Supervisor Kenneth R. Fletcher Trustee Fonda J. Brewer Treasurer Howard A. Pizzo Trustee Andrea M. Cascarilla Clerk Mary R. Clark Trustee Dennis R. Fedewa Manager Brian T. Reed Trustee Karen J. Mojica

Planning Department (517) 323-8560

AGENDA DELTA CHARTER TOWNSHIP PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020, REGULAR MEETING 6:00 P.M.

In Compliance with Governor Whitmer’s Executive Order, This Meeting is Being Conducted Virtually via the Zoom Remote Meeting Platform

How to Connect :

Via the Web Meeting URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82688685901?pwd=UlJSaTRmNm56K09kNC9EUzRNSzlQdz09 Meeting ID: 826 8868 5901 Password: 250980

Via Phone Call-In Options using the U.S. numbers: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 408 638 0968. Meeting ID: 826 8868 5901 Password: 250980

For the hearing impaired, please call 711 to access the FCCs phone relaying service and provide one of the U.S. number call-in information above.

If you need assistance connecting, please contact IT Director David Marquette at [email protected] .

Public comment will be available to meeting participants.

I. CALL TO ORDER

III. ROLL CALL

IV. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

• Minutes of the May 26, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting.

7710 West Saginaw Highway • Lansing, Michigan 48917-9712 Phone: (517) 323-8560 • Fax: (517) 323-8599 www.deltami.gov • www.facebook.com/deltatownship • www.twitter.com/deltatownship Planning Commission Agenda Monday, June 8, 2020, Regular Meeting Page 2

VI. CITIZEN COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA

VII. CORRESPONDENCE – None

VIII. OLD BUSINESS – None

IX. PUBLIC HEARINGS

• Case No. 05-20-02 : Special Land Use Request for the expansion of the Champion Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge Automobile Dealership, located at 6525 W Saginaw Highway, Lansing, MI 48917 onto 6433 W Saginaw Highway, a neighboring parcel to the east, under the criteria for “Vehicle Sales/Leasing and Service Facilities”, to create additional parking spaces for saleable vehicles. Petitioner : Stan Schafer, 150 N. First St., Brighton, MI 48816. Owner : Lansing Land LLC, 5000 E. Grand River, Howell, MI 48843.

X. OTHER BUSINESS

• Comprehensive Plan Update Review Work Session No. 5: Review and discussion of February 10, 2020 draft of Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update prepared by McKenna. Work Session No. 5 will focus on the contents of Chapter IV – “Plans, Areas, and Studies ” (pp. 122 - 141).

XI. PLANNING DIRECTOR COMMENTS

XII. PLANNING COMMISSIONER COMMENTS

XIII. ADJOURNMENT

Individuals with disabilities attending Township meetings or hearings and requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact Township Manager and ADA Coordinator Brian T. Reed by email at [email protected] or calling (517) 323-8590 to inform him of the date of the meeting or hearing that will be attended.

/gb Attachments CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020

I CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Meddaugh brought the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.

II PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III ROLL CALL

Members Present: McConnell, Mudry, Kosinski, Bradley, Weinfeld, Schweitzer, and Meddaugh.

Members Absent: Sloan and Laforet – excused.

Others Present: Planning Director Gary Bozek and Assistant Planning Director Dave Waligora, Planner Matt McKernan

IV APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOTION BY MUDRY, SECONDED BY SCHWEITZER, THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED. ROLL CALL VOTE. CARRIED 7-0.

V APPROVAL OF MINUTES

• Minutes of the March 9, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting.

• Minutes of the April 27, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting.

• Minutes of the May 11, 2020 Planning Commission Meeting.

• Summary Record of Public Haring for Case No. 3-20-1: Request to rezone the property located at 601 N. Waverly Road, Lansing, MI. 48917, being the east 375 feet of Lot 11 of the Parkview Acres Subdivision in Section 13 of Delta Township, from O, Office to C, Commercial. Petitioner is Emilee Galica, 9976 Riverside Drive, Eagle, MI. 48822.

MOTION BY SCHWEITZER, SECONDED BY MCCONNELL, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 9, 2020 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 27, 2020 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, THE MINUTES OF THE MAY 11, 2020 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, AND THE SUMMARY RECORD OF PUBLIC HARING FOR CASE NO. 3-20-1: REQUEST TO REZONE THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 601 N. WAVERLY ROAD, LANSING, MI. 48917, BEING THE EAST 375 FEET OF LOT

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 2

11 OF THE PARKVIEW ACRES SUBDIVISION IN SECTION 13 OF DELTA TOWNSHIP, FROM O, OFFICE TO C, COMMERCIAL. PETITIONER IS EMILEE GALICA, 9976 RIVERSIDE DRIVE, EAGLE, MI. 48822, BE APPROVED AS CORRECTED. ROLL CALL VOTE. CARRIED 7-0.

VI CITIZEN COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA - None

VII CORRESPONDENCE - None

VIII OLD BUSINESS – None

IX PUBLIC HEARINGS – None

X OTHER BUSINESS

Comprehensive Plan Update Review Work Session No. 4: Review and discussion of February 10, 2020 draft of Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update prepared by McKenna. Work Session No. 4 will focus on the contents of the second half (pg. 96-121) of Chapter III – “Future Land Use Plan”.

Mr. Bozek said during Work Session No. 3, there was discussion regarding how to identify neighborhoods in the Plan. He noted that Mr. Waligora came up with the idea of using the term “Community Districts” rather than “Neighborhoods” where a listing of neighborhoods within the district could be provided. Mr. Bozek noted that he was in favor of using the term “Districts” and that he would like to hear the Commission’s thoughts on this issue.

It was the consensus of the Commission to use the term “Community Districts” and include a list of subdivisions the district encompassed in order to better identify neighborhoods within the Township.

Mr. Bozek said he would like the Commission’s feedback on the remaining districts and their descriptions within Chapter III of the Plan. He noted that at the end of the Plan pages in the packet, staff had included former Planning Director Mark Graham’s comments on the first 95 pages of the Plan, in addition to comments on the 425 Agreement area. Mr. Bozek said unless the Commission had any objections, he would incorporate Mr. Graham’s comments into the update of the Plan.

Mr. Kosinski felt the “Community Districts” the Commission was discussing this evening was, in some instances, far too expansive and as a result, making it hard to identify their diversities and special needs. Mr. Kosinski said his main concern was with the east and west Saginaw Highway commercial corridor. He agreed with why the consultant separated out the idea of a Town Center, but he felt east and west Saginaw Highway needed to be similarly separated out, particularly when you look at the relationship between the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Ordinance where the Zoning Ordinance established different standards along Saginaw Highway east of Elmwood. CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 3

Mr. Bozek said in regards to naming a district, he felt it would be useful to include a “Composition of the District” where descriptive language could be inserted identifying subdivisions that make up that district before moving on to “General Characteristics”. He felt this would accomplish Mr. McConnell’s desire that a descriptor be included in each section of the Plan describing the Township’s future vision for an area. Mr. Bozek pointed out some boundaries of the different districts may have to be changed so that there were not that many disparities when talking about “General Characteristics” of neighborhoods.

Mr. Kosinski felt the Township needed to respect neighborhood identity because there were areas within the Township where people strongly identify with a neighborhood.

Mr. Meddaugh referred to Item #7 where the name would be changed to “Carrier Creek Residential”.

Mr. Bozek said that was correct and that he felt “Canal Creek” was meant to be “Carrier Creek”.

Mr. Schweitzer said “Desired Characteristics” under Item #7 indicated that sidewalks were desirable for new development, but he felt all developments were required to install sidewalks.

Mr. Bozek said this area still had agriculturally zoned land which was not required to provide sidewalks. However, he noted that as zoning districts changed to accommodate different development patterns, sidewalks would be required.

Mr. McConnell referred to Item #7 and questioned if pathways were important in this area as well.

Mr. Bozek said a reference incorporating the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan would be inserted into the Comprehensive Plan that would reference both an east-west and north-south pathway. He felt it would be beneficial to provide a general statement in all the districts of the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan.

Mr. McConnell would like to see something in the Plan that lets the reader know that pathways were part of the consideration. Mr. McConnell referred to “Building Characteristics” where it states that architectural excellence is desirable for multi-family structures. He questioned who decided architectural excellence.

Mr. Bozek said the Township had very few regulations that were pertinent to architectural design and that the Township had some regulations concerning commercial development. However, he noted that in the past, the Township didn’t want to enforce design regulations and he felt the reason why architectural design was in the Comprehensive Plan was due to the fact that the consultant’s firm did a lot of architectural design work with their projects. CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 4

Mr. McConnell felt architectural excellence was in the eyes of the beholder and he did not feel the term had a common need. He felt the term should be better defined or leave it out of the Plan.

Mr. Bozek said if the term were left in the Plan, there would have to be codified which would warrant extensive work to the Zoning Ordinance to add architectural design standards. He noted that Delta has been a community that has let the developer do what they felt was best for their product and their market. He noted that the Township had minimum requirements for landscape areas, lot coverage limitations, and so forth.

Mr. Kosinski felt architectural design should apply to all development or be omitted altogether.

Mr. Bozek noted that the Township’s site plan review standards and the Zoning Ordinance talked about the design of a project in its entirety and that wording could be geared more towards design elements such as circulation patterns for multi-modes of transportation, landscaping, and so forth.

Mr. Kosinski said he would agree to a general reference that would provide flexibility on a request by request basis to emphasize all elements of design that are particularly pertinent to a given project.

Mr. McConnell questioned if there was a general direction within the Plan to reduce the amount of land devoted to parking.

Mr. Bozek said the language contained in the Plan reflected what was already codified in the Zoning Ordinance. He noted that when the Zoning Ordinance was updated, it reduced the required parking for a number of uses with the idea of reducing the amount of impervious surface, include more parking lot landscaping, and those types of things. Mr. Bozek said the language contained in the Plan could be modified to read “continue the practice of these regulations” that would reflect how the Township was dealing with it.

Mr. McConnell questioned if the term “high quality construction materials” was defined somewhere in the Plan and how it would be monitored.

Mr. Bozek said if this were something the Commission wanted, it would have to be defined and an approved material list would have to be codified in the Zoning Ordinance. He noted that staff would have to review every project and how a developer planned on treating their facade. Mr. Bozek noted that on some level this would be accomplished with the large commercial buildings, but not on everything.

