Category Archive

Mayor Bzdok,

 The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce would like to commend you and the City Commission for its efforts to work with Garfield Township on identifying the Keystone Connector as an East-West corridor of significance.  We support the use of signs and promotion to identify this connection.

 The Chamber’s Transportation Committee discussed the Keystone connection as an alternative to US 31 earlier this year.  We are encouraged by the vision the City is taking to identify this as a way to move goods, services and traffic through our region. The Chamber is supportive of efforts to enhance the region’s transportation system.  We believe the addition of this corridor to our community follows the on-going Grand Vision Transportation discussions.

 We look forward to working with the Commission and stand ready to assist on what will need to be done to identify this route as an East-West connection in our community.

 Sincerely,

 Doug DeYoung, Director of Government Relations, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce

This Tuesday at its regular meeting the Traverse City Light and Power board will discuss a new net metering policy.  Net metering would encourage small renewable energy systems on homes and businesses in the city by crediting the customer for what they generate – a first step towards distributed energy generation in the city.

What is net metering?

With net metering, a home or business customer installs solar panels or small wind turbines and uses electricity from those systems to power the home or business.  To state the obvious, solar panels only produce energy when the sun is shining, and when it is shining, they produce more energy than the homeowner can use.  The same is true of wind turbines and the wind. 

Net metering allows the home or business owner to generate electricity for the grid, and the utility credits the customer for energy generated by the system.   TCLP would install a two-way meter at the home or business that reads energy coming into the building from the distribution grid, and energy going out to the grid from the customer’s renewable energy system.  The customer pays for the net of the amount of energy they use over the amount of energy they generate.  The policy even allows some carry-forward of excess kWh generated during a billing month, so long as the “credit” is used within a year.  With solar in particular, that seems like a likely scenario – especially in a house with solar panels but without central air.

 The TCLP policy allows up to 20 kW of capacity per project, or up to 80% of the customer’s energy requirements.  The program initially will allow up to 150 kW in the residential customer class, 320 kW in the commercial class, and 290 kW in the industrial class.   The city currently does not have zoning in place for small wind (i.e. generators on rooftops), but that topic is on the Planning Commission’s list for the future.  Solar works now under existing zoning.

Help paying for it 

To help with the cost of the systems, federal legislation offers tax credits for renewable energy systems installed at people’s homes.  A person who installs a wind or solar system can claim a 30% tax credit to help offset the initial investment.  The tax credit can be carried forward into subsequent years if 30% of the cost of the system exceeds the person’s total tax liability the year the system is installed.  

 Further help comes from the Michigan Property Tax Code.  “Alternative energy systems” (which include solar and small wind) certified as eligible by the Michigan Next Energy Authority Act are exempt from city personal property tax unless the city passes a resolution when presented with a request stating the systems will not be exempt.  (The same goes for the school board.)  Traverse City has not been presented with a request yet, but I certainly would support leaving the exemption in place. 

A nice addition to our image 

Imagine visitors driving into TC from the south and seeing solar panels on the roofs of homes and businesses.  They would know that we are generating a little bit of our own energy, and leading the way to a cleaner and more secure tomorrow.

 For more information:

The policy TCLP is considering – http://tclp.org/uploaded_files/PACKET_-_Regular_Meeting_07.27.10.PDF starting at p 17 of the pdf

 MI Public Service Commission info on net metering – http://www.michigan.gov/netmetering 

 Directory of solar and wind energy suppliers:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/CIS_EO_Inside_broch_solar_and_wind_67997_7.pdf

 Incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency: http://www.dsireusa.org/ (click on Michigan in the map) 

*Disclaimer – this post is information about a potential program in Traverse City; it is not legal or tax advice.

This week I got a letter from Munson Medical Center, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, Traverse Bay Area ISD, and Richmond Architects making their case for the future of Division St.   According to Ray Minervini at last Monday’s CC meeting, over 4,000 people work at Munson.  Over 350 people work at the Village, the largest adaptive reuse project in this country.  With permission, here’s the letter:

Last week, a Grand Traverse Commons ad hoc property owners group met to discuss proposed improvements to Division Street. Representatives from major parcel owners were in attendance. Members of this group have been participating in the Commons Master Plan revision for the past two years, so in addition to our familiarity with city planning issues, we are daily users and observers of Division Street and its many deficiencies.

