Beth Milligan

A request-for-proposals (RFP) to redevelop six city-owned parcels on State and Pine streets on the west side of downtown has garnered two major development offers. Traverse City commissioners will discuss the bids at their August 10 study session, with both proposals addressing desired components like public parking, rental housing, public restrooms, and a TC Police Department substation.

Garfield Township is teeing up a potential moratorium on data centers that would allow officials to spend up to 18 months updating the township zoning ordinance to better address such projects. In the meantime, an application has been submitted for a small-scale data center on 3.45 acres on Sybrandt Road near the Sara Lee plant. However, Township Planning Director John Sych says the site plan is incomplete and cannot be considered for approval until updated by developers.

Traverse City planning commissioners will hold a public hearing August 5 on rezoning the former Copy Central site on Eighth Steet, a key step in allowing a workforce housing project to proceed at the site. Planning commissioners are also eyeing zoning changes that could relax rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and childcare centers and establish standards for EV parking.

One of Garfield Township's largest housing developments, Ridge45 – which has 484 apartments near the corner of LaFranier and Hammond roads – will be converted to workforce housing for at least 15 years after trustees unanimously approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement for the property Tuesday.

Five years after joining the City of Traverse City as the first new planner in over three decades – and three days after returning from extended family medical leave – City Planning Director Shawn Winter was fired from his position Wednesday. Winter, who says he was offered no explanation for the firing and was not on any type of performance improvement plan, is the latest in a series of high-profile staff departures in recent months.

Several significant projects are underway in East Bay Township, with planning commissioners Wednesday set to have their first look at a proposed mixed-use development that includes a new hotel, apartments, restaurant, retail space, and a pool and roof decks next to the Traverse City State Park. Construction is also set to begin today (Monday) on the township's Safe Routes to School project, with additional improvements targeted nearby for the Three Mile/Hammond corridor and TART Trail.

Northern Blooms Montessori, which operates an early childhood education center in the Commongrounds Cooperative building on Eighth Street, has proposed opening a new location at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.

One of the nation’s most closely watched election races was too close to call as of press time 3am Wednesday, with Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a neck-and-neck race in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat with 91 percent of votes counted.

There’s no shortage of ice cream options in northern Michigan, especially in the summer. But Buchan's Blueberry Hill has a secret weapon: growing its own i

GFC International, a firm hired to lead public engagement for planning a new Grand Traverse County jail/justice center, shared its findings Friday after meeting with 80 local stakeholders and hosting community surveys and pop-ups. Three key themes emerged: People are entering the jail with increasingly complex mental health and substance abuse needs, the different parts of the justice system don’t function as a cohesive whole, and the lack of a centralized facility for multiple agencies creates numerous challenges.