We Cant Have Our City and Suburb Too

On Tuesday, CVS will ask the Traverse City Commissioners if they can build a suburban-style store on one of the most visible corners in the region, Division and Front. As co-chairs of the Division Street Steering Committee, we feel that the Commissioners should not grant this request. In early 2011, the Mayor assembled the Division Street Steering Committee to provide recommendations to the City Commission for immediate improvements that can be instituted to Division Street. At the August 8, 2011 Study Session, the committee presented solutions to change the character of Division Street to a city street that is safe for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to share, travel along, and cross. The report was accepted by the City Commissioners with appreciation. Our committee also suggests the need to create a southern gateway to the city at 14th and Division that creates a sense of place and welcomes you into Traverse City. This reinforces the prior work of the 2010 Division Design Initiative that calls for a long term solution of modern roundabouts to calm traffic, allow for safe crossings, and provide smooth traffic flow from 14th Street to the Grandview Parkway and beyond. The proposed CVS development at Division and Front will severely limit the ability to create an intersection that works for everyone and doesnt align with this vision or the character of Traverse City. CVS is asking for several variances in their application, including a drive-through window, a 13,500 sq. ft. building instead of the 6000 sq. ft. allowed, and a larger surface parking lot than is required, plus changing the zoning to C-3 instead of the current C-2 designation of the area. In other words, CVS wants to build their auto-oriented, suburban-type convenience store found in Anyplace, USA. Our town is revered for its quaint character of intact neighborhoods, its friendly people, a bustling downtown, world-class waterfront, and wonderful pace of life. While some may argue this project will clean up a blighted corner and generate tax dollars for the city, we feel that these short-term benefits will come with long-term costs in quality of life for the neighborhood and the city. Therefore, our Citizens and Commissioners should not sit idle to generic developments that diminish the attractive qualities of Traverse City. CVSs auto-oriented business will further erode the ability of non-motorized users to safely cross this busy intersection. It is a convenience store with a pharmacy. We already have numerous locally-owned businesses that provide these services within several blocks of the proposed CVS site. Allowing the proposed development ignores the well-thought out concepts put forth for the Division Street corridor over the past two years. It also fails to recognize the continuing work of the current Corridor Improvement Study. City Commissioners should respect the recent efforts put forth by many citizens and staff by not approving CVSs application.

Fred Schaafsma

Mike DeVries

Mike DeVries and Fred Schaafsma co-chaired the Division Street Steering Committee that was asked by the mayor of Traverse City to come up with a short list of achievable improvements to begin to change the character of Division Street. Mike is a golf course architect and past president of the Central Neighborhood Association. With a Masters in Landscape Architecture and a planning background, Mike was an active participant in the Division Design Initiative (area-wide group concept developed with consultant Ian Lockwood). Fred is a retired General Motors Automotive Executive and heads up the Cherry Capital Cycling Clubs Safety & Education Committee to raise awareness and safety for nonmotorized cyclists and pedestrians.