"Better Development by Design" May 10, 2005, p. 2

Phil Musser, executive director of the Keweenaw Industrial Council, continued the presentation on Calumet with an overview of the Main Street program for economic development through historic preservation.

At the May 10 design workshop in MTU's Memorial Union Building Ballroom, Phil Musser, executive director of the Keweenaw Industrial Council, gives an overview of Main Street Calumet. (Photo by Michele Anderson)

"It's a very special program, and it happens that it's working very well," Musser said. "It's really serving to pull the whole community together."

There are four committees and many projects going on at the same time, he noted.

"One of the most impressive things about the Main Street Calumet program," Musser said, "is that the citizenry has really responded to it in a way that I haven't seen, really, before."

Noting that many citizens have volunteered for Main Street projects, Musser said it was almost a "magical" experience and he was proud to be part of it. Tom Tikkanen, Main Street Calumet director, "has made a lot of things happen that might not have otherwise," Musser added.**

Musser noted that Calumet, which had lost much of the life it used to have, is now regaining it very rapidly.

"I can only tell you that people were really ready for Main Street to happen, and it was just the right kind of a program at the right time," he said. "We have a core of people -- a core of citizen volunteers that are clearly committed to the process."

Musser said the next challenge is to get the rest of the citizens involved, through education, such as recent workshops given by visiting experts. The economic revitalization committee has also done a door-to-door survey of businesses.

"That's given us a sense of the kind of issues people are thinking about," Musser explained.

Janet Shea, Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning commissioner and Copper Harbor business owner, commented that the lighting from Calumet can be seen from Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, impacting the view of the night sky.

"It would be nice if they had downlighting," she said.

Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning Commissioners have small group discussion at the May 10 design workshop at MTU.

Nearly all members of the Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning Commission attended the May 10 design workshop at MTU. Pictured around the table, clockwise, from right, are Commissioners Rich Probst, Jon Soper, Kathy McEvers, Janet Shea, Keith Walters (far left, background) and Al Gunnari. Joining them are Mark Cinelli of Laurium and Keweenaw County Road Commissioner Joel Tuoriniemi. Behind Tuoriniemi is Joan Chadde, workshop facilitator. (Photo by Michele Anderson)

Nearly all members of the Keweenaw County Planning/Zoning Commission attended the May 10 workshop together. They are presently working with Mark Wyckoff of Planning and Zoning Center, Inc., of Lansing, on updating the 1975 Keweenaw County Zoning Ordinance. Shea said she noticed a difference in the issues discussed by the workshop presenters and those that now concern Keweenaw County.

"They were focusing more on downtown revitalization than on planning and zoning that we're working on in Keweenaw County," Shea said. "I'm very encouraged to see the enthusiasm of the people who are involved in preserving our communities."

As in Calumet, downtown development is a concern in Houghton. It has been part of the city's master plan for many years, according to Houghton City Manager Scott Mac Innes.

"I think I heard about comprehensive planning the first day I worked for the city," Mac Innes said.

Houghton City Manager Scott Mac Innes discusses community issues with Houghton residents at the May 10 design workshop.

During the small group discussion at the May 10 design workshop, Houghton City Manager Scott Mac Innes, third from left, discusses planning issues and tourism with a group of Houghton residents. Also visible in the photo, at the table, are Houghton Mayor Tom Merz, second from left; Beth Hoy of Houghton, fourth from left; June Hawthorne, League of Women Voters; and Bill Fink of Houghton. (Photo by Michele Anderson)

Improvement of water and sewer infrastructure was necessary at that time to catch up with the growth, Mac Innes explained. In 1978 the Copper Country Mall opened, an important event because it emptied several major downtown stores.

"It really was a devastating effect on the downtown, and immediately we went to work trying to rebuild the downtown," Mac Innes said. "I believe we were the second community in the State of Michigan to have a Downtown Development Authority."

Mac Innes said that adding the downtown parking deck downtown enabled the city to recruit a Mc Donald's for the downtown, and this led to other stores opening downtown. (The Mc Donald's has now moved to the M-26 mall area.)

He said other changes in the 70s included re-doing the sign ordinance and encouraging facade improvement for the downtown streetscape. In the early 80s, with grant opportunities and examples from other communities, the city began to improve the waterfront, adding public access.

"In the early 80s, too, the M-26 corridor kind of exploded up there," he said. "Pamida moved in; I'm not sure when your Wal-Mart moved in. We had a lot of activity that was happening up there. We spent a lot of time really concentrating on downtown and the waterfront (and) developing the residential districts."

