Resident Input Sought for Sanilac Master Plan

(SANILAC COUNTY, MI) What do you want Sanilac County to look like in 2032? Sanilac County residents are invited to participate in a Community Visioning Session to get input on the future of the county as part of a new Master Plan. The first visioning session will be held on Wednesday, October 12 at 7:00 PM at the Sanilac County Career Center, located at 175 East Aitken Road, Peck, MI 48466. Pizza will be provided compliments of Tri-County Equipment so everyone has time to get there and have dinner before the session from 6:30-7:00. This is the first of several visioning sessions planned across the county in October.
“A Master Plan is similar to a road map for the county leadership to use as they plan for the future of the county,” states Lisa Kenny, local organizer of the Master Plan project. “It guides future land use for all the municipalities in the county. A critical part of this process is getting residents input on what they want to see happen with our cities, villages and farmland.”
One of the biggest issues facing the county today is housing. Current zoning in many areas is only for single family homes, and with the rising prices of new construction, this makes it difficult for many middle-class families to afford to buy or rent a place to live. Especially hard hit are young adults starting careers in the area, who make too much to rent subsidized housing, but can’t yet afford their own home, and older adults who want to downsize to a condo or apartment but can’t find anyplace to go.
Another key issue locally is the use of currently farmed agricultural land for alternative energy companies to put up windmills and solar farms along the Thumb Loop power lines. “Having resident input on what they want the county to look like in the future will help townships with planning and zoning,” states Kenny.
Community members aged 16 and up are invited to attend the Community Visioning Session at the Career Center to collaborate on choosing the “Collective Priorities” the county should be focusing on. Groups of 6-8 individuals develop a list of issues or ideas together, then present to the larger group. Top answers are then voted on by all participants, to come up with the most important priorities to be worked on by the county.
This session is 90 minutes and will help guide the rest of the Master Plan for the county. From 6:30-7:00, free pizza and pop will be provided courtesy of Tri-County Equipment, so people can come have some dinner and be part of the positive change for the future of Sanilac County. The visioning process takes place from 7:00 to 8:30pm.
For those residents that cannot make a visioning session but would still like to provide input to the planning commission, you can take an online survey that takes 6-10 minutes to complete. This survey asks about different housing styles that could be considered, as well as other issues like cell and internet service, alternative energy farming, recreational activities and what they would like Sanilac County to look like in the future. You can access this online at www.bit.ly/sanilacsurvey . All residents are encouraged to fill out the survey as well as come to the visioning sessions.