Click to listen to an interview with Dee Allsop at IPR News Radio!
Individual County Findings to Be Shared Next Week at Update Sessions
(Traverse City, Michigan) — Recent findings of a Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) values research survey, commissioned by The Grand Vision, will help shape recommendations for land use and transportation for the next 50 years.
"The Harris survey data is one of the key components that will be impacting regional growth scenarios The Grand Vision consulting team is preparing,” said Matt McCauley, Associate Director of Regional Planning for the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. "The team is also reviewing hundreds of land use and transportation maps developed at public workshops and a variety of economic and environmental criteria that will affect the desirability of various scenarios.”
"While we have had over 3,000 people participate in The Grand Vision through various public events over the last year, we also wanted to deliberately reach out and talk to a randomly selected cross-sample of people throughout our region," said Marsha Smith, Chairperson of The Grand Vision Public Involvement Committee.
Results of the values research are now being shared online at www.thegrandvision.org and at upcoming county information sessions scheduled to begin next week throughout the area (see County Information Update Sessions below). According to Harris Interactive, the goal of the research was "to assess values of those living in the region so that regional planning and envisioning will protect and promote the things about which the relevant population cares most dearly.”
"This is a special place in many different ways,” said Dee Allsop, PhD and former Divisional President of Harris Interactive, Inc. who presented the summary of findings. "One, it's not feeling the same level of pain as currently being felt around the country in terms of the economy. Secondly, unlike other parts of the country that feel pain from growth and are motivated to do something about it, the motivation in the Grand Traverse region is simply an appreciation of the high quality of life people currently experience... They want to protect what they have. And what really impresses me are the progressive attitudes toward growth and smart growth principles that exist in the region.”
Additional key findings included:
- Progressive attitudes toward growth embraced by survey respondents included open space preservation, clustering homes on smaller lots and multifamily housing.
- Protecting the environment is more important than elsewhere in the country and perceived to be growing more important.
- Jobs and the affordability of living in the region were the greatest concerns raised in the survey.
- Notable by their absence were such typical concerns as traffic, immigration, crime and education.
- The Harris Interactive survey was conducted by telephone from July 2 to July 14, 2008 and survey times averaged 21 minutes. A total of 547 interviews were completed.
According to McCauley, various growth scenarios will be presented during The Grand Vision Decision, October 7 – 28, when residents in the six county area (Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Wexford) will be asked to fill out a scorecard, rating each of the scenarios (see Kickoff Schedule Below).
###
County Information Update Sessions Preceding The Grand Vision Decision Kickoff
Monday, August 25, 6:30 p.m.: Kalkaska Civic Center
Tuesday, August 26, 6:00 p.m.: Leelanau County Government Center
Tuesday, August 26, 7:00 p.m.: Mills Community House, Benzonia
Wednesday, August 27, 6:00 p.m.: Wexford County Building, 401 Lake St, Cadillac
Thursday, August 28, 6:00 p.m.: Bellaire Senior Center
Wednesday, September 3, 6:00 p.m.: Michigan Works Conference Room, Traverse City
The Grand Vision Decision – Kickoff Schedule*
Tuesday, October 7: State Theatre, Traverse City (Regional kickoff)
Thursday, October 9: Kalkaska High School (Kalkaska County)
Monday, October 13: Cadillac High School (Wexford County)
Monday, October 13: MSU Horticultural Research Station (Leelanau County)
Tuesday, October 14: Shanty Creek Resort (Antrim County)
Tuesday, October 14: Benzie Central High School (Benzie County)
*All kickoff event times are from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Contact information for the person quoted in above release:
Marsha Smith, Chair of The Grand Vision Public Involvement Committee and Executive Director of Rotary Charities
Phone: (231) 941-4010 or Email: msmith@rotarycharities.org
Matt McCauley, Associate Director of Regional Planning, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments
Phone: (231) 929-5061 or E-mail: mmccaule@nwm.cog.mi.us
Contact: Doug Christensen, PE, Mead & Hunt
Phone: (866) 441-5214 or E-mail: doug.christensen@meadhunt.com
Website: www.thegrandvision.org
This fall, during the 
