West Michigan Regional Urban Design Charrettes

1
Sustainable North-Central Muskegon County
Charrette USING REGIONAL COLLABORATIONS AND
HIDDEN ASSETS FOR URBAN REVITALIZATION April,
2007
BLUE LAKE TOWNSHIP
West Michigan Regional Urban Design Charrettes
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SUSTAINABLE NORTH-CENTRAL MUSKEGON COUNTY
THE WMRUD CHARRETTE SUPPORTS THE GREAT EFFORTS
UNDERTAKEN BY THE NORTH CENTRAL JOINT PLANNING
COMMISSION ALREADY THE AREA HAS VERY DIFFICULT
CONDITIONS, BUT WITH SUBSTANTIAL HIDDEN ASSETS
WMRUD Charrette jury selection comment
N
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SUSTAINABLE NORTH-CENTRAL MUSKEGON COUNTY
CHARRETTE GOALS STATEMENT OF THE NCJPC TEAM
() The WMRUD charrette will expose NCJPC team
members to the concept of sustainability. ( Blue
Lake, Dalton, Fruitland, Laketon Muskegon
Townships) It will further introduce them to the
impacts that expected growth trends will have on
the social, economic and environmental values of
the community. It will help the community to
use a collaborative approach to address issues
before they become problems. The charrette
results will demonstrate that the quality of life
for residents, future residents and visitors in
West Michigan depends on maintaining and
enhancing a sense of place. It will help
illustrate that the community values diversity,
good jobs, open space and vibrant urban centers
in the region.

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SUSTAINABLE NORTH-CENTRAL MUSKEGON COUNTY
AREA OF THE CHARRETTE
The urbanizing areas within the North Central
Joint Planning Commission (NCJPC) directly
surrounding Michigans Adventure Amusement Park
(Michigans Adventure), northerly from M-120
corridor to White Lake Drive between the
Whitehall Road corridor and US-31, including the
Russell/Riley Thompson entrance corridor to
Michigans Adventure from US-31 all contained
within portions of the Muskegon Lake, Bear Lake
and Duck Lake watersheds.
N
5
SOUTHERN AREA OF THE CHARRETTE
EAST/WEST ROADS ARE THE FEEDER GRID TO LAKE
MICHIGAN
M-120
N
WHITEHALL ROAD HOLTON RD (M-120) INTERSECTION
M-120
WHITEHALL RD
N
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CENTRAL AREA OF THE CHARRETTE
Primarily rural with diverse and sometimes
conflicting uses in varied stages of development.
RUSSELL RD
WHITEHALL RD
TYLER RD
N
Water system is regional and serves most of the
focus area. Sewer systems are township-owned.
GILES RD
WHITEHALL RD
N
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NORTHERN AREA OF THE CHARRETTE
US-31 GATEWAY TO THE NORTHWEST
TYLER
RUSSELL
N
RILEY THOMPSON
WHITEHALL RD
MICHIGANS ADVENTURE
N
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AREA FACTS COLLECTED GROWTH

• Modest growth history
• Most probable area of growth in the County
• Lots of woods - Lacking of utilities mostly in
  storm water infrastructure
• Adopted Smart Growth no growth without water
  sewer

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED - INFRASTRUCTURE

• Generally a lack of infrastructure
• water good
• waste good 30 trunk line, but septic west of
  Whitehall Road
• gas - limited
• electricity limited
• storm non existent, no plan in place
• high speed communication some in the works

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED LAND HISTORY

• Western residential area / a heavy feeder of
  traffic to Whitehall Road
• History of chemical industry
• ground water contamination and Superfund site
• Very scattered commercial development
• becoming classic strip sprawl, close to Whitehall
  Road because of 66 foot ROW short front-yard
  setbacks.
• Acreage behind the commercial strip becoming
  cut-off

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED WHAT WE HAVE

• Fragmented natural features
• creek corridors, park and woods have
  opportunities to connect (now hard to find
  buried behind properties)
• Superfund site
• positive clean-up and technologically
  sophisticated demonstration project
• Unremarkable architecture
• few clues, not historical, small residential,
  vernacular clues around lake resorts, agrarian
  and camping

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED SPECIAL FEATURES

• Bike paths Fred Meijer Berry Junction.
• connects to Musketawa Trail ties west to
  Wisconsin via the Cross Lake Ferry connects east
  at GrandWalk to Fred Meijer White Pine Trail
• multi-state bike trail system has greater Federal
  funding opportunities
• Buel Neighborhood African American Culture
  Association

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED - ACCESSIBILITY

• Rail access to the industrial parks provides
  connections
• Limited highway access / good vistas from the
  US31 into the area
• Regional interest in green development
• Northwest Michigan tourist corridor is US31
• E/W roads are the feeder grid to Lake Michigan
  shore