Mac Innes said the city still has a plan for new housing construction within the City of Houghton.

"But M-26 kind of took off, and we really didn't spend a lot of time really analyzing what was happening up there," he added.

1975 view of M-26 from Hancock shows many trees and little commercial development. (Photo © 1975 Dave Wisti. Courtesy Joan Chadde.)

Mac Innes said the city was zoned in 1972, and the zoning ordinance did not have many significant changes. Areas for commercial districts and new construction had been identified.

"We wanted to be the regional shopping center for the area," he said. "That district pretty much took off on its own."

View of M-26 in 2002 shows considerable commercial development. (Photo by Joan Chadde)

This view of the M-26 corridor, taken in 2002, shows considerable commercial development, which is still ongoing and includes an expansion of the present Wal-Mart into a superstore, now under construction. (Photo © 2002 Joan Chadde. Reprinted with permission.)

Mac Innes said the city is now working on a visual enhancement plan for the M-26 corridor, which includes landscaping, what buildings should look like, signage and code enforcement in residential districts. The city is continuing to refine ordinances for landscaping and offers a revolving loan fund for facade improvement, with the help of a historic architect.

The Planning Commission is also working on a site plan review that will require developers to follow all the ordinances before construction starts.

Mac Innes explained that the expansion of Wal-Mart did require that the city decrease its size requirements for parking lots (based on the size of stores) since that parking ordinance was written before the big box stores were built. He noted the new Wal-Mart superstore plans some landscaping with trees, but admitted the city's ordinances do not yet have provision for requiring a specific location for parking.

Drawing showing recommended parking design with landscape protections.

This drawing from Design Guidelines to Enhance Community Appearance and Protect Natural Resources shows a recommended approach to parking design -- landscaped, away from street, behind business to allow for safe pedestrian entry and better appearance, vegetation buffers for winter wind and for wetland. (Image © 2005 Michigan Technological University. Reprinted with permission.*)

Mac Innes pointed out difficulties for retail businesses because of competition from Internet shopping and big box stores. While several stores are vacant downtown, the Smart Zone has helped and there is an increase in office space and people working downtown.

To a question on traffic problems on M-26, Mac Innes answered that the city is planning in the next two years to put a road behind businesses in the area of McDonald's, but a frontage road would be too close to the highway.

"Traffic has been a constant, ongoing problem here," he said. "The population has gone down, but the traffic has increased."

Mac Innes said people seem to be taking more shopping trips on the same day.

As for signs, Mac Innes noted Houghton has a no-billboard policy within the city, but outside the city limits, townships could address that issue.

Keweenaw Co-op sign in Hancock fits into landscape.

This Keweenaw Co-op sign in Hancock is an example of signage that fits into the landscape. (See p. 49 of Design Guidelines to Enhance Community Appearance and Protect Natural Resources. © 2005 MTU.)

Following the presentations, participants broke up into several community groups to discuss three focus questions:

1) What are your greatest concerns regarding your community's future?
2) How can we involve all segments of the community in the planning process to be sure we include the needs and desires of young and old?
3) What do we need to do to guide our community's economic growth, appearance, and enhancement of natural resource amenities?

During the small group discussion at the May 10 workshop, Hancock residents discuss community concerns. Pictured clockwise from left are Hancock residents Emily Fiala, Mary Hurt (not visible), Don Hurt, Phil Musser, Linda Puckett (WUPPDR planner), Linda Rulison, Frank Fiala (Keweenaw National Historical Park superintendent), Sydney Morris, Susan Burack, Carol Freeman and Allyson Jabusch. (Photo by Michele Anderson)

During the small group session, Susan Burack, former Hancock City Council member, noted Hancock residents discussed the need for vision and for planned development, especially in the north part of town. For the downtown they noted the need for parking, parking signs, safer crossing, economic vitality, efforts to slow down traffic and a more attractive appearance to lure shoppers.

Other concerns for Hancock included walkability; acknowledgement of the city's assets, i.e., Swedetown Gorge and Maasto Hiihto; noisy motors on trails; eyesores on Hancock Street (U.S. 41 south); lack of care for historical resources, such as historic stairways and the Lieblein House; speed limit enforcement; waterfront access; pedestrian access to bridge from the Ramada (see article); a more pedestrian-friendly waterfront trail like Houghton's for walking and biking.

"Hancock has a lot of assets that I don't think they realize or appreciate, like the waterfront," said Linda Rulison, who has taught land use planning in her seventh grade social studies classes at Hancock Middle School.

