Your Chance to Get Involved!
The Grand Vision is a two-year visioning and planning process that will result in the implementation of real land use and transportation strategies. In phase one, citizens will provide critical input to a world-class team of consultants that will take that input, run it through high-tech computer models and help us select a community growth strategy. In phase two, the consultant team will conduct planning and analysis to develop a set of clear strategies and steps for local officials to follow to put our vision into reality. Citizen support will continue to be important to ensure that necessary action is taken.
Phase 1 – Now Through July 2008:
Data Gathering, Public Input and Selection of a Growth Strategy
If you are tired of heavy traffic, long commutes, too-distant schools, scant job opportunities, the lack of in-town housing, or the sprawl that’s marring the region’s legendary beauty, plan to participate actively in the first phase of this process. That’s when citizens will tell the project’s leaders what they most value about their lives and living in the Traverse area.
Work Done to Date:
- 1. Consultants have gathered existing local plans, reports and documents as base data for scenario models
- 2. Public informational meetings held in all counties to raise awareness about the project
- 3. October 17th Kickoff Workshop attended by more than 500 people
- 4. Another 500 people attended three ‘small area workshops’ in Traverse City Area on January 23 and 24th:
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- Traverse City – Central City
East Side/ Acme Township
West Side/ Interlochen Area
Current and Upcoming Opportunities to Get Involved!
Collection of Citizens Values concurrent with workshops – surveys and focus groups
March 20th - Regional Transportation Workshop will be held at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center in Traverse City. Time is from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
April – Workshops in Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford Counties
May – Consultants Prepare Three Alternative Scenarios from All Workshop Input
June – A Broad Citizen Input Phase to Select the Preferred Growth Scenario
Early Fall – Final Workshop to Refine Preferred Regional Grand Vision
Phase 2 – July 2008 through September 2009:
Engineering, Analysis, and Implementation Strategies
Summer ‘08– Selection of 10 Transportation Corridors/ Activity Centers for Detailed Transportation Analysis
Fall ’08 – Corridor Engineering and Analysis
Winter/ Spring ’09 – Land Use and Transportation Recommended Strategies to Implement Preferred Vision
Late Summer ‘09 – Final Recommended Land Use and Transportation Strategy Reports and Maps Released
Fall ’09 – Implementation of Strategies Underway
Grand Traverse Area
Land Use and Transportation Study
Who’s Who and How to Reach Them
The Consulting Team
In November 2006, following an intensive hiring process, the Land Use and Transportation Study (LUTS) Coordinating Group unanimously accepted this team’s proposal. Led by Mead & Hunt, the team includes several world-class scenario planning experts who are well versed in transportation planning and community design.
Mead & Hunt
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Mead & Hunt is a 300-person engineering and planning firm with experience from across the Midwest.
Doug Christensen, Project Manager
Web: www.meadhunt.com
Phone: 517-321-8334 (Lansing office)
231-922-3086 (Traverse City project office)
E-mail: doug.christensen@meadhunt.com
Fregonese Associates
Based in Portland, Ore., John Fregonese is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier planners and leading expert on the use of scenario planning. Mr. Fregonese has more than 30 years experience as a planner, and has worked on regional scenario planning in Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Austin. Glen Bolen has worked with Fregonese for 16 years and is a senior associate.
John Fregonese, President
Glen Bolen, Vice-President
Phone: 503-228-3054
Web: www.frego.com
E-mail: john@frego.com
glen@frego.com
Robert Grow
Mr. Grow, a lawyer and engineer, was president of a large manufacturing company in Salt Lake City when, in 1997, he became founding chair of a public/private “quality growth” partnership called Envision Utah. It is now widely recognized as the country’s most successful, citizen-based development and adoption of a long-term, regional growth strategy.
Mr. Grow has since helped many other parts of the country establish similar regional visioning projects, including Denver, Austin, Portland, and Sacramento. Following Hurricane Katrina, he become deeply involved in scenario planning for Louisiana’s coastline.
Knorr Marketing
This Traverse City-based marketing firm is promoting and coordinating the critical public involvement activities that will be ongoing throughout the project.
