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Keweenaw Master Plan available for review

EAGLE RIVER - The draft of the Keweenaw County Master Plan is now available for review. The plan will help guide future decisions on land use, housing, recreation, transportation, natural resources, and economic development throughout the county.

Bob Pokorski, vice chairman the county planning commission, addressed the county board of commissioners at its regular July meeting Wednesday, saying the process of updating the master plan, Blueprint for Tomorrow, began in 2025, but the project gained momentum last June.

"We started with out kickoff meeting in 2025," Pokorski said, "and since that time we've had public open houses, stakeholder meetings, an online public survey."

The information obtained was reviewed and analyzed, he said, then the process of drafting and editing the master plan began.

"This, what you have before you tonight, is to release for public comment," said Pokorski.

Patrick Coleman, principal of North of 45, and Master Plan Project consultant for the planning commission, was also present at the meeting. He told the board the online survey generated 417 responses.

"The master plan really tries to address what we heard from the people," he said. "We have been working on it and it's now at a point where we need to let it out for public review."

The Michigan Planning Enabling Act requires that we the county board release it for public review," Coleman said, adding that the board was not being requested to approve the master plan, but to approve the planning commission's releasing the draft for review.

The document is open for a 63-day review. The planning commission can then conduct a public hearing which is tentatively scheduled for September 28.

At the hearing, the planning commission will receive public. Written comments can also be submitted, Coleman said.

"Following that, the commission can then make a recommendation to the county board, or go back to work on the plan and address some public concerns," he said, "then finally approve it, and recommend it for your approval, which will follow in October."

The project was funded through a $75,000 reimbursement grant from TNC that originated as a private donation gifted to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) by an anonymous foundation dedicated to supporting the broader Keweenaw Heartlands Project.

The county’s previous master plan was adopted in 2017. Under Michigan law, these must be updated every five years. The TNC funding essentially rescued a stalled process that had been delayed by county budget limits and ongoing debates regarding short-term rentals.

Most of the arguments against STR regulations have been presented by owners who do not reside in the county, while stances in favor of regulations have come primarily from local residents.

The previous Master Plan was completed in 2016 by the Keweenaw County Planning Commission and WUPPDR, 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.

The draft is of the updated plan is available on the Keweenaw County website, the URL is https://www.keweenawcountyonline.org/news-view.php?target=2751