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Posted
on July 29, 2010, 6:13 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 Back row: Ed Hoogterp, Ed Petrick, Matt Case, Kelly Thayer, Jon Maue, Ingemar Johannson. Front row: Mary Pitcher, Sharron May, Anne Damm, Marty Dillon, Jim MacInnes, Shauna Fite, Mary Carroll. This article was written by Shauna Fite (Policy Specialist at the Michigan Land Use Institute for Benzie County) and this piece was originally published in the Benzie County Record-Patriot on July 28th, 2010.
More than 20 Benzie residents, community leaders, and local officials are now working together to further the goals of the regional, citizen-based Grand Vision planning process in Benzie County.
The group is planning a countywide event this fall—not only to update the community on the local and regional progress the Grand Vision is making, but also to involve more people in developing plans for the county that reflect the Grand Vision’s findings.
Those findings are based on comments gathered over two years from close to 15,000 people in the six-county Grand Traverse region. They show that the region’s residents, by more than a two-to-one margin, favor concentrating growth in existing cities and villages, improving roads, and building a public transportation system that better connects communities across the entire region.
There are already “working groups”—with residents from across the region—concentrating on what Grand Vision participants said need the most attention: transportation, housing, natural resources, energy, village and city investment, and food and farming.
Some Benzie residents—citizens, business people, and government leaders—are already participating in the regional working groups.
For example, public transit agencies, including the Benzie Bus, are collaborating to better connect the region’s different transit systems to both widen and improve service.
In fact, transit is one area where Benzie County offers a shining example of matching Grand Vision values to our community’s. Benzie Bus is winning high marks as a quality public transit system. Led by Executive Director Susan Miller, who is part of the Benzie group, this three-year-young transit agency has provided 38 new jobs and services 7,000 passenger rides per month.
The agency continues to grow: Its new facility is rising on US-31, the county’s main traffic trunk, and includes a garage, maintenance facility, and offices.
“We are positioned right now with our building project, our location, our momentum to be a key player in the Benzie Grand Vision,” says Mrs. Miller.
Since state and federal funds are paying for the entire project, there will be no mortgage when the project is completed next summer. So the new facility will provide a major, unencumbered lift to an already popular transit system.
Benzie is also proving to be a leader in a top Grand Vision issue that affects our health and local economy: food and farming.
If your children are enrolled in a Benzie County school, rest easy knowing Renee DeWindt is in charge of feeding them. Ms. DeWindt, food service director for the Benzie Central and Frankfort-Elberta school systems, manages menus for seven schools—and is loading cafeteria trays with a wide variety of locally produced, fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, honey, beef, and squash.
Last year, Benzie Central’s program paid for itself and is reinvesting dollars into this fall’s activity.
Ms. DeWindt says that, given the county’s high poverty rate, more than 50 percent of Benzie County students are eligible to receive free and reduced lunches. That qualifies both school districts for USDA grants, which funds, among other things, a relatively new, countywide summer food program, Benzie Kids Eat.
That means that this summer Ms. DeWindt is serving free breakfasts and lunches at six sites in Benzie. The program, which has no income or other eligibility requirements, serves close to 500 meals every day, including lunches for 4-H Summer Club and SEEDS Youth Corps programs.
“It’s about feeding kids, taking care of your community, and teaching them a better way to take care of themselves,” she says.
Ms. DeWindt also snagged a $60,000 USDA grant that will help our neighbors to the south who operate the Manistee Economic Alliance. The grant allows them to replicate her program in Onekama schools starting this September.
Her first-year goals: serve 100 percent local, farm-fresh eggs and establish salad bars in all Benzie County and Onekama schools.
Benzie’s local food leadership is attracting attention downstate, too. Ms. DeWindt spoke at this year’s National Farm to School conference, Taking Root, in Detroit.
The Benzie Grand Vision group also highlights some of the things individuals can do to make the bigger picture for the region come to life.
One example is clean energy. In April, Ted and Marcia Curran—longtime Frankfort residents who regularly participate in Grand Vision functions—installed 12 photovoltaic solar panels on their roof.
They told the Benzie vision group that, in their first two months, the panels prevented the release of nearly 800 lbs. of climate-changing CO2 from the coal plant that supplies their electricity. The Currans’ first monthly electric bill that included the panels’ power output was only $18—half of that was for the power; half was for fees and taxes.
They couple also said that, over the last 50 days, many of them hazy or cloudy, they used less than two kWh per day from the grid. The panels supplied the rest.