Mr. McConnell questioned why you would not want quality materials used all the time.

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 5

Mr. Bozek felt this type of language was in the Plan based on what communities the consultant had worked for in the past. He noted that other communities have architectural design standards which is another level of review.

Mr. McConnell felt these types of terms become difficult to interpret and problematic.

Mr. Waligora noted that when he read a list of quality building materials, he typically thought of masonry construction with a mix of other materials. He used the example of the West Saginaw Highway Overlay District where Popeye’s and Tropical Smoothie both had requirements for masonry construction. He said because the Township had the foresight to include language in the Zoning Ordinance, the Township got exactly what they wanted. Mr. Waligora felt it was difficult to say whether the Township would have gotten that quality of development if there was not language contained in the ordinance.

Mr. Bozek said the term “high quality” wasn’t used in the Zoning Ordinance and that the ordinance provided a list of what materials would be more attractive or acceptable than the type of development that had occurred in the past. He noted that staff wanted to see buildings incorporate these elements and in doing so, they were more attractive. Mr. Bozek said a lot of the standards contained in the Comprehensive Plan were defined or codified and if the Commission wanted to be more stringent and apply design standards to more than just the West Saginaw Highway Overlay District, big box users, apartment buildings, and other facilities, standards could be added to the Zoning Ordinance.

Ms. Bradley questioned if it would be appropriate to include a glossary for these types of terms since “high quality” to one person may be different to another person.

Mr. Bozek said Comprehensive Plans typically do not have an expansive listing of defining terms like what is found in the Zoning Ordinance. He noted that Comprehensive Plans reflects what the Township wanted to achieve as development was allowed community districts. He said the Zoning Ordinance is the document where “high quality” development was defined.

Mr. McConnell questioned if the term contained in the Plan could include “as defined in the Zoning Ordinance”.

Mr. Bozek said staff would research this issue.

Mr. Kosinski felt this had been previously discussed where cross-references within the Plan would be beneficial.

Mr. Bozek said staff was somewhat apprehensive cross-referencing sections of the Zoning Ordinance in the Plan. He said when amendments were made to the ordinance, sections referenced in the Plan would not be current. He noted that the Plan’s Mission Statement needed to talk about what the Comprehensive Plan is and how it was to be implemented. Mr. Bozek noted that one of the major tools of accomplishing that was the Zoning Ordinance. CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 6

Mr. Schweitzer said when you refer to “high quality materials”, he felt affordable housing needed to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Meddaugh felt there was clearly a discrepancy that needed to be address on this issue. He felt the Commission agreed that some of the more subjective wording needed to be removed from the Plan or described more specific in nature.

Mr. Bozek felt he understood the concerns of the Commission and that staff could go through the Plan and make changes. He felt a lot could be accomplished through a better Mission Statement as stated by Mr. McConnell. He felt Mr. Schweitzer was correct in that the Commission needed to be careful when referring to standards in general because the Zoning Ordinance requires that standards be applied uniformly within the zoning districts. Mr. Bozek said if the Commission is seeking affordable housing and have onerous design standards for a single-family house, you may not be able to accomplish a product that is affordable.

Mr. McConnell said he was in favor of staffing going through the Plan and making changes.

Mr. Mudry stated that he did not want to see the situation where the Township lowered its standards because it did not want a developer to leave and build in another community.

Ms. Bradley agreed with Mr. Mudry and she questioned who read the Comprehensive Plan after it was adopted.

Mr. Bozek said the Michigan Planning and Enabling Act required municipalities prepare a Comprehensive Plan for development. The law further states that once a Plan is established, it needs to be reviewed every five years and updated as needed. Mr. Bozek noted that when a Rezoning or Special Land Use Permit request was received, one of the first things staff looked at was how the request related to what the Plan has recommended. He also noted that the Plan was accessible to everyone.

Mr. Meddaugh referred to Section 8, Delta Center, by noting that Page 99 under “Desired Characteristics” recommends that a mid-block crossing may be considered to access the school from Hidden Pond Drive or Heritage Drive which he felt was very specific compared to other broad statements that had been made in the other sections.

Mr. Bozek felt this statement may have come from specific feedback from the survey results and Focus sessions. He said staff would follow-up with the consultant on this item.

Mr. Meddaugh inquired about a statement under “Building Characteristics” which noted that continued investment over time will be to maintain property values and protect the CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 7

quality of live for the residents of these buildings and homes. He questioned if the Township invested in property updates or is it something the property owner did.

Mr. Bozek said the Township did not have any existing programs in place at this time and he did not know whether any programs would be available in the future. Staff would look at the language contained in the Plan to specify specific programs if available.

The Commission recommended minor grammatical corrections under this section and the fact that it made specific reference to community amenities such as community gardens and pocket parks in this district. Staff was asked to look at community amenities as things the Township wanted dispersed across the districts because there were several places in the Plan where facilities were mentioned in some districts and not in others.

Mr. Meddaugh referred to Section 10, Colt/Waverly, where it talked about filling in the gaps in the sidewalk network. He questioned whether this was something the Township should be focusing on across the Township.

Mr. Bozek noted that the Township’s Engineering Department had on-going sidewalk programs that identified where repairs were needed and where there were gaps throughout the Township. He felt a more general statement either before or at the end of the chapter could be where this issue is discussed.

Mr. Weinfeld inquired about the inconsistencies from section to section with regards to “Building Characteristics”.

Mr. Waligora noted that some areas of the Township were completely built out and that there were not many opportunities for any in-fill development.

After general discussion, it was noted that “Building Characteristics” in each section should reflect the existing characteristics of a neighborhood in order to be more consistent and to make a distinction between different neighborhoods.

Mr. Mudry said the first paragraph under Section 10, “General Characteristics” referred to street patterns reflecting a mix of common post war grids and he questioned whether the term “post war grids” may be getting into a generational gap.

It was suggested that the term “post war grid” be amended to read “twentieth century grid”.

Mr. Meddaugh referred to Section 11, under “Desired Characteristics” by noting that he felt the language contained in the paragraph that referred to pedestrian connections and potential effects traffic could have on those pedestrian connections was awkward.

Mr. Bozek noted that staff would take a closer look at this paragraph.

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 8

Mr. McConnell suggested stronger language be used in this section of the Plan about the Grand River and how it influences the community district.

Mr. Bozek felt Mr. McConnell was correct and that a description of the diversity of housing in this area of the Township should be noted.

Mr. Waligora referred to Section 12, St. Joseph Highway “Mixed Uses”, by noting that he felt the term “Mixed Use” was a theme throughout the entire Comprehensive Plan, but he didn’t feel there was a true definition of what “mixed uses” was in the Township.

Mr. Weinfeld said the paragraph in this section referred to mixed uses as commercial and retail. However, he noted that if you do not have a general definition, you cannot refer to something as “mixed uses” because you are making it up.

Staff indicated that they would work on this section to better reflect the neighborhood’s characteristics.

Mr. Meddaugh noted that a paragraph in this section under “Architectural Design” specifically referred to brick and stone for building facades which was inconsistent with discussions the Commission had earlier and he felt there needed to be a more consistent approach to how the Township approached this issue.

Mr. Mudry referred to Section 13, West Saginaw Highway Mixed Use, by stating that the paragraph under “General Characteristics” does not list a north border.

Mr. Bozek said it was illustrated in the Plan as the half section line of Section 9 and that staff could refine the language, as well as the term “mixed uses”.

Mr. Mudry referred to Section 14, Waverly Commercial, where it talked about the Lansing/Michigan Avenue park and he questioned why the Plan referred to a park within Lansing Township.

Mr. Waligora felt the Plan may have taken into consideration future development of the former Waverly Golf Course and how it would impact this area of Delta. He felt since Waverly Road was a shared border, that joint planning be promoted and utilized to provide oversight into how both sides of the road were developed.

Mr. Weinfeld felt language could be amended to reflect the shared border with Lansing Township and that planned future development will have an impact on the eastern border of the Township.

Mr. Waligora said the Future Land Use Map currently recommends office development in many areas along Waverly Road and that he didn’t feel the Township had a definitive idea of what it wanted this area to look like and that it wasn’t as attractive for office development as it once was 30 years ago.

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 9

Mr. Bozek said there was a mixture of lots sizes and uses in this area of the Township and that earlier Comprehensive Plans had recommended office development as a transition between traffic on Waverly Road and the residential that existed further to the west. Mr. Bozek said some office development had occurred with the consolidation of lots, but it was very difficult to make a broad statement about what this area should look like given the on-going issues with inadequate storm drainage and narrow lots. He said instead of office development, there could be smaller, less intense commercial uses, but the Township only had one commercial district so it could not be refined too far without creating another district. Mr. Bozek reiterated the fact that this was a difficult area of the Township and that the plan for the district does have to include the Lansing Township area as well because development on their side will affect Delta Township.

Mr. Mudry referred to Section 15, Saginaw Highway Commercial, by inquiring about the term “flip building”.

Staff was not familiar with this term and would investigate further.

Mr. Mudry felt the traffic control measures that had been provided for on Saginaw Highway in the area of the Lansing Mall had worked out well and that he was happy to see traffic control measures along the Saginaw Highway corridor had been recommended in the Plan.

Mr. McConnel said he liked the concept of trying to create a “Sense of Place” along Saginaw Highway in the Lansing Mall area and that aesthetically pleasing renovations, in-fill development, boulevards, landscaping, and so forth were all part of that. He questioned if this concept could be included as part of the design characteristics.

Mr. Bozek said earlier in the meeting, discussion took place regarding creating two districts for the east and one for the west, especially since we are talking about a potential Downtown Delta for the eastern portion of Saginaw Highway. He felt this issue can be discussed in more detail in order to break up this district.

It was noted that before discussion could take place regarding Section 16, Delta Town Center, more information would be needed about the future of the Lansing Mall.

Mr. Mudry referred to Section 17, Mt. Hope Campus, under “General Characteristics” where it talked about land west of Creyts Road being used for commercial purposes due to a court order.

Mr. Bozek noted that land west of Creyts Road did not have a Consent Judgement, but rather properties owned by Mike Eyde located at Creyts and Saginaw, as well as Creyts and Mt. Hope, were under Consent Judgements.

