The Village of Honor and Arcadia Township have become the first two Lakes to Land communities to officially release their master plan DRAFTS to the public for your review. Please click the cover below to be taken to that community’s … Continue reading
…to the Arcadia Township Planning Commission for becoming the first Lakes to Land community to confidently send your Lakes to Land Community Master Plan to your Township Board for their authorization to release the plan to the public. We are … Continue reading
Remember a few weeks ago, after the priority sharing meeting, when I just couldn’t stop raving about the terrific food organized by leadership team member Sharron May? Well, there is a really great reason for that. Ms. May and her … Continue reading
A question: As we try to paint the fullest picture possible of economic activity in our communities, how do we best capture the spending power of our retirees? The issue is particularly relevant in the Lakes to Land region, where … Continue reading
Nonprofits working in or with rural Michigan have a chance to secure $800 for the betterment of their communities. The focus areas are agriculture, broadband access/adoption; economic development, education, health, housing, renewable energy/energy conservation, rural philanthropy, and transportation; the deadline … Continue reading
When it comes to food systems, our culture has undergone some paradigm-shifting insights about everything from the products used to grow our sustenance to the distance it travels to get to us. Conversations are happening at every level, all over … Continue reading
The Lakes to Land Priority Sharing Meeting held on June 27 at the Pleasant Valley Community Center in Arcadia was, in a word, fantastic. The whole idea of finally getting together to share our communities’ values with each other was … Continue reading
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has released information about its Placemaking Micro-Grants Program, “intended to improve all of the spaces that comprise the gathering places within a community – its streets, sidewalks, parks, buildings, and other public spaces – so … Continue reading
The diligence of the Lakes to Land communities which have been working on master plans since last summer is paying off, and draft plans are nearing completion. One item that planning commissions in Arcadia Township, Bear Lake Township, Blaine Township, … Continue reading
In early March, the Joyfield Township Planning Commission held a public meeting to ask the farming community two questions: First, what do farms need from planning and zoning to insure their viability? And second, what will make that tool / … Continue reading
There is an astonishing amount of data involved in producing a master plan. And TEN master plans? Spreadsheet city! We’ve been mining the US Census, ESRI business reports, MDOT traffic counts, and any other data trove we can get our … Continue reading
We ran across an article in our research recently that intrigued us with its connection between two issues deeply familiar to the Lakes to Land community: broadband access and agriculture. Thinking ahead to how the Earth is going to feed … Continue reading
Blaine Township Planning Commission’s work on its master plan has revealed strong support for a broad and challenging goal with applications throughout the region: simultaneously ensuring the viability of its farms while maintaining the scenic, rural character of the township. … Continue reading
As we’ve been over here tappity-tap-tapping on our keyboards to get regional sections finalized and continue work on individual communities’ master plans, we’ve made a really fun discovery: UpNorth Memories by Don Harrison. Hoping to find a few photos to … Continue reading
It’s been awhile since you heard from us! Since the visioning sessions drew to a close, a quiet has descended over the planning population in the Lakes to Land region – but it’s not inaction, it’s just that you’re out … Continue reading
We headed south for the last of the Lakes to Land visioning sessions, wrapping up alongside the river at Manistee Township Hall where 59 citizens came out to talk about their community’s future. Their top priority was the health of … Continue reading
After just about exactly four months of traveling all over the Lakes to Land region to speak with every community member who’d agree to join us, the Visioning portion of the initiative has come to a close. Over the next … Continue reading
The late-summer round of visioning in the Lakes to Land smolders on, this time heading south to Manistee Township. This chance to have your say in the Manistee Township master plan hasn’t come around in over a decade – the … Continue reading
Calling all professional, amateur, hobbyist, and just-get-lucky-sometimes photographers in the Lakes to Land region: Help! While of course all the visioning, summarizing, and discussing we’ve done this summer is going to translate into a fascinating read, every great story needs … Continue reading
At last, the moment everyone in Bear Lake and Pleasanton has been waiting for: We have a date for your Vision Session! If you live in one of those communities, the postcard below should be arriving at your home in … Continue reading