|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
June 9, 2002Beauty at riskProtecting M-119 corridorBy MICHELLE BARBERCHECKSpecial to the Record-Eagle FRIENDSHIP TOWNSHIP - High on the bluffs overlooking Little Traverse Bay, the M-119 roadway winds north for some 27 miles, through a city and several townships, to its pinnacle at tiny Cross Village in Emmet County. Called "the tunnel of trees" by many, the narrow roadbed meanders lazily through forests that engulf it at points, past primitive sand dunes and verdant meadows teeming with wildlife. Occasional breaks in the flora offer travelers panoramic views of Lake Michigan that are nothing short of breathtaking. But beyond the natural beauty of the scenic M-119 route are the people who live around it, many of whom fear that a recent increase in improperly regulated development is posing a serious threat to the future of the bucolic roadway and properties that line it. "M-119 is widely considered one of the most beautiful drives in the state of Michigan," said Dr. Henry Singer, president of the Emmet County Lakeshore Association (ECLA). "People from all over the country come to drive it or bicycle on it and we're very concerned it's at risk." Singer - and dozens of his neighbors - believe the unique, natural characteristics of M-119 are ironically the very things putting it at risk by enticing more and more people to build homes there. It's not that new development should be discouraged, said Singer, but that steps are taken to better regulate it and enforce current zoning laws. Some of the newer property owners are ignoring or failing to research local zoning requirements, illegally cutting down dozens of trees in protected greenbelt setbacks in order to build their homes, he said. Others are coming up with enough financial resources to get engineering studies required to obtain permits to build their homes on steep slopes that were once considered impossible building sites, he said. As a result, erosion is suddenly being noticed closer and closer to the tarmac, unnatural sedimentation is sliding into Lake Michigan and the potential for what Singer calls "mini-avalanches" is ever increasing. "We have aerial photographs to demonstrate that after a heavy rainfall, there are muddy plumes into Lake Michigan," he said. Earlier this year a rear portion of an upscale home built along bluffs in Friendship Township slid 150 feet down the slope due to what county building inspectors said was the soggy soil beneath it. "There's something new every day," Singer said. New building sites have been cropping up so rapidly along M-119 that county officials haven't been able to enforce the rules, said Singer, so neighbors have taken it upon themselves to monitor each development. "We almost have to patrol the road on a daily basis," he said. Just last week, Singer said an alert neighbor reported dozens of trees marked for cutting along both sides of M-119 about three miles north of Stutsmanville Road. An Emmet County zoning official temporarily put a stop to the cutting, he said, but by then about 48 trees had already been cleared from the site, which is owned by an individual from Connecticut. "We're getting these itinerant property owners who don't know the rules or who don't care to find out, and all of the sudden we've lost 40 trees. It's so disheartening to all of us who've worked so long to protect this," he said. Friendship Township trustee and resident Denise Simon, who also serves on the county plan commission, is one who keeps a close eye on new development in her area. "Trimming and cutting for a view is not the issue here - it's this clear cutting that's the issue. Driving through the tunnel of trees is a thrilling experience, but when you come to these pockets of clear cut, it just makes you sick," she said. Simon has also been working with a group to draft a stronger ordinance geared to regulating development along the steep slopes. The existing ordinance, said Singer, "is nothing more than a model on how to build on a slope." Simon and Singer both hope Emmet County officials will impose a moratorium on new development in their area until such an ordinance is approved, particularly during the upcoming peak building months. The Emmet County planning commission on Tuesday will meet at North Central Michigan College to discuss the proposed ordinance. "A huge number of people are concerned that the way development is heading, our scenic resource is being compromised. Our hope is that this moratorium will be enacted until we can rework the ordinance," Simon said. Meanwhile, Singer's ECLA group, which consists of members from West Traverse, Readmond, Friendship and Cross Village townships, has been working with the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NMCG) to draft a formal management plan to get the Michigan Department of Transportation to designate M-119 a Heritage Route. Such a designation means partly that the roadway would be eligible to apply for funding through the federal Scenic Byway Fund for maintenance, preservation and other projects, said Megan Olds, regional planner with NMCG in Traverse City. She said there are less than 10 Heritage Routes in the state of Michigan, one being the M-22 corridor in Leelanau County. Olds said that while MDOT officials actually designated M-119 a Heritage Route in 1997, the approval was flawed since it had not been accompanied by the required written management plan. For the past year, Olds has been working with a committee made up of representatives from ECLA and Friendship, Readmond and Cross Village to draft such a plan to submit to MDOT. This past week, Olds said all three township boards voted in favor of approving the plan and submitting it to Emmet County commissioners for approval. The county has long backed the Heritage Route designation, Olds said, and is expected to join the townships in submitting its resolution of support to MDOT for approval, along with the proposed management plan. MDOT's Scenic Route Committee will then have 90 days to review the application package and could possibly officially designate M-119 a Heritage Route by early this fall, Olds said. While the M-119 issue also affects the city of Harbor Springs and West Traverse Township, officials there have so far declined to support the Heritage Plan, Olds said, mostly due to fears it would leave them liable for the roadway. But Olds stressed that the plan is not a document dictating enforcement, and that MDOT will continue to take responsibility for M-119. "This plan is really just a recommendation, or starting point. It's kind of like a master plan for a linear community," she said. While both entities may choose to support the measure at a later date, Olds noted their lack of resolution will likely not hinder MDOT from designating the road a Heritage Route. Once approved, Olds said a Heritage Route Committee can begin work on any number of projects, including acquisition of scenic sites along M- 119, removing invasive vegetation, development of a historical foundation for the corridor and preservation of Native American houses and other historical landmarks located in its vicinity. |
|
