Road Commission Eyes Partnerships for Zimmerman Extension, More Road Projects

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) discussed multiple partnerships for local road projects at its most recent meeting, including proposals from developers to extend Zimmerman Road to Harris Road and to build a new road connecting Rennie School Road to Meadow Lane Drive. Meanwhile, the board supported a grant application for the next phase of the Three Mile Trail extension but rejected supporting a Safe Routes to School grant for a crossing at Wyatt Road in front of the YMCA West.

Developer Partnerships
Jeff Cockfield of Grand Traverse Engineering appeared before the GTCRC board Thursday to discuss plans for a new development on 20 vacant acres near Lone Tree in Garfield Township. The project could energize long-discussed but never-completed plans to extend Zimmerman Road to Harris Road.

Cockfield said he was seeking general feedback before progressing with plans, with Garfield Township also to be involved in approvals. GTCRC Chair Alan Leman said the Road Commission is “very interested” in extending Zimmerman, calling it one of the “most critical areas” that could be completed to improve connectivity and take pressure off the Zimmerman/North Long Lake intersection. “That’s really, really high on our list,” he said.

Road Commissioner Alisa Korn noted that an extension proposed years ago by another developer would have created a safer 90-degree intersection at Harris/Zimmerman, with that developer also offering to cover 25 percent of the road costs. She encouraged both GTCRC and Cockfield’s client to be open-minded in exploring the best route and design for extending Zimmerman to connect roads “in a safer manner.”

Cockfield said the development team would need to address several issues, including potential property easements, navigating around transmission electric lines, accommodating GTCRC snow removal/vehicle turnaround needs, and filling in valley areas closer to Harris for the new road. With the GTCRC board expressing conceptual support, Cockfield said he’d next meet with township and GTCRC staff to explore options for Zimmerman.

Board members also expressed conceptual support for GTCRC taking over a new road planned by the Oleson Foundation to connect Rennie School Road to Meadow Lane Drive. The foundation recently received approval from Garfield Township for a rezoning request that will allow it to develop approximately 171 acres at the corner of US-31 and Rennie School Road, with a mix of industrial, commercial, and multi-family residential uses planned. Garfield Township Manager Chris Barsheff appeared before GTCRC with Brad Oleson to advocate for the Road Commission to assume ownership of the new road. Oleson said the road is scheduled to be built by the end of this year to GTCRC standards.

Barsheff highlighted several benefits of the new connector, including providing a detour route for traffic when accidents occur on US-31. He also said Meadow Lane residents could exit safely at the Rennie School Road light instead of having to turn left against traffic on US-31 when they head north, as they do now. 

GTCRC members unanimously approved a motion to have staff work with the Oleson Foundation and Garfield Township to bring an agreement back for formal approval. “When developers help build roads, we really love it,” Korn said. “It's a no-brainer. The taxpayers don't spend a dollar, and we get a brand new asset in our road system that helps with connectivity.”

Grant Partnerships
Two community grant applications that required GTCRC support to move forward – because the applications needed an Act 51 partner involved – prompted extensive discussion.

TART Trails and East Bay Township asked GTCRC to serve as applicant for an estimated $1 million Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant for the next phase of the Three Mile Trail extension. GTCRC has been a partner in previous phases. While road commissioners were supportive of the extension, they expressed concern about GTCRC’s liability in continuing to be the legal applying entity. Though TART and township officials made it clear the township would be fully responsible for trail maintenance – with funds already set aside – road commissioners wanted language added to the resolution of support to ensure GTCRC was held harmless.

Because the TAP grant has a February 18 application deadline, road commissioners agreed to approve the resolution – which now goes to township trustees for approval – conditional on a written contract being approved by the involved entities indemnifying GTCRC for any liabilities.

Road commissioners considered a similar request from Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) to apply for a $300,000 Safe Routes to School grant to provide a safe crossing across Silver Lake Road near the Wyatt Road intersection in front of the YMCA West. Garfield Township recently approved plans from the YMCA for a major $12.5 million expansion of its campus, though numerous neighbors flagged concerns about pedestrian safety on Silver Lake Road and advocated for a crossing at Wyatt. Ginger Smith of TCAPS said the school district could not apply for the Safe Routes to School grant without GTCRC’s backing.

However, road commissioners expressed deep skepticism about the safety of the proposed plans, noting traffic counts are at nearly 13,000 cars on Silver Lake Road going at high speeds. Several said they’d rather see pedestrians walk down to the Copper Ridge traffic light to cross Silver Lake, though Smith noted people trying to go to the Y are unlikely to go that far down and come back. Though the new crossing would also allow students to get to West Middle School, Korn said as proposed the plans seemed “more like a safe route to the YMCA.” Road commissioners declined to support the application, saying they could consider it in a future grant cycle if a traffic or engineering study were completed to support a Wyatt crossing.