Clark Twp. Planners To Interview Three Land Use Plan Companies

Steve Honnila was elected to chair the Clark Township Planning Commission Tuesday, January 9. He succeeds Dave Dunning, who has been the chair for a year and will replace Mr. Honnila as the Planning Commission's liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Jeff Davis will remain vice chair and Selma Edsinga will be the secretary.

Commissioners were to interview three of the four applicants to revise the township's zoning ordinance and update the comprehensive plan for land use at a special meeting Tuesday, January 23. The contenders are Gourdie-Fraser of Traverse City, Landplan of Okemos, and Lapham and Associates of West Branch.

Commissioners set aside a fourth proposal from LSL Planning Team because, at more than $100,000, it exceeded the project's budget. Clark Township has at least $40,000 in grants to spend on revising the two documents, printing copies, and other related costs like extra meetings and publishing notices. The other three proposals fell within the budget. Gourdie-Fraser's estimate is between $23,370 and $35,520, with the high-end proposal including a number of optional features that the firm suggested Clark Township could complete with its own staff. Landplan's estimated cost is $22,150, Lapham's proposal is for $25,500.

Commissioners said they would take a week to review the proposals, following the interviews, and scheduled another special meeting the following Tuesday, January 30, to select the planner. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Clark Township Hall.

Following discussion, commissioners decided that it is appropriate to come to a meeting with a prewritten motion about a case, before the case has been heard by the commission, since it helps articulate the rationale for approval or denial. According to the zoning ordinance, commissioners are to cite the specific reasons they are approving or denying a special land use permit in a statement that contains conclusions, basis for the decision, and any conditions imposed with the permit.