They monitor their electricity use with a digital meter installed by Consumers Energy and are using a 30 percent federal income tax write-off to help finance their project. The two reminded the group that there are even more incentives for businesses that invest in their own clean-energy production.
“More people should consider installing PV solar,” said Mrs. Curran. “It is the right thing to do for transitioning to the new energy economy, for protecting the environment, and combating global warming. It is only a beginning, but is definitely a step in the right direction.”
These three examples—the Benzie Bus expansion, farm-to-school programs in both county school systems, and private investments in clean energy—confirm that Benzie is already achieving Grand Vision goals. The Benzie Grand Vision group is here to support these and other efforts—whether official or private.
As our group works on its fall Grand Vision event, members will publish more articles highlighting other projects and initiatives that reflect the Grand Vision in Benzie County. We invite you to share yours. Please contact me so I can let the group know about your project or help you get involved with the Benzie Grand Vision group.
Reach me at shauna@mlui.org or 231-941-6584, ext. 25. Shauna Fite, a longtime Benzie resident, is the Michigan Land Use Institute’s policy specialist for Benzie County.
Posted
on July 29, 2010, 2:47 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received 1 Comment ».
 The Grand Vision Transportation Guiding Principle is to improve the region's existing network of roads and public transportation, and provide better infrastructure for bikers and pedestrians.
And today, Interlochen Public Radio is reporting that a Complete Streets bill has been approved by the Legislature and sent to Governor Granholm for her signature:
The Legislature has approved measures to require transportation planners to consider installing bike paths and sidewalk ramps when they design roads. The "Complete Streets" design principles are geared to make roads friendlier for all pedestrians.
State Representative Pam Byrnes says lots of advocates for people who face challenges getting around helped draft the legislation.
"Not only the disabled, but the seniors, AARP was very involved in this, Michigan Environmental Council, the bicyclists, Healthy Michigan Healthy kids… there were a number of groups that were stakeholders," she says.
Byrnes says she hopes to see more pedestrian-friendly roadways in the near future. Some "Complete Streets" supporters say they also hope new road designs will attract and keep young workers in the state.
"We already have some municipalities that have Complete Streets ordinances already in effect. So what this would do is basically force the road agency and the municipality to sit down together when there's going to be a road-improvement project. So it could actually be effective in the very near future," she says.
Traverse City Mayor Chris Bzdok has voiced support for the plan.
Photo: Commonwealth Avenue by Adam Pieniazek.
Posted
on July 29, 2010, 2:34 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 Click To Watch Video On July 28th, the Grand Vision Transportation and Growth and Investment Working Groups hosted an informational forum on how Regional Wayfinding can be utilized to make the Grand Vision a reality.
The forum was led by Mark VanderKlipp, President of Corbin Design. Earlier that day, Mark spoke with Melissa Smith about the ideas behind the forum on 7&4 News Today. You can watch that video here.
The forum was held at 3pm on the University Center campus of Northwestern Michigan College. You can read our story from the forum below:
Why Consider Wayfinding?
A key issue to transit is finding it.
Because the GV is a six-county effort there is an on-going conversation to see how the six transit agencies in our region connect. One of the goals of the Transit Subcommittee is to make finding transit easier (for example the bus stops).
What better way then, to explore how to do that, than to consider Regional Wayfinding.
But what is Wayfinding?
“Direction for people in motion,” said Mark VanderKlipp, President of Corbin Design. “Wayfinding helps to organize perception in the visitor’s mind.”
VanderKlipp led the informational forum on how Wayfinding can be used not only to improve finding transit, but also to create a region's sense of self, in effect, its brand.
Wayfinding, then, contributes to a sense of place and security.
Typical goals include:
- Define the region
- Connect Communities
- Design Brand Unity, Awareness
- Use Existing DOT assets
- Increase Visitor Confidence
- Flexible Systems Clarifying Circulation, Parking, Transit Opportunities
 click to enlarge An example that VanderKlipp used was work that Corbin Design did in Fox Cities, Wisconsin. The project covered 18 communities with a population of 225,000 people. You can see an example of the wayfinding used in the region with the photos on the right.
Downtown Traverse City has already engaged with Corbin Design to use wayfinding to define the Warehouse District – i.e. where it is, how to get there.
So what is the relationship to the Grand Vision?
