind them that all of the things that seem so important are really provisional, temporary, passing away, that there is finally faith and hope and love and the greatest of these is love. You see, the church so easily becomes an end in itself. It takes so much to keep it going, to keep it on track, to keep it up, organize it, regulate it, supervise it, when what we really want, what we really need is the experience of God. So, let us be very certain that this organization called Christ Community never sacrifices the life and the spirit in order to be a little more stable, a little more solid in order to have a better future, in order to perpetuate itself. We don’t have to go into the future. We don’t have to become anything. In fact, to the extent that we are willing to let it all go, let it die, only then will we be free to allow the wind of the Spirit to blow where it will. Only if we can relativize this necessary organizational life, will we be set free to open ourselves to the Spirit, to love one another, to © Grand Valley State University �Church’s Place in Spiritual Life Richard A. Rhem Page 6   recognize that everything takes second place to that community of love. When we become willing to unclench the fist and open our mind and heart, we can be free of compulsion, fear, manipulation, and the need for exploitation, finally freed up to walk the way of spirituality, the way of Jesus, in a community of love where the Spirit blows free, and where we can leave after gathering with the brothers and sisters on a marvelous Lord’s Day like this and see a leaf or hear a child’s cry, experience a lump in the throat, a tear on the cheek, and say, "That’s why I believe." © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6a0dbb4568ea302714a36b15485d8a65.mp3 0b0eda39afd6ce2e510d6f5c52c9008c 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIX Series The Church: Critical Questions Scripture Text Mark 7:8, I Corinthians 12:7, 12:27, 13:13 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19981011 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998-10-11 Title A name given to the resource The Church: Has It a Place in the Spiritual Life? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 11, 1998 entitled "The Church: Has It a Place in the Spiritual Life?", as part of the series "The Church: Critical Questions", on the occasion of Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Mark 7:8, I Corinthians 12:7, 12:27, 13:13. Community of Faith Nature of Religion Prophetic Voice Spiritual Quest https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7a01b6d7ec74d938529d4fe54d65516b.mp3 f221c3386adbd29284d9aef5ad26dfe4 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost VII Series The Sacramental Character of the Church Scripture Text Isaiah 65:25, Ephesians 3:9-10 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19920726 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1992-07-26 Title A name given to the resource The Church: Sign of the Kingdom: Community of Shalom Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 26, 1992 entitled "The Church: Sign of the Kingdom: Community of Shalom", as part of the series "The Sacramental Character of the Church", on the occasion of Pentecost VII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 65:25, Ephesians 3:9-10. 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/25cd43afd152c7aa068ae26e359cf943.pdf 83d7a62c90b4b9476ba4ca2c9964ad1c PDF Text Text The Celebration of Life and Death From the series: The Church: Human Community Text: Ecclesiastes 3:2, 22; Romans 14:8 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1998 Transcription of the spoken sermon The writer of the Ecclesiastes finds God inscrutable. He does not doubt God’s existence; in fact, he seems to believe God has pre-ordained everything that happens. In one sense, that is positive; there is for everything a season and life is lived with a structure and order that encompasses the wide diversity of human experience - a time to be born, and a time to die ... God has made everything suitable for its time, and God has put into the human mind a sense of past and future, but we cannot determine what God is up to. I like the translation "God has set eternity in the human heart," meaning, I suppose, that within our brief moment we sense we are part of something much grander, but again, what God is about, we cannot fathom. God is inscrutable; we simply have no clue as to what the future holds. This does not lead to the paralysis of despair. Rather, be happy, enjoy life - work, eat, drink and take pleasure - a wholesome outlook. But, when it comes to questions of the end, the writer remains agnostic because he finds God inscrutable. What is our fate? He answers, "Who knows?" Life has structure; for everything there is a season, and life should be bold - eat, drink, and seek pleasure in your labor. But this biblical writer has nothing more to say, and I think it is because he finds God totally inscrutable. I find this a fascinating contrast to the affirmation of another biblical writer, St. Paul. Paul was as Jewish as the writer of Ecclesiastes, but he was separated in time by at least three centuries and in experience by a great gulf. Between the times of these two, something had happened - the Word became flesh - God’s self- expression in the humanity of Jesus. Paul had an epiphany experience of Jesus, being