New Designs For Growth: Citizen Planning Series

Who's Who in Planning
 Our local government officials are at the front lines of land use issues—working with the public, developers, neighboring communities, and many others to ensure that their communities’ interests are served. This is a delicate balancing act that requires strong relationships between the public and their representatives.
 
Click Here to download the Who's Who in Planning document of the Citizen Planning Series. 

Getting Involved
The planning process is designed to allow the public to take an active part in shaping the futures of their communities. Unfortunately, many citizens don’t get involved until late in the process, when there’s controversy over a proposal in their community. But the stage is usually set for these decisions long before this point, and it may be difficult to change the outcome by the time a proposal is presented.

Click Here to download the Getting Involved document of the Citizen Planning Series.

The Zoning Ordinance
Zoning helps define how properties are used, what new buildings look like, and how much development can occur in a community—all factors that have important and far-reaching impacts on the future of the community. A good understanding of how a zoning ordinance works, then, is critical for anyone that’s involved in local land use issues.
 
Click Here to download The Zoning Ordinance document of the Citizens Planning Series.
 

The Master Plan
Northwest Michigan is one of the fastest growing regions in the Midwest, and is contending with development pressures that are changing both its landscape and its lifestyle. New homes, sewer and water lines, widened roads, and new shopping centers are spreading out from our villages and cities and changing the face of the countryside.

Click Here to download The Master Plan document of the Citizen Planning Series.

 A Citizen's Guide to Planning and Zoning in Northwest Michigan

 A Citizen's Guide to Planning and Zoning in Northwest Michigan is a supplement to the New Designs for Growth Guidebook and is intended to provide basic information to citizens that haven't been closely involved in the planning process, but would like to play a role in shaping the future in their community. This is introductory information only.

Click here to download a copy of the Citizen's Guide to Planning and Zoning in Northwest Michigan document.