M-120
RAILWAYS
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AREA FACTS ROAD UTILITY RIGHT OF WAYS
1/2 MILLION GAL. WATER TANK
MICHIGAN ADVENTURE
MAJOR ROADS AND ARTERIES US-31 BOLD RED MAJOR
ARTERIES BOLD BLUE
20 WATER
30 SANITARY
US-31
TO LAKESHORE
RAIL
UTILITIES ELECTRIC GOLD WATER RED SANITARY
GREEN
24 WATER
N
M-120
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AREA FACTS COLLECTED LAND USE

• Multiple centers of concentration
• possible vernacular around various
  amusement/recreation vocabularies and the
  opportunity to create service nodes rather than
  sprawling strip corridors
• Overlay zoning effort current single use zoning
  and setbacks can/will incentivize sprawl
• Flat/high water table, sandy ground not
  significant flooding
• Limited publically accessible open space
• 1000 acre industry and Brownfield 200 acre Ren.
  Zone
• 400 acre large lot eco-industrial park

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED - ATTRACTION

• Third largest state tourist destination, largest
  childrens destination Michigans Adventure
• Camp-sites provide some recreational home-base
• Rod and gun clubs
• Three golf courses
• Some scenic corridors US 31 Gateway to the
  North Shoreline Great Lakes Circle Route
  Veterans Park Causeway

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED EDUCATION

• Linked by one school district, Reeths Puffer
  with 1000 seat auditorium athletic facilities
• M-TEC Career Tech Center
• Muskegon Community College, Baker College
• White Lake Area Community Education Consortium

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED - EMPLOYMENT

• Bedroom community to Muskegon, minimal employment
• Huge fluctuation of seasonal winter/summer
  service jobs around parks and recreation
• Possible casino (seems like this idea is
  everywhere?!!?)
• Potential jobs within the 1000 acre industrial
  parks

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AREA FACTS COLLECTED
GREENWAY TRAILS
CREEK TRAILS
BIKE TRAILS CREEK LINKS
PARKS CAMPS
N
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AREA NEEDS TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

• Access by car to Michigan Adventures Park, Blue
  Lake Fine Arts Camp. No public transit have to
  drive everywhere MATS trolley is seasonal
• Need comprehensive transit/mobility plan
• Kids bike and walk to Michigan Adventures now
• Need good bike trails, not riding on shoulders
  shared with vehicles
• Purchase development R.O.W. through
• Eminent domain?
• Incorporate corridor transportation planning.

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AREA NEEDS ACCESS WAYFINDING

• Basic need get from freeway to Whitehall Road
• Need good truck routing
• Cordova, Bayer, Class A Russell Road to points
• Cordovas current truck route McMillan to
  Central to Tyler to Russell to US31
• Signage way-finding is bad you cant get
  there from here

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AREA NEEDS A SENSE OF PLACE

• Very limited services for locals
• Feeders to the bike trail
• No village hamlet to focus development. Dalton
  was a village now it is Dalton 4-Corners, and
  there is no There there.

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AREA NEEDS PLANNING POLICIES

• Need good design and zoning standards for livable
  community current zoning would disallow hamlets
• Where can public recreation go?
  Multi-jurisdictional recreation plans?
• A good form-based zoning ordinance is quite
  possible because of minimum built precedents and
  age/quality of existing (obsolete)
• Create a Natural Features Inventory
• Green Infrastructure Plan along bike paths
  protection enhancement

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AREA NEEDS DEVELOPMENT COLLABORATION

• Purchase of Development Rights, donated,
  transfers (not yet permissible), Farmland
  Preservation Trusts
• Hotel, golf course site 2 are under discussion
  near US-31 Riley Rd exit
• Charrette for Bayer property visioned as
  eco-synergy park with international expertise
  assistance (German owned)
• Charrette for Cedar Fair area people understand
  the points of industry competition/need for
  secrecy, yet this is the major land growth
  generator.
• There still is a true opportunity for merging a
  national quality environment along with a
  national quality recreation destination as a
  win-win.

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AREA NEEDS DEFINING WHAT WE CAN BECOME

• Develop Marketing Incentives Menu
• TIFF, Ren Zone, Brownfield Multi-jurisdictional
  TIFFs?
• Sustainable Community Plan around Industrial
  Zones
• Need a sense of identity place (branding?) for
  the JPC area
• Housing offer mixed use at hamlet nodes ie
  Dalton Hamlet?

