Wildwood Springs
- David C. Bos Homes: This unique residential development
is located off the corner of 108th Avenue and Taft Street in Spring
Lake Township, north of the City of Grand Haven. It presents one of
the many good examples of how well designed community and the natural
environment can co-exist. To preserve natural site characteristics,
the developer has placed 208 home sites in four distinctive “neighborhoods”
in and around over 43 acres of natural open space and wetlands. Most
home sites are designed to incorporate both 'public and private’ elements.
Design features such as front porches with their close proximity to
pedestrian paths as well as old town streetlights encourage neighbors
to meet and socialize (public). In addition, back decks and patios
facing preserve and pond areas allow residents to privately interact
with nature (private). While about half of the site is laid out in
less innovative subdivision format, including long meandering streets
and over-reliance on cul-de-sacs, it is the remainder of the site where
this project gains in Blueprint recognition. Here the developer has
planned much smaller lots which have been planned to promote a true
neighborhood look, feel and function.
United Growth of Kent County - MSU
West:
Originally created by a grant from the Frey
Foundation of Grand Rapids, this project was
encouraged to bring about a greater understanding
between both rural and urban interests in Kent County as they grapple
with very different but interrelated problems. Michigan State University,
with parallel divisions in both its Extension Service and Center for
Urban Affairs, became the managing entity in this broad-based project
including dozens of partnering organizations. Rural and urban working
committees were thus established and have accomplishment many important
milestones including: (1) bringing together a variety of interested
citizens to learn about regional growth issues, (2) establishing a
critical and ongoing dialogue with area-wide state and local legislators,
(3) creating a brochure featuring Myron Orfield’s work in Grand
Rapids, (4) developing a new grade school curriculum introducing land
use issues to 3rd through 5th graders, (5) providing “mini-grants” to
seed many worthwhile projects that help in smaller ways to reverse
patterns of urban disinvestment and sprawl, and (6) establishing a
well-rounded “sounding
board” to react to new state legislation proposed to handle
growth management issues. Since its inception 3 years ago, the Rural
and Urban Committees have been functioning under grant funding and
MSU administration. The group now appears to be readying itself for
a more independent future by organizing both sets of interest into
one sustaining organization which broadly advocates for positive land
use in Kent County and the region.
Kent County Model Stormwater
Ordinance:
In 1999, several municipalities in Kent County were considering
new stormwater ordinances to better manage the public waters flowing
through their jurisdictions. Townships, cities and villages were being
faced with increasing need to better handle stormwater and for greater
area wide consistency is this process. As a result, the model Stormwater
Ordinance was produced by a diverse working group called the Stormwater
Management Task Force. The task force evolved from policy recommendations
in a study entitled Stormwater Management Planning and Policy Recommendations
for Kent County, Michigan, jointly created by Grand Valley Metro Council’s
Metropolitan Water and Sewer Planning Agency, the Kent County Drain
Commissioner and the City of Grand Rapids. With Roger Laninga, Kent
County Drain Commissioner, as its first chairperson, the Stormwater
Management Task Force began working immediately on a set of stormwater
management guidelines and established the legal basis for the adoption
of such standards in a model code. After several years of study, the
Stormwater Management Task Force recommended unanimous approval of
a model Stormwater Management Ordinance to be considered by each municipality
in Kent County. Since adoption, Grand Valley Metro Council and five
local jurisdictions have adopted the model ordinance, most with only
minor changes. In addition to creating a consistent set of rules throughout
Kent County, the Model Ordinance proposes a uniquely regional approach
by recommending the adoption of A, B or C zones, each of which applies
special stormwater handling measures based upon landform, vegetation,
soils, land use and stream flow characteristics.
