TC Planning Has Destroyed My Retirement Tranquility

Guest Opinion

Eleven years ago, I realized a dream of becoming a Traverse City homeowner. Like most retirees, I was concerned about health issues or financial matters impacting the tranquility of my retirement years. 

Little did I realize that the greatest threat to my enjoying a peaceful life here would come from a handful of long-serving city bureaucrats, who, from what I have observed, limit citizen involvement in deciding anything about our community. If these bureaucrats would spend half as much time on inclusion as they do exclusion, there would be a lot more commonality and agreement in our city. 

While Traverse City correctly talks about inclusiveness, that does not appear to be the case, especially for a senior who dares to question the New Urbanism that forces high rises everywhere, regardless of whether that is what the majority of the public wants. 

If you challenge the planners, you are told that you are old and afraid of change or that you do not understand the big picture. A prior head of the Planning Commission in a newspaper opinion piece stated in a condescending manner that those not on the Planning Commission do not have a full understanding of the issues. Instead of welcoming all to be part of the discussion, the predisposition of this official was to reject any different views as being uninformed.

In 2023, annual goals for the Planning Commission included language that stated city commissioners should trust the planning staff or not do independent research unless asked. As someone who is a firm believer in extensive dialogue and efforts at inclusiveness, this shocked me.  

This past year, the Planning Director in a public meeting referred to remarks made by an older female city commissioner in a disparaging manner. I will stop for a moment and let that sink in. He refused to apologize and was given a minor slap on the wrist, but he still has his job. Since he disparaged his boss’s boss, an appropriate punishment should have been an extensive suspension, mandatory additional training, or dismissal. 

According to published reports, a federal judge previously questioned whether there was in essence “collusion” between city staff and a developer, 326 Land Company, over a proposed 2023 settlement of a federal lawsuit regarding Traverse City building heights. The Record-Eagle reports that Judge Paul Maloney of the U.S. District Court of Western Michigan “said the agreement wasn’t in city voters’ best interests and also smacked of collusion between plaintiff and defendant — a claim both repeatedly denied.” This sounds to me like what small children would say when caught with their hands in the candy dish by a responsible adult.  

I recall hearing at the time that the reason for the willingness of city staff to settle with the developer in that federal case on such favorable terms for the developer was that the case was so strong that there was every likelihood that the city would lose in this federal court proceeding. In April, the judge dismissed almost all of the developer’s case challenging the voter-approved tall building initiative. So much for the strong case! Numerous state court decisions and proceedings have also challenged the unilateral actions of city staff. 

I am not sure what older homeowners must have done to energize staff to spend so much time trying to eliminate meaningful public involvement by a broad spectrum of the citizens who live here on what they want their city to look like.  

This relentless, dogmatic adherence to a single philosophy over people has been followed by folks in surrounding towns. I have lost track of the number of times I have been asked what is happening in Traverse City, as it appears to those who have asked that the city has lost track of what was unique about it and that all that is happening is endless construction of tall buildings. 

I was surprised to see a Bridge Michigan article last fall about this issue, and it included a reference to a saying in Marquette, “Don’t Traverse City My Marquette.” Clearly public awareness of the devastation being caused has spread much further than I had thought. Yet the relentless devotion to New Urbanism continues unabated! 

In my neighborhood, Trump supporters, never-Trumpers, Democrats, and even Green Party folks seem to agree that they have all been steamrolled by city staff. I have long felt that the way the Planning Department treats anyone who questions them would qualify as a hostile workplace in any office. 

Perhaps the one good thing that could come from this situation is that the city could sell its services to the country to help heal the great political divide that the country faces. Because the ruthless manner in which Planning has treated the public has unified the community!  

Fred Anderson is retired after a long career in legislative, political, legal, regulatory, and community affairs in Lansing and Washington, DC. He is a Traverse City homeowner who is concerned about the balance between growth and protecting what is unique about the city.

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