Project leaders invite public to February 4th open house at Hagerty Center to comment on first draft of 'Final Vision'

TRAVERSE CITY – Leaders of the Grand Vision are inviting area residents to look over and comment on the first draft of the project's 50-year, citizen-based, regional land use and transportation plan.

Residents can view the draft, which is based on Grand Vision workshops and surveys that attracted close to 15,000 participants from the region, on February 4 from 3-7:00 p.m. at the Hagerty Center, on Northwestern Michigan College's Great Lakes Campus (715 E. Front St), in Traverse City.

Officials will also present the draft plan at board of commissioner meetings in the six counties that are participating in the groundbreaking public planning process.

At the Feb. 4 open house, Glen Bolen, of Fregonese Associates, the Portland-based firm that led the Grand Vision workshops, will present the 50-year draft plan for the region's development four times, at the beginning of each hour, and then open the floor for discussion and questions.

In addition, Kurt Schulte, senior planner for Kimley-Horn Inc., the project's transportation consultant, has identified 10 key transportation projects that would be eligible for some of the $2 million in federal highway implementation funds set aside for engineering. These will be presented.

The first draft of the "Final Vision" will also be unveiled in Antrim, Wexford, Benzie, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties prior to their February planning commission meetings. Those presentations, and opportunities for comments and questions from the public, are scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday, February 3, 6 PM – Antrim County Building
• Wednesday, February 11, 6 PM – Wexford County Lake Street Building
• Thursday, February 12, 6 PM – Benzie County Government Building (lower level)
• Wednesday, February 18, 6 PM – Kalkaska County Building (the Grand Vision presentation will be on the Planning Commission's agenda)
• Tuesday, February 24, 7 PM – Leelanau County Government Center – presentation will be on the Planning Commission agenda.

Following a full year of collecting public input through workshops and scientific surveys, these meetings offer the final opportunity for citizens to voice their opinions and become part of the Grand Vision—a planning project that is unprecedented in Michigan both because of its regional scope and the remarkably high level of citizen participation it has attracted.

The public has until Feb. 18 to submit opinions and feedback on the first draft of the Final Vision. Forms to do so will be available at the open house, at the county meetings, and online at www.thegrandvision.org.

The project's consultants will include that feedback in the last version of the Final Vision, which should be completed in May 2009.

And, in an extra step to assure that the Final Vision strongly matches the principles and values of most residents in the region, the consultants plans to team up with NMC's Research Services Department to test it with a scientific, random-sample survey.

Marsha Smith, chair of the Grand Vision Public Involvement Committee, says the survey will be a vital next step.

"We think that the final Grand Vision reflects the wishes of the people that live in this community," Ms. Smith said. "Verifying that the public agrees with the Grand Vision will help local officials know that their constituents will support them as they work to implement."

Photo credit: Red Barn by Pentax K1000 Gal