So who hasn't thought (or griped) about where new development should go, what it should look like and what should be done to make our roads better?

Collectively, we've tried to have that conversation a few times already. In 1990, we had the Grand Traverse 20/20 Visioning Process. Three years ago, world-famous futurist William McDonough came to town; while hundreds showed up for his first few appearances, the effort to re-vision our future fell flat. A few years before that, the Chamber of Commerce helped create New Designs for Growth, a private-public partnership that extolled the best planning practices.

All of that is now prelude.

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