Our group reviewed several urgent needs and desired outcomes for Division Street improvements:

• Better safety for all users, reducing accidents with slower vehicle speeds, safer turning opportunities, and priority accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists,

• Improved access to from, through, and across the corridor for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, including improved turning for the many users of the Commons,

• Higher quality ofthe corridor, with more consistent traffic flow and better driver behavior, achieved by reducing back-ups, cut through traffic, noise, and pollution,

• Recognize and improve the context and “place” of the street, a major entry point to the City, aware of the narrow right of way, close homes and prominent park and neighborhood character.

Given these desired outcomes, the “five roundabouts” concept recently developed with community input by URS Corporation and consultant Ian Lockwood is the leading Division Street design proposal among our Commons group. Even with key design details like 8-1/2 Street to be resolved, it appears to be the best option to adequately address each of the above outcomes that are so vitally important to the users of the Commons and the community at large.

Not only do we believe roundabouts to be the best proposed method for safely moving people through the City and among the neighborhoods, this concept should be the best value for local and State street dollars. It is the best way to work within existing curb faces, reducing project costs and right of way challenges.

Finally, our brief research shows that modern roundabouts are a proven, effective improvement for intersections across North America and Europe. They are not experimental. They safely accommodate large trucks, school buses, emergency vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, and make most streets better places to use.

We appreciate the proactive approach you and the City Commission have taken to make Division Street better. We encourage the COmmissioners and community at large to give the roundabouts concept careful consideration. We hope this discussion will be based upon facts, successful reference examples, fmancial feasibility and benefits to the overall community.

We have a moral responsibility to our clients, customers, patients, neighbors and families to support the City’s efforts to make Division Street safer and better. That is why we support implementing smart street improvements like roundabouts as soon as possible.

Respectfully,

The Minervini Group LLC

Munson Medical Center

Richmond + Associates Architects

Traverse Bay Area ISD

The city’s committed around $1 million to streets and sidewalks again this year.  Commissioner Gillman wants the current commission to pass a resolution that says it should be $15 million over the next 15 years.  http://record-eagle.com/local/x1270810410/-1M-for-expected-for-infrastructure.  One flaw – the city’s engineering analysis says it’s a $26 million dollar problem.  http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us/departments/engineering/pr2006/tcpr2006.pdf.  

My view – telling the neighborhoods we’re going to spend $15 million over 15 years on their $26 million problem doesn’t really help them.  For more info on the real parameters of the problem, see http://planfortc.com/2009/12/19/streets-sidewalks-2-news-on-waterfront-sheriff-last-update-of-2009/.

The kickoff to a very cool public art event is this Fri from 6 to 9 p.m. at ArtCenter on S. Elmwood at the Commons in TC. The ArtCenter is working to create a mural on the south wall of the Ace Hardware on Front St, as an “entrance feature” to downtown from the west. The public will paint 2,600 tiles to create the image, which will be selected this Fri. For more info, go to http://www.artcentertraversecity.com/Events/tabid/63/Default.aspx and click on “Community Mural Mosaic.” Thanks to ArtCenter board member and architect Dave Lawrence for the heads up.

Traverse City belongs to the people who live here.  The job of city government is to serve city residents.  If we make our city a better place to live, it will also be a better place to work, to run a business, and to visit.

Twenty years ago, city residents created a group called the Residential Retention Task Force.  This group went to the neighborhoods and asked four questions:

Why do you choose to live in the city? 

What is it about your neighborhood that attracts you?

What problems do you experience?

What is your “wish list” for the future?

From the residents’ answers came three consenus priorities:  calming traffic, improving downtown, and preserving recreational resources.   

A lot of progress has been made downtown, though ensuring its continued uniqueness in a world of malls and big box stores will require  vigilance and creativity. 

When it comes to the other two priorities – traffic and recreational resources – there has been some progress but not enough.   Addressing these two unfinished tasks will require ingenuity, money, and determination.  But addressing them will – by leaps and bounds – make our city more liveable. 

That is what we think the next few years should be about.