New Glen Arbor, new Master Plan

By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor

The Glen Arbor Township Board is working on a new Master Plan for Glen Arbor. The Master Plan is described as a policy guide for future developments in the township, and forms the basis for zoning decisions and capital improvements. According to Township supervisor John Soderholm, the Master Plan must be reviewed every five years, but this plan is anticipated to serve the township until 2030.

Faced with burgeoning summer tourist crowds, national media attention, and a popular new bike trail, the time seems right for Glen Arbor to reexamine its identity, in what direction the town is going, and what changes are needed to keep the community safe, sustainable, beautiful and profitable.

“This is a guiding document, a general frame of reference that provides direction for the community,” said Soderholm. “The intent is to go through this process, get public input, revise a draft of the document, and update it in a way that takes into account the demographics and concerns of the community, and publish that as a living guide.”

The Township Board held an open house at the township hall on Aug. 20 to seek public input on issues related to the new Master Plan. Several dozen visitors who attended were encouraged to identify which topics were most important to them, and offer concrete suggestions: those topics included parking, traffic flow, economic development, local watersheds, affordable housing and scenic views.

Suggestions added to the bulletin board by the public varied greatly. They included: changing the speed limits on M-22 and Lake Street; providing more services for year-round residents; not encouraging more visitors; enhancing water quality; creating a community center for residents; acquiring land for off-site parking; increasing parallel parking; adding bike lanes to M-22; educating residents and visitors about bike safety; adding cross-walk signs; lowering speed limits; increasing marketing and promotional efforts; adopting additional regulations to reduce runoff; promoting construction of dwellings for seasonal workers; attracting a year-round doctor, bank, lawyer, gas station, dentist and pharmacy to town; creating a clearly demarcated Sleeping Bear Heritage bike trail through downtown Glen Arbor, or conversely, re-routing the bike trail to avoid downtown altogether.

“It’s reassuring to know that there isn’t any apathy in Glen Arbor Township,” said Soderholm. “We don’t typically have a lot of attendance at board meetings, but this is a great opportunity for folks to get their oar in the water and discuss issues that are important to them.”

Among the challenges Soderholm sees are more single-day travelers to the community (as opposed to those who stay all summer), the need to safely accommodate bike traffic and, perhaps above all, parking. The Township Board has tried, unsuccessfully, to direct automobiles to use the parking lot behind the Town Hall, which can accommodate nearly 40 cars. “People want to park in front of the store where they will shop,” he says. “It’s a mindset from downstate.”

The Board has appointing a transportation subcommittee to examine the issue. Charging money for parking, which the Empire Village Council did this summer at the Empire beach, is not on the table. “We don’t believe that’s a solution,” said Soderholm. “The issue is not whether to charge for parking, but where to put it.”

The board is working together with Grand Rapids-based consultant Williams & Works, which will publish the results from the open house sometime this fall. Soderholm expects the Master Plan to be finalized and adopted in the spring of 2015.

Stay tuned for future coverage of the Master Plan in the Glen Arbor Sun.