East Bay Township planning commissioners will hold their second site plan review Tuesday of $8.5 million in planned improvements at the Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park.

While planning commissioners have no control over the pedestrian bridge over US-31 – the removal of which has been the most contentious aspect of the new park design to date – they signed off in February on site preparation and tree removal work and this week will consider the remainder of planned improvements. Staff flagged several areas of concern for discussion Tuesday, including a lack of tree replacement in some areas of the park and potential issues with pedestrian safety and connectivity.

As previously reported in The Ticker, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is undertaking a major redesign of the TC State Park in 2025 and 2026 that will include removing the pedestrian bridge over US-31 and creating a new park entrance with a traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalks, tearing down the lodge and building new park headquarters, and improving the park’s sanitation pump-out capacity, internal traffic circulation, and customer service areas. The project is being funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. The campground is set to shut down after the National Cherry Festival this year and remain closed through the 2026 season.

Some work has already taken place this spring, including extensive tree removal on the property. The DNR discovered belatedly that it had to go through East Bay site plan review before proceeding with improvements, prompting the state to first seek permission in February to start the tree removal work so that could begin immediately and then to return for a second review this week of the remaining site plan.

While staff indicated most improvements satisfy township criteria, two areas of concern were raised: trees and pedestrian connections. The DNR is planning to relocate the park’s headquarters to a 29-acre parcel south of Mitchell Creek between the creek and the TART Trail. Recent township zoning changes will allow the DNR to build a new bridge over Mitchell Creek, connecting the two parcels now bisected by the creek. The crossing will essentially relocate park operations from the front entrance to the back area, DNR representatives previously told The Ticker. The new Mitchell Creek bridge could offer future opportunities to develop more amenities on the back parcel, such as new hiking trails and campsites – though those improvements are not part of the 2025-26 project.

The bridge will be dual purpose, meaning it will accommodate both pedestrians and vehicles. In an email exchange with Robert Verschaeve of engineering firm Gosling Czubak – representing the DNR project – Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner questioned why the planned bridge doesn’t have a separated pedestrian lane, especially given potential public future uses to the south. Verschaeve said one was considered and even bid as a design alternate, but “due to budget constraints, it was decided that the dedicated lane would not be included in the project. Traffic on the bridge will be primarily staff, be light, and be low speed. It will still be safe for pedestrians that may use the bridge.” Karner flagged that in a memo to planning commissioners as a discussion point Tuesday, saying that it “seems like a missed opportunity.”

Other pedestrian issues were raised, including a lack of a pedestrian route for campers walking and entering/leaving the campground from the west. Also, while there is a sidewalk leading to the contact station (where ice and firewood will be located), there is only a single marked crosswalk for pedestrians crossing multiple lanes – which Karner said should be relocated to “minimize pedestrian exposure to traffic.” In general, there are “minimal pedestrian crosswalks” provided, Karner said, adding that while most internal streets are multimodal, “the entrance area presents obstacles for pedestrians to navigate.” Verschaeve responded that “controlling access points to the park is a major consideration the DNR has extensively reviewed, and the current plans reflect the desired design.”

Karner also flagged concerns about tree replacement. She noted, for instance, that the DNR doesn’t plan to replant any trees within the 50-foot buffer of Mitchell Creek. Fifteen trees were removed within that setback for bridge work. In the area of the new headquarters, the DNR plans to remove 3.66 acres of trees. While an exact figure of number of trees removed is not included in the plan, USDA estimates put that at approximately 550 trees removed, Karner wrote. The DNR only plans to replant five trees in that area, plus a native seed mixture. “This is very few trees/shrubs compared to the size of the building and proposed parking area,” she wrote to Verschaeve. She also asked if the DNR could add a buffer along the TART Trail right-of-way, noting that “trees were removed all the way to the edge of the trail.”

Verschaeve pointed out that the purpose of the headquarters building – which is primarily for staff, not the public – is “space for equipment and materials necessary for operation of the campground.” Tree islands would “inhibit the primary function of the space,” he wrote. The DNR also plans to install solar panels on one of the maintenance bay buildings in that section, he said, adding that “it is not desirable to plant trees that could shade the solar access.” Verschaeve said that the DNR “is planning to plant additional trees in the future as they use the site and understand where it may be most beneficial” and noted that “significant acreage of retained woodlands” still surround the area.

The State Park project is a use permitted by right. However, under the site plan review process, there are “specific standards related to tree protection, related to landscaping, related to environmentally sensitive areas – and requirements for internal circulation within a site to take into consideration safe connections for pedestrians,” Karner tells The Ticker. Accordingly, “those are all items that the planning commission will have the opportunity to discuss” and could potentially attach conditions to that the DNR must meet as part of township approval, she says. However, because of the “unique nature of the Traverse City State Park,” the board could also choose to waive some requirements Tuesday if they feel convinced by the DNR’s reasoning related to the park plans.