Phil Calligan, Public Relations Manager
Web: www.knorrmarketing.com
Phone: 947-9707
E-mail: philc@knorrmarketing.com
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
This transportation engineering firm, based in Dallas, Tex., will update and calibrate the transportation network models that the scenario planning efforts depend on. The firm is a national leader in context-sensitive transportation designs.
Kurt Schulte, Senior Planner
Web: www.kimleyhorn.com
Phone: 972-770-1300
E-mail: kurt.schulte@kimley-horn.com
Economic Development Research Group
This Boston-based firm will provide economic analysis and project services that allow the project to be evaluated from both regional and statewide perspectives.
Steve Landau, Director of Strategy Planning
Web: www.edrgroup.com
Phone: 617-338-6775
E-mail: slandau@edrgroup.com
ATD Northwest
This traffic data collection company will gather real-world information about driving patterns in the region, which will be used in the traffic and land use scenario models. The firm uses high-speed video cameras instead of labor-intensive personal surveys and interdiction-interview traffic lanes.
Brian Kaylor, Video Data Collection and Matching
Web: www.atdnw.com
Phone: 801-407-8310
E-mail: dave@atdnw.com
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TC-TALUS (Traverse City-Transportation and Land Use Study)
Funding for the $1.3 million dollar, two-year Grand Traverse Area Land Use and Transportation Study is coming primarily from the Federal Highway Administration, with a 20 percent match from the local community. As a federally recognized transportation agency, TC-TALUS is administering the contract with the consultant team.
TC-TALUS is operated by its Board of Directors, which consists of elected officials, representatives, and citizens, and is a voluntary association with separate agreements between the Board and a number of local units of government.†At this time the formal study area includes Traverse City and Garfield, Elmwood, Long Lake, East Bay, Acme, Peninsula, and Whitewater Townships. (Blair and Green Lake Townships have so far declined to participate.)
Some history: TC-TALUS was proposed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 1990 to prepare for formally designating the Traverse City as a Federal Highway Administration "Urbanized Area." While the 1990 and 2000 Censuses did not qualify the area for formal designation, MDOT and local officials felt the area's rapid growth justified establishing a formal transportation study organization.
Members of TC-Talus include:
Matt Skeels, Director of TC-TALUS
400 Boardman Avenue, Traverse City, MI 49684
E-mail: mskeels@co.grand-traverse.mi.us
Phone: 922-4573
Bob Otwell, Chairman of TC-TALUS
Bob also directs the TART Trails organization, and is a member of the Land Use and Transportation (LUTS) group and the Michigan Land Use Institute.
Email: bob@traversetrails.org
Phone: 941-4300
Other TC-TALUS Board Members:
Sponsoring Agency
Traverse City
Garfield Township
Elmwood Township
Acme Township
East Bay Township
Long Lake Township
Peninsula Township
Whitewater Township
Grand Traverse County
Leelanau Road Comm.
Grand Traverse Road Comm.
MDOT-Planning
MDOT-TCTSC
Cherry Capital Airport /
Chamber of Commerce
NWMCOG
G.T. County Planning
BATA
TART
Grand Traverse Band
Citizen-at-large
Citizen-at-large |
Representative / Alternate
Linda Symka, Vice Chair / Richard Lewis
Leo Strait
Derith Smith
Bob Carstens
Glen Lile
Carol Hoffman/ Karen Rosa
Penny Rosi / Rob Manigold
(currently vacant)
Margaret Underwood
Lee Bowen / Jim Johnson
Jim Maitland
Susan Richardson / Rick Fowler
Rise Rasch / Gary Niemi
Steve Cassens
Randy Tucker / Doug Luciani
Larry Inman / Matt McCauley
Virginia Coulter, Vice Chair / Jerry Dobek
Janet Wolf
Bob Otwell, Chair
Suzanne McSawby
John Nelson
Jeff Cockfield, Secretary/Treasurer
|
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Land Use and Transportation Study (LUTS) Coordinating Group
This broad group of governmental, non-profit, educational, and business organizations was appointed in 2005 by the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners to develop a citizen-led regional planning process and hire a consulting team to lead it.
The group finalized a Request for Proposals that determined the scope of work for the consulting team, and then, by consensus, chose the team and negotiated terms with it. Now the 34 members are the “guardians of the process” who also promote active community involvement in this process.
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