By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — In recent months, the Independence Township Planning Commission has been working on revising the township’s master plan.
The commission held a special meeting on July 25 to review the plan and discuss changes and on Aug. 8, they voted unanimously to submit the drafted plan for review to the Independence Township Board of Trustees for its approval for distribution.
The plan itself; Opportunities 2035, sets to identify goals and policies that the township wishes to pursue. The plan takes into account past trends and current conditions as well as potential alternative futures for the township.
Goals and objectives listed in the plan regard residential land use, commercial, office and industrial land use, historic and rural preservation, open space and natural resource preservation, infrastructure and community facilities.
There are also plans targeting specific areas in the township like the Dixie Highway corridor, the M-15 and the northwest area, the Sashabaw corridor and the White Lake area.
The next step for the master plan is approval from the township board to distribute the plan to the following jurisdictions: all neighboring local units of government, Oakland County, Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, each public utility company, railroad and public transportation system that has registered with the township to receive public notice, the Road Commission for Oakland County and Michigan Department of Transportation.
Each jurisdiction then has 63 days to submit written comments and after the 63 days, Independence Township will have to hold at least one public hearing.
After the public hearing, the planning commission can approve the plan which will then be sent back to the board of trustees for final approval.
The master plan in its current form can be viewed on the township‘s website, www.indtwp.com, under the “government” tab and under “2024 Master Plan Update.”