Rulison considers the Middle School as the center of the community because of the activities that happen there -- from sledding in winter to skateboarding in spring. In addition, it has been a location for Heikinpäivä events in January and for the start of the Parade of Nations in September.

Her students have done a project, asking how they can make it more user-friendly for the whole community as well as for them, Rulison noted. One idea is to create a patio with removable tables and chairs, near the school cafeteria, so students could eat lunch outside in good weather. Another possible project would be to reclaim the steep hillside on the east side of the school by planting flowers and other foliage that would hold the soil intact and to put in a walking path and benches.

Houghton resident and recent MTU graduate Elly Bunzendahl said one topic the Houghton group discussed was future planning to promote a more vibrant downtown.

"It was a great opportunity to share ideas with other community members and to talk with our city officials," Bunzendahl said.

Chris Edlin, also a Houghton resident and MTU graduate, said he appreciated the chance to sit down with Scott Mac Innes and hear what he's up against.

"I think this was a good way to get people together to see what the local issues are from different points of view -- local government, business and residents," Edlin said.

Both Bunzendahl and Edlin have masters degrees in environmental engineering from MTU.

Jim Boyce, former Houghton County commissioner, said he thought the workshop was excellent.

"A lot of good information," he said. "I'm glad to see so much going on."

Mary Sue Hyslop, Keweenaw Community Foundation executive director, said the next step is to attend the second "Better Development by Design" workshop on Tues., May 17 (See Editor's Note above).

Mary Sue Hyslop, Keweenaw Community Foundation executive director, encourages Hancock residents to attend the May 17 design workshop.

During the small group discussion at the May 10 workshop, Mary Sue Hyslop (standing), Keweenaw Community Foundation executive director, encourages Hancock residents to attend the second "Better Development by Design" workshop to be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, in the same Ballroom A of MTU's Memorial Union Building. Also pictured are, from left, Don Hurt, Phil Musser, Linda Puckett (WUPPDR planner), Linda Rulison and Frank Fiala (Keweenaw National Historical Park superintendent). (Photo by Michele Anderson)

"What's valuable about attending the May 17th meeting is that the focus is on land use planning and its role regarding economic impact," Hyslop said. "The Keweenaw Peninsula is at a point where the payoff will be huge from an economic development aspect if we plan how our community grows. The reason people live or visit here is not because we have chain stores, but because so far we have kept much of the natural resources intact. We have a very short window of opportunity to preserve and develop our community in ways that will keep us from becoming a community where it's a beautiful land with no public access overrun by big box businesses."

The Keweenaw Community Foundation is one of the sponsors of these design workshops.

"We are the only Upper Peninsula representative for the Michigan Land Use Funders (MLUF)," Hyslop said. "MLUF is a group of foundations and funders, on a state and federal level, who help Governor Granholm determine land use needs and priorities."

More than 18 local organizations and units of government are sponsoring these workshops, including the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country, Keweenaw Community Foundation, Keweenaw Industrial Council, Keweenaw National Historical Park, MTEC Smart Zone, Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Keweenaw Convention and Visitors' Bureau, Houghton-Keweenaw MSU Extension, Houghton County Planning Commission, Keweenaw Land Trust, Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, The Wege Foundation, Americana Foundation, Village of Calumet Downtown Development Association, Main Street Calumet, Lake Linden Downtown Development Association and the Village of Lake Linden.

For more information, contact Kristine Bradof (kbradof@mtu.edu), Joan Chadde (jchadde@mtu.edu) or Mary Sue Hyslop (kcfdirector@charterinternet.com).

*Note: The source of some material in the design booklet is the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook, prepared in Sept. 1992 (and updated since) for the Grand Traverse County Planning Commission under an agreement with the Planning and Zoning Center, Inc., of Lansing. Geared to the northern Great Lakes Region, now under development pressures because of its discovery by people from congested urban areas seeking open space and recreation opportunities, the guidebook states its purpose is "to share ideas of what can be done to assure that new growth fits in with the visual appearance and environmental protection of local communities."

**Editor's Note: Tom Tikkanen, Main Street Calumet director, was unable to attend the May 10 workshop, but spoke about Main Street Calumet on Catch the Keweenaw, broadcast on May 8 by K-BEAR 102.3 FM, WOLF 97.7 FM and WCCY 1400 AM. On the program Darlene Basto interviewed Tikkanen and also Richard Baker, Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce; Dick Taylor, Houghton County Historical Society; Joan Chadde, Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education; and Kristine Bradof, Gem Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

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