Mr. Mudry referred to Page 117 of the Plan where it talked about aging neighborhoods and the fact that active code enforcement and blight removal programs can help ensure CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 10

neighborhoods did not decline. Mr. Mudry noted that this was the only chapter where code enforcement programs were spelled out.

Mr. Bozek felt a good place for this language would be in the “General Characteristics” section. He noted that the Township did not have programs beyond code enforcement and blight removal to preserve neighborhoods.

It was recommended that this language be included in the “General Characteristics” section.

Mr. McConnell inquired about language that indicated landscaping should be applied with decorative environmental and screening purposes, but he questioned the need for this statement in the Plan. He questioned why this chapter spelled out the parking element when it is already contained in the Zoning Ordinance.

Mr. Bozek noted that this language was generic across a lot of different plans, especially communities that have more stringent rules and regulations than Delta. Mr. Bozek felt this statement should be placed at the end of the chapter to indicate what the Township was trying to achieve.

In reference to Chapter 18, Research and Industry, it was asked if the Township had any research facilities within the industrial tract.

Mr. Bozek noted that the Township used to have research facilities for many years and that the 1990 Zoning Ordinance was amended to permit those types of uses when there was a demand for small research operations. He noted the Township’s Economic Coordinator looked at project requests every day and marketed availability within the Township.

Ms. Bradley questioned what determined what businesses were referenced in each chapter and whether the Township had ever received any complaints from businesses that were not recognized.

Mr. Bozek felt the consultant attempted to pick some representative examples of what was in the district. He was not aware of any complaints the Township had received from businesses that felt they were not recognized. He said the Township had a lot of opportunities where it recognized businesses in all the Township’s publications. Mr. Bozek said a lot of the businesses mentioned were the major taxpayers in the Township such as Meijer’s, Auto-Owners, and GM.

Mr. Mudry said he reviewed former Planning Director Mark Graham’s comments on the Comprehensive Plan and was impressed with Mr. Graham’s diligence and felt he did a good job with his suggested revisions.

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 11

Mr. Kosinski expressed his concerns regarding the narrow statistical picture presented in the draft Plan and suggested providing a broader statistical picture of the Township in the Plan.

Mr. Bozek indicated that they would expand on this section further to make the data more descriptive. He asked the Commission to review Mr. Graham’s comments and pass along any comments they may have for discussion. Mr. Bozek said if he did not receive any objections, he intended to incorporate Mr. Graham’s amendments into the next draft of the Plan.

Mr. Mudry said he would like a better description contained in the Plan of what a 425 Agreement was and what areas of the Township were affected.

XII PLANNING DIRECTOR COMMENTS

XII PLANNING COMMISSIONER COMMENTS

XIII ADJOURNMENT

MOTION BY SCHWEITZER, SECONDED BY MUDRY, THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. VOICE VOTE. CARRIED 7-0.

Chairperson Meddaugh adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m.

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF DELTA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MAY 26, 2020 - PAGE 12

Respectfully Submitted,

______Arnold Weinfeld, Secretary

C:\Users\aswink\Dropbox (Delta Township)\DELTA Planning Department\Anne Swink\MIN\2020 PC\May 11, 2020.doc

Delta Township

Planning Commission

Special Land Use Permit: Vehicle Sales/Leasing and Service Facilities Section 15

Meeting Date: June 8, 2020

Report Date: June 4, 2020

File No: 05-20-02

Applicant: Jesse Lewter, of Wolverine Engineering for Lansing Land LLC / Champion Automobile Dealership

Location 6525 W Saginaw Highway Lansing, MI 481917

Parcel Numbers: 040-015-200-161-00, Overview 040-015-200-171-00, Special Land Use: Vehicle Sales/Leasing and Service Facilities: 040-015-200-176-00, part Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram is seeking to expand their dealership of 040-015-200-102-00 parking areas from available land to the east and west of the existing Current Zoning District dealership. C - Commercial Staff Recommendation Report Prepared By: Approval; with stipulations David Waligora, AICP Assistant Planning Related Documents Director  Application  Concept Plan  E-mail Correspondence from Miller Animal Clinic  Easement Documentation

June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

Overview

The Township is in receipt of a Special Land Use Application and concept plan, prepared on May 1, 2020, by Wolverine Engineering, to allow for additional sales spaces for Champion Dealership at 6439 W Saginaw Highway, (a .370 acre parcel north of the Miller Animal Clinic), and a portion of the large parcel to the south and west which surrounds the existing dealership. The new areas are shown in red to the right.

An automobile dealership has been present at this location for about 30 years. Near or about 2015, Champion purchased 6433 W Saginaw Highway for additional parking. Presently, the applicant leases parking lot space with the Lansing Mall for new vehicles. If the application were to be approved, this would bring all dealership activities onto one connected parcel, and the Lansing Mall would cease to be utilized for new vehicle storage.

Miller Animal Clinic Easement: The Miller Animal Clinic has legal rights to an easement for ingress and egress within 6439 W Saginaw Highway. It is their sole point of access to a public ROW.

The picture to the right illustrates the location of the easement and overlays the Applicant’s proposed new parking configuration atop it.

Though staff finds no zoning issue with the parking of for- sale vehicles within the easement,, it is staff’s understanding that the applicant does not yet have permission from the owners of Miller Animal Clinic (See attached e-mail correspondence) to occupy their ingress/egress easement.

What is ultimately a matter between two private parties, staff makes note this configuration may be altered the next time the Planning Commission reviews the proposed development.

Surrounding Zoning and Land Use

North: Commercial (Kroger Gas Station) South: Commercial, Miller Animal Clinic & Vacant Commercial property East: Commercial (Walgreens) West: Vacant Commercial Property

2 June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

Standards of Review

When reviewing requests for Special Land Use Requests the Planning Commission and Township Board must review and discuss two sections within the Ordinance; the first being the General Review Standards for all Special Land Uses and the second being the Specific Standards of Review stipulating in the Zoning Ordinance.

SECTION 7.03 – Required Standards and Findings for Making Determinations Standard of Review Staff Comments A. Compatibility with the Finding: Meets Standard Comprehensive Plan. The proposed Staff Comments: The 2013 Comprehensive Plan recommends Special Land Use shall be com- Commercial Use on this property. patible and in accordance with the goals, objectives and policies of the Delta Charter Township Comprehensive Plan and any associated sub-area and corridor plans.

B. Compatibility with Adjacent Uses. Finding: Further Discussion Recommended The proposed Special Land Use Staff Comments: The proposed use has been established at this shall be constructed, operated and location for many years without incident. Staff does not see much maintained so as to be compatible controversy with the proposed growth. with the existing or intended character of the general vicinity However the issue with the Miller Animal Clinic easement remains. and so as not to change the Ultimately the two parties must come to some agreement with the essential character of the area in proposed encroachment and the easement should be moved out of which it is proposed. A Special the parking area, or the configuration of the parking must be Land Use shall be designed and reworked. constructed so as to not create a significant detrimental impact, as compared to the impacts of permitted uses.

C. Impact on Public Services. The Finding: Meets Standard proposed Special Land Use shall be Staff Comments: served adequately by essential public facilities and services, such The site is adequately serviced by public safety and utilities. as highways, streets, police and fire protection, drainage, water and sewage facilities. Such services shall be provided and accommodated without an unreasonable public burden.

3 June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

D. The proposed Special Land Use Finding: Meets Standard shall not involve uses, activities, Staff Comments: Staff does not find any inherent environmental processes, materials and issues with the proposed use. equipment, or conditions of operation that will be detrimental to the natural environment, public health, safety, or welfare by reason of excessive production of traffic, noise, smoke, odors, or other such nuisance in comparison to the impacts associated with typical permitted uses.

E. Traffic Impact. The proposed Finding: Further Discussion Recommended Special Land Use shall be located Staff Comments: and designed in a manner which

will minimize the impact of traffic, Vehicle Traffic, Access, and Circulation: Staff has concerns regarding taking into consideration: the number of curb cuts along Saginaw Highway in such a relatively pedestrian access and safety; short distance. In preliminary discussions, MDOT has also expressed vehicle trip generation (i.e. concern regarding the number of curb cuts, however final comments volumes); types of traffic, access have not been submitted, so the extent of their review is yet location and design, circulation and unknown. parking design; street and bridge

capacity; and traffic operations at Staff finds that one curb cut could adequately serve Champion. nearby intersections and access Reviewing the configuration of the site, maintaining the westward cut points. Efforts shall be made to is most sensible. This also would put the most distance between the ensure that multiple transportation necessary Miller Animal Clinic cut. modes are safely and effectively

accommodated in an effort to Regarding circulation, the proposed plan shows cross site access at provide alternate modes of access the Miller Animal Clinic curb cut. Staff has concerns about creating a T and alleviate vehicular traffic intersection at this point, where Champion customers could be test congestion. driving vehicles they are not comfortable with. It seems like an

unnecessary connection, as all properties have access and The applicant shall comply with connectivity through the southern alley if designed properly. the Township’s Complete Street Ordinance.

4 Microsoft Virtual Earth © Microsoft © NAVTEQ © AND © 2008 Pictometry International Corp. June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

F. Operational Characteristics. The Finding: Meets Standard nature and character of the Staff Comments: The dealership use has worked well in this location. activities, processes, materials, equipment, or conditions of operation, either specifically or typically associated with the use shall be reviewed.

G. Outdoor Operations. Measures Finding: Meets Standard shall be taken to ensure that Staff Comments: No outdoor activities are proposed at this time. outdoor activity, storage, and work areas will be compatible with adjacent land uses.

H. Compliance with Zoning Ordinance Finding: Meets Standard Standards. The proposed Special Staff Comments: Full compliance will be reviewed during the site Land Use shall be designed, plan review process. Staff does not anticipate any issues at this time. constructed, operated, and maintained to meet the stated intent of the zoning district and shall comply with all applicable ordinance standards.

L. Special Land Use Approval Specific Finding: Meets Standard Requirements. The general Staff Comments: Staff finds that the applicant was able to standards and requirements of this satisfactorily meet the specific use standards of Section 8.62. Section are basic to all uses authorized by Special Land Use approval. The specific and detailed requirements relating to particular uses and area requirements must also be satisfied for those uses.