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

• Joint Planning Commission Encompassing 5
  Townships first of its kind in the State
• Planning Commission Members, Township Officials
• Jourden Family Cedar Fair with Michigan
  Adventures vision for recreation
• Bayer Crop Sciences global competitive
  initiative with local sustainable vision

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? WORKFORCE WORKSITE
CREATION

• Potential for large concentrated workforce at
  Michigans Adventure
• Bayer Eco-Industrial large lot Park
• Zephyr Property abandoned Brownfield site
• North Shore Hospital site
• Fly ash disposal area capped site
• Cordova Superfund site
• Muskegon County Wastewater Treatment Facility
• Active rail system

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? ABANDONED AND
UNDERUSED LAND AND UNDERUTILIZED INFRASTRUCTURE

• Muskegon County Waste Treatment plant 50
  capacity decreasing should treatment access
  become regional?
• High BOD and large flow capabilities
• Muskegon Muskegon Heights water filtration
  plant
• Coal plant under capacity
• Bayer has (2) three-megawatt lines
• Undeveloped land trapped between US 31 and
  Whitehall Road
• Under-utilized and abandoned rail lines
• Sand mining on Russell Road future lake
  development

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? COMMUNITIES PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP

• Reeths Puffer Neighborhood Improvement
  Association - African American Community with
  encouraging development plans
• Undervalued under-utilized properties ability
  to create added value for owners when
  collectively considered
• Re-development opportunities are financially
  lucrative
• Established recreational destination (Michigans
  Adventure)

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? SURPRISING
BIO-DIVERSITY

• Lake Michigan, White Lake, Muskegon Lake, Duck
  Lake, Blue Lake
• Cedar Creek, Bear Creek, Duck Creek, Muskegon
  River watersheds. Happy Mohawk canoeing on White
  River
• Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Camp Lor-Ray, Boy Scout
  Camp at Owasippe, Pendalouan YMCA Camp, Christian
  Summer Camp, private campgrounds
• Forest preserve and Manistee National Forest

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WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN ASSETS? ACCESSABILITY TO
OUTDOOR RECREATION

• Michillinda Resort, Duck Lake State Park, Scenic
  drive, Pioneer County Park
• White Lake Light House, Historic Block House
• Great Lakes Downs Equestrian Industry
• Winter sports complex Olympic sanctioned Luge
  Run
• Double JJ indoor water park recreation
• Camping, Bike Trails
• Race Cars, ATV Trails Dune Cars (Silver Lake)

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AREA GOALS

• Quality of life exceeds the problems, so
  pre-emptive planning is primary and possible
• Create an identity while managing probable growth
• Create a common vision for 5 townships build
  trust with open dialogue
• And provide a common vision stimulating outside
  investment

West Michigan Regional Urban Design Charrettes
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AREA GOALS

• Regionally, make connections to green
  infrastructure hubs, following bike paths, creeks
  with environmental sensitivity
• Create asense of place live, work and
  play/recreation with opportunities to create a
  working/living community
• A year-round destination complement summer
  activates with winter (fall and spring)
  activities (i.e. Winter sports park, Double JJ
  Ranch, Michigans Adventure indoor water park)

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UNCOVERING CONCEPTS
MICHIGANS ADVENTURE
TRAFFIC LOOP
INTERNAL SHUTTLE FROM HI-WAY LOTS CAMPSITES TO
PARKS
WHITEHALL ROAD
FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, CREATE
LAND USE ZONES
DALTON HAMLET
CORDOVA BUS. PARK
US-31 M-120
FUN ZONE - GREEN
BAYER CROP SCIENCE
SERVICE ZONE - ORANGE
N
WORK ZONE - BROWN
ENTRY ZONE - PURPLE
ZEPHYR BROWNFIELD
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AREA IDEAS FUN ZONE
CREATE TRAFFIC LOOP AROUND FUN ZONE TO
FACILITATE INCREASING VOLUMES OF TRAFFIC DUE TO
MICHIGANS ADVENTURE GROWTH
ROUND-ABOUTS
MASS PARKING CAMPSITES WITH SHUTTLE TRANSIT TO
THE PARKS
N
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AREA IDEAS SERVICE ZONE / WHITEHALL BLVD.
N
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AREA IDEAS SERVICE ZONE / WHITEHALL BLVD.
N
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AREA IDEAS WORK ZONE
N
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AREA IDEAS WORK ZONE
AN ECO-SYNERGY LARGE-LOT INDUSTRIAL PARK
PROPOSAL AT BAYER
N
40
AREA IDEAS WORK ZONE
N
M-120 LOOKING EAST
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AREA IDEAS - ENTRY ZONE ROADWAY SECTIONS
A
B
C
N
42
A
B
C
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RECOMMENDATIONS

• The NC Muskegon Charrette PowerPoint should
  serve as a structure from which to facilitate
  community discussion and visioning.
• Add story, facts and ideas to the PowerPoint
  around topics, issues, and opportunities.
• Pursue grants to further collective knowledge of
  the issues, and include the Charrette PowerPoint
  as background in the grant submittal.
• With WMSRDC, Muskegon County and the NCJPC
• Consider an overlay zoning for Whitehall Road to
  establish the vision for land use, appearance and
  opportunities for preservation of natural asset
  beauty while being able to introduce
  significantly more supportive development for
  visitors and residents.
• Define sub-study zones and apply for future
  WMRUD Charrettes