CHARLEVOIX COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 301 State Street Charlevoix, Michigan (231)

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1 CHARLEVOIX COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 301 State Street Charlevoix, Michigan (231) Approved Meeting Minutes December 4, 2014 I. Call to Order Chairman Jason called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Members absent: Others present: Dennis Jason, Bob Draves, Bob Tidmore, Larry Levengood Patrick Howard, and Ron Van Zee Michael Buttigieg (excused) Kiersten Stark (Planning Coordinator), Ron Reinhardt (County Commissioner Liaison), Beth Gohs (Boyne City Gazette), and Steve Voice (Voice Environmental Group, LLC) II. Approval of Agenda Kiersten asked that Commissioner Comments be moved to follow Planning Commission Comments on the agenda, per a previous request by Commissioner Reinhardt. MOTION by Larry Levengood, seconded by Bob Draves, to approve the tentative agenda as amended. Voice vote: all in favor. Motion passed. III. Bid Opening Future Land Use Plan Update Proposals were received from the following three (3) planning firms in response to the Request for Proposals to update the Future Land Use Plan: Networks Northwest, Land Information Access Association, and Beckett & Raeder, Inc. Kiersten opened the proposals in the order they were received and distributed copies to Commission members. Commission members and Staff will review the proposals in preparation for discussion at the next meeting. IV. Public Comments Unrelated to Agenda Items None 1

2 V. County Business Items Approval of Minutes of October 2, 2014 Meeting MOTION by Bob Draves, seconded by Larry Levengood, to approve the minutes of the October 2, 2014 meeting as presented. Voice vote: all in favor. Motion passed. Correspondence and Communications Kiersten reviewed the following correspondence and communications: from M.C. Planning and Design and a letter from Wade-Trim, both declining to submit a proposal to update the Future Land Use Plan Next Master Citizen Planner Webinar is on the topic of Complete Streets and will be held on Thurs. December 18 th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Jason, Levengood and Draves would like to attend; Kiersten will register them for the webinar and forward instructions from MSU Extension for accessing the webinar, which can be viewed from any computer with a high-speed Internet connection Article in Michigan Planner magazine (Nov/Dec issue) on the history of the Walloon Lake community written by Steve Schnell and Randy Frykberg County Board had planned to do Committee appointments at their Nov. 12 th meeting, but postponed it until January Planning Commission Comments Bob Tidmore Emerald Isle is in dry dock in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, receiving some maintenance and upgrades New station from Beaver Island, WVBI, is now broadcasting only on the Internet right now; they re working on having an FM tower placed along King s Highway next spring, so the station can broadcast on the radio; the effort is sponsored by the Beaver Island Community Center On his way over to the mainland, he noticed skim ice on Lake Michigan already Bob Draves South Arm Township has been quiet zoning permit applications are coming in slowly Jordan Valley Ambulance Authority is proceeding with getting established Larry Levengood Attended the Countywide Planners Forum on October 30 th at the Charlevoix Public Library he heard comments that it was a good program and there was interest in having a planners forum every year Attended MDNR State Parks Planning Session DNR is beginning the master planning process for Fisherman s Island State Park 2

3 Attended a meeting of the Lake Charlevoix Subcommittee on Septic Systems; the next Lake Charlevoix Watershed Plan Advisory Committee meeting will be held on December 11 th from 10 am 12 pm at the Charlevoix Public Library Attended a Housing Market Presentation for Charlevoix and Emmet Counties, hosted by Networks Northwest as part of the Regional Prosperity Initiative a housing target market analysis was presented to encourage developers to build the type of housing that s currently in demand, which is different than the type of housing that s been popular in the past Attended the Charlevoix Conservation District Annual Meeting Patrick Howard He s been observing how Emmet County is organizing their new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program, comparing it to how the Jordan Valley Ambulance Authority is getting established Chandler Township as well as Melrose Township north of the Bear River are currently served by Allied EMS, which will cease operations in the area after a certain date; Emmet County is not yet sure if their new EMS program will cover this geographic area, so the two townships are somewhat in limbo Melrose and Chandler Township Fire Department has been busy lately due to the heavy snowfall, responding to traffic accidents and making fire runs Ron Van Zee A lot of crops are still in the fields moisture level remains high Has observed that much of the sand discharged on private property along area lakes to improve beach areas is now washing out into the lakes Bay Township o Has received many zoning applications for lot splits, combinations and reconfigurations o Township will have several proposed text amendments to their zoning ordinance ready for County Planning Commission review soon Hayes Township o Beginning a review of their zoning ordinance to identify any changes necessary o Township was informed they will not be receiving a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the proposed boat launch at Camp Sea-Gull the Trust Fund s priorities right now are focused more on trails; there was $5 million available in grants and the Trust Fund received grant applications for proposed projects totaling $26 million; the Township will apply again next year for a grant for this project Dennis Jason Ironton Ferry made it through the wintery weather this fall and is now closed until Spring A Parks Millage Committee will be formed to make recommendations to the County Board of Commissioners for funding township, city and village recreation projects with a portion of the millage funds 3

