OCTOBER 26, 2023 Vol. 39, No. 24
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GARDEN & Troy considers updates to its master plan SPOTLIGHT ON HOME
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County hopes to wipe out $200M of medical debt for residents
Shelby and Utica put part of water and sewer payments in escrow until state settles debt dispute ‘Housing affordability are other things we want to keep in mind, as are obsolete office space and business space’ BY BRENDAN LOSINSKI
blosinski@candgnews.com
The city of Troy is preparing an update to its master plan, an overarching city planning document sorting out priorities and upcoming projects through 2040. Every municipality in Michigan is required by law to have a master plan and update it regularly. This new plan is an update to a major plan overhaul that was first drawn up in 2008 to better address the changing needs of Troy. “In 2008, we completed our first comprehensive master plan in 40 years,” explained City Planner and Community Development Director Brent Savidant. “Prior to that, the master plan efforts were focused on controlling growth. We knew that growth was coming when I-75 was constructed and people were moving here. I started working for Troy in 2002. (City Manager) Mark Miller started a couple years before I did,” said Savidant. “We amended the 2008 master plan … but otherwise found it was in pretty good shape.”
He added that the focus of the master plan is less on major overhauls and more on tweaking specific areas to ensure the city is growing in a positive direction. “Rather than look at what we didn’t want to see, we wanted to look at things we wanted to see, like mixed-use development and creative in-fill development,” said Savidant. “We took a sort of market-driven approach. We looked at properties in our light industrial district, for instance, where we had a lot of vacant buildings, so instead of allowing only industrial uses, we considered what the market wanted for these properties.” Troy City Manager Mark Miller said that Troy has had to shift priorities since the building boom in the 1970s and 1980s and that the nature of business and how communities build their economies has shifted. “I think the master plan is a very good job by the Planning Commission and Planning Department,” he said. “I believe it will keep the
BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com
Event to raise money, awareness for Turning Point
OAKLAND COUNTY — Up to $200 million in medical debt for Oakland County residents will be erased through a new partnership with a nonprofit organization. Oaklandcomprehensive County and nonBY KRISTYNE E. DEMSKE domestic and sexual violence through profit RIPprovides Medical Debt will kdemske@candgnews.com services and resources. The agency emergenbe using $2 million fromof the cy, support and prevention services for survivors county’s American Rescue MOUNT CLEMENS — Taking steps this domestic and sexual violence, including an emergen-Plan funding to purchase up to month to highlight awareness of sexual assault, Turn- cy shelter, individual and Act group counseling, advocacy, $200 millionprogram, in medical ing Point Macomb is hosting its sixth annual fund- a personal protection order assistance and adebt qualified residents of the raiser, Stepping Out With the Stars, April 29. forensic nurse examiners for program. county, which possibly could be Turning Point strives to empower survivors of TURNING on page 18A up to See 80,000 people. According to its website, RIP Medical Debt uses data anTurning Point President and CEO Sharman Davenport stands at the 2021 event with Stepping Out the debt of alytics to “pinpoint with the Stars emcee Evrod Cassimy, of WDIV-TV. those most in need: households Photo courtesy of Turning Point that earn less than 4x the fedChanging needs such as office space, business development opportunities and mixed-use zoning are among the matters discussed in Troy’s updated master plan. See DEBT on page 16A See MASTER PLAN on page 24A
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