overwhelmed with the truth that Jesus was God’s Word, God’s anointed - the revelation of the heart and purpose of God. © Grand Valley State University   �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 2   After setting forth his understanding of what God had done in Jesus in his letter to the Romans, he asks, "What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Subsequently in his letter to the Romans he deals with a very practical issue about how Christians should act with each other and in the course of that discussion in the 14th chapter, he declares, If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord, so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. It is this claim by Paul that I believe we verify in our concrete human experience in community. Life’s limit situations, birth and death, and those significant passages in the meantime are marked in the community before the face of the Ultimate - the Source, creative ground, and final rest of our existence. This is All Saints Day, a day of remembering those from the community whom we’ve loved and lost awhile. It is thus an appropriate time to reflect on community, on the communion of the saints, the community of God’s people gathered in human community. I chose the hymn, "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry" intentionally for the theme of the day. Many have said that they cannot get through the hymn without moist eyes and a lump in the throat. Beginning at our borning cry and moving through the passages of our lives until we shut our weary eyes, the hymn is a celebration of the whole of life - and then some, for it ends with the promise of just one more surprise. The passages pointed to in the hymn are passages marked in the church baptism, childhood and nurture, adolescence and the perils of individuation into the emergence of faith and personal affirmation, finding a soul mate and the joy of human union, years of maturity moving toward old age and finally death. It is in community that we mark the passages of our lives. It is particularly then that we sense the need to belong to a faith family whose center is that Mystery that is the source of life and the gracious goal toward which our lives move. It is the witness of so many who come into this community that the birth of a child triggers the spiritual awakening and over and over again I hear comments about the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism that it brings tears to eyes. It is a beautiful moment, a moment of pure grace when we recognize the child as gift and claim the promise, "I will be a God to your children." I must skip over the intervening years of life to come to its close and there again something in us instinctively reaches out for the church, for its ministry. It is one of the high privileges of pastoral ministry to be present with the dying. It was my privilege this past week to witness the tenderness of family at the death vigil with © Grand Valley State University �Celebration of Life and Death Richard A. Rhem Page 3   reassuring words, holding the hand, stroking the cheek, being present to and with the one slipping beyond the pale. But when the final breath is taken and the loved one expires, it is not over. Again, I think instinctively we need something more - a gathering and not just a gathering, but a gathering in the context of worship, a remembering, a thanksgiving, a celebration of the life and a final commendation to the gracious embrace of the Eternal God. Over and over again I am struck by how natural it is to worship, to be lifted out of ourselves and come consciously into the Presence of the Transcendent One. The Mystery we call God in the presence of death. Sometimes one hears of a gathering of friends of one deceased where their life is remembered and spoken of and it always seems to me so lacking in ultimate meaning. That, of course, is my bias, my conditioning. Yet, I think it is deeper than that. Does not the human heart and mind with its natural limitation yearn to break out of those limits and reach for some touch of the Eternal? Here we rejoice at the wonder of a child. Our hearts meet at their wide-eyed wonder, their innocence, their total dependence, and their great potential. Here we grieve the loss of those we’ve dearly loved. Here we acknowledge honestly our pain, our loss, our guilt for words spoken or words not spoken, our sense of loss, maybe even anger, our failure to heal old wounds before it was too late. But, here, too, we await a word of grace, of forgiveness, of peace and surely of hope, believing finally all will be well. There is that within us that cries out for the sense of God’s presence, God’s grace, and God’s peace. And when we rejoice in a child or grieve a loved one lost, we do not want to be alone. Certainly we need such moments, too, but finally we need the community, family and extended faith family - the outpouring of love, care, and concern, the hug, the strong embrace, the presence of familiar faces, the sound of familiar voices and the ritual whose words and phrases leap to life, their familiarity a comfort and means of assurance. We need a place and a people with whom we can laugh and cry with no need to posture or put on false face. We need people who are the embodiment of God’s love and God’s grace. The celebration of life and death - that is at the heart of the human community that is the church. Religion arises from that deep sense of mystery that pervades our human existence, our self-conscious awareness of an ultimate source and ground of our life, and sense of a Presence toward which we instinctively reach. From some founding experience there grows a story, a tradition, a ritual that enables us to orient our lives, to find meaning and peace. It is in the religious community that we are provided the environment and the means to negotiate the most significant passages of the human experience in laughter and in tears; in compassionate and loving embrace that is the sign of the God whose we are in life and in death, Who is experienced most deeply with a lump in the throat, a tear on the cheek, and a heart tender, open and soft. