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Coastal Zone Project Findings
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Overview
Land Use Change & Management
Public Facilities & Services
Transportation
Environment
Economy
Planning Principles
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Overview
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These Coastal Zone Project Findings are an outgrowth of the research and data analysis that has taken place. These Findings consist of broad statements made with regard to what the research and data analysis has revealed. They act as a summary of all the data telling us what all this information means to us.
The casual user of this site does not need to spend hours reviewing project data to identify trends, strengths or weaknesses of the county. The Findings do that for you. The Findings help to lead us to the next step in developing a plan for coastal communities, setting goals and developing a vision for our future.
Findings have been organized into five different areas. They include: Land Use and Managing Change; Public Facilities and Services; Transportation; Environment; and the Economy. Although there are five distinct groupings, there is a lot of overlap. This is due to the connectivity or inter-related nature of our county and its characteristics. If we make a change in how we use the land, it can have an impact on the transportation system. If a land use change is made, it can impact the environment, and environmental policy can impact land use patterns.
When reading these Findings, keep in mind that they are broad statements or observations made at the county level. In your community there may be conditions or characteristics that parallel or run counter to those presented here. The Metropolitan Planning Commission realizes this. If we had attempted to create a plan based on detail at the local level, we would have ended up with a set of local plans (which local communities have already developed) instead of a county-wide document that looks at problems and potential solutions from a county-wide perspective.
These Findings are presented for a single reason. To ensure that the reader is aware of the basis for suggested actions contained elsewhere in this report. These recommended actions are in direct response to community development trends and characteristics that we are faced with, and as demonstrated by the data collected, analyzed, and summarized in the Findings.
Linked to the Findings is an area entitled Planning Principles. These principles constitute a set of planning recommendations, that if implemented at the local level, will enable communities to move closer toward creating a balanced place to live, work and play. Implementation of these principles will heighten a community’s awareness of the coastal resources that affect how their community functions. Secondly, they will help a community discover how they can protect, preserve and enhance coastal resources, and at the same time cope with the growth and change that is occurring.
If you have any questions about the project Findings or Planning Principles, get in touch with staff from the Metropolitan Planning Commission, (810) 989-6950.
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Land Use Change & Management
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Development patterns that have occurred and continue in many coastal areas compromise the nature, quality, and long standing traits of those communities.
Strip residential development, occurring in many coastal communities, seriously erodes the capacity to provide adequate public infrastructure. If continued, this strip development will impair the ability to ensure public health and safety.
A common vision of the future that is embodied in a multi-jurisdictional planning process does not exist. Land use change is taking place in a vacuum of multi-jurisdictional or regional leadership.
Sprawl development may limit future private and public recreational opportunities.
Sprawl development may limit the capacity of local communities and the county to efficiently provide public services.
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Public Facilities & Services
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Across the county, there has been little organized comprehensive planning for future public facilities and services.
Some wastewater treatment facilities within the coastal area are nearing their design capacity.
Soils, ground and surface waters of the County do not have the capacity to handle wastes in the manner of disposal used today. A different approach to waste disposal and alternative land development patterns is necessary to ensure future growth is environmentally safe.
Establishment of green ways or trails throughout the county, a desire expressed by citizens, could also be used as an opportunity to provide wildlife habitat and, if green ways are placed along river courses, could help to protect water quality through buffering and natural filtering.
Many new residents moving into rural areas may expect a higher level of public service than is currently available. Provision of those services will be more cost effective if development is contiguous to existing built-up areas.
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Transportation
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The inclusion of thoroughfare plans in local community master plans would facilitate the coordination of land use and transportation planning.
The organization and utilization of multi-jurisdictional corridor planning committees could help to effectively plan for future growth along key roadways such as M-25, M-29, and portions of Fred Moore Highway, and Marine City Highway.
Requiring developers to provide traffic impact studies and mitigation plans would assist local communities in assessing the expected land use, transportation, and public service impacts of proposed major developments.
Local regulation of the number, spacing and design of site access points and requiring the use of shared access systems where practical, are effective local means of implementing access management standards.
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Environment
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Insufficient tools exist for local communities to manage land use change which allows growth while sustaining environmental quality.
Local communities do not use available land use tools which permit them to manage change which may impact unique or sensitive natural features that help define that community.
At least fifty-one plant species and twenty-six animal species classified as endangered, threatened, or species of special concern exist within and around the waters of St. Clair County.
Adverse impacts, associated with some development, can be mitigated by the availability and use of public water, storm, and sanitary systems.
The St. Clair River was declared an area of concern in 1986 based on elevated contaminant levels in the water, contaminated sediments, impaired bottom dwelling organisms, and bacterial contaminations.
A bi-national public advisory committee has studied the source and causes of pollution in the St. Clair River. Specific actions have been proposed to address these causes. Significant action has been taken on both sides of the river by the public and private sector toward the goal of complete delisting. Work by this public committee continues.
The Black River has been added to the MDEQ monitoring program due to portions of the river not meeting water quality standards.
The Pine River contains sediment contaminants above levels allowed by state water quality standards.
A number of government agencies in St. Clair County are actively involved in enforcement of environmental regulation through their oversight and permitting roles.
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Economy
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Much of St. Clair County’s economic activity occurs in the coastal communities.
St. Clair County’s labor force is concentrated in the coastal areas of the county.
Projections indicate that, without significant change, transit opportunities will not link labor force concentrations with expected employment centers.
Projections for employment indicate that the majority of new employment centers will be established in communities within the coastal zone.
Tourism is a significant force in the County’s economy. Local community economies benefit from those coastal resources which draw visitors to the area.
Service sector employment, which includes restaurants, recreational and amusement facilities, and other tourism or visitor related jobs, are expected to increase by nearly 49% by the year 2020.
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Planning Principles
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A community land use or resource plan is not complete unless it contains a vision for the future and a set of recommendations that lead to that vision. With this project we believe we have done both. We have created a vision of compatibility, balance between the coastal resources we have all around us, and the growth and change expected for St. Clair County. We have also created a set of recommendations, presented as planning principles. These principles help to define what a balanced community is, and suggests methods or recommended actions that lead to balanced development.
Read the Planning Principles
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This page last updated on 8/6/2002.
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