There are the obvious, direct correlations. The Grand Vision thinks on regional terms. There are six counties involved (Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Wexford). The goals of the Transportation committee is to improve the region's transportation system. Growth and Investment works towards improving the region's prosperity in existing/planned growth areas.
Housing works to improve the region's housing options. Food and Farming seeks to increase the region's local agriculture. And Natural Resources seeks to protect the region's water resources, forests, natural areas, and scenic beauty of the region.
 click to enlarge And thus, to accomplish this, it becomes important to connect communities.
When you connect communities through wayfinding, there is a perception of equality for all the communities said Jeff Corbin. Corbin was also on hand for the forum. He is the founder of Corbin Design. For instance, he said, in Columbus, Indiana there was an economic investment increase in all areas that was covered by the regional wayfinding system. Corbin pointed out that when the project started all those communities were not equal. One was larger, one was down-trodden, others were on different planes in relation to the others.
But through the development of a regional wayfinding system, the result was that all the communities were placed on equal footing. Consequently, all communities received increases in economic development.
If you would like to learn more about Wayfinding you can visit Corbin Design's website.
There they have case studies of Regional Wayfinding from across the nation and across sectors (Transportation, Hospitals, Corporate/Retail, Government, Entertainment).
Posted
on July 28, 2010, 5:55 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 This is a Food and Farming related blog written by Michelle Northrup. The views expressed within are solely the author's. To read the previous posts, click here.
"Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone:
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none."
It has been a month of grocery shopping with my three goals in mind:
- Purchase products grown/produced with in a 100 mile radius
- Purchase products grown/produced in Michigan
- Purchase products grown/produced from the closest location
What I wanted to determine is: would I have to spend more money to buy local foods? If so, exactly how much extra money would I need to add to my budget in order to do that?
At the end of the month, my food purchases were broken into the three categories: 33% from within the 100 mile radius, 23% from Michigan, and 44% from outside the state. My overall spending on food for the month increased by 37%, from $260 to $356. This was a surprise. I thought it would be higher given that staples such as bread, milk and eggs cost two to three times what I had been paying.
Some Observations:
One: My cupboards began to resemble the rhyme of Old Mother Hubbard
We were eating up the stores of food that stuffed the shelves of the pantry and freezer. Since my family and I started in May and the local produce was not in full swing, I found myself digging out the berries and apples that we had picked in season and stored by freezing them. As the snack stores in the pantry dwindled, it was hard to find a local replacement (which in my opinion was good since these snacks tended to be highly processed).
Two: Though the pantry was becoming paltry, my enjoyment of the food I was consuming grew.
Through this experiment I gave myself permission, no matter what the cost, to purchase the great variety of tasty foods that are produced in our area – whole grain breads, lean meats, fresh milk and eggs, even tea. What made it even more enjoyable was being connected with the producers in my community.
Three: There are lots of products made right in Michigan, several that I was already purchasing on a regular basis.
But beware there are also products that said “Michigan” but were not made in Michigan at all. To see products, not just food, that are made in Michigan visit Buy Michigan Products.
Finally: It takes effort to support your local economy.
I was reading every label and searching the internet. My daughter, who shops with me frequently, likened it to a treasure hunt. Unfortunately, I do not always have time for a treasure hunt. At those times it was frustrating to search the labels, especially if I forgot my glasses. Luckily, there is a learning curve and it does get easier and faster as time goes by.
 Michelle Northrup is an AmeriCorps VISTA service member serving the Grand Vision as Internal Communications Coordinator. She previously worked for the Manistee Symphony Orchestra. Her and her family recently moved to Traverse City to take advantage of the great schools and the great outdoors. Michelle often says "she lives to eat" and looks forward to enjoying the diverse culinary opportunities in the region.
Posted
on July 27, 2010, 8:20 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 Tune in to 7&4 News at 6:25am tomorrow morning (7/28) to watch Mark VanderKlipp talk about the Regional Wayfinding Forum that he will be leading tomorrow afternoon.
"I'm excited to show the audience that the Grand Vision concept has been implemented in many other regions throughout the U.S.," said VanderKlipp, President of Corbin Design. "I hope people will better understand other models of regional unification, how perceptions have changed, and what tactics have been employed to achieve those changes. We'll also have a chance to discuss issues pertaining to our own Grand Vision, the obstacles and opportunities we can share to champion efforts locally and continue the important goals of the Grand Vision."
This forum starts at 3pm in Room 207 on the University Center campus of Northwestern Michigan College. It is hosted by the Grand Vision Growth and Investment and Transportation Working Groups.
