LMich
06-21-2007, 09:08 AM
It appears that my city is finally using its municipal utility to leverage itself with a neighboring charter township, something very rare in Michigan, these days. It seems the our mayor wants to do what I've been wanting the city to do sometime with Lansing Township, a charter township split into 5, non-contiguous chunks around Lansing's border, for some time now, and that's one of those 425 Agreements (tax and responsibility-sharing agreements) that will finally make this sprawl work, at least in part, for the central city. It's pretty much the only legally workable device the Michigan Constitution for forced municipal coporation.
The truth is, that how Lansing Township currently exists, it area would actually benefit from its being dissolved into the two neighboring cities, IMO. And, I find the township comment calling Lansing a 'bully' really ironic seeing as suburbs have pretty much gotten their way almost all of the time for the past 50 years.
I've heard of cities historically doing this, but was wondering if you all had some specific examples of your city using its public municipality to either control sprawl, or annex it?
Link (http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070621/NEWS03/706210337)
Sewers at center of rift
Lansing Twp. critical of Lansing's stance on work near Eastwood
Jeremy W. Steele
Lansing State Journal
LANSING TWP. - A dispute over expanding sewer lines to allow more development near Eastwood Towne Center is turning into a stink about local governments failing to work together.
The township hoped to already have tapped into Lansing's sewer system as part of a $7 million project to extend Sam's Way from Wood Street to Chamberlain Drive. The township has relied on the city's sewer system for nearly 50 years.
But Lansing officials have yet to approve the plan, saying the city's segment of its sewers serving that part of the township is over capacity by 5 million gallons a day.
That's stalled the Lansing Township project, which could have been used as a bypass around this summer's reconstruction of Lake Lansing Road.
Township officials believe the problem has more to do with who controls development near the Eastwood retail center than with whether the sewers have capacity.
"We've had the city at the table for 18 months, and the engineers continually said capacity is not an issue," said Steven Hayward, the township's director of planning and development.
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero stands behind the technical data his team cited in a June 13 letter to township officials. The letter asks for more information about how quickly that area of the township could be developed.
The township's master plan calls for housing, retail and medical offices in the Eastwood area. No specific projects are on the table.
But, Bernero said, any development that happens near Eastwood needs to go through a broader planning process that includes township, Lansing and East Lansing officials.
Bernero said the area is a good candidate for a tax-sharing plan that would split responsibility for services - and collecting taxes - between the city and township.
"The notion that that stretch of land should just be Lansing Township's to determine what to do with it is antiquated," he said.
What happens in that area also effects surrounding neighborhoods in the city, as well as other area commerce centers, Bernero said.
Hayward said township officials have been looking out for neighbors' interests, too.
The township spearheaded an effort to reduce Lake Lansing Road to three lanes into the city, adding bike lanes, he said.
"Our long-term goal has been to embrace Northtown," Hayward said, referring to the adjacent Lansing neighborhood.
Blocking the street project, is not a way to encourage regional cooperation, Hayward said. The rift threatens partnerships to improve the Michigan Avenue corridor and to redevelop the abandoned General Motors Corp. campus that straddles the city and township, he said.
"People don't normally like to partner with a bully," Hayward said.
He said the township may turn to East Lansing for sewer service instead. That city provides water and sewer service to Eastwood Towne Center.
East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh said his city might be able to handle the capacity. But he'd first want talks between the two cities and the township. Singh agreed more regional planning needs to happen.
East Lansing and township officials are working together to deal with traffic problems on Lake Lansing Road - a side effect of the Eastwood retail development, he said. But the partnership is happening years after Eastwood was built.
"I hope we try to deal with some of the issues upfront versus a few years down the road," Singh said. "We should be much more proactive about those issues."
Contact Jeremy W. Steele at 377-1015 or jwsteele@lsj.com.
The truth is, that how Lansing Township currently exists, it area would actually benefit from its being dissolved into the two neighboring cities, IMO. And, I find the township comment calling Lansing a 'bully' really ironic seeing as suburbs have pretty much gotten their way almost all of the time for the past 50 years.
I've heard of cities historically doing this, but was wondering if you all had some specific examples of your city using its public municipality to either control sprawl, or annex it?
Link (http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070621/NEWS03/706210337)
Sewers at center of rift
Lansing Twp. critical of Lansing's stance on work near Eastwood
Jeremy W. Steele
Lansing State Journal
LANSING TWP. - A dispute over expanding sewer lines to allow more development near Eastwood Towne Center is turning into a stink about local governments failing to work together.
The township hoped to already have tapped into Lansing's sewer system as part of a $7 million project to extend Sam's Way from Wood Street to Chamberlain Drive. The township has relied on the city's sewer system for nearly 50 years.
But Lansing officials have yet to approve the plan, saying the city's segment of its sewers serving that part of the township is over capacity by 5 million gallons a day.
That's stalled the Lansing Township project, which could have been used as a bypass around this summer's reconstruction of Lake Lansing Road.
Township officials believe the problem has more to do with who controls development near the Eastwood retail center than with whether the sewers have capacity.
"We've had the city at the table for 18 months, and the engineers continually said capacity is not an issue," said Steven Hayward, the township's director of planning and development.
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero stands behind the technical data his team cited in a June 13 letter to township officials. The letter asks for more information about how quickly that area of the township could be developed.
The township's master plan calls for housing, retail and medical offices in the Eastwood area. No specific projects are on the table.
But, Bernero said, any development that happens near Eastwood needs to go through a broader planning process that includes township, Lansing and East Lansing officials.
Bernero said the area is a good candidate for a tax-sharing plan that would split responsibility for services - and collecting taxes - between the city and township.
"The notion that that stretch of land should just be Lansing Township's to determine what to do with it is antiquated," he said.
What happens in that area also effects surrounding neighborhoods in the city, as well as other area commerce centers, Bernero said.
Hayward said township officials have been looking out for neighbors' interests, too.
The township spearheaded an effort to reduce Lake Lansing Road to three lanes into the city, adding bike lanes, he said.
"Our long-term goal has been to embrace Northtown," Hayward said, referring to the adjacent Lansing neighborhood.
Blocking the street project, is not a way to encourage regional cooperation, Hayward said. The rift threatens partnerships to improve the Michigan Avenue corridor and to redevelop the abandoned General Motors Corp. campus that straddles the city and township, he said.
"People don't normally like to partner with a bully," Hayward said.
He said the township may turn to East Lansing for sewer service instead. That city provides water and sewer service to Eastwood Towne Center.
East Lansing Mayor Sam Singh said his city might be able to handle the capacity. But he'd first want talks between the two cities and the township. Singh agreed more regional planning needs to happen.
East Lansing and township officials are working together to deal with traffic problems on Lake Lansing Road - a side effect of the Eastwood retail development, he said. But the partnership is happening years after Eastwood was built.
"I hope we try to deal with some of the issues upfront versus a few years down the road," Singh said. "We should be much more proactive about those issues."
Contact Jeremy W. Steele at 377-1015 or jwsteele@lsj.com.
