City Of Northville: Council Accepts Master Plan Update

Press release from the City of Northville:

12/23/2021

Translate City Council recap of Dec. 20 meeting

Northville River Restoration Task Force City Council recap of Dec. 20 meeting

Northville River Restoration Task Force presented their findings and plans to help maintain the environment of the Middle Rouge River watershed and develop a Riverwalk/trail that links to other regional parks. Several members of the task force each moderated a segment of the presentation, effectively walking council and meeting participants through the slides that showed the activities they undertook in the past year, along with maps of the Riverwalk/trail and connections as a regional hub.

Task Force Chair Nancy Darga, a former City Council member, requested that City Manager Pat Sullivan provide an infrastructure plan and a master projects list the first of the year so her team can pursue funding for task force projects that Council prioritizes. View the presentation on the city website.

Public comment: Tim O’Brien, 423 Covington Ct., who is part of the Northville Downs Development team, said the team valued this revision of the Master Plan and that “it was highly informative to our efforts.”

Master Plan officially updated

Two years in the making, the Master Plan update of three subareas was unanimously accepted by council. City Planner Sally Elmiger reviewed the components of the process, which included educational sessions for the public on matters of development and nearly one year of public participation (two surveys, an open house, and public comment at meetings). Members of the Planning Commissioner, guided by Elmiger and PC Chair Donna Tinberg, worked on “guiding principles” for the Master Plan and began drafting the document in May and completed it in September. The document was circulated to area communities for comment and later a public hearing was held. The commissioners added a statement on environmental impact and finalized it.

Council members congratulated Elmiger for her diligence and expertise, and all PC members, particularly Chair Tinberg and Andrew Krenz, who served on both the PC and later, City Council. Council members reflected that it was a long but thoughtful process and they are pleased and proud of the outcome. Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Moroski-Browne asked that former Council Member Patrick Giesa’s name remain on the document, along with John Carter’s, who now holds that seat.

New business: Budget item relating to the architectural study for City Hall was pulled from the consent agenda to become item 9B on the agenda.

Council Member John Carter requested that the Sustainability Team be involved in the Fire Department renovations at City Hall. The other council members concurred. City Manager Pat Sullivan said those funds were not spent in 2021 and are being brought forward to 2022. He said he recently met with an architect to review the original plans and will get input from the Sustainability Team. Council approved the proposed amendment to the FY 2021/2022 budget.

Public comments:

Lenore Lewandowski, 119 Randolph, said she would like to see hybrid meetings of City Council and encouraged the mayor to keep advocating for that. In terms of walkability, she wants the pedestrian crosswalks painted with stripes so they are more visible to motorists.

Council communications:

Of note: This is the last Zoom meeting for City Council. Future meetings will be held in person as mandated by the state of Michigan. Meetings that may prompt large participation, such as Planning Commission meetings, will likely be held in a larger space than City Council chambers to allow for social distancing.

Mayor Brian Turnbull thanked the 27 boards and commissions for an extraordinary year, especially since meetings took place on Zoom. He thanked the River Restoration Task Force for their presentation and said it is blending well with the Master Plan update and will lead to thoughtful development.

Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Moroski-Browne shared a holiday greeting and encouraged everyone to stay safe.

Council Member Marilyn Price thanked the staff of City Hall – Fire, Police and DPW – and all the departments for their hard work this year. She said she would have liked to thank the staff in person at a gathering in December but it didn’t seem prudent (due to the virus).

Council Member John Carter said hearing the report by the River Restoration Task Force gives him a sense of excitement and will be good – integrating with the Master Plan – for the future of the city.

Council Member Andrew Krenz said he attended his first meeting as a liaison to the Northville Youth Network and noted that they did a great job assisting kids in Northville following the events at Oxford High School. He thanked citizen volunteers and noted there is a remarkable amount of engagement. He said a Farmers’ Market Task Force report will be given to City Council in the next month or two.

All council members and City Manager Pat Sullivan wished the community a happy holiday and Merry Christmas.

View the meeting video here.

Task Force Chair Nancy Darga, a former City Council member, requested that City Manager Pat Sullivan provide an infrastructure plan and a master projects list the first of the year so her team can pursue funding for task force projects that Council prioritizes. View the presentation on the city website.

Public comment: Tim O’Brien, 423 Covington Ct., who is part of the Northville Downs Development team, said the team valued this revision of the Master Plan and that “it was highly informative to our efforts.”

Master Plan officially updated

Two years in the making, the Master Plan update of three subareas was unanimously accepted by council. City Planner Sally Elmiger reviewed the components of the process, which included educational sessions for the public on matters of development and nearly one year of public participation (two surveys, an open house, and public comment at meetings). Members of the Planning Commissioner, guided by Elmiger and PC Chair Donna Tinberg, worked on “guiding principles” for the Master Plan and began drafting the document in May and completed it in September. The document was circulated to area communities for comment and later a public hearing was held. The commissioners added a statement on environmental impact and finalized it.

Council members congratulated Elmiger for her diligence and expertise, and all PC members, particularly Chair Tinberg and Andrew Krenz, who served on both the PC and later, City Council. Council members reflected that it was a long but thoughtful process and they are pleased and proud of the outcome. Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Moroski-Browne asked that former Council Member Patrick Giesa’s name remain on the document, along with John Carter’s, who now holds that seat.

New business: Budget item relating to the architectural study for City Hall was pulled from the consent agenda to become item 9B on the agenda.

Council Member John Carter requested that the Sustainability Team be involved in the Fire Department renovations at City Hall. The other council members concurred. City Manager Pat Sullivan said those funds were not spent in 2021 and are being brought forward to 2022. He said he recently met with an architect to review the original plans and will get input from the Sustainability Team. Council approved the proposed amendment to the FY 2021/2022 budget.

Public comments:

Lenore Lewandowski, 119 Randolph, said she would like to see hybrid meetings of City Council and encouraged the mayor to keep advocating for that. In terms of walkability, she wants the pedestrian crosswalks painted with stripes so they are more visible to motorists.

Council communications:

Of note: This is the last Zoom meeting for City Council. Future meetings will be held in person as mandated by the state of Michigan. Meetings that may prompt large participation, such as Planning Commission meetings, will likely be held in a larger space than City Council chambers to allow for social distancing.

Mayor Brian Turnbull thanked the 27 boards and commissions for an extraordinary year, especially since meetings took place on Zoom. He thanked the River Restoration Task Force for their presentation and said it is blending well with the Master Plan update and will lead to thoughtful development.

Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Moroski-Browne shared a holiday greeting and encouraged everyone to stay safe.

Council Member Marilyn Price thanked the staff of City Hall – Fire, Police and DPW – and all the departments for their hard work this year. She said she would have liked to thank the staff in person at a gathering in December but it didn’t seem prudent (due to the virus).

Council Member John Carter said hearing the report by the River Restoration Task Force gives him a sense of excitement and will be good – integrating with the Master Plan – for the future of the city.

Council Member Andrew Krenz said he attended his first meeting as a liaison to the Northville Youth Network and noted that they did a great job assisting kids in Northville following the events at Oxford High School. He thanked citizen volunteers and noted there is a remarkable amount of engagement. He said a Farmers’ Market Task Force report will be given to City Council in the next month or two.

All council members and City Manager Pat Sullivan wished the community a happy holiday and Merry Christmas.

View the meeting video here.

This press release was produced by the City of Northville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.