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/960c43ca445574c7db98e801031ad000.mp3 d248ddacbec5974975ad526bc8325f28 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXII Series The Church: Human Community Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 3:2, 3:22, Romans 14:8 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI 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 KII-01_RA-0-19981101 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998-11-01 Title A name given to the resource The Church: The Celebration of Life and Death Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 1, 1998 entitled "The Church: The Celebration of Life and Death", as part of the series "The Church: Human Community", on the occasion of Pentecost XXII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3:2, 3:22, Romans 14:8. Community of Faith Mystery Worship https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9bc8d24a71344fd5126b6f11128337ca.pdf c2e24361d2adbdef80499caef9abd244 PDF Text Text The Church: Who Needs It? From the series: Tough Questions; No Easy Answers Text: Ephesians 4:15 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 24, 1997 Transcription of the spoken sermon Our summer sermon series, Tough Questions; No Easy Answers, concludes today with a focus on the church, the institutional form of the Christian religion: "The Church: Who Needs It!" Who needs it? That is a question. However, you may have noticed in the printed liturgy that the question is terminated with an exclamation point rather than a question mark. Who Needs It! This reflects not so much a genuine inquiry into who really needs the church as a statement reflecting a serious question about whether or not perhaps the church in its present forms and structures has a future; even more, whether it would be a serious loss if it continues in its present process of demise. Let me acknowledge at the outset that I am not able to be completely objective in the contemplation of the question. Who needs it! is probably the expression of my own frustration with, and disappointment in, the institution in which I have been nurtured and to which I have given my life. You will simply have to hear me keeping my own bias before you. Granting that, let me tie this sermon on the church in with that which I have been stressing throughout this series, namely, that religion is a human construct, a human creation, which in multiple religious forms and institutional structures is a response to the experience of God, the sense of a Presence that fills all things, a Mystery which is always hidden from us, yet so present in its absence that its reality cannot be denied. This is true of religion in the earliest forms discovered in the practice of ancient and primitive peoples; it is true of the great world religions. Religion as a phenomenon of humankind is a humanly shaped response to an encounter from beyond or from the depths. This is true of the Christian religion as it is institutionalized in the church in all the manifold forms and structures that have emerged over 2000 years and in all © Grand Valley State University   �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 2   the wide variety of churches with us in our day. The Christian church is a human creation, a human institution consisting of a belief system (doctrine), cultic forms for worship and devotion (liturgy/ritual), and a moral code (ethics). To claim this does not deny that the Christian religion is a genuine and authentic response to God, that it is a mediator of truth, of revelation, that it is an agency of God’s grace. It is simply to recognize that, in response to the revelation of the Mystery that is God in Jesus Christ and the grace that he mediates by God’s Spirit, those who have been encountered by revelation and embraced by grace have created a religious institution we call the church in order to witness to their experience and pass on their faith. The religious faith and institutional structure which provided the womb for the Christian faith was Judaism. One of the fruits of current study of the historical Jesus is our recognition that Jesus was a Jew. Of course, the church has always known this, but the fact is, the church has not recognized the Jewishness of Jesus sufficiently, nor done justice to the rootedness of Jesus in his own religious tradition. He was born a Jew, lived as an observant Jew and died a Jew. It was Jewish tradition he was seeking to renew. It was the Jewish institutional religion he was seeking to dismantle in the fashion of Israel’s prophets. From our present knowledge of Jesus’ time from cross-cultural studies, we