[{"_1":2,"_95":-5,"_96":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,73,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},"mediaId",6787904,"mediaKeyId","5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0","parentId",5581410,"title","Grand Rapids adopts Climate Action and Adaptation Plan after hours of public comment","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3357155,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0&start=3357&end=3357","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0/thumbnail_3357155.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6787904/Grand-Rapids-City/Kent-County/Michigan/Grand-Rapids-adopts-Climate-Action-and-Adaptation-Plan-after-hours-of-public-comment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6787904-6128bf665455c3f1cc721cd14c168566/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149836&Signature=WNS2z~wZ-JOi8Uht2zXTNuZWJLaQzKNXTvB992HH89e3qi~SFiz7j5FCdxQphtTee0Sq5-9WUbWLwCxL4HGYEyOYu4M8jRsS3sAb4F2msF3u9UcorCByxJWsFUFBQVPLhM0TEy-6wazNl7ESSvSoco7WkhcBYvbCZJvD6RMpPBSXj5C5eBmXWrC2OG5GPMxNT8eBTR-nkhwTFyVa199SN8upbXhVunpHjybSVIfB1ltxGCtUf0wAJwYQVn48~7bQChtEgBimjush-WtWmN6Rv3KmENMPkzexuoLJyBQ3dd2srgf8-jlqRe-iHl5WmUtChKwFdTcXCI3TywASKq371A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-08-13T08:42:17Z","article","The Grand Rapids City Commission voted to adopt the city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan on Aug. 12, concluding several years of community engagement and months of committee review.

Commissioner Sasse outlined the CAP’s history and goals before the vote, noting the city’s 2021 commitment to municipal greenhouse-gas reductions and a long list of previous sustainability plans that the CAP builds on. “To strike a balance, we prioritize these top 20 initial actions…to be strategic in our focus, along with our time and resources,” Sasse read from the resolution packet.

The plan’s supporters told the commission the CAP gives the city a framework to reduce pollution, prepare neighborhoods for extreme weather and create clean-energy jobs. “This is a really big day for the city of Grand Rapids because you are stepping out and showing that you are leading an effort to try to do something about our climate,” Terry Gates of Healthy Planet Strategies said during public comment.

Business groups and some building-industry voices urged caution. Ken Mishevich, a longtime HVAC contractor, warned the commission the plan’s building strategies could create compliance costs and raised state preemption concerns under Act 230 of 1972, which he said limits local code changes. Josh Langer of the Grand Rapids Chamber called for clearer, consensus-minded approaches to any incentives or reporting proposals.

Commissioners spent time emphasizing that the CAP, as adopted, prioritizes voluntary and incentive-based actions and does not automatically put new ordinances into effect. “This plan is designed to support affordability, especially for our most vulnerable residents,” Commissioner Kilgore said, adding that many implementation decisions will return to the commission for review.

The resolution directs staff to prioritize 20 initial actions and continue to seek federal and state funding so that local residents and businesses are not left bearing the full cost. The vote followed questions about implementation costs, equity protections and whether specific items—such as energy benchmarking or code changes—would be mandatory. The commission’s action moves the CAP from planning to an implementation phase in which individual programs and financing decisions will come back to council.

What’s next: city staff will develop action-level proposals and cost estimates for the selected priority items, pursue external funding where available, and report back to the commission as items move toward implementation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Commission Meeting - August 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After extensive public testimony from residents, business groups and climate advocates, the Grand Rapids City Commission adopted the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAP) and prioritized 20 initial actions intended to cut local emissions and support resilience while emphasizing voluntary, incentive-based implementation.","taxTitle","Grand Rapids City, Kent County, Michigan","taxId",3704,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":80,"_50":81,"_52":82,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6787899,"Commission hears two Brownfield housing proposals that would add mixed-income units downtown and on transit corridors",857,5600090,6457760,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0&start=5600&end=6457","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0/thumbnail_5600090.jpg","/articles/6787899/Grand-Rapids-City/Kent-County/Michigan/Commission-hears-two-Brownfield-housing-proposals-that-would-add-mixed-income-units-downtown-and-on-transit-corridors","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6787899-ad0c485a2745c75ff705fbd3e4b9254f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149836&Signature=SeNY8gTkNq3hAdySiZYPpynrEMYnRaMr75YjIxoWOgTJO~xVQwZwNLNmeQc0Swr3XBEfQ2WNkXOqJZny89014UXBZkkrGelvDbiCrD54gpvP1ssNzRUfSFJSCVastS-5Wxp9aGW0EOsmmNotjUqZXDpdqKVLWN~sw9Aa6dNSylBW0ze8nhq26JDthYYBGqNEthtp5MPMMGoKLWgSji4qSZx0j0-xcvYWIeeJru22DfVWA7eqb6kbBIHdpQZlt77Uajk2L5JpBy6Ya-JfcYTEyVnHPni2SksbNp~CUzckkQ1ip-I~J--5Jrk71BmualB6cJnF7wr6FX4r2nLCGxziJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Two Brownfield redevelopment proposals seeking housing-eligible activities under state Act 381 were presented to the commission on Aug. 12.

Mackenzie Miller of the city’s economic development department described the Bretton Meadows proposal as demolition of an existing grocery-site building and construction of seven multifamily buildings totaling 168 residential units. She said 84 one-bedroom and 84 two-bedroom units are planned and that approximately 49% of units would be priced for households at or below specified area median income levels for the term of the Brownfield plan; total project cost is about $36 million with $14.85 million in eligible HTIF (housing tax increment financing) activity costs.

Developer representatives (Jared Belka and Scott Wierda) described the project as a reuse of a long-vacant, underperforming commercial site on a transit corridor and said construction could begin late in 2025 after approvals. \"This project is specifically coming in for the housing tax increment financing program…25 years of affordability for the income-qualified units,\" Miller told the commission.

City staff also presented a revised Brownfield amendment for the February redevelopment at 280 N. Ann Street: the project adds a four-story mixed-