A similar effort undertaken by all three entities' Joint Planning Commission (guided by the consultant firm LIAA) during the first half of 2007, ultimately failed. By late 2008, the Joint Master Plan was entering its final phases of review, changes and heading towards formal adoption. A change in governmental officials following the November 2008 election brought skepticism of, and eventual withdrawal from the planning process.* Our coverage of the process started with our August 5, 2007 story, about finalizing a draft of the Master Plan.
Tonight, that process starts anew under a different name: the Lakes to Land Regional Initiative. At 6:30pm at Bear Lake School, Pleasanton Township residents are invited to participate in a "community vision session." A similar session will be held for Bear Lake Township residents on Thursday at 6:30pm, also at Bear Lake School. Bear Lake Village has not signed on to the Lakes to Land project, but could decide to in the coming weeks. Other communities throughout Manistee and Benzie counties (currently a total of 13) are also part of the project.
The project was initiated by the Alliance for Economic Success last year and is now being led by the consulting firm of Beckett & Raeder. The company describes its specialties as "landscape architecture, planning, engineering & environmental services."
John Iacoangeli will be leading the 2 to 2 1/2-hour sessions, and he says each one will gather citizens' opinions on community assets and barriers to progress. The sessions will also ask citizens to envision their community 10 to 15 years in the future, and to rank its priorities.
Large portions of the community went through an identical process in late 2006 and early 2007, during the early stages of the Joint Master Plan process. Iacoangeli says his firm has access to that data, but will start the process from the beginning. (Click orange arrow button to hear audio.)
Iacoangeli says that repeating the process does have value, especially in order to check current attitudes and priorities against those expressed in 2007.
While the Land to Lakes project does not have any binding effect on local governments, its case-by-case nature might cut down on friction during discussions. In contrast to the Joint Master Plan, Iacoangeli says Land to Lakes will prepare separate Master Plans for each community. After that work is done, he says communities might then investigate voluntary collaborations.
Also unlike 2007's Joint Planning Commission, the Land to Lakes project will not require any local money to be paid to consultants. Iacoangeli says that state and private grants will cover his firm's costs.
The entire process is projected to last until March 2013. More information is available at the Lakes to Land website: http://www.lakestoland.org or by calling Beckett & Raeder at (231) 933-8400.
*Our coverage of the most recent changes in Pleasanton Township, including the last week's resignation of Tony Merrill as Township Supervisor, and the appointment of Carol Merrill to complete the rest of his term, is coming soon (Eds.).
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Bear Lake Township residents, your "Lakes to Land" Community Vision Session is scheduled for tonight at 6:30pm at Bear Lake School. Organizers say others are welcome, too.
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