By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN, MI – With the Buchanan downtown infrastructure and streetscape project nearly done, city officials are thanking residents for their patience as they move forward with plans for other projects.
City Manager Tony McGhee announced at last week’s City Commission meeting that the city will soon have a new city planner. He has been interviewing candidates since Rich Murphy left the position in September.
McGhee said that current St. Joseph Community Development Director and Zoning Administrator Kristen Gundersen, a Niles native, will be starting her new duties in Buchanan Dec. 15. He wouldn’t give her exact salary, only saying that is between $78,500 and $95,000 a year.
Relative to the $20 million infrastructure and streetscape project, both commissioners and residents commented about the new downtown. Front Street opened to traffic over the Nov. 22-23 weekend with only smaller items left to do between now and the spring.
Jackie Bartus thanked city staff, contractors and businesses for all their hard work. “I’m excited to have the downtown open again,” she said.
For their part, commissioners all expressed thanks for all the work that’s been done as well as people’s patience over the last several months. “The city staff and citizens persevered and made the best of a bad situation,” Commissioner Larry Money said. “We should be back to normal.”
Resident Dennis Mori reported on the new Buchanan Business Owners Group which meets Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. at the Creekside Café. “I’m helping them to do something permanent and manageable to help downtown businesses,” he said. Commissioners said that the Downtown Development Authority is already established to serve a similar purpose.
McGhee noted that the DDA will hold another work session this week to interview five DDA applicants. The DDA currently has three vacancies and interviews were scheduled to be conducted Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. at City Hall.
In one other public comment, Chunk’s owner Haley Jones asked for a barricade put up to stop motorists from using the now abandoned section of Dewey Street west of Red Bud Trail. She said she was concerned about cars still trying to traverse that area although the road is no longer there.
McGhee said that a temporary barricade was going up with a permanent solution in the works. He said there were 50 or so cars trying to use that former roadway just last Monday.
Last week’s meeting featured action to approve a new zoning ordinance after holding two public hearings that drew no comments. The updated ordinance is called a “unified development code” and is “form based” rather than “traditional use based”. McGhee said the new ordinance balances growth with preservation with an emphasis on encouraging compact, pedestrian-oriented, mixed use development.
The commission held a first public hearing on city election filing deadlines and will hold a second hearing Jan. 12. If passed, it will change the filing deadline for city elections.
City Clerk Kalla Langston-Weiss said the change will restore the filing deadline back to the 15th Tuesday prior to the August election rather than the 15th Tuesday before the November election.
Langston-Weiss and Commissioner Dan Vigansky said that the filing deadline had been the earlier date up until 2018 when city commissioners made the change to the later date. Langston-Weiss said the earlier deadline allows the city to have a primary in August if more than twice the number of candidates as open terms apply to run.
Commissioners also held a public hearing on the sale of city owned lots primarily on the city’s north side. No comments were received and commissioners later approved the sale of the lots. McGhee said he will now put out a request for proposals from interested parties.
The properties are at 405 Elizabeth Street, 411 Elizabeth Street, 416 Bluff Street, 418 Bluff Street, 420 Elizabeth Street, 314 Arctic Street, 503 Arctic Street, 418 Fulton Street, 724 W Roe Street, 907 Victory Street, 1104 Victory Street and 1106 Victory Street. McGhee said proposals will be evaluated in terms of how they align with city goals, plans for development and price.
In other action related to the northside neighborhood, commissioners approved a bid for the CDBG Home Repair Program. They approved the bid of $36,907 from Cameron’s Construction for repairs to a home at 514 Moravia Street. McGhee noted that the work is being funded totally with grant funds with no city monies expected.
Commissioners approved a contract with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission to help the city develop a new five year parks and recreation plan. SWMPC has worked with the city on the current plan as well as past plans. The price of the new contract is $12,328. McGhee said the current plan expires at the end of 2026 and the city wants to get a head start on the new plan which will run from 2027 to 2031.