On Sunday, September 7, Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy will be speaking at the Lars Hockstad Auditorium (301 W 7^th St.) in Traverse City.

All are invited to this event and admission is free.  Mr. McKibben is a well-known author of a dozen books, including The End of Nature, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, and Deep Economy. A former staff writer for The New Yorker, he writes regularly for Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New York Review of Books, among other publications. 

This event is being coordinated by the Michigan Land Use Institute. Sponsors also include the Esperance Family Foundation, Cherry Republic, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, Food for Thought, Great Lakes Bioneers, Eco-Tix, Horizon Books, Higher Grounds Trading Company, and the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council.

Click Here to view the flier for the event.

October 7-28: The Grand Decision! During this three-week period, all area residents will be asked to participate in choosing a Preferred Regional Grand Vision--our Grand Vision decision! The scenarios will be presented and evaluated for their effectiveness at maintaining the community values revealed in the scientific survey.

Tuesday, October 7: State Theatre, Traverse City (Regional kickoff, Grand Traverse County)

Thursday, October 9: Kalkaska High School Auditorium (Kalkaska County)

Monday, October 13: Cadillac High School (Wexford County)

Monday, October 13: MSU Horticultural Research Station (Leelanau County)

Tuesday, October 14: Shanty Creek (Antrim County)

Tuesday, October 14: Benzie Central High School (Benzie County)

This Winter: The Grand Vision consultant team hosts one more workshop to refine and finalize the Preferred Regional Grand Vision. The team will also identify 10 main transportation-related projects from the public input for detailed engineering studies. The team will then hosts a public event to unveil the Final Regional Grand Vision. The team will then begin planning the 10 transportation projects.

Spring '09: The team releases its recommended strategies for implementing the Final Regional Grand Vision.

Late Summer '09: Team releases Final Recommended Land Use and Transportation Strategy Reports and Maps.

Fall '09: Residents who support The Grand Vision work with local officials to implement the final report's strategies.

The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) and Community Housing Choices (CHC) created the Housing Affordability Strategies and Resources information series to summarize proactive policies and programs to benefit communities in Northwest Michigan.

Communities across the region have struggled with shortages of housing that is affordable to low and moderate-income families. The short supply of affordable housing is a growing concern - not just for individuals and families - but also for local governments, school officials, businesses, and other community members who have become aware that this shortage is leading to problems with traffic, the economy, schools, and the overall quality of life. 

Initiatives in communities across the country are taking action to remove barriers to affordable housing and to implement new policies that will help create more balanced housing markets. NWMCOG and CHC worked to identify best practices from other communities and created a toolkit of strategies that local governments, businesses, citizens, developers, and other stakeholders and others could implement in this region. The series, available online at http://www.communityhousingchoices.org/housingtools.asp, includes information on:

• Zoning for Housing Affordability
• Inclusionary Incentive Zoning
• Accessory Dwelling Units
• Cottage Zoning
• Land Bank Authorities
• Housing Trust Funds
• Employer Assisted Housing

"Housing values have gone up much faster than incomes in this region, so it's hard for many working families to afford to live in the communities where they work. As transportation costs rise, it becomes even more important for us to make room for affordable housing in our cities and towns where the majority of our jobs are located," said Sarah Lucas, Regional Planner, NWMCOG. "The strategies included in the Housing Affordability series can help communities as they work to create safe, decent, affordable housing for all income levels."

Community Housing Choices is a New Designs for Growth program intended to further the housing policies of the New Designs for Growth Guidebook and is administered by NWMCOG. The goal of Community Housing Choices is to ensure sufficient housing choices for the region's workforce, using education, collaboration, and advocacy to promote the adoption of land use and economic tools that will contribute to livable, vibrant communities. Community Housing Choices is reaching out to governments, nonprofits, developers, businesses, and citizens to help initiate change in our communities.

The Housing Affordability Strategies and Resources are available in the Housing Tools category at the Community Housing Choices Web site: http://www.communityhousingchoices.org/housingtools.asp.

For more information, contact Sarah Lucas at (231) 929-5000 at the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments.

Leelanau County Parks and Recreation Plan final draft is now available for review and the public hearing.

The public hearing will take place on Wednesday, July 16th at 1:00 p.m. at the regular meeting of the Leelanau County Parks and Recreation Commission, to be held at the Leelanau County Government Center Board of Commissioners Room off of M-204 between Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau.

Click Here to view/print a copy of the plan.

For more information, please contact Patty O'Donnell, NWMCOG at (231) 929-5039 or via email at pattyodonnell@nwm.cog.mi.us.

Old Mission Peninsula is Michigan's newest heritage route. A celebration was held on May 17, 2008.

	Pete Hanses, Program Director, Michigan Heritage Route Program

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) held a special event to celebrate M-37's new status as a scenic heritage route. The 18-mile-long corridor, also known as the Old Mission Peninsula or Center Road, has received official designation from MDOT as a scenic heritage route, one of only five in Michigan. There is a total of 15 designated heritage routes (each designated scenic, historic, or recreational) statewide.