Photo Credit: Corbin Design
Posted
on July 27, 2010, 6:50 pm,
by gvision
and received No Comments ».
 Have fun while you float down the Boardman River with the River Raft Recycling Extravaganza on Sat., Aug 14! The cleanup is co-hosted by Right Brain Brewery, Bay Area Recycling and the Watershed Center. Here's what you need to know:
Posted
on July 27, 2010, 6:15 pm,
by gvision
and received No Comments ».
 The Grand Vision Growth & Investment Guiding Principle is to foster public and private investments to strengthen cities, villages and planned growth areas. Moore aims to fulfill that principle by organizing grants for dilapidated downtown theaters.
Read the July 25 Record-Eagle article for details:
TRAVERSE CITY — Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore has a new project on tap — revitalizing derelict, depressed downtown theaters in communities across Michigan.
Moore, who founded the Traverse City Film Festival in 2005 and two years later orchestrated the full-time reopening of the boarded-up downtown movie house, plans to launch the "State Theatre/Michigan Downtowns Project" as a way to offer start-up funding for new nonprofit theaters.
He will use state film tax credit money he expects to receive from his Traverse City-based production "Capitalism: A Love Story" — estimated at $650,000 to $1 million — to create a project he hopes will help revitalize battered Michigan communities.
"We want to turn on the marquee lights, bring in some jobs, pump money into the local economy," Moore said. "This is just my effort to think of ways to do more."
Photo: Traverse City State Theatre by Marada
Posted
on July 26, 2010, 10:31 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 Roughly 70 people attended a traffic calming presentation led by national expert Ian Lockwood Monday afternoon.
“Traffic calming is taking the mean fast cars and getting them to be slow, happy cars,” joked Lockwood.
On a more serious note, Lockwood said that with slower driving speeds kill rates decrease for pedestrians and property damage decreases as well should there be an accident.
Traffic Control
There are four traffic control devices: traffic calming, street scaping, route modification, and traffic control.
Lockwood took the audience through defining two types of streets: framework and non-framework streets. The former go someplace and have emergency vehicle responsibility. All other streets are access oriented (to homes, businesses). Whether a street is a framework or non-framework street dictates what kind of traffic calming a community can use.
Lockwood noted that speed humps are much more effective to slow traffic than speed bumps. Humps have a twelve to fourteen foot width, which tricks an automobile's suspension into thinking it is going up a hill. A bump on the other hand is seen more in parking lots. They have shorter widths and are raised higher off the ground.
“When you are calming a neighborhood, it is also a good idea to alert drivers that they are entering a calm area,” Lockwood said.
He said that planting trees along the width of a street actually works to create a sense of enclosure which affects a driver's sense of perception and works to calm traffic.
Valley gutters place on roadsides can be used to limit the perceived width of a street. This prevents a driver from feeling they are on a “runway” and thus driving faster.
As Lockwood proceeded through his photos of numerous projects he has worked on, there were audible gasps and “Oohs” as he would show before and then after photos.
Roundabouts
When Lockwood moved onto roundabouts he noted that in a standard four way intersection there are 32 vehicle-to-vehicle conflict points. Meaning there are 32 points in the intersection where vehicles can crash into other vehicles. There are also 24 vehicle-to-pedestrian conflict points.
Lockwood contrasted this with roundabouts which only have 8 vehicle-to-vehicle conflict points and 8 vehicle-to-pedestrian conflict points.
Roundabouts have special pedestrian crossings, with split islands (crossing one part of the street, and then the other) whereas traffic circles have normal crossings. Traffic circles, Lockwood said, can be very dangerous as cars still travel at high rates of speeds.
Roundabouts can tend to be more efficient, Lockwood said. Which allows communities to use extra space that was once devoted to turn lanes to use the land in other ways that can increase business/economic opportunities.
While roundabouts are efficient, they are not for every intersection Lockwood cautioned. “We are not roundabout zealots,” he said. Study and testing are necessary, despite the versatile efficiency that roundabouts can offer.
Something that you will see in the future (five to ten years), Lockwood said, is shared spaces. These are streets where drivers, pedestrians, shopping, bikers all share the space. While they look chaotic, Lockwood said, the safety record is impressive and accidents tend to go away in shared spaces because people traveling in a variety of forms are able to do so in an equitable manner.
They have the effect of putting the responsibility back on the driver, as opposed to signals, signage, etc.