get a sense of the institutional forms and structures that he was up against. We also recognize the Gospels as post-Easter documents that were based on oral tradition that went back in part to Jesus himself but, at their writing, were documents that reflected the situation of the Christian communities from which they arose decades after Jesus’ life and ministry. It seems apparent that Jesus never intended anything but the renewal of his own Jewish faith. The early Jesus movement that developed in the wake of Easter was a Jewish movement in its entirety. In the early years, the Jesus movement was a movement within Judaism. But, this was a time of ferment and crisis for Judaism. In a struggle with Rome who occupied her land, she saw her temple razed and Jerusalem destroyed. The question was what would emerge as the ongoing Jewish tradition. By the time Matthew wrote his Gospel, from which we read this morning, two generations separated his community from Jesus himself. It was clear by the time Matthew wrote that the majority of Israel was not going to follow Jesus as God’s Messiah. The Jesus Jewish movement had reached out to Gentiles. The movement was constituted of Jews and Gentiles and was taking on an identity over against Israel. We see this in the passage read from Matthew 16. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks, "Who do people say that I am?" The disciples answered, Elijah or Jeremiah © Grand Valley State University �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 3   or John the Baptist - one of the prophets. And then Jesus asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answers for the group, "You are the Christ (or Messiah), the son of the living God." Jesus praises Peter for the answer - giving him the nickname Rock and declaring that on the Rock he would build his church. It is fascinating that Matthew used Mark as his basic source, but in this instance, he goes beyond Mark. In Mark, Jesus does not give Peter his nickname, nor does he praise him; rather, he sternly warns the disciple to say nothing of this messianic identity. But, even in Matthew’s account, Jesus continues after his high praise of Peter to speak of his forthcoming suffering to which Peter objects, actually rebuking Jesus for such talk. In response, Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things." Even though Matthew intends some six decades after Jesus to make Jesus the establisher of the church, he lets show through the constant peril in which the church will live - becoming human, all too human. The Protestant Church should never have argued with the Roman Church that Peter was the first Pope because if anyone puts the lie to papal infallibility, it is Peter. Calling Simon "Rock" may well have been a bit of Jesus’ humor. Rock-like, he was not; human, he was. Well, it seems we have a guest. (At this point, "Peter" arrives, hurrying down the aisle, excited and emphatic.) Peter: I’m Peter, and, "On this rock I’m gonna build my church." That’s what he said. If you don’t believe me, you can look it up. Oh, you just did. I never understood the rock thing. Who would call somebody a rock? Would you call somebody a loaf of bread, a tree? "Hey, Shrub, come over here." How would you like that? But, who could figure him? The way he talked sometimes? Very mysterious. So, this is church, eh? A little breezy. Reminds me of the old days, Sermon on the Mount. No air-conditioning there. Whew! It was a scorcher. They don’t tell you that, do they, in that book you got there? Ninety-eight degrees that day, and lots of humidity. But, this is just for fun today, right? You got your buildings for regular. I see you’ve gone to Sundays ... Saturday wasn’t good enough? Anyway, I’m really pleased to see you’ve made it so big. I kept telling Jesus, all we needed to do was get to the big boys, the movers and shakers, the Big Kahunas, show them we could work with them. I said, "Jesus softer, softer. Ease up on the ‘Woe is you, Pharisees,’ stuff. And ‘Woe to the lawyers.’" You just don’t say "Woe to the lawyers" and get ahead in this world. © Grand Valley State University �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 4   They got such a powerful lobby, you wouldn’t believe! And getting into real estate ... that’s smart. Oh, that’s smaaaart. I told him all along. When he had that shmooze with Elijah and Moses, and he turned all sparkly, I told him then. Build three tabernacles here ... Okay, just one. At least put up a plaque, "Jesus transfigured here, June eleventh, 0-0-27." But, no. "Don’t tell anybody," he says. So, what are you pulling down? 40-50 big ones? You know what I got? Lunch, I got. On a good day, maybe breakfast. I’m not complaining. I was in on the ground floor - that counts for something. I got statues all over the place. None of ‘em look like but, but, hey, the headquarters in Rome? St. Peters! That still seems a little weird to me. St. Rock. Who would do that to a friend? "Simon," I says, "what’s wrong with Simon?" "Give up your stuff and follow me," he says. I brought this nice young kid in to see him once. Very well connected. Good family; the Dad’s really big in olive oil. And the kid wants to join. I’m thinking, this could be good. So, Jesus asks him the big one, you know, what’s the most important commandment? And the kid spouts it right off, not a hitch. Okay, so I prompted him a little going into the