Advocacy Potpourri (2024-01)
There are currently a range of advocacy efforts underway in the region.
Neighbors of Belknap Lookout
For residents of NOBL and Monroe North the Belknap area neighborhood association is hosting an event to discuss housing & parking at their offices (700 Clancy Ave NE) on January 24th from 3pm - 6pm.
Oxford Trail
Both an in-person event and an online survey are currently up related to the Oxford Trail improvement project. The online survey and information about the in-person meeting can be found 👉here👈.
Oxford Connects Community Event (in-person)
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 | 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
GRCC Leslie E. Tassell M-TEC
622 Godfrey Ave SW
MDOT Complete Streets Policy Survey
MDOT's "Complete Streets" policy page(s) are 👉here👈. That page currently includes a link to the survey.
GVMC Transportation Master Plan
Community feedback on the projects in the 👉GVMC's 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan👈 is open until February 7th. Note the distinction between funded and unfunded projects. Comments can be sent via e-mail to andrea.faber@gvmc.org, phone 616.776.7603, or online.
Funded Projects
- 2023-2026 projects from the FY2023-2026 TIP
- 2027-2030 project list
- 2031-2040 project list
- 2041-2050 project list
Unfunded Projects
- Local illustrative project list
- MDOT illustrative project list
- Nonmotorized illustrative list
- The Rapid's illustrative list
Bike Lanes
Friends of Slow Streets current have an 👉online petition👈 to push the city to build out a network of protected bike lanes. While the city of Grand Rapids has a Bicycle Action Plan, which was adopted in 2019, it is more aspirational than it is "plan". The city has made desperately little progress; and major streets - such as West Leonard - continue to be designed without accommodation for cyclists, yet they manage to have abundant parking. 😑 The city will build it next time, they pinkie swear!
Friends of Slow Streets has also declared 👉January 23rd to be Advocacy Day👈. Meetup at City Hall on January 23rd at 7:00pm to make public comment requesting the city build out a network of protected bicycle infrastructure. Be heard! It is time.
Housing (Strong Towns Grand Rapids)
The January general meeting is Tuesday the 16th., 6:30pm - 8:00pm. STGR is also participating in advocacy day on January 23rd. If you are hesitant or nervous about public speaking, if you've never made public comment at a commission meeting before, come by the practice, be encourage, and get tips. STGR members will be meeting the following week at the City Commission meeting (January 23rd, 7pm, City Hall) to support our neighbors in Friends of Slow Streets and to request the City Commission f-i-n-a-l-l-y advance substantive land-use reform to address the Housing Crisis they have been talking [and talking, and talking, ...] about since 2015. It is time.
A variety of land-use reforms are, potentially, on the dock. We will learn the details when the 2023-01-25 Planning Commission meeting agenda materializes. Hopefully these will f-i-n-a-l-l-y make changes at least somewhat reflective of the city's nearly decade old housing shortage. From the Planning Commission these will proceed to the City Commission which will hold a public hearing and then subsequently have a vote [or, you know, do what this City Commission does: table it, to be revisited really soon, like they did with surface parking lots in 2017, and revisited never]. We need to encourage them to do their jobs.
You can read up on the story of the proposed housing reforms at:
The City Commission received it's first housing needs analysis on 2020-07-21. Comments from Commissioners at that meeting indicated there would be a rapid response to the data in the report. That was 1,267 days ago. The City Commission received an update to that report on 2023-04-11 which may be what reminded them of this crisis and prompted the proposed reforms?
Master Plan
The Master Plan's "Bridge to our Future" phase #3 engagement wraps up at the end of January. You still have a few weeks to 👉fill out the engagement exercises👈.
Help send a clear message to the City Commission: we walk a vibrant and walk-able city, with abundant housing and a diverse economy. Having abundant housing means (1) the neighborhoods must accept change and (2) we must allow the full diversity of housing types to be constructed without being beleaguered by bureaucratic nonsense.
Rail To O'Hare
In regional news the High Speed Rail Alliance (HSRA) has an 👉online petition👈 to encourage development of high or higher speed rail from Chicago Union Station to O'Hare international airport.
E-Bikes On Trails
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and their Natural Resources Commission are likely going to decide in the near future whether they will allow class 1 e-bikes (and class 2 for those with disabilities) on State-owned natural surface trails. Our friends at Strong Towns Advocates of Kalamazoo (STAK) and ModeShift Kalamazoo support this policy change because it expands access to our state's natural trails and also could get more people interested in and onto electric bicycles, which is good for the future of micromobility. STAK and ModeShift Kalamazoo have drafted an email template to the Natural Resources Commission that you can use to share your support. You can send the email easily by clicking 👉http://tinyurl.com/e-bike-dnr-support👈 The URL opens a template e-mail message, you need to fill in some bits.
Knapp St (Truxton to East City Limits)
The city has 👉an online form👈 for collecting neighbor input on the redesign of Knapp St, from Truxton to the east city limit. Currently this stretch of road is a race track adjacent to residential development. The proposal includes the addition of medians to reduce the perceived lane widths; that is better than nothing. The evolution of this stretch of Knapp St from a road to a street has to start at some point.