4 County Commissioner Comments Commissioner Reinhardt said a number of people living along area lakes, including Deer Lake, are unhappy about the high water level flooding their crawlspaces. Regarding the Parks Millage, he confirmed that a new committee separate from the County Parks Committee will be formed to make recommendations to the County Board for funding local recreation projects with a portion of the millage funds collected. Further discussion took place regarding the Parks Millage. Staff Comments Kiersten reported on Planning Staff activities during October and November: Attended Parks Committee meetings on Oct. 20 th and Nov. 17 th to work with the Committee on the Recreation Plan Update Countywide Planners Forum held on Oct. 30 th at Charlevoix Public Library Kiersten gave a presentation on behalf of the Parks Committee on the County Parks and proposed improvements over next 5 years public input received for Recreation Plan Update Worked with Parks Committee to develop and release an online Community Survey on County Parks & Recreation facilities to obtain public input for Recreation Plan Update sent out notices to area newspapers (article in Nov. 25 th issue of Petoskey News-Review), ed local officials and Chambers of Commerce, and posted notice on bulletin board at County Building Attended the regional Planners Review & Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 7 th Networks Northwest Staff presented Draft Regional Prosperity Plan; Committee discussed possibly organizing a Regional Planners Forum that would meet regularly for an educational program and networking, which would be open to all local planning and zoning officials; the PRAC may be scaled back and eventually phased out Attended the Charlevoix & Emmet Counties Housing Market Presentation in Petoskey on Nov. 13 th Consultant presented the target market analysis for the region and by county part of the Regional Prosperity Initiative / info was used in Regional Prosperity Plan housing market reports available on Networks Northwest website Participated in a webinar on Nov. 18 th, organized for the Regional Solid Waste Advisory Committee members, on a software program for tracking the type and amount of recyclables collected Committee would like to assess recycling efforts on a regional level and encourage more communities in the region to consider offering recycling programs; Earlier this year, Governor Snyder launched a statewide recycling initiative, which includes tracking recycling efforts statewide ultimately the State may use the same software to track recycling statewide, so our region is a little ahead of the curve Our department continues to work with the County Coordinator to design a promotional brochure for the County one of the challenges has been legal concerns over using photos in the brochure (pre-authorization needed from anyone pictured in the photos) 4

5 VI. Townships, Cities, MDEQ & Corps of Engineers Items Charlevoix Township Master Plan Update Kiersten summarized the GIS/Planning Department Staff Review of the Charlevoix Township Master Plan Update. She compared the proposed future land uses in Charlevoix Township with planned uses along the shared border with Hayes, Marion and Norwood Townships and the City of Charlevoix. Kiersten said she did not foresee any potential conflicts with proposed land uses in Charlevoix Township and planned uses in Hayes Township along the shared border. Along the common border with Marion Township, beginning west of Barnard Road and extending over to US-31 South, the land in Charlevoix Township is planned for Mixed Residential Neighborhood, while the adjacent land in Marion Township is designated for Industrial and Commercial use. As long as adequate buffering is planned and required between potential residential uses in Charlevoix Township and industrial uses in Marion Township, I don t foresee any conflicts between planned future land uses along the shared border. Along the common border with Norwood Township, as long as adequate buffering is planned and required between potential residential uses in Charlevoix Township and mining in Norwood Township in the area between US-31 South and McGeach Creek, I don t foresee any land use conflicts. Comparing adjacent uses along the shared border between Charlevoix Township and the City of Charlevoix, land on the north side of the Township that s next to the Industrial Park, which is part of the City, is planned for single-family residential use. For long term planning purposes, the Township may want to consider designating the area around the Industrial Park with a category other than residential in order to provide a transitional buffer between industrial and residential uses. Comparing the future land use map in the Charlevoix Township Master Plan Update with that in the Charlevoix County Future Land Use Plan, Kiersten said she did not see any conflicts between the two plans. Kiersten added some general comments as follows: On page 9, in the table, there is some data missing in the third column, third row (# of households). Also, in the last column, bottom row, the data doesn t make sense (8 3?). There are a few instances where the name Cemex should be changed to St. Marys Cement (pages 33 and 40). On page 39, the Public/Quasi-Public Service Center future land use category is described as centers that should be thought of as landmarks and places that reflect Charlevoix s character. They re also described as social gathering places. Yet, the sewage treatment plant and cemeteries are specifically included in this category. The Township may want to make some minor revisions to this section. 5

