About This Project

In 1989, the Traverse City State Hospital closed after operating for more than 100 years. In response to initial plans to demolish the buildings, public officials from the City of Traverse City and Charter Township of Garfield established a local initiative to develop a strategy and plans for the adaptive reuse of the 484 acre state hospital campus. For several years, the City and Township, working together under the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation (GTCRC), worked to sell portions of the state hospital campus to Grand Traverse County and several private investors. In addition, local officials initiated efforts to develop a formal master plan for the property.

In 2001, the Minervini Group, a local development group started working with local officials to redevelop several of the deteriorated hospital buildings for both commercial and residential uses. As a result of their work, along with the adaptive reuse of other buildings and the wide dispersion of property within the district, the GTCRC disbanded in 2005.

In an effort to establish another public oversight agency for the district, the City and Township agreed to establish the Grand Traverse Commons Joint Planning Commission, under the Joint Municipal Planning Act (P.A. 226 of 2003 M.C.L. 125.131). The first charge of the Joint Planning Commission is to develop a simple but descriptive master plan that preserves the tenants of the 1994 redevelopment plan and an innovative zoning ordinance to regulate the district's redevelopment.

With the task firmly established, the Joint Planning Commisison, working with public officials from the City of Traverse City and Garfield Charter Township, applied for and were awarded a $60,000 Partnerships for Change Sustainable Community service grant from the Land Information Access Association (LIAA) to develop a new joint master plan and zoning ordinance for the Grand Traverse Commons.

The Partnerships for Change Sustainable Communities Program was created by the LIAA, a non-profit community service organization in Traverse City, in cooperation with several statewide government and planning assistance organizations, including the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Planning and Michigan State University Extension. The program is designed to help cities, villages and adjacent townships work together to stimulate & support new multi-jurisdictional efforts to develop & adopt local land use policies that result in the preservation of valuable cultural & natural resources while encouraging urban redevelopment & discouraging inefficient, low-density development. Apparently, this is Michigan's first statewide program to support joint municipal planning and resource management.

The Partnerships for Change Sustainable Communities Program has awarded service grants to 13 different Michigan Communities over the last three years, helping over 35 townships and 25 cities and villages work together on cooperative planning projects that protect cultural and natural resources.

The master planning project is expected to take about 10-months.

Land Information Access Association

Partnerships for Change Sustainable Communities Program

Partnerships for Change Sustainable Communities Program Agreement Letter