Shelters, Fluoridation, Eighth Restriping Approved

Traverse City commissioners voted last night to approve an amendment to the city's zoning code to permit emergency homeless shelters in 10 city districts and to continue the fluoridation of the city's water supply in a meeting that lasted nearly four hours and saw almost 50 residents comment on the proposals.

The proposal to permit emergency homeless shelters was recently approved by a 5-3 vote of the TC Planning Commission, which conducted a nearly four-month review of the city's zoning code. Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse had proposed use a city-owned warehouse on Wellington Street to open an emergency homeless shelter. While several residents spoke out against the ordinance amendment, citing specific concerns about Safe Harbor's proposal, Commissioner Jeanine Easterday noted the lack of language addressing shelters in the city's zoning code “is a gap in our ordinance (that) needs to be corrected," while Commissioner Barbara Budros added that Safe Harbor “is still going to have to go through the hoops” of the commission review process before receiving approval for its Wellington proposal, which she said was a separate issue. The commission ultimately voted 5-1 to pass the zoning amendment, with Mayor Michael Estes opposed.

Commissioners also voted 5-1 to authorize a purchase order for fluoride for the city's water supply, an annual expenditure that's generated fierce debate among health practitioners, city officials and residents over the ongoing practice of the water treatment. Nearly 20 members of the public spoke out in support of fluoridation, including representatives who traveled from Lansing from the Michigan Department of Community Health, the Michigan Dental Association and the Michigan Oral Health Coalition, with approximately half as many residents speaking out against fluoridation. While Commissioner Jim Carruthers supported opponents and voted against the proposal, saying having fluoride in one's water "should be a choice," the rest of the commission approved the measure.

Commissioners also unanimously agreed to move forward with a proposal to temporarily restripe Eighth Street to test a possible configuration of three automobile lanes and two bike lanes on the corridor between Lake and Woodmere Avenues. The proposal had been unanimously recommended by planning commissioners after more than 90 residents petitioned the city to test out a redesign ahead of a planned 2018 reconstruction of the road. The city will contract with Traverse City-based consultants URS Corporation to execute the project, with funds available in the traffic calming portion of the Capital Projects Fund of the city's 2014-15 budget.