interview, but the kid’s sincere. And Jesus loves him, you can tell. He’s a good looking kid, well behaved, nice clothes. But, then Jesus says, "You want to go with me, you gotta get rid of all your stuff first. Give it away to folks who don’t have any stuff, then come back and see me." I couldn’t believe my ears. So we lost him. I said, "Jesus, this kid was loaded. You just blew a potentially large investor." And then he goes on at me about how tough it is to get to heaven if you’ve got a lot of stuff, and something about camels going through needles, and I don’t know. Anyway, I’m glad to see that’s changed. I mean, this looks like a pretty well heeled bunch here. What’s the weekly take? Pretty good, I bet. Oh, you got a good thing going here. One night the boys and I, we’re sitting around a campfire with Jesus singing "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore," "We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder," some of the oldies but goodies, and then Jesus starts talking about he has to go to Jerusalem and the Son of Man is going to have all sorts of bad things happen to him, and we’re not understanding what he’s saying, so a few of us start trying to work out an organizational chart. You know, Jesus is the CEO, that’s a given. But, who’s the V.P.s? I mean, you can’t have any kind of operation like that without flow charts. You got to have your P.R. section. Quality Control, and so forth. Well, Jesus just threw a fit and says, "You want to be Vice President, you’ve got to be the custodian. You want to lead, you’ve got to serve!" He was always saying things like that. "You gotta die to live. The first are last and the last first." I kept saying, "Jesus, you’re going to drive ‘em away with that sort of stuff. You need upbeat, upbeat! ‘It’s the real thing!’ - take a tip from the Coke folks, Nike, whoosh! The Pillsbury Doughboy." © Grand Valley State University �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 5   But, don’t let me interrupt. You guys are doing great, just great! It’s a real pleasure. I’ll just sit down here, zip the lip. You were saying? (Mr. Rhem) I was saying, Peter, you never got the message. In the paragraph following our reading, we have Jesus speaking to the disciples about denying themselves, taking up the cross and following Jesus. Those who want to save their life will lose it, Jesus warns. Those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake - that is, for the sake of the way of Jesus will find life. But, that word has too often been muffled in the history of the church. It just may be that what appeared to be the triumph of the Christian religion and its institutional form, the church, was its undoing. In the year 312 C.E., the Roman Emperor Constantine was victorious in battle and he attributed his victory to Jesus Christ. Constantine decreed that Christianity would be the established religion of the Empire. Thus, the movement that sprang from Jesus, beginning as a Jewish sect, becoming a persecuted minority evolved into the state religion of the Roman Empire and Jesus, the destabilizer of the religious institution of Judaism, was co-opted by the Roman Emperor to bring unity and cohesion to the Empire. It is no coincidence that the Constantinian decree of 313 was followed in 325 C.E. by the Council of Nicaea, perhaps the most critical Council in terms of the definition of the deity of Jesus and his relationship to God in the Trinitarian formula. John Dominic Crossan, in his Jesus, A Revolutionary Biography, writes, ... Constantine, wanting a unified Christianity as the empire’s new religion, ordered the Christian bishops to meet, under imperial subsidy, in Nicaea, southeast of Constantinople, and there erase any major theological disagreements between them. Even if one is not already somewhat disturbed at imperial convocations, presence, and participation, it is hard not to become very nervous in reading this description of the imperial banquet celebrating the Council of Nicaea’s conclusion, from Eusebius’ Life of Constantine, 3.15: Detachments of the bodyguard and troops surrounded the entrance of the palace with drawn swords, and through the midst of them the men of God proceeded without fear into the innermost of the Imperial apartments, in which some were the Emperor’s companions at table, while others reclined on couches arranged on either side. One might have thought that a picture of Christ’s kingdom was thus shadowed forth, and a dream rather than reality. (p. 201) © Grand Valley State University �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 6   Crossan comments, "Dream or reality? Dream or nightmare?" There are many serious students of the history of the church who see the Constantinian establishment not as the church’s triumph, but rather, as the critical moment it lost its soul. The collusion of throne and altar, the mating of secular power and religion is always finally fatal to religion; it becomes a tool of the state or, when in the ascendency, wields power as ruthlessly as any secular government. I am always struck by the passage in Mark’s Gospel where Jesus mentions his forthcoming death, and James and John come to him to request positions of power when he enters into his glory. Let us sit on your right and left hand, they ask. It is in response to this that Jesus tells them that greatness lies in servanthood. Obviously, from the beginning