As developers build out properties, it’s a common requirement – in Garfield Township and elsewhere – for new sidewalks to be installed. But when properties change hands, or a longstanding sidewalk requirement is suddenly triggered by new development, it can cause consternation for those unfamiliar with the ordinance. That’s the case right now in two areas of Garfield Township, as Altitude Trampoline Park tries to clear a sidewalk hurdle to open and the township works to connect the Stone Ridge and Creekside neighborhoods to Buffalo Ridge Center.

In a since-deleted social media post in March, Altitude Trampoline Park blamed a township sidewalk requirement for holding up the company’s opening in the former Big Lots building at the Cherryland Center. Altitude said it was caught off guard by a stipulation that new sidewalk must be built along the property’s frontage on South Airport Road before the business could open. Altitude said it was “unreasonable” for the business to be held up by a sidewalk requirement that affects the entire corridor.

Altitude later removed the post and replaced it with a new one saying the business was “working closely and cooperatively with township officials to address all matters necessary to open our doors as soon as possible. We appreciate the community’s support and patience as we work through this process.” In Altitude’s last post on March 27, the business said the “countdown to jumping in is on” and the trampoline park “will open soon.” Altitude representatives did not return multiple requests for comment.

As previously covered by The Ticker, when township officials approved Altitude’s site plan last June several conditions were attached to the approval. Those conditions were discussed at the meeting, stated in the motion read out loud, and included in the meeting minutes. They included addressing the badly deteriorating parking lot, making landscaping improvements, and installing sidewalk along South Airport Road. Garfield Township has developed a mall plan for the Cherryland Center in conjunction with its three major owners to address issues like parking, signage, stormwater controls, and cross-access drives to ensure cohesiveness across the site as the property continues to be redeveloped.

Township Planning Director John Sych says that multiple other property owners had to build sidewalk at the Cherryland Center as new uses came online, including Burger King when it was remodeled, Wendy’s, Biggby Coffee, 7 Brew Coffee, and the outlot building containing Starbucks. “They’ve all done their part, and it’s written in the ordinance,” says Sych, noting the City of Traverse City has similar sidewalk requirements. Sych says the responsibility rests with the property owner, not the tenant – though the relationship between those two entities can sometimes be part of the challenge.

“In this case, the tenants have felt like it’s their responsibility when typically it would be the owner’s,” he says. (Representatives for Cherryland Center LLC, the owner of the Big Lots parcel, did not return a request for comment.)

The township is working with Altitude on a solution that would allow the sidewalk to be installed at a later date, likely this summer when the weather is improved. A letter of credit or some kind of financial guarantee could get the business opened now while still ensuring the sidewalk requirement is fulfilled, Sych says. “We’re definitely working with them,” he says. “We want to see them open up. We’re just trying to meet the ordinance.”

Garfield Township is similarly trying to work with residents in the Stone Ridge and Creekside neighborhoods off Silver Lake Road on completing a long-planned pedestrian connection to Buffalo Ridge Center. When a planned unit development (PUD) – a zoning plan tailored to a specific property – was approved for the area in 2000, the developer received a tradeoff. That’s typical with PUDs, which often “grant some extra abilities for that development beyond what’s allowed in the zoning ordinance” in exchange for some kind of “community benefit,” Sych explains. Parks, green space, and trails or sidewalks are examples of common benefits.

In this case, the developer received approval to build to a higher density than what would normally be allowed. A pedestrian route was then supposed to connect Stone Ridge and Creekside and extend on to Buffalo Ridge Center. “Stone Ridge put in their portion, but that part to Buffalo Ridge Center was never installed,” Sych says. “The Creekside portion was never done.” Ownership changes and many years have since ensued, but the sidewalk requirement remains in place as it “runs with the land,” Sych says.

Township Manager Chris Barsheff said at a recent board meeting that officials have been meeting with the Creekside neighborhood association to try and find a solution. Residents there are unhappy about potentially bearing the cost to install the sidewalk, Barsheff said. The township could pursue legal action to enforce the PUD but is trying to find a more collaborative approach, he said. That could include the township sharing some of the costs to install the sidewalk in exchange for a sewer easement and/or water main connection along the route, according to Barsheff.

Township Supervisor Joe McManus said the last stretch of sidewalk is a “missing link to a lot of trail connections,” adding the township has identified a route that is flat, accessible, and ADA friendly. While it’s “still a work in progress,” he said recent township-neighborhood meetings have “made a lot of headway.” Sych says the owners of Buffalo Ridge Center are agreeable to the new connection as well. Like Barsheff, Sych says legal action is a “last resort” and that the township would rather work with its residents whenever possible to find a positive outcome. “We’d rather put that energy into creating a solution,” he says.