Plans for New County Department Take Shape

A new community development department – which could focus on issues like grant writing, housing, economic development, local project support, strategic forecasting, and capital improvement and asset management plans – is taking shape in Grand Traverse County.

County commissioners Wednesday received a final report from consulting firm McKenna with recommendations for the new department. Grand Traverse County has been without a planning department or commission for several years, and that absence – combined with a perceived need for more regional coordination on major issues like housing, transportation, and infrastructure – prompted commissioners to evaluate launching a new department.  

Commissioners approved a budget at the end of 2025 that included two new full-time employees for the department once formed. Those employees would be in addition to Community Development Coordinator Maxwell Cameron, who has been working with McKenna and local stakeholders to determine the program’s structure and scope. Those stakeholders said in a June report that the county should fill a “coordination gap,” serving as a “convener, connector, and implementation partner – not as a top-down regulator or decision-maker over local land use.”

McKenna reiterated that approach Wednesday, saying the department should “coordinate, support, and enhance” community development work, not “duplicate services already provided by local municipalities.” Commissioners said they’d heard feedback from area township supervisors emphasizing that zoning decisions, for example, belong with the townships and not the county. Commissioners said some references to a new “planning department” likely contributed to confusion. “We’re looking at a bigger picture,” said Commissioner Rob Hentschel of the department’s focus, adding that the county respected township authority over zoning.

Still, the department could be a resource for local governments that lack planning or zoning expertise or need help navigating complex issues, according to McKenna. Many smaller townships have limited staff and resources to address such topics. An example of that was elsewhere on the commission’s agenda Wednesday, when commissioners reviewed a proposed 375-megawatt solar project partially located in Grant Township and agreed to meet with developers soon. The new county department could provide specialized expertise and planning support to communities when large-scale projects like that one come forward, said Jim McManus of McKenna.

The department could grow over time to fill various local gaps as they emerge, McManus said, as well as help with permit navigation and county GIS and mapping support. The county could also coordinate or collaborate on regional efforts to address key issues, like lobbying the state for a new tourism tax – which commissioners voted to support Wednesday – or addressing South Airport Road. The county is part of a committee of local stakeholders now studying the future of South Airport and its design, with commissoners Wednesday voting to help fund a $70,000 contract for a professional facilitator for that process.

The core functions of the new department initially are recommended to be: grant writing, housing, economic development, local project support, strategic forecasting, and capital improvement and asset management plans. McManus cited examples like implementing the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which was also on the commission’s agenda Wednesday. The county will likely see increasing funding allocations from that federal program in the coming years, which are designated for housing initiatives. Michigan’s government is also ramping up funding opportunities for housing.

“Housing is the biggest priority in the state of Michigan right now,” said McManus. “You need to have a team available that is going to be ready when those allocation dollars come out.”

The department could also help develop a long-term capital improvement plan (CIP) for Grand Traverse County, which would outline county repair projects over multiple years. An asset management plan would similarly track physical infrastructure and maintenance needs and be faciliated by the department.

McKenna recommends starting the department with four employees, including Cameron, the county Enterprise Permitting and Licensing System Administrator, a planner (new position), and a grant writer/long-term strategist (new position). Cameron said a “hybrid” funding approach could be used for the department that would include the county’s general fund, project-based grant funding, eligible administration costs (such as grant administration), and service fees.

McKenna shared an action plan with metrics and tasks to gauge the department’s performance, such as a applying for a minimum number of grants annually, completing a five-year CIP, creating a county utility and infrastructure master plan, assisting local municipalities on a defined number of development projects, holding biannual local training sessions, and setting defined targets for new housing units brought online.

Commissioners voted Wednesday to accept McKenna’s report and refer it to a commission ad hoc committee that’s working on several policy-related issues. That committee will bring back recommendations to the board on how to proceed with the new department. Commissioners thanked Cameron and McKenna for their work on the project, with Chair Scott Sieffert saying the report opens “the door for some good work for the county in the future.”