Beth Milligan

Traverse City commissioners will vote tonight (Tuesday) to approve work for a new trailhead project along Hobbs Highway at the expanded Brown Bridge Quiet Area. Commissioners will also tackle several housing-related issues, including holding a public hearing for a new attainable housing district program – which residents were recently notified about by certified mail – and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) request from the Traverse City Housing Commission for a workforce housing project on Eighth Street.

A not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) plea from the Traverse City Walmart stabbing suspect, Bradford Gille, was accepted by the court Tuesday. The decision ends the criminal case and remits Gille to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry for treatment. Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg said it is "highly unlikely" he will be released given his crimes and a past NGRI plea.

Traverse City Light & Power (TCLP) board members voted Tuesday to approve a 5 percent rate hike for customers starting October 1. The city-owned utility will launch a new energy assistance program that same date. Board members Tuesday also approved several local funding awards and discussed planned support for energy-efficient HVAC equipment at Central Grade School, with school district trustees set to vote Monday on approving that alternate system.

Traverse City commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement for a planned workforce apartment complex on Eighth Street and a contract for a new trailhead project at the expanded Brown Bridge Quiet Area. However, commissioners delayed action on establishing a new Attainable Housing District - a designated area where property owners can apply to receive tax incentives in exchange for providing rental housing - following extensive public confusion and criticism over the proposal.

Garfield Township trustees approved a $186,900 contract Tuesday for engineering work on a project to replace a force sewer main that recently cracked under South Airport Road near Logan's Landing. Gourdie Fraser will complete the engineering work ahead of planned repairs later this fall, with the total project cost including construction estimated at just over $1.6 million.

Two major projects – a new Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel at the corner of Three Mile Road and US-31 and a new 30-home neighborhood at the corner of Four Mile and Hammond roads – are set to move forward after East Bay Township planning commissioners granted extensions for the previously approved projects Tuesday. Both projects are targeting 2027 groundbreakings.

Grand Traverse County commissioners are gearing up to make what Vice Chair TJ Andrews called “the most significant decision” of their board service: determining the location of the county’s new jail and the future of the Governmental Center. The latter decision will be made in conjunction with the City of Traverse City, with the goal of confirming a planned approach by the end of the year.

Traverse City commissioners tonight (Monday) will discuss a strategy for addressing one of the most pressing operational issues facing the city: the potential for a full third of its employees to retire in the next 2-3 years. City Manager Benjamin Marentette says the retirement wave will impact almost every department, with the city looking to hire a consultant to identify ways to recruit, retain, and reorganize its workforce.

Traverse City crews will close Seventh Street daily starting Monday, September 14 to perform a mill -and-fill project from Wadsworth Street to South Maple Street.

Traverse City commissioners are pumping the brakes on a process to redevelop six city-owned parcels on State and Pine streets in downtown Traverse City. A recent request-for-proposals (RFP) generated two significant development proposals, but commissioners Monday agreed the RFP was flawed and raised more questions than answers. The board plans to discuss the city’s policy for payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreements – a tax incentive tool planned to be used by both developers to include workforce housing in the project – before proceeding further.