	Penni Rosi, Vice Chair of the Old Mission Peninsula Scenic Heritage Route Committee and Peninsula Township Board Member

"This new designation will help preserve and improve the scenic, agricultural, and rural qualities of this unique northwest Michigan corridor," said Pete Hanses, manager of MDOT's Heritage Route Program. "A concerned group of residents and township officials first met more than a decade ago to explore the possibility of this new designation. This public event was to celebrate their hard work and success," he said. 

	Rise Rasch, MDOT TSC Traverse City

With the creation of the M-37 Scenic Heritage Route Nominating Team, local and state officials were brought together to collect input, offer insights, and combine resources in order to develop a mission and eventually obtain designation as a heritage route. Representatives from MDOT and NWMCOG worked closely with local agencies and organizations to also develop a Heritage Route Management Plan that will be used to implement future corridor improvements.

	Dave Langhorst, MDOT Planner and Patty O'Donnell, Regional Planner, NWMCOG

"One of our goals is to encourage development that preserves scenic land for future generations," said Bern Kroupa, chairman of the Old Mission Peninsula Scenic Heritage Route Committee. "As in the past, we will continue to work closely with the community to monitor the route and do everything we can to preserve the qualities of our beautiful corridor."

	Employer-assisted housing emerged as an important topic at the Creating Housing Choices 2008 Regional Conference.

Community Housing Choices, a program of Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, is co-sponsoring an Employer Assisted Housing Event in conjunction with the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. The topic drew heavy interest at the Creating Housing Choices Regional Conference which was held in March in Traverse City.

Mark your calendars for:
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Employer-Assisted Housing Event

Location:
Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce
202 E Grandview Pkwy
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 947-5075

In a survey of employers in the Grand Traverse region, 50% considered affordable housing to be a major issue for their employees-which means that it is an issue for employers, too. High turnover is costly, and for some companies, the lack of affordable housing can affect their ability to recruit and retain employees. Productivity and attendance can suffer when much of the workforce has to make long commutes to work.

Employer assisted housing (EAH) can be a cost-effective way to recruit employees and improve employee retention, productivity, morale, attendance-and the bottom line. By encouraging employees to remain in the community and at their place of employment, companies that use EAH spend less money on recruiting and training new employees. When employees are able to purchase homes near their jobs, employers see higher productivity and fewer problems with absenteeism. With reduced commutes to work, employers, employees, and the community as a whole all benefit.

EAH has a proven track record throughout the country in improving the bottom line. On June 12, find out how EAH could work for your company. Trevor Winterrowd, from the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority (MSHDA) , will explain what EAH is, how it works, and what resources are available to help you create your own EAH program. There is no charge for this event. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Northwest Michigan Council of Governments at (231) 929-5000.

2008 Regional Conference

	Sarah Lucas

In work centers such as Traverse City and Petoskey, the disparity between income and housing prices is driving workers out of town to rural communities. "This is a regional issue," says Sarah Lucas, coordinator of Community Housing Choices, the host organization of the conference and program of Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. "The topic of affordable housing touches on our local economy, land-use, and transportation issues."

Lucas noted that in terms of the economy, a concern of businesses, including new businesses interested in relocating to our region, is whether there is affordable housing for their employees. In terms of land-use and transportation, Lucas added, "When there is a lack of affordable housing in town, that contributes to sprawl and more traffic on roads."

Not to be confused with government-subsidized housing for the indigent poor, affordable workforce housing is not a handout or an advocacy group for those in poverty. "We're just trying to provide a level of support for the area's workforce, and that can be teachers and firefighters," stated Matt McCauley, associate director of Regional Planning and Community Development for Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. "Even city employees may not make enough to live where they work," he said, noting a recent advertisement for a firefighter's position that paid $38,000 per year.

Matt McCauley

In keeping with the rule of thumb that no more than 30% of household income should allocated to housing, this firefighter, after a down payment, could only afford to finance a $95,000 mortgage balance-not an easy home to find in town.

	Dawn Stockmo

Presentations were made by consultants from The Grand Vision, the Traverse Area Association of Realtors, Community Research Services, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, City of Traverse City, Grand Traverse Continuum of Care, and Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. The luncheon keynote was by Dawn Stockmo, a housing policy and advocacy expert currently working with the Metropolitan Planning Council in Chicago, Chicago Fair Housing Alliance, and the Green Infrastructure Foundation.

Community Housing Choices and Northwest Michigan Council of Governments wish to acknowledge event co-sponsors: New Designs for Growth, Traverse City Housing Commission, Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce, Traverse Area Association of Realtors, and Homestretch.

For more information, please visit CommunityHousingChoices.org

A five-year recreation plan for the Village of Elberta is available for public review. 

Click Here for a copy of the plan.

A copy of the plan is also available for reviewing at the Village of Elberta offices. 

To request a hardcopy of the plan contact Sarah Merz at NWMCOG via phone at 231-929-5091 or via email at smerz@nwm.cog.mi.us.