Brainstorming the Barns:
Creating a Community Vision for the Barns and Surrounding Property
The Project: The City of Traverse City and Charter Township of Garfield Recreational Authority is engaging the community to help develop a vision for the future use of the Barns and the surrounding property at the Grand Traverse Commons. Over the next few months, a broad based outreach effort will be undertaken to solicit as many community members as possible to participate in a series of open, free-flowing and creative sessions to be held in early 2007. These sessions will help determine the future of these incredible buildings and surrounding 54 acres that are part of the Recreational Authority property at the Commons.
The Background: The Recreational Authority is proceeding with the next component of a plan approved by the voters of the City and Garfield Township in November 2004. Three parcels of property were purchased and preserved: the former Smith Barney building on Grand Traverse Bay, Hickory Meadows, and the Barns property. The Smith Barney building has come down and the Hickory Meadows management plan has been approved and is being implemented. Now the Recreational Authority is focusing its efforts on determining how best to use the Barns and the surrounding property.
The Barns property is part of the former Traverse City State Psychiatric Hospital, acquired by the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation in the early 1990's. The property is located at the south end of the Commons property along Silver Lake Road, and includes the two Historic Barns, seven outbuildings, and over 50 acres with the buildings, trailhead access to Garfield Township parkland, wetlands, and hillside meadows. The Brainstorming the Barns visioning process will include the buildings and the surrounding property.
The Purpose: Brainstorming the Barns will use an open public input process to identify all potential uses for the Barns and the property, outline basic improvements that are needed to make the property usable, describe multiple potential future uses, and detail the preferred future use. Plans will include the capital and operating costs to realize the vision, and outline the needs and opportunities for revenues to make the Barns property self-sustaining.
The Givens: An important part of an open public process is to establish, up front, any parameters, or "givens" that must be met. These givens are often legal, ethical, and financial constraints or circumstances under which any future vision must operate. The Recreational Authority has identified the following givens for Brainstorming the Barns:
- The Barns and surrounding property shall remain in public use
- The Grand Traverse Commons District Plan and the Recreational Authority Act, which may be amended, must be followed.
- State and Federal historic standards must be followed.
- Use of the Barns and surrounding property must be economically self sufficient.
- It is assumed that the Franke Road extension will be built. The design and implementation will be the subject of a separate, future process.
- Water and sewer service will be provided to the Barns property
- The Recreational Authority will have the final say over the process and uses of the Barns and the property.
More details are in the
Legal and Regulatory Framework Outline for the Barns and Surrounding Property.