Hartland Township, Michigan

Hartland Township, a primarily rural area located on the outer growth edge of the Detroit metropolitan area’s rapidly expanding sprawl curve, is one of the fastest growing areas within the fastest growing county in Michigan. A private land partnership, owning 150 acres of idle land on a major arterial road in Hartland Township, did not want to build a typical suburban development of uniform 1-2 acre lot homes separated by strip commercial uses fronting the main highway. They did want to build a traditional neighborhood development of mixed-uses that are clustered and integrated, as well as a variety of dwelling types on smaller lots. However, the Township’s master plan was eight years old, and the zoning ordinance inadvertently discouraged mixed uses, clustered development, and open space preservation. Consequently, the Township was unprepared for both the growth wave already within its borders, as well as traditional neighborhood developments.

Beckett & Raeder was commissioned by the private partnership to forecast and illuminate, for Township officials, the “unintended consequences” of not being prepared for intense development pressure: more “low-quality” development (such as strip commercial and typical large-lot subdivisions), more sprawled development, less open space, excessively separated land uses, increased auto-dependency, and increased traffic congestion. Beckett & Raeder organized a public planning process, recommended updated development strategies, and specified various actions:

* To update the Township’s master plan,
* To amend the zoning ordinance,
* To create physical design guidelines, and
* To create a conceptual site plan that would serve as a Township model for future traditional neighborhood developments of mixed-uses, clustered development, quality physical design, pedestrian orientation, and, in this case, that would link to adjacent Township land reserved for public recreation.

Other Representative New Urbanism Projects
Lakeview Residential Neighborhood, Rogers City, Michigan
Southeast Neighborhood Plan, Holland, Michigan
Neighborhood Infill Development, Trenton, Michigan