6 Referring to page 47, third paragraph, specifically the areas identified as priorities by the Township Sewer Master Plan, Levengood noted that some of the area along US-31 South is now served by municipal sewer, which was done after the Township Master Plan was originally developed in This change should be reflected in the Plan Update. Also on page 47, second paragraph, second line, Jason said the word Norway should be corrected to read Norwood. Van Zee said it s currently recommended that the goals and objectives in a community master plan appear near the beginning of the document because they re the primary focus of the plan, as opposed to the descriptive and demographic data. He said the Township may want to consider moving the Goals & Objectives section to the beginning of the Plan. Levengood said the maps in the Plan were well done. Other Commission members agreed. MOTION by Larry Levengood, seconded by Ron Van Zee, to recommend approval of the proposed Charlevoix Township Master Plan Update, and to send our comments on the Plan to the Township for their consideration. Voice vote: all in favor. Motion passed. MDEQ Public Notice L.S. Edmonds Trust The Commission reviewed the MDEQ permit application submitted by the Lilia Sofia Edmonds Trust (File No P) in which the applicant proposes to discharge rock on the exposed bottomlands of Lake Charlevoix to make the beach usable and easier for walking on their property near Two Mile Point in Section 6 of Eveline Township. The Commission had no concerns with the proposed project, and decided to make no comment on this permit application. MDEQ Public Notice Karp The Commission reviewed the MDEQ permit application submitted by Gary Karp (File No P) for an after-the-fact permit to excavate material and then discharge fill within a wetland contiguous to Lake Charlevoix for the purpose of constructing portions of a driveway, parking area, garage and house. Proposed activities also include restoring a portion of the impacted wetlands. The subject property is on Flagg Road in Section 4 of South Arm Township. Commission members were displeased that authorization for the project was being sought afterthe-fact. Kiersten noted that the MDEQ and Corps of Engineers are working with the property owner to come to an agreement. The Commission decided to make no comment on this permit application. MDEQ Public Notice Taylor The Commission reviewed the MDEQ permit application submitted by Zackary and Lucy Taylor (File No P) in which the applicant proposes to 1) remove and relocate a portion of an existing private access road to the north side of a disturbed wetland utility corridor, 2) convert to forested wetland two (2) segments of the existing road to be relocated, 3) install conduit underground to replace the existing, deteriorating septic forcemains to eliminate the need for future repairs/disturbance of the wetland corridor, 4) bury in underground conduits the existing 6

7 utility lines that run overhead, and 5) restore the area between the new and old roads to forested wetland at Angler s Cove in Sections 32 and 33 of Hayes Township. Steve Voice from Voice Environmental Group, LLC, who is the Agent/Contractor for the applicant, described the project and answered questions from Commission members. After discussing the project, the Commission took the following action: MOTION by Larry Levengood, seconded by Bob Draves, to support the proposed project because it would significantly improve the existing environmental conditions at the site, as well as improve safety because the access road would be moved further from the house. Voice vote: all in favor. Motion passed. MDEQ Public Notice Berg Family Limited Partnership The Commission reviewed the MDEQ permit application submitted by the Berg Family Limited Partnership (File No P) to construct a permanent floating dock attached to an existing permanent dock for the purpose of docking personal watercraft on Lake Charlevoix at their property on Sanderson Road in Section 16 of Eveline Township. The Commission had no concerns with the proposed project, and decided to make no comment on the permit application. VII. Any Unfinished County Business Planner s Moments Video The Commission watched a video on Capital Improvement Programs in the Planner s Moments educational video series, and completed a short written assessment. Other Business Tidmore said he will not be able to attend Commission meetings in January through March, as he will be moving to California for the winter due to family health reasons. Tidmore said he s willing to step down from serving on the Commission if anyone thinks his absence will be too lengthy. Commission members had no concerns. VIII. Adjournment MOTION by Ron Van Zee, seconded by Bob Tidmore, to adjourn the meeting. Voice vote: all in favor. Motion passed. Chairman Jason adjourned the meeting at 9:12 p.m. Respectfully Submitted By, Robert L. Tidmore Secretary RLT/kjs 7