Section 8.62 – VEHICLE SALES / LEASING AND SERVICE FACILITIES

Standard of Review Staff Comments A. Uses Permitted: Vehicle sales and Finding: Meets Standard leasing shall include, but shall not be Staff Comments: The applicant sells and leases new limited to: the sales and leasing of new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram vehicles. and used motor vehicles; recreation vehicles; motorcycles; snowmobiles; watercraft; and open/enclosed trailers. a.

5 June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

B. Access: Primary access to the Finding: Meets Standard subject parcel shall be on a county Staff Comments: The proposed parcel is adjacent to primary road, as classified by the Eaton Saginaw Highway. County Road Commission, or a state trunk line under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

C. Setbacks: No vehicles shall be parked Finding: Does Not Meet Standard or displayed within twenty (20) feet of The proposed plan utilizes a 10 ft setback, which was any road right-of-way. permitted prior to the 2017 Zoning Ordinance. Staff finds new display area along Saginaw Highway do not meet the setback requirements.

Further, staff would like to take this opportunity to remind the applicant that parking of for sale vehicles in the green belt is prohibited and the practice should cease immediately.

D. Paving of Display Areas: Areas used for Finding: Meets Standard the display of vehicles shall be paved. The applicant has not provided any display areas besides standard parking lot design. E. Lighting of Display Areas: If areas used Finding: Meets Standard for the display of vehicles are illuminated, the lighting shall be The applicant has been made aware of this standard, deflected away from adjacent agreed to it, and staff will implement it fully during site properties and streets in accordance plan review. with Section 12.05.

F. Noise: Loud speakers broadcasting Finding: Meets Standard voice or music outside of a building shall not be permitted within five The applicant was made aware of this requirement and hundred (500) feet of a residential they state they can meet it and will provide a 500 ft buffer property line. for the nearest residence.

G. Repair and Maintenance: All repair Finding: Meets Standard and maintenance activities shall comply with the standards set forth Repairs do happen within the facility and are already in Section 8.61. operating under an older special land use permit.

H. Vehicle Deliveries: Vehicle deliveries Finding: Meets Standard shall take place on the premises and shall not interfere with vehicular Deliveries occur on site. Trucks enter the property on traffic on a public Saginaw Highway then exit via the Creyts Rd alley.

6 June 8, 2020 Champion Chrysler Dealership – Special Land Use: Sale and Leasing of New Vehicles

The following motion is offered for the Planning Commission's consideration:

"I move that the Delta Township Planning Commission recommend approval of case 05-20-02 to the Township Board, for a VEHICLE SALES / LEASING AND SERVICE FACILITIY expansion for Champion Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram, on Parcels 040-015-200-161-00, 040-015-200-171-00, 040-015-200-176-00, and part of 040-015-200-102-00, as described in the submitted Wolverine Engineering Plan, dated May 1, 2020 for the following reasons:

1. The request meets the general standards for Special Land Uses found in Section 7.03 of the 2017 Delta Township Zoning Ordinance. 2. The request meets the specific standards specified for High-Rise Buildings in Section 8.62 of the 2017 Delta Township Zoning Ordinance. 3. The use is consistent with the future land use recommendations of the 2013 Comprehensive Plan. 4. The subject parcel is adequately served by public utilities.

Subject to the following stipulations:

1. The applicant come to a working agreement for the handling of the Miller Animal Clinic Easement with all affected property owners. 2. The applicant remove two curb cuts along Saginaw Highway. 3. The applicant remove the proposed cross connection at the Miller Animal Clinic Curb cut. 4. The applicant must meet all required setbacks for the Special Land Use Permit. 5. The applicant cease regularly parking vehicles in the greenbelt/public ROW.

If any stipulation is not met or broken, the Special Land Use approval shall be nullified.

7 CHAMPION CHRYSLER JEEP - SITE DESIGN 20-0029 6525 W. SAGINAW HWY, DELTA TOWNSHIP EATON COUNTY, MICHIGAN

KEWEENAW

HOUGHTON

ONTONAGON

BARAGA

LUCE GOGEBIC MARQUETTE ALGER CHIPPEWA

IRON SCHOOLCRAFT

MACKINAC DICKINSON DELTA

MENOMINEE EMMET

CHEBOYGAN PRESQUE ISLE CHARLEVOIX CHAMPION CHRYSLER JEEP - SITE DESIGN

MONTMORENCY

SITE ALPENA OTSEGO ANTRIM

LEELENAU

ALCONA KALKASKA CRAWFORD OSCODA GRAND BENZIE TRAVERSE

IOSCO MANISTEE WEXFORD MISSAUKEE ROSCOMMON OGEMAW

ARENAC MASON LAKE OSCEOLA CLARE GLADWIN

HURON

BAY MIDLAND OCEANA MECOSTA ISABELLA NEWAYGO TUSCOLA SANILAC MUSKGEGON SAGINAW MONTCALM GRATIOT

LAPEER SHIAWASSEE GENESEE KENT ST. CLAIR

OTTAWA IONIA CLINTON

MACOMB OAKLAND LIVINGSTON ALLEGAN BARRY EATON INGHAM

WAYNE VAN BUREN KALAMAZOO CALHOUN JACKSON WASHTENAW

MONROE CASS ST. JOSEPH BRANCH BERRIEN HILLSDALE LENAWEE

OWNER CONTACT INFORMATION SCHAFER CONSTRUCTION, INC. Contact: STAN SCHAFER 150 N. FIRST ST. BRIGHTON, MI 48116 Ph: 517-304-1124 Fx: 810-220-0475 Email: Property Owner Email Address LOCATION MAP NOT TO SCALE Sheet Index Sheet Number Sheet Title C1.0 EXISTING TOPOGRAPHY C2.0 SITE PLAN 312 North Street Fx: 517-676-9396 Ph: 517-676-9200 Mason, Michigan 48854 WOLVERINE http://www.wolveng.com Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. WOLVERINE 312 North Street Mason, Michigan 48854 Ph: 517-676-9200 Fx: 517-676-9396 http://www.wolveng.com Know what's ! CAUTION Call before youdig. below. R EXISTING LEGEND EXISTING STRUCTUREINFORMATION

WOLVERINE Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. 312 North Street Mason, Michigan 48854 Ph: 517-676-9200 Fx: 517-676-9396 http://www.wolveng.com SITE DATA W. SAGINAW HWY. 312 North Street Fx: 517-676-9396 Ph: 517-676-9200 Mason, Michigan 48854 http://www.wolveng.com Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. WOLVERINE

R

Know what's below. Callbefore you dig.

! ! ! CAUTION ! ! ! SITE DATA 312 North Street Fx: 517-676-9396 Ph: 517-676-9200 Mason, Michigan 48854 http://www.wolveng.com Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. WOLVERINE

R

Know what's below. Callbefore you dig.

! ! ! CAUTION ! ! !

6/3/2020 Mail - David Waligora - Outlook

Easement Miller Animal Clinic

Anthony Kooney Fri 5/8/2020 10:20 PM To: David Waligora Good evening,

My name is Dr. Kooney, my wife and I own Miller Animal Clinic and was forward your message from our office manager. Thank you for reaching out to our business regarding the application by the car dealership to expand the lot.

The original Miller Animal Clinic was establish in the building North of the current clinic by Paul Miller, I believe in the 1950’s. The current building was owned by Paul and Glenn Miller, my wife and I purchased the building by land contract in 2013. I have a description of the building and easement in the title and have seen the original agreement when the land was purchased by the Millers from the farmer who owned the lot. I can try to locate the original agreement if needed.

I would admit it would be nice to have the old watershed removed, a bit of an eye sore and few new clients have mistaken that building for the current clinic. My concern would be retaining access to the clinic without obstruction by delivery vehicles, upkeep of the easement pavement if used by car carriers, and obstruction of our signage. A safety concern would be vehicles to be sold positioned close to Saginaw obstructing the vision of vehicles exiting the easement.

Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the application, I would like to attend the public hearing when a date is posted. I am glad we could be of assistance in your time of need for your lab, always a difficult decision as they are part of the family. Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions. Stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely, Anthony Kooney DVM

Sent from my iPad CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the Delta Township organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

https://outlook.office365.com/mail/search/id/AAMkADU1NjY1YzFmLWE5NmQtNDkzMi1iMGU0LTE1OTJiMGIzZTM1MwBGAAAAAADSjRsagMlUTohE… 1/1

Supervisor Kenneth R. Fletcher Trustee Fonda J. Brewer Treasurer Howard A. Pizzo Trustee Andrea M. Cascarilla Clerk Mary R. Clark Trustee Dennis R. Fedewa Manager Brian T. Reed Trustee Karen J. Mojica

Planning Department (517) 323-8560

MEMO

DATE: June 3, 2020

TO: Delta Township Planning Commission

FROM: Gary Bozek, Planning Director

SUBJECT: 2020 Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update Work Session No. 5

On February 24, 2020, the Planning Commission held the first in a series of work sessions reviewing the February 10, 2020 Draft of the Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update. Staff distributed the full digital version of the draft plan to you on February 11, 2020 and followed up with distribution of a hardcopy version on February 12 th .

On February 24th, in Work Session No. 1 the Commission reviewed Chapter I – Delta Today (pp. (pp. 1 – 47). Work Session No. 2, held on March 9th, focused on Chapter II – Action Plan (pp. 48 – 71). Work Session No. 3 was held on May 11th, and focused on the first half of Chapter III - Future Land Use Plan (pp. 72-95). Work Session No. 4, which covered the second half of Chapter III (pp. 96 - 121), was held on May 26th. Work Session No. 5 will focus on Chapter IV - Plans, Areas, and Studies (pp. 122 - 141) . Please review these pages (attached) and note any comments, concerns, revisions, etc. We will discuss these on Monday, June 8th .

Retired Planning Director Mark Graham remains interested in the Update and has continued to offer commentary regarding the draft plan. He has provided suggestions regarding the second half of Chapter III. We are grateful for his time and effort and his valuable input.