the religion that evolved from Jesus - Christianity - has lived with the temptation to save its life, preserve its life, enhance its life. Surveying its history, one must recognize great fruits that have derived from Christian faith, from the church. It has, indeed, shaped our Western civilization, combining as it has the heritage of Athens and Jerusalem. But it has been, as well, the enemy of the one whose name it claims. Were I to cite its greatest failings, I would point to its triumphalism of attitude, coercion of method, exclusiveness of spirit. Triumphalism is arrogance. We are first. It is one thing when expressed by the Marine Corps. It is unbecoming when expressed with nationalist zeal. But, it is downright betrayal when manifested by a religious tradition, especially a tradition that looks to Jesus, the crucified one, as its founder. And triumphalism soon leads to tactics of coercion. No longer do we simply witness to what we have experienced, but we use power to enforce our views and policy. Throughout its history, when the church has been in a power position, it has forced its way, leveling the opposition, the Inquisition of the 15th century only the most glaring example. And such coercion is justified by the claim of exclusiveness - the claim that truth is finally captured in the church’s creeds and that there is truth and salvific grace alone through the channel of the church. But it is not working anymore; the church has lost its position of dominance in the West. We speak of Europe as post-Christian and, appearance to the contrary, the church as institution is not a vital, confident body going from strength to strength. Multitudes are saying, "The Church: Who Needs It!" But, there are astute observers who are deeply committed to the Christian faith who see the dis-establishment of the church as a blessing. We are now, they say, in the same situation as the Jewish folk following Jerusalem’s destruction. We are © Grand Valley State University �The Church: Who Needs It? Richard A. Rhem Page 7   in a diaspora situation. Douglas John Hall writes in Confessing the Faith, citing the great Catholic thinker, Karl Rahner, ... we "must" accommodate ourselves to the diaspora situation, and this "must" emanates not only from our actual, empirical condition, but from the same gracious sovereignty that is contained in the journey of Jesus toward the cross. But we must and may do this joyfully. (p. 221) To do so, we must cease striving for "total victory." But, says Rahner, this is not resignation and defeatism. ... If we once have the courage to give up our defense of the old facades which have nothing or very little behind them; if we cease to maintain, in public, the pretense of a universal Christendom; if we stop straining every nerve to get everybody baptized, to get everybody married in church and onto our registers ... if, by letting all of this go, we visibly relieve Christianity of the burdensome impression that it accepts responsibility for everything that goes on under this Christian top dressing, the impression that Christianity is ... a sort of Everyman’s Religious Varnish, a folk-religion ... then we can be free for real missionary adventure and apostolic self-confidence. (p. 222) Douglas Hall, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng - and many more of the most acute thinkers in the church see our present situation as holding great promise. As a minority without cultural assent or political power, we are free to get back to the way of Jesus, the way of the cross, of loving service and gracious embrace. In the word of the apostle, we may yet grow up into the likeness of Jesus and speaking the truth in love become the true servant people as Jesus envisioned. The Church: Who Needs It! as a coercive institution seeking power. But, the church as community, a community of worship, of nurture, of gracious servant serving the world in Jesus’ name - that is the church I need, for which I will live and, if need be, die. Reference: Douglas John Hall. Confessing the Faith: Christian Theology in a North American Context, Vol. 1. Fortress Press, 1991. © Grand Valley State University � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2f9819f95c4de7aba6e9587f5da0fe92.mp3 1edec60d2acdc59cccbdc62aa9a1b501 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 Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> 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 Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIV Series Tough Questions: No Easy Answers Scripture Text Matthew 15:13-23, Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Douglas John Hall. Confessing The Faith: Christian Theology in a North American Context, 1991. 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 KII-01_RA-0-19970824 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-08-24 Title A name given to the resource The Church: Who Needs It? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University 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 Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 24, 1997 entitled "The Church: Who Needs It?", as part of the series "Tough Questions: No Easy Answers", on the occasion of Pentecost XIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Matthew 15:13-23, Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16. Myster Religion as a Human Construct Servanthood Way of Jesus