Comments on: What do YOU think about growth in Northwest Michigan? http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/what-do-you-think-about-growth-in-northwest-michigan/ Land Use & Transportation Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:18:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Jean Jensen http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/what-do-you-think-about-growth-in-northwest-michigan/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Jean Jensen Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:51:37 +0000 http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/?p=191#comment-319 Northwest Michigan is a beautiful area with so much shoreline and remote areas to enjoy. It is an area I want to live however due to lack of job opportunity I do need to wait until retirement which is not that far out and hope the area will stay as it is. We come every summer to enjoy the shoreline and the remote areas for relaxation. It is the one area I truely can relax from my every day job and that is what I do enjoy the most. I love the small communities and the people are so friendly. I don't want to see the chain restaurants or big stores, I very much enjoy buying from the locals. I hope in your vision, you take a close look at why the people come to the area and keep that number one priority. Don't try to fit in with the big cities and allow urban sprawl, that would just ruin the beauty of the area. Also, please hold back on development along the shoreline, leave that open for easy access. If one chooses to live in the area, they should be aware of what is available and be willing to live with those limitations instead of asking for more. Northwest Michigan is a beautiful area with so much shoreline and remote areas to enjoy. It is an area I want to live however due to lack of job opportunity I do need to wait until retirement which is not that far out and hope the area will stay as it is. We come every summer to enjoy the shoreline and the remote areas for relaxation. It is the one area I truely can relax from my every day job and that is what I do enjoy the most. I love the small communities and the people are so friendly. I don't want to see the chain restaurants or big stores, I very much enjoy buying from the locals.

I hope in your vision, you take a close look at why the people come to the area and keep that number one priority. Don't try to fit in with the big cities and allow urban sprawl, that would just ruin the beauty of the area. Also, please hold back on development along the shoreline, leave that open for easy access. If one chooses to live in the area, they should be aware of what is available and be willing to live with those limitations instead of asking for more.

]]> By: Barb Bray http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/what-do-you-think-about-growth-in-northwest-michigan/comment-page-1/#comment-299 Barb Bray Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:41:42 +0000 http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/?p=191#comment-299 I moved here in 1989 and enjoyed the small town appeal. The biggest problem I've seen is that in the Kalkaska area we have nothing for our kids to do. On weekends in order for them to have any fun, they have to be driven to Traverse City. The idea that we could keep our kids here in our own area, and out of trouble, seems important to me. My kids are grown now, but when my granddaughters come on the weekend, again, there is nothing to do unless we go to Traverse. I do want to give kuddos to one thing in the area that is trying to have fun things to do on the weekends, and that is the park on the end of Creighton Road. They have entertainment on some weekends and a farmer's market on Thursdays. They are trying to keep us "townies" near home instead of going to Traverse City. The other thing is that there are no jobs for our children here. With the economy the way it is, everyone that has a job is doing whatever they have to, to keep it. There are very few jobs in the area for our kids when they are done with school. Let alone jobs for the people that live here. If you want a good paying job, you definitely can't stay in this area, including Traverse City. It would be nice if your children could find jobs in the area to keep family close, but that just isn't possible. I'd love to have my family a little closer. I moved here in 1989 and enjoyed the small town appeal. The biggest problem I've seen is that in the Kalkaska area we have nothing for our kids to do. On weekends in order for them to have any fun, they have to be driven to Traverse City. The idea that we could keep our kids here in our own area, and out of trouble, seems important to me. My kids are grown now, but when my granddaughters come on the weekend, again, there is nothing to do unless we go to Traverse. I do want to give kuddos to one thing in the area that is trying to have fun things to do on the weekends, and that is the park on the end of Creighton Road. They have entertainment on some weekends and a farmer's market on Thursdays. They are trying to keep us "townies" near home instead of going to Traverse City.

The other thing is that there are no jobs for our children here. With the economy the way it is, everyone that has a job is doing whatever they have to, to keep it. There are very few jobs in the area for our kids when they are done with school. Let alone jobs for the people that live here. If you want a good paying job, you definitely can't stay in this area, including Traverse City. It would be nice if your children could find jobs in the area to keep family close, but that just isn't possible.

I'd love to have my family a little closer.

]]> By: Vivian DeMorrow http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/what-do-you-think-about-growth-in-northwest-michigan/comment-page-1/#comment-298 Vivian DeMorrow Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:41:01 +0000 http://www.thegrandvision.org/blog/?p=191#comment-298 Unles we have strict land use planning and zoning, the communities as we have known them over the years will disappear. We originally came here on vacation in 1936, and only missed one year during WWII. Where you used to be able to stand on the shore, and fish with a cane pole is now built up with homes that seem to deliberately block all access, by vision as well as walking. There's also the subject of septic tanks in our smallest towns, and how far they should be from the lakes to eliminate the danger of contaminating the lakes. We need to preserve our wetlands, above all, to preserve the purity of our waters and provide nurseries for the young of our native species. I've lived in big cities from California to Florida, including Detroit. We came here because of the small town atmosphere. We didn't try to make it conform to our "big city ways," but enjoyed the area as we found it. Already I'm seeing the advent of convenience restaurants, big box stores, and other appurtenances of big cities. Why come here if you want to bring all that with you? Stay in your big towns and enjoy their amenities; come here to enjoy change, and adapt to our ways when you do. And remind people who do come to visit that we are the residents and rightful owners of this land, not their servants. I'm all for tourists as long as they remain tourists and respect our rights. We loved this country so much that we moved here in 1947, so we now consider ourselves natives. This is where my kids come home to, althugh they were raised elsewhere. I'd like to see it kept that way. V DeMorrow Unles we have strict land use planning and zoning, the communities as we have known them over the years will disappear. We originally came here on vacation in 1936, and only missed one year during WWII. Where you used to be able to stand on the shore, and fish with a cane pole is now built up with homes that seem to deliberately block all access, by vision as well as walking. There's also the subject of septic tanks in our smallest towns, and how far they should be from the lakes to eliminate the danger of contaminating the lakes. We need to preserve our wetlands, above all, to preserve the purity of our waters and provide nurseries for the young of our native species.

I've lived in big cities from California to Florida, including Detroit. We came here because of the small town atmosphere. We didn't try to make it conform to our "big city ways," but enjoyed the area as we found it. Already I'm seeing the advent of convenience restaurants, big box stores, and other appurtenances of big cities. Why come here if you want to bring all that with you? Stay in your big towns and enjoy their amenities; come here to enjoy change, and adapt to our ways when you do. And remind people who do come to visit that we are the residents and rightful owners of this land, not their servants. I'm all for tourists as long as they remain tourists and respect our rights.

We loved this country so much that we moved here in 1947, so we now consider ourselves natives. This is where my kids come home to, althugh they were raised elsewhere. I'd like to see it kept that way.

V DeMorrow

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