If you wish to download the pdf of entire draft plan, you can do so by following this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mh6ge70gklkq4kr/DeltaTwp_2020Plan_021020-compressed.pdf?dl=0

Thank you for your time and effort, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

/gb Attachment

7710 West Saginaw Highway • Lansing, Michigan 48917-9712 Phone: (517) 323-8560 • Fax: (517) 323-8599 www.deltami.gov • www.facebook.com/deltatownship • www.twitter.com/deltatownship 122 Plans, Areas, and Studies

IV. Plans, Areas, and Studies

The Delta Township Comprehensive Plan is the overall land use policy document for future development, and it is intended to support other policy documents and be supported by new information. The following chapter points to other Township resources for specific information, like the Township Board’s Strategic Plan, Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and Non-Motorized Plan. It also incorporates new and updated information on the future direction of Transportation for the Township as well as new insights into the housing market and retail market locally and regionally.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 123

Township Board Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan is a management tool reviewed and updated by the Township Board each year, with the intent of focusing the members of the Board on a unified set of goals and objectives. Based on this unified vision, the Township Board is able to make better decisions with a focus on the future in mind.

While it changes slightly from year to year, the Township Board’s latest Strategic Plan includes six (6) categories of focus: Economic Development, Community Identity / Involvement Neighborhoods, Good Governance, Identity & Branding, Parks & Paths, and Infrastructure. Each category includes short- and long-term goals, as well as supporting strategies.

The Township’s Comprehensive Plan updates should align with the direction of the Board’s Strategic Plan, expanding upon the planning and land-use-focused goals and strategies of the Strategic Plan. The Goals, Objectives, and Successes defined in the Comprehensive Plan help to describe how the land use policies of the Township will be implemented in all planning and zoning decisions made by the Planning Commission and staff.

Delta Township, Michigan 124 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Housing Market Analysis

In developing recommendations for the neighborhood units, future land use plan, and success indicators for the Comprehensive Plan’s Goals and Objectives, the Township aims to better understand what the current and potential residents of the Township are looking for as it relates to housing options. This analysis focuses on two geographic areas: Delta Township (all area within the municipal limits) and an 18-minute drive time from the geographic center of the Township (per American Community Survey data, the average commute time to work for Delta’s residents is 18 minutes). The 18-minute drive time aims to define the area within which a person could move to the Township and still maintain a reasonable commute to an existing place of employment. This area, the “Housing Market”, is where opportunities exist to attract additional people to reside in the Township by offering housing choices not found in other communities.

Table 6: Housing Market

Delta Township Housing Market Population 32,849 249,717

Households 14,201 99,391

Housing Units 14,422 109,430

Single Family Detached 55.7% 62.5%

Single Family Attached 8.4% 6.1%

Duplex 1.3% 2.4%

Small Multiple Family (3-10 Units) 10.1% 8.8%

Large Multiple Family (Over 10 Units) 23.2% 17.0%

Mobile Home 1.3% 3.0%

**American Community Survey (ACS) 2013-2017 estimates

The table helps illustrate the “missing middle” in the housing market locally and in the Housing Market – in Delta Township, 78.9% of the available housing units are either detached single family homes or large multi-family complexes; in the Housing Market, that number is 79.5%. The data in this analysis indicates that there are segments of the existing and potential population that may be interested in household types that are not currently available, specifically duplexes and small multiple-family structures in walkable, well-connected, and well-appointed neighborhoods.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 125

To help determine the types of housing desired by Township residents and those in the housing market, ESRI’s “Tapestry Segment” data was used. Tapestry segments are combinations of many demographic and economic factors (age, income, housing preferences, education, etc.) that classify households into one of over 60 categories (which are then given catchy names). By combining demographic indicators into a single Segment, the population in an area can be generalized into easily digestible descriptions. For example, in Delta Township, the top five Tapestry Segments, accounting for 75.4% of the population, look like this:

Table 7: Tapestry Segments, Top 5

Median Tapestry Segment % of Delta Median Age Household Neighborhood Type Median Home Households Income Value or Rent Single-family, older homes in Midlife Constants 23.1 47 $53,200 $154,100 suburban periphery

Single- and multi-family (45/45 Old and Newcomers 18.0 39.4 $44,900 $880 monthly split)

Comfortable Empty Single-family, suburban and small 14.1 48 $75,000 $203,400 Nesters town areas

Apartments, 5-19 units and 20+ Young and Restless 10.9 29.8 $40,500 $958 monthly units (44/27 split)

Single-family homes in older Rustbelt Traditions 9.3 39 $51,800 $123,400 neighborhoods

It is not surprising that Delta’s Tapestry Segments align with the housing options currently available: Midlife Constants, Rustbelt Traditions, and Old and Newcomers (about half of the segment) prefer single family detached residences similar to what typifies much of Delta Township’s neighborhoods. The Young and Restless and Old and Newcomers (about half) segments prefer larger residential complexes, and likely make up a large portion of the renters in apartment‑style developments.

Delta Township, Michigan 126 Plans, Areas, and Studies

In addition to the housing data in the table above, ESRI provides each Segment with a general description, below. The full general reports for each segment can be found in the Appendix chapter of this plan:

Midlife Constants: “Residents are seniors, at or approaching retirement, with below average labor force participation and above average net worth. Although located in predominantly metropolitan areas, they live outside the central cities, in smaller communities. Their lifestyle is more country than urban. They are generous, but not spendthrifts.”

Old and Newcomers: “This market features singles’ lifestyles, on a budget. The focus is more on convenience than consumerism, economy over acquisition. Old and Newcomers is composed of neighborhoods in transition, populated by renters who are just beginning their careers or retiring. Some are still in college; some are taking adult education classes. They support charity causes and are environmentally conscious. Age is not always obvious from their choices.”

Comfortable Empty Nesters: “Residents in this large, growing segment are older, with nearly half of all householders aged 55 or older; many still live in the suburbs where they grew up. Most are professionals working in government, health care, or manufacturing. These Baby Boomers are earning a comfortable living and benefiting from years of prudent investing and saving. Their net worth is well above average (Index 314). Many are enjoying the transition from child rearing to retirement. They value their health and financial well-being.”

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 127

Young and Restless: “Gen Y comes of age: Well-educated young workers, some of whom are still completing their education, are employed in professional/ technical occupations, as well as sales and office/administrative support roles. These residents are not established yet, but striving to get ahead and improve themselves. This market ranks in the top 5 for renters, movers, college enrollment, and labor force participation rate. Almost 1 in 5 residents move each year. More than half of all householders are under the age of 35, the majority living alone or in shared non-family dwellings. Median household income is still below the US Smartphones are a way of life, and they use the Internet extensively. Young and Restless consumers are diverse, favoring densely populated neighborhoods in large metropolitan areas; over 50% are located in the South (almost a fifth in Texas), with the rest chiefly in the West and Midwest.”

Rustbelt Traditions: “The backbone of older industrial cities in states surrounding the Great Lakes, Rustbelt Traditions residents are a mix of married- couple families and singles living in older developments of single-family homes. While varied, the work force is primarily white collar, with a higher concentration of skilled workers in manufacturing, retail trade, and health care. Rustbelt Traditions represents a large market of stable, hard-working consumers with modest incomes but an average net worth of nearly $400,000. Family oriented, they value time spent at home. Most have lived, worked, and played in the same area for years.”

Delta Township, Michigan 128 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Looking to the greater Housing Market, the Tapestry Segments change in meaningful ways:

Table 8: Tapestry Segments

Median Tapestry Segment % of Target Median Age Household Neighborhood Type Median Home Households Income Value or Rent

Single-family or duplexes in low- Traditional Living 17.7 35.5 $39,300 $83,200 density urban clusters

Single-family, older homes, 60% Hardscrabble Road 8.4 32.4 $28,200 $710 monthly renters

Comfortable Empty Single-family, suburban and small 7.6 48 $75,000 $203,400 Nesters town areas

Single-family homes in older Rustbelt Traditions 7.4 39 $51,800 $123,400 neighborhoods

Single-family, older homes in Midlife Constants 6.5 47 $53,200 $154,100 suburban periphery

Student apartments, large multi- College Towns 6.1 24.5 $32,200 $927 monthly unit apartments

Larger apartment complexes, Dorms to Diplomas 5.5 21.6 $16,800 converted homes to multi-unit $1,025 monthly dwellings

Green Acres 4.2 43.9 $76,800 Single-family homes $235,500

Larger, multi-unit buildings in a Set to Impress 4.0 33.9 $32,800 $787 monthly multiple structure setting

Single-family homes in older In Style 3.9 42.0 $73,000 neighborhoods, smaller $243,900 apartment buildings

Apartment rentals in smaller Young and Restless 3.6 29.8 $40,500 $958 monthly apartment buildings

Single-family homes, multi-tenant Old and Newcomers 3.4 39.4 $44,900 $880 monthly buildings

Multi-unit rentals and apartment Social Security Set 2.5 45.6 $17,900 $658 monthly buildings

Retirement Single-family homes, large multi- 2.1 53.9 $40,800 $1,013 monthly Communities unit buildings

Single-family homes in newer Soccer Moms 2.0 37.0 $90,500 $257,400 neighborhoods

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 129

While the Old and Newcomers and Young and Restless segments are swapped out for Hardscrabble Road and Traditional Living, the top five segments only account for 47.6% of the population in the housing market. The next ten categories account for another 37.3% of the population in the housing market, and in general are Tapestry Segments which focus on fresh-out-of-college employees (Dorms to Diplomas, College Towns), young professionals (Set to Impress, In Style), and young families (Soccer Moms, Young and Restless) or a more advanced age (Social Security Set, Retirement Communities). These are groups that are just as likely, and more likely for some Segments, to rent and live in multi-unit buildings as they are to live in single family homes. The full descriptions for the Tapestry Segments in the Housing Market can be found in the Appendix section of the plan.

As noted in the introduction, there is a “missing middle” for unique housing options in small single-family residential units, duplexes, and small multi-family structures, both within the Township and the larger Housing Market. The Tapestry Segment analysis shows approximately 31.3% of the Market’s population (Hardscrabble Roads, Dorms to Diplomas, Set to Impress, In Style, Young and Restless, Old and Newcomers, and Social Security Set) have tendencies to prefer these types of housing options. While location matters in the development of unique housing options (walkable urban locations with easy access to public transportation and resources/amenities are typically more successful), it may be advantageous to encourage these less common housing types as transitions to the more established single family development pattern that characterizes the Township today.

