Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The Keweenaw County Planning Commission is in the process of creating a new Master Plan. Once completed the document must be adopted by the Board of Commissioners in order to become effective.

EAGLE RIVER –he Keweenaw County Planning Commission is in the process of preparing a new Master Plan and is inviting county residents to become involved in upcoming public participation events, including the completion of a 30-question community survey.

Among the planned events are a series of open houses intended to provide the opportunity to meet and interact with Planning Commission members and project consultant, Patrick Coleman, and to help identify issues and concerns to be addressed in the Master Plan.

The Open House Events will provide the opportunity to meet and interact with Planning Commission members and the project consultant, and help identify issues and concerns to be

addressed in the Master Plan. The schedule for these events is as follows:

• Eagle Harbor Township Hall, Thursday, Aug. 21;

• Sherman Township Hall, Tuesday, Aug. 26;

• Allouez Township Community Center, Thursday, Aug. 28;

• Grant Township Hall, Thursday, Sept. 11;

• Houghton Township Hall, Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Each of the open houses are from 4-6 p.m.

Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Piche said the Planning Commission has been thorough in creating the Master Plan. “I looked at what they have on their list of (survey) questions,” he said, “and I think it’s well thought out. They’ve got just about everything on there you can think of.”

The public survey is an important element in preparing the new Master Plan. Robert Pokorski, Planning Commission Master Plan lead, said public participation is crucial to creating a new plan. The Master Plan, he said, addresses future land uses, community development, and other community features, and includes a clearly stated vision supported by goals and objectives. It also includes an an implementation plan with specific action items that will work toward that vision.

“The biggest part of the Master Plan is to plan land use for the future of the county,” he said. “Not only is it land use, but it’s planning in general, though land use is a big part of it so, as much community input as we can get from the residents is desirable.”

Among the survey questions asked residents is if residents are concerned with the recent increases in visitation. It asks respondents where they live, if they are seasonal or year-round residents, number of children, if any, and which school district they attend. It also asks questions such as why the respondent chose the county for residence and length of time of residency. It also asks what are the top four priorities the Master Plan should focus on, whether the county should consider adding industrial zones or expand or improve existing industrial zones to accommodate economic development, and should there be more residential development in Keweenaw County in the coming years.

The funding for the Master Plan update was provided through The Nature Conservancy via an anonymous donor. Julia Petersen, project manager for the Keweenaw Heartlands, told the County Board at its April 2024 meeting the funds were gifted to TNC by a foundation that was “very interested” in supporting the Keweenaw Heartlands Project.

At the meeting, Piche responded, saying he thought the proposal was a good opportunity for the county, because the Master Plan has to be updated every five years.

The last plan, Blueprint for Tomorrow, was completed in 2016 by the Keweenaw County Planning Commission and the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, with input from Allouez, Eagle Harbor, Grant, Houghton and Sherman townships, along with various county agencies. It was accepted by the County Board in 2017.

While the Planning Commission has been working to update the current plan, one of the major sticking with its completions have been the issue of short-term rental zoning and the land owned by Keweenaw Heartlands. The public survey addresses those issues.

The survey is available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Keweenaw_County_Master_Plan.

“My goal,” said Pokorski, “is to do something that’s useful and worthwhile that all the citizens of the county will benefit from in the longterm.”