East Lansing planners announced Wednesday their outline to shape growth on the city’s north side.
The area of the Northern Tier, which stretches from Saginaw Street to the city’s northern boundary, includes 1,700 acres of undeveloped land north of Lake Lansing Road. Some 1,200 acres of that area became part of the city under two land-share agreements with DeWitt Township, which increased the land mass of East Lansing by 20 percent.
“It’s been a very thorough process. In any event, I feel we came up with a plan that will serve the city well,” said Robert Owen, staff resource for the Planning Commission and the city’s planning and zoning administrator.
A document called the Northwest Tier Land Use Plan was written in 1984 for the development in the northern extremities of the city. It was updated in 1993 and again during the past year, resulting in the Planning Commission’s 23-page document.
Five goals are stated in the plan, including extending roads and widening sidewalks to accommodate new development and adding bike trails, parks and other open spaces for recreation.
Cooperating with neighboring communities on future development, making attractive and practical developments and encouraging a mix of residential and commercial development also are named as priorities.
To reach these goals, the Planning Commission created the Northern Zoning and Development Committee and charged it with watching over the Northern Tier.
Northern Tier resident Craig Partridge, who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting, said he supported the plan but still feels it’s missing some important issues.
“In general, I think it’s a very nice plan,” Partridge said, adding there is a lack of playgrounds and schools planned on the land north of Coleman Road. “We have to haul our kids to Whitehills (Elementary), which is a substantial distance away.”
Commissioner Liz Harrow said the East Lansing School District might not be able to handle the economic burden of building a new school. The district has been struggling with declining enrollment and shrinking revenue.
“The likelihood of building a school in the future is very unlikely,” Harrow said. “We need to work on keeping our schools filled.”
After Wednesday’s public hearing, the plan and comments will be sent back to the Northern Zoning and Development Committee before being implemented into a comprehensive plan for city development.
The Planning Commission probably won’t amend the city’s comprehensive plan all comments have been sorted out, East Lansing’s Owen said. Copies of the report have been sent to neighborhood associations and neighboring city governments.
“I think it will be important to keep our ears open for at least a couple of months to see what kind of information we can get,” Owen said.
Kristofer Karol can be reached at karolkri@msu.edu.
