How residents can help Onekama Twp. create a vision for the future - Manistee News Advocate

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ONEKAMA TWP. — The Onekama Township Planning Commission is collecting data to help with an update to the township's master plan.

A master plan is required by the Michigan Planning Enabling Act and is periodically reviewed to project land use planning.

"The plan itself is a 10-year plan, but it does have to be reviewed every five years to see if any changes are necessary," said David Wallace, vice chair of the planning commission. "Normally, a township would just pass a motion to say the master plan has been reviewed and no changes are necessary at this time, but they could make changes to it if they chose."

Wallace said the update was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"It got pushed off a year just to allow us a little more time to be able to meet properly," he said.

A master plan provides a set of consistent standards, forming a framework to guide government staff in their decision making. While not a legally binding document, the plan is intended to provide an outline for the community’s vision of its future.

"In the simplest terms, it's a land-use plan," Wallace said. "How do we envision the township in its growth progression? Are we looking for high density housing? Are we looking for single-family homes? Are we looking for great commercial development? Are we looking for industrial zones? Do we want to try to protect farmlands? It's a vision going forward which we hope we can make a clear path to."

Additionally, Wallace said, the document could help the township acquire grants in the future.

"The master plan can be instrumental for townships making grant requests for infrastructure improvements and the like," he said. "Usually the granters are looking to see if what's being requested was part of the overall plan of the township."

The master plan for Onekama Township will not include Onekama Village.

Onekama Township's master plan falls under the responsibility of the township planning commission.

"The planning commission created a subcommittee to go through the process of collecting the data and assembling it into draft form, and we're in that process now," Wallace said. "... We really need the demographic data to make informed, strategic goals."

One tool the subcommittee implemented was an online survey to gather data from township residents.

"We think that will reach the widest audience and will reach people who may be seasonal residents of Onekama Township, since we are quite heavily into the summer residents and recreation," Wallace said.

Onekama residents who would like to participate in the survey are asked to visit surveymonkey.com/r/Onekama_Twp.

"We're just trying to encourage people to take a few minutes and answer those questions for us," Wallace said.

The planning commission has surveyed the public over the past five years regarding water quality and watershed issues, master plan successes and shortcomings and recreation needs and desires for the township. Those surveys were used to update the Portage Lake Watershed Forever five-year plan and the Onekama Township Parks and Recreation plan. The surveys taken in the past five years will be used to assist the planning commission develop and update the master plan.

Wallace said the planning commission hopes to have a draft of the plan ready in the spring.

"We will compile that information, develop some strategic goals going forward and we'll have a draft master plan I would say by probably — looking at my crystal ball — let's say April," Wallace said. "That would be brought to the full planning commission for its review, edits and suggestions. Once the planning commission has a document that they feel good about, they'll recommend its approval by the township board. Then our task is done."

Wallace said the data collected has proven to be valuable thus far.

"It's interesting to see the makeup of the community and try to look at the trends of population," he said.