Delta Township, Michigan 130 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Retail Market Analysis

Based on the feedback from public engagement efforts, Goals and Objectives of past Comprehensive Plans, and anecdotal evidence about the need for certain retail and commercial needs in Delta Township, this study is intended to guide marketing and business procurement efforts to fill identified needs. By determining markets in which the Township has an opportunity to capitalize on, the Township can make more fact-based efforts to fill vacancies, encourage infill development and redevelopment, and bring more desirable and needed businesses to serve residents.

The information for this study comes from ESRI’s U.S. Retail Marketplace (2017) dataset, a resource used by companies large and small as they make real estate and investment decisions based on characteristics of consumers and their spending habits/trends. The data provides a direct comparison between retail sales and consumer spending by industry and measures the gap between supply and demand. This database includes retail sales by industry to households and retail potential or spending by households.

For the purposes of this study, the terms Leakage and Surplus are important to understand:

• Leakage in an area represents a condition where demand exceeds supply. In other words, retailers outside the market area are fulfilling the demand for retail products; therefore, demand is “leaking” out of the trade area.

• Surplus in an area represents a condition where supply exceeds the area’s demand. Retailers are attracting shoppers that reside outside the trade area. The “surplus” is in market supply.

In this analysis, surplus is not a bad situation for the community. Instead, surplus implies that within the study area, dollars are being pulled into the area from the outside. For example, in all of the trade areas the analysis shows a surplus in Furniture and Home Furnishing Stores. This means that additional dollars are being spent in the trade areas from outside, likely from residents of nearby communities like East Lansing, Holt, Dewitt, Charlotte, and others nearby. What this also indicates is that a new business in this industry would need to pull from a larger client base than exists within the trade areas.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 131

Leakage is where new businesses have opportunities to capitalize on local (within the trade area) dollars instead of competing to pull consumer dollars from a larger area. Having these industries identified can be an advantageous position from a marketing perspective, assuming the opportunities align with the types of commercial resources Township leadership wishes to encourage.

Trade Areas

For this study, three (3) trade areas were defined, using the Lansing Mall as the effective “center of commerce” for the Saginaw Highway corridor. The areas are defined as a 5-minute, 10-minute, and 15-minute drive from the Mall, as depicted on the map. The 50minute trade area is generally intended for a local, neighborhood-oriented scale – quick shopping and restaurants for residents in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Mall. The 10-minute trade area covers the majority of Delta Township and extends to Watertown, Windsor, and Delhi Townships, as well as the City of Lansing. The 15-minute trade area extends even farther into the more rural communities surrounding the metro area and more urbanized areas like Potterville, Dewitt, and portions of East Lansing and Michigan State University.

Delta Township, Michigan 132 Plans, Areas, and Studies

General Findings

In the 5-minute trade area, there are approximately 5,668 households and a total population of 11,896, with a per capita income of $33,205. Households (25,680 for the 10-minute and 70,943 for the 15-minute) and population (58,641 for the 10-minute and 169,756 for the 15-minute) both increase as the trade areas expand, but the per capita income is less ($29,808 for the 10-minute, $26,347 for the 15-minute). This aligns with the demographic analysis in this plan, which shows Delta Township typically has higher levels of income compared to nearby municipalities.

In the 5-minute trade area, there are several key opportunity industries of note. While automotive dealers, building material stores, gas stations, and direct selling establishments are industries where spending capture is identified, they are not generally supportive of the design direction and character that has historically been planned for Delta Township’s commercial corridors. Instead, other leakage industries like florists, specialty food services, and unique drinking places (breweries, wineries, etc.) are identified as capture opportunities. These types of businesses are more in line with the desired development direction for infill and redevelopment 5-Minute Trade Area efforts in the Township, and could be capitalized on from the local/ neighborhood perspective.

In the 10-minute trade area, there is identified opportunity in markets to serve the whole Township, including lawn and garden supply stores, health and personal care stores, jewelry/ luggage/leather goods, florists, and drinking places. These are markets that align with the vision and could be good options to retrofit existing empty storefronts along Saginaw Highway or for infill projects. Similar to the 5-minute trade area, there is also leakage identified for gas stations, direct selling establishments, and auto dealers. 10-Minute Trade Area

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 133

In the 15-minute trade area, there are similar opportunity markets as were identified in the 10-minute area. Home furnishings, lawn and garden supply stores, shoe stores, jewelry/luggage/leather goods, and drinking places are again opportunity markets, this time in a much larger identified market area. Other areas of opportunity include gas stations, motor vehicle dealers, and direct selling establishments are notable leakage industries.

For new businesses in the surplus industries, like restaurants/bars, grocery stores, and others, the businesses must be unique enough 15-Minute Trade Area to pull from a larger population. Chick-Fil-A is a good recently-opened example of this: while many fast casual dining options are available in the area, the name recognition and regional draw of the brand is such that consumers will travel an extended distance to visit the restaurant. Horrocks is another such example of a regional draw in a surplus industry.

Delta Township, Michigan 134 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Transportation Plan

Road and Highways

The street system within the Township can generally be divided into four classifications:

• Freeways: Freeways provide state-wide linkage to other communities with restricted access points. Examples of freeways in the Township include I-496, I-96 and I-69.

• Arterials: Arterial roads are built to carry high traffic volumes and provide connections to locations outside of the Township. Arterial road. Examples include Canal and Creyts Roads.

• Collectors: Collector Roads typically collect traffic from low volume streets and channel it to higher volume roads. Mall Drive West and Marketplace Boulevard are collector streets.

• Local Streets: Local streets are typified by subdivision streets which provide direct access to individual residential properties. Local streets may permit on-street parking and are designed for low volumes. Most of the streets within the Township fall within the local streets classification. Mar-Moor Drive and Richard Street are examples of local streets.

Table 9: 24-hour Average Daily Traffic Volumes—Major Freeways and Trunk Lines

Location Average Daily Traffic Average Daily Traffic (2011) (2017) I-69 N of Willow Hwy 51,100 59,025

I-69 S of St. Joe Hwy 57,300 67,125

I-496 at Snow Road 30,600 44,193

M-43 W Saginaw at Elmwood Rd. 22,000 28,050

M-43 W Saginaw between 18,300 22,416 Nixon & Broadbent

Lansing Road E of Creyts Road 6,600 7,657

The road network in Delta Township occupies approximately 2,400 acres of land, consisting of over 175 miles of roads. Delta Township does not have jurisdiction over any roads within its boundaries. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has jurisdiction over W Saginaw Highway, Lansing Road, and all freeways in the Township. The Eaton County Road Commission (ECRC) has jurisdiction over the remainder of the public roads in the Township, except in limited instances where jurisdiction is shared with Ingham County and the City of Lansing, such as portions of Waverly Road. ECRC has a satellite maintenance garage on Sanders Road that services Delta, Oneida, Benton, and Windsor Townships. Private roads do exist in the Township and are the responsibilities of individual neighborhood associations or landowners.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 135

Regional Transportation Projects In Delta Township, 2020 – 2023

The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) adopted a Regional 2040 Transportation Plan on July 29, 2015 aimed at identifying long-term transportation needs and maintenance projects. In support of the long-range vision of the 2040 Plan, TCRPC prepares regular updates to its short-range capital improvements program, the latest of which is the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for FY 2020-2023. The TIP is a cooperative planning effort to define projects that will be funded primarily through federal and state transportation dollars, although local matches are sometimes used.

The following table and map describe the TIP projects within or bordering Delta Township, including anticipated funding/ construction year, project descriptions, budget information, and location of construction. A representative of Delta Township is on the 2019 Board of Commissioners and serves as the local voice on road improvement projects that are considered for the TIP.

Table 10: TIP Projects in Delta Township, 2020-2023

Map Fiscal Responsible ID Year Category Project Limits Length Description Total Cost Agency Mill and Overlay and Total: $460,408 Creyts Rd to Road diet / bike lanes Federal: Non- Michigan Dibble St (bike 1.20 (Creyts to Theo); 24 2020 $368,326 ECRC Motorized Ave lanes) / Theo miles Convert to 3 lanes with State Match: (road) bike lanes (Creyts to $92,082 Dibble)

Total: $305,000 Delta Non- Old Lansing Lansing Rd to 2.50 95 2020 Add bike lanes Federal: Township/ Motorized Rd Waverly Rd miles $305,000 ECRC

Total: $30,000,000 I-96 to Lansing 4.53 Concrete Federal: 104 2020 Road I-496 MDOT Rd miles Reconstruction $27,000,000 State Match: $3,000,000

Total: $301,000 Crush and shape, Nixon Rd to 500' Federal: Road, Non- Mt. Hope 1.80 add turn lanes at 26/27 2021 east of I-96/69 $240,000 ECRC Motorized Hwy miles intersections, add bike overpass Local Match: lanes $61,000

Total: $510,000 Federal: Marketplace St. Joe Hwy to 1.06 23 2022 Road Mill and Overlay $408,000 ECRC Blvd M-43 miles State Match: $102,000

Total: $320,000 Federal: CanalRd to 1.00 25 2022 Road Millett Hwy Mill and Overlay $256,000 ECRC Creyts Rd miles State Match: $64,000

Total: $305,920 Reconstruct existing Federal: Jolly Rd to 1.00 roadway; Mill and 61 2022 Road Waverly Rd $239,000 Lansing Holmes Rd miles resurface Glenbrook to Local Match: Holmes $66,920

Delta Township, Michigan 136 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Map Fiscal Responsible ID Year Category Project Limits Length Description Total Cost Agency

Total: $264,000 St. Joe Hwy to Federal: 1.00 20 2023 Road Canal Rd 800' south of Mill and Overlay $211,200 ECRC miles M-43 State Match: $52,800

Total: $604,216 Crush and shape, Federal: Mt. Hope Hwy to 1.00 29 2023 Road Nixon Rd add turn lanes at $483,373 ECRC St. Joe Hwy miles intersections State Match: $120,843

Complete Streets

Delta Township has taken many efforts to transform its road network from a singularly automotive purpose to one that considers and encourages design inclusive of walking, cycling, and mass transit routes – also known as a “Complete Street.” Amenities of a complete street include Pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals), Bicycle accommodations (dedicated bike lanes/wide shoulders, bike parking, bike racks on busses), and Mass Transit accommodations (designated bus stops, bus benches and shelters).

In 2010, the Michigan Legislature adopted Public Acts 134 and 135 pertaining to Complete Streets. Act 134 expanded the definition of a street to include all legal users (bicyclists, for example) and expanded the elements that could be included in transportation planning efforts in a master plan. Act 135 mandated that the State Transportation Commission adopt a complete streets policy for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and charged the Commission with developing a model local Complete Streets policy to be considered by local units of government.

Delta Township has worked to incorporate Complete Streets principles in its planning and design efforts for many years, dating back to before the Township’s adoption of the 2005 Non-Motorized Transportation Plan. The Township’s 2013 Comprehensive Plan defined “Action Steps” intended for a long-range improvement to the Complete Streets network in the Township. As a result of these efforts, the Township subsequently prepared and adopted a Complete Streets Ordinance – a regulatory commitment to incorporating complete streets as a regular part of development projects. The Ordinance defines elements of complete streets, describes the intent of and justification for the regulations, and outlines how complete streets get implemented. Since its adoption in 2014, the Complete Streets Ordinance has been a part of regular development reviews and construction projects.

Mass Transit

EATON COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (EATRAN) In operation since 1980, EATRAN provides transportation service to county residents on an on-call, as needed basis. The service operates from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with no weekend service provided. Residents are required to arrange a pick-up and drop-off time and location with EATRAN 24 hours prior to the service. EATRAN also provides a commuter express service to downtown Lansing for Eaton County residents, Out-of-County medical trips (limited service) and a connector from the Charlotte Wal-Mart to the Lansing Mall. In 2004 EATRAN served 217,600 total passengers, 153,831 in 2011, and 143,063 in 2018.

EATRAN’s millage rate has remained at .25 mills since 1986 and the millage is renewed every five years. As of 2018 EATRAN’s funding sources were: Federal Funds = 18.5%, State Funds = 39% and Local Funds = 42.5% (11% fare boxes & 35.5% millage).

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Plans, Areas, and Studies 137

CAPITAL AREA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (CATA) CATA was formed in 1972 and serves communities in the Lansing Metropolitan area including Michigan State University. Although Delta Township is not a member of CATA, the service offers fixed route service which picks up riders at bus stops and follows a regular route with scheduled times. Route 3 connects the Lansing Mall and Meijer to downtown Lansing, and Route 12 provides service to Lansing Community College’s West Campus through the eastern part of the Township.

Capital Region International Airport is located less than one-mile northeast of Delta Township, in DeWitt Township. Owned and operated by the Airport Authority, the Airport has provided commercial and general aviation services to the Greater Lansing Area since its initial development in 1928 and first terminal in 1940.

In 2008 Capital City Airport was designated as a U.S. Port of Entry which permitted goods & passengers to clear customs through U.S. Customs. Importing and exporting can be done with local businesses, customs brokers, freight forwarders, and logistics coordinators without traveling to larger, often congested airport hubs in major cities. In 2011 the Capital City Airport, City of Lansing and DeWitt Township announced the establishment of Lansing Aerotropolis. The Aerotropolis is designed to encourage economic development within a mile of the Airport. The plan includes a 50-year 425 land, tax and services agreement between the City and DeWitt Township.

Several Delta Township hotels provide Park & Fly incentives providing special room rates and shuttle service to the Airport. Businesses and industries in Delta Township can take advantage of their proximity to the Airport and the anticipated growth identified in the Airport’s Master Plan. Based on the Airport’s Master Plan, an anticipated 527,300 passengers will use the airport annually by 2023, a potential increase in ridership of over 47%.

The Airport’s 2006 Master Plan refers to long-term improvements at the Airport including the construction of a new terminal building, control tower and runway improvements; it has identified four major goals:

• Retain & expand scheduled passenger flights

• Increase charter operations

• Increase corporate & general aviation activities

• Increase cargo activities

Planned Airport improvements, as recommended in the Airport’s Master Plan, could have impacts on residential areas in northeast Delta Township in the future. Consideration should be given to supporting off-airport height limits to protect navigable airspace and regulations to minimize the population within take-off and landing routes for resident safety.

RAIL TRANSPORTATION The Canadian National Railway Company and CSX Transportation Company operate railroads within Delta Township. The CSX line traverses slightly less than a mile in the far northwest corner of the

Township and doesn’t provide direct service to the Township. The CN line traverses more than 3 miles of area in the southeastern portion of the Township connecting our community with Port Huron to the east and Chicago to the west. The CN line provides rail service to several industrial properties within the Township. CN operates an Autoport rail shipping facility on a 95-acre site on Davis Highway in Windsor Township immediately south of the Lansing-Delta GM facility.

The closest passenger rail location to Delta Township is the AMTRAK terminal located in East Lansing on Harrison Rd. AMTRAK ‘s Blue Water Route, Port Huron to Chicago, provides daily departures. The average train travel time from East Lansing to Chicago is 3½ hours.

Delta Township, Michigan 138 Plans, Areas, and Studies

Non-Motorized Transportation Plan

In May of 2018, Delta Township adopted its Non-Motorized Transportation Plan, the defining document for the planned character of the Township’s pathway network, pedestrian safety features, and opportunities for exercise and mobility. The plan defines priority facilities (bike lanes, shared use paths, and shared roads) and future projects that will support the goal of provided effective non- motorized transportation amenities for Township residents. The Non-Motorized Transportation Plan includes strategies for the successful implementation of its goals and objectives.

The Comprehensive Plan incorporates the strategies of the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan into its Goals, Objectives, and Success Indicators. Delta Township Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Parks and Recreation Plan

The Comprehensive Plan recognizes the Delta Township Parks and Recreation Plan 2018-2022 as the guiding document for the development of recreational programming, facilities, and services for the Township. Recreation plays a large part in the quality of life for existing residents, creating opportunities for a healthier population by providing trails, pathways, active and passive parks, open spaces, and river access, and the Parks and Recreation Plan helps define a vision for the development and procurement of resources needed to provide the best amenities possible.

The Parks and Recreation Plan identifies gaps in local and regional recreational facilities and programming and offers solutions to fill those gaps within Delta Township. The ultimate goal is to provide the most well-rounded recreational experience possible, but Delta’s Plan also includes recommendations on places in the Township with cultural and historical significance, such as cemeteries, and on environmental awareness programs like recycling.

Delta Township’s Parks and Recreation Plan was written to meet the Michigan Delta Township Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) requirements for a recreation plan. Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2018–2022 Achieving this standard opens up opportunities for the community to apply for State funding assistance for acquisition of park lands or for development of existing facilities.

The five-year Parks and Recreation Plan aligns with and expounds upon the Goals, Objectives, and Successes in the Comprehensive Plan relating to recreational facilities and amenities in the Township.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use MAP X

Map 11: Major Road Projects Major Road Projects: Delta Charter Township Eaton County, Michigan

December 2, 2019 - DRAFT

Source: Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 140 Plans, Areas, and Studies

This page intentionally left blank.

2020 Comprehensive Plan for Land Use Eagle

W Port Lansing Rd MAP X

vd Watertown Township l Township Eaton Hwy B y

t

N i Rd G R rand C

i l ly ve r r A o v t

e e i v 13092 a

ap W C N Functional Road Del Map 12: Functional Road Classifications and Traffic Volumes ta Ri ver Dr S por ts man C

lu N River Hwy b Dr Classifications and

River Old Ri ver T rl Rid ge Dr Traffic Volumes

We E

l

b m Grand 59025 s Delta Charter Township R t w iv er e o r Rd o

Rd d Dr Willow Hwy R Tecu C mseh R o Eaton County, Michigan rey ck ive

t dale R s r B R d l oy

nton d Tr D A ve r

oods 96

W a

d October 12, 2019 - DRAFT i oint Dr P May

e Ston ey

n

O

c City of roft W Will ow St

R

Grand Ledge d

W Mall Dr Rd r i

A

n

o B

N Canal Rd

naw St 23468 2241643 E Saginaw Hwy 25779 27705 69 28050 26064 W Sa gi M ar Legend ke tpl

a eB ce

d Annual Average Daily Traffic (2017)

R Iv an S t

l vd

n

Broadbent Rd Upto Interstate Freeway Lansing W M ichi gan Ave Other Freeway Township

67125 Other Principal Arterial Minor Arterial d R w o n S Major Collector E St Joe Hwy W St Joe S t Minor Collector

51175 Local Road

Oneida ng Rd Lans i Water er W I 496 s R iv D r Township 44193 E I 496 re 6 36003 496 oo I 49 M E 96/ Municipal Boundaries WI

Nixon Rd 6753

E Mt Hope Hw y W Mount Hope A ve

8386 Waverly Rd 56660

Guinea Rd

Old Lansing Rd

N Royston Rd

Millett Hwy Millett Hwy W Holmes Rd 0 2,500 5,000 City of Feet 7657 Lansing

30954 rn e B enb u lvd Gl S y St Basemap Source: Michigan Center for Geographic Information, Version 17a. e a wa Dr il

l 9 we Data Source: SEMCOG 2017, Delta Charter Township 2019, McKenna 2019 I 6 l 69 N l I A S 36446 v 69 e

96 W I 96 E I 9 W J olly Rd Benton Davis Hwy 6 Davis Hwy Township Windsor Township May 24, 2020

To: Gary Bozek, Delta Township Planning Director

From: Mark Graham, Worldly Sage

Subject: Review of Pages 96-121, Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update 2020

I have reviewed pages 96-121 of the February 10, 2020 draft of the Delta Township Comprehensive Plan Update 2020 and I offer the following comments and questions:

Pg. 96: Canal Creek Residential. In my opinion, this neighborhood designation would be confusing to the public. There isn’t a Canal Creek, the eastern boundary of this neighborhood is Carrier Creek (aka the Moon & Hamilton County Drain). I’d suggest that the name of the neighborhood be changed to Carrier Creek. I recognize that there has been discussion at prior Planning Commission work sessions regarding the difficulty of identifying the various neighborhoods. Listing the most prominent subdivisions, based on the number of houses/lots in the neighborhood, might be preferable. As Commissioners have noted, past neighborhood designations in the Comprehensive Plan merely referred to numbers (which the draft text provides) rather than names.

Pg. 96: I’d recommend that consideration be given at the beginning of each neighborhood noting the school district the neighborhood is located in.

Pg. 96: The north boundary of the neighborhood is Willow Highway as depicted on the map and described in the text. However, the text refers to the Grand River and Grand Woods Park in the neighborhood which is incorrect in that they are a considerable distance away to the north and east.

Pg. 96: The text refers to Hunter’s Orchard Park in this neighborhood which isn’t correct.

Pg. 96: The last sentence on this page refers to the fact that the East-West Non-Motorized Pathway starts at Canal Road and goes east. I’d suggest that the text note that the Non-Motorized Transportation Plan recommends that the Pathway be extended to the west of I-96 to access neighborhoods in western Delta.

Pg. 97: Paragraph two refers to areas north of Willow Highway which aren’t located in the Canal Creek Neighborhood.

Pg. 97: Architectural Design. The text recommends design features for the front facades of multi-family dwellings. Shouldn’t the text acknowledge that such regulations already exist in the Zoning Ordinance?

Pg. 98: Delta Center Neighborhood. In my opinion, designating this neighborhood as Delta Center creates confusion and is inaccurate. Historically the intersection of Canal/St. Joe has been recognized as Delta Center and Delta Center Elementary School & Delta Center Cemetery aren’t located in this neighborhood.

Pg. 98: Development Standards. The text indicates that the minimum recommended building height is one story. I’ve never heard of designating minimum building heights.

Page 99: Façade Maintenance & Improvements, The word “existing” is misspelled.

Pg. 99: The current character section has a photo of a single family dwelling which, in my opinion, is misleading. There are approximately five single family dwellings in this neighborhood compared to hundreds of multi-family dwellings.

Pg. 99: The third sentence on this page notes there is only 8 acres of vacant land left in this neighborhood. However, the parking section on this page recommends that “where appropriate, buildings should front the street and provide parking to the rear”. Is this statement necessary if there is practically no vacant land left in this neighborhood?

Pg. 100: South Canal. Again, I have concerns with the name of this neighborhood. Canal is a north- south road so it would be more accurate to label this area as East Canal but this is somewhat misleading because there are two areas south of St. Joe which are west of Canal.

Pg. 100: South Canal. The neighborhood map should delete the West Saginaw portion of Mike Eyde’s commercial property which abuts M-43 east of the Carrier Creek from this neighborhood and instead place it in Neighborhood 15, Saginaw Highway Commercial.

Pg. 100: South Canal. General Characteristics. The reference to Trinity United Methodist Church should be changed to Riverview Church.

Pg. 101: Desired Characteristics. I’d recommend that the text refer to Mike Eyde’s vacant property abutting the Carrier Creek and note the Court Ordered Multi-Family Development on this property with a number of restrictions such as building heights. In addition, the text should recommend the preservation of the Carrier Creek floodplain on the Eyde property for the pathway paralleling the east side of the Creek which is recommended in the N-M Transportation Plan.

Pg. 101: Desired Characteristics. I’d recommend that the Plan note the possibility of affordable housing on the vacant 20 acres owned by Grand Ledge Schools to the east of Delta Center School which would also have excellent vehicular access to Michigan Ave. as well as the N-M pathway on the north side of Michigan Avenue.

Pg. 101: Desired Characteristics. Should the text in this Neighborhood recommend that special attention be given to the residential Mt. Hope frontage of this neighborhood to provide a proper transition to the planned industrial uses to the south?

Pg. 102: General Characteristics. There is no mention in the text of the hundreds of multi-family residential units which presently exist along Michigan Avenue in the Colt-Waverly Neighborhood.

Pg. 103: Desired Characteristics. Replace the word “considered” in the third sentence with the word “addressed”.

Pg. 103: Desired Characteristics. Since this area has many of the Township’s oldest subdivisions I’d suggest a statement that advocates preservation of the existing residential character which could include comprehensive code enforcement, traffic calming where necessary, and filling in sidewalk gaps.

Pg. 103: Desired Characteristics. Should the text make reference to the fact that a “road diet” is planned along Michigan Avenue west of Waverly which could decrease traffic speeds and make the area more inviting for bicycling to the east where bike lanes already exist on Michigan Avenue?

Pg. 104: Millett. Delete the City of Lansing area at the northwest corner of the Jolly/Waverly intersection on the map on this page.

Pg. 104: General Characteristics. The second sentence notes that the neighborhood is bordered by the City of Lansing to the east. However, it is also bordered by Lansing Township.

Pg. 104: Planned Character. Is a photo of the Millett Railroad Station in the early 1900’s appropriate for the heading “Planned Character”?

Pg. 104: Woldumar is misspelled.

Pg. 105: The reference to “Old Millett” should just read “Millett”.

Pg. 105: The reference to “Old Lansing” should read “Old Lansing Road”.

Pg. 105: Desired Characteristics. Should the text note that the N-M Transportation Plan recommends a bridge over the Grand River to provide non-motorized transportation access to the City of Lansing’s N-M network which would extend miles to the east?

Pg. 106: General Characteristics. The text states: “… and remaining vacant lots on either side of South Creyts Road which will allow for additional development.” In my opinion, the use of the term “lots” is misleading because Auto-Owners Insurance owns a vacant 80 acre parcel on the east side of Creyts and Mt. Hope Church owns a 30 acre vacant parcel on the west side of Creyts. I also think it is inaccurate to state that few institutional uses exist in the neighborhood when Mt. Hope Church/Gilead Building occupy a large area on the west side of Creyts and West Lansing Church of Christ is on the south side of St. Joe.

Pg. 108: West Saginaw Mixed Use. I’d suggest the title of “Marketplace Mixed Use” for this neighborhood since Marketplace Blvd. will be the dominant north-south road traversing this neighborhood in the future.

Pg. 109: Desired Characteristics. In my opinion, a reference to the N-M Transportation Plan’s recommendation for an east-west pathway over I-96 penetrating this neighborhood should be made in the text.

Pg. 109: Desired Characteristics. Should a reference be made to the planned redevelopment of the former Flowerland property at the NW corner of M-43/I-96 with phase one being a 179,000 sq. ft. retail development?

Pg. 109: Desired Characteristics. There is no mention in the text of the significant single family & multiple family developments which are planned on the vacant Eyde Properties on the west side of Marketplace Blvd south of Walmart.

Pg. 110: Waverly Commercial. General Characteristics. Paragraph two refers to Michigan Avenue Park which no longer exists.

Pg. 111: Waverly Commercial. Desired Characteristics. In my opinion, this section should acknowledge the planned Mixed Use Development on the 115 acre vacant parcel at the southeast corner of the Waverly/West Saginaw intersection in Lansing Township. At a minimum, the text should recommend a dialogue with Lansing Township representatives and the need to include residents in the easternmost portion of Delta Township in the planning process. Fortunately development of the property has yet to commence.

Pg. 112: Saginaw Highway Commercial. The title of this neighborhood should read “Central Saginaw Highway Commercial” so that it is consistent with the map on page 81.

Pg. 112: Saginaw Highway Commercial. Neighborhood Map. In my opinion, consideration should be given to deleting the northern portion of the former O’Rafferty High School property from this neighborhood and adding it to the Willow Woods Neighborhood (pg. 94) which I previously recommended in my “section 12” comments on pg. 1 of my May 10 th letter to you.

Pg. 112: Saginaw Highway Commercial. General Characteristics. The second sentence refers to the “Towne Center” Neighborhood in the Plan. When designated neighborhoods are referred to in the Plan by name, I’d recommend that the Neighborhood Number (in this case #16) also be provided.

Pg. 113: Paragraph 3 recommends a boulevard on West Saginaw east of I-96. Has MDOT provided input regarding the possibility of a West Saginaw boulevard east of I-96? In the past MDOT engineers have opined that additional right of way would be needed east of I-96 for a boulevard. Additional right of way generally exists on West Saginaw between I-96 and Broadbent which could accommodate a boulevard.

Pg. 113: Desired Characteristics. The Plan makes no reference to the frequent criticisms of the West Saginaw Commercial Corridor in the past which should be addressed which include: too many curb cuts, too many pole signs, bury the ugly overhead utility wires, too much front yard parking, provide cross- connections between parking lots, and provide incentives to redevelop commercial buildings which are aged beyond their useful life.

Pg. 114: Delta Towne Center. Paragraph one refers to Mall Court which is merely a parking lot aisle in the Village Green Apartment complex and is generally unknown to the public. The text should indicate that the south boundary of Sharp Park is the northern boundary of this neighborhood.

Pg. 114: Delta Towne Center. Neighborhood Map. The blue color of this map confuses me in that the commercial areas previously referenced in the Plan are always in red. Since the majority of this neighborhood is commercial should the Map be red?

Pg. 114: Development Standards. The text indicates that the maximum building height in the neighborhood should be 30 ft. This would be a huge disincentive to redevelopment of the Lansing Mall property with multi-family residential uses which would need the density provided by greater heights. The existing Elmwood Park Apartments across from the Mall are approximately double the 30 ft. limit.

Pg. 116: Mt. Hope Campus. General Characteristics. I’d recommend that this section note that sidewalks are generally lacking in this neighborhood at this time. The text should also note the need for pedestrian crossings of I-496 on Snow & Creyts Road to provide non-motorized access to the north. (?Possibly the reconstruction of the Creyts Road overpass which is underway will provide sidewalks/bike lanes over I-496?)

Pg. 118: Research & Industry. The map on this page should depict the 100 acre “triangle” properties on the north side of Davis Highway as Research & Industry.

Pg. 118: Research & Industry. Development Standards. The chart on this page recommends a maximum lot coverage in the industrial district of only 30%. Doesn’t the Zoning Ordinance permit a greater percentage of lot coverage?

Pg. 118: Research & Industry. General Characteristics. The first sentence indicates that this neighborhood is located in the south-central portion of the Township. Isn’t it actually the southeast portion of the Township?

Pg. 118: Research & Industry. General Characteristics. In my opinion, the text should note that the Erickson Power Plant occupies a large parcel adjacent to Canal Road. The text could also indicate that the coal-burning plant is to be de-commissioned by 2025 and replaced with a natural gas facility.

I appreciate you providing me with an opportunity to comment on pages 96-121 of the first draft of the Comprehensive Plan Update. I’m encouraged by all of the good comments and discussion at the Commission’s first three work sessions regarding the draft plan. Keep up the good work!