“When you put your car in drive and your head in neutral,” Lockwood said that is when crashes tend to happen.
Why do cities exist?
Lockwood explored the idea of cities and their function.
Cities exist to bring people together for efficient exchange, he said. Cities exist to minimize travel. To accomplish this there is an emphasis on access (driveways, parking, throughways)
But, the past twenty years there has been a focus on mobility (moving traffic with speed). Ultimately, these types of plans defeat the idea of cities because they spread cities out and increase travel time. As examples of this, Lockwood cited Houston and Phoenix.
Michigan Department of Transportation
Also on hand was Brian Chomas, from MDOT.
In 2001, Chomas said, there were only a handful of roundabouts in the entire state. By 2008, however, with heightened interest, usage has increased.
Chomas stressed the importance of correct design and keeping the design simple.
He presented a variety of videos on how to drive in roundabouts currently in use in Michigan.
So what about Pedestrians?
“I am a cyclist myself,” said Lockwood, “and in some areas roundabouts are applicable.” In an example from Clearwater, MI Lockwood pointed out that since that time not one pedestrian has been injured.
Lockwood said that the data clearly shows how the injury rates at roundabouts compared to traffic signals are significantly lower. He also said that people will speed up to make it through a green light, but drivers do not speed up to get to the roundabouts because there is not a light “to beat.”
And it is in that speeding up to get through the light that crashes between vehicles and pedestrians occur.
We need to shatter this myth about pedestrian safety at roundabouts said Lockwood. Even the insurance industries in North America support installation of roundabouts he said because it saves them money.
You see across North America, Lockwood said, that based on data from this continent that the insurance companies, Federal Highway Administration, and State Department of Transportations across the continent are installing them as options that are more safe.
But it is important not to pan what is working in so many different communities across this country, Lockwood said, just because your community may not be ready for it.
The closest two roundabouts I have seen were about six feet apart Lockwood said. There is an interest to keep them a fair distance away from traffic signals intersections, because roundabouts will outperform the traffic signal intersections. Lockwood said it might be a good idea to start with a roundabout in a non-intensive section before committing to high traffic density area. That way the community has the chance to adjust.
If you want to learn more you can download the Smart Transportation Guidebook from www.smart-transportation.com
Also, MDOT has a channel on YouTube with instructions on how to drive in a roundabout. Or, head to their website at http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/roundabouts.
Posted
on July 26, 2010, 6:52 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received 1 Comment ».
 The Grand Vision Transportation Guiding Principle is to improve the region's existing network of roads and public transportation, and provide better infrastructure for bikers and pedestrians.
9&10 News has this story on revised plans for a new parking deck in Traverse City:
Traverse City is moving forward with plans for another parking deck – but it may be bigger than initially planned.
The city is planning to build a parking deck on West Front Street, and they're working with a developer who has plans for retail and office space.
But now plans are in limbo, as they work together to decide how big the deck should be. Original plans called for a deck with about 200 spaces but the city says there is already a need for more. In fact the new development could mean 300 spaces would be used by tenants and visitors to the businesses there.
Now the city and the Downtown Development Authority are looking for ways (and money) to build a larger, 400-space parking deck from the beginning. DDA Director Bryan Crough says that would be preferable to starting small and adding spaces later, because of cost and logistical issues. The DDA is looking for additional funding sources for the Brownfield Redevelopment site, and they hope to have some answers to present to the City Commission by September.
Photo: Parking Deck by Taberandrew.
Posted
on July 26, 2010, 6:46 pm,
by The Grand Vision
and received No Comments ».
 The Grand Vision Housing Guiding Principle is to expand diverse and affordable housing options that fit the region's character.
Here is a story on rising foreclosure rates in the state.
From Michigan Public Radio:
Michigan's foreclosure rate shot up 29% in the first half of this year over the same months in 2009, according to California-based RealtyTrac.
Metro Detroit showed an even more dramatic increase with foreclosures up 35% to more than 47,000 from January through June. That's the highest level since the housing crisis began in 2007.
RealtyTrac spokesman Darren Bloomquist says there's actually some good news within those numbers.
"Properties entering the foreclosure process are decreasing, which is a good sign," Bloomquist says. "But we've got such a backlog of properties that entered the process sometime over the last year that have been delayed [being foreclosed on] that we're continuing to see that final stage of foreclosure increase."
Bloomquist says the fact that banks are now selling more foreclosed properties could further depress housing prices.
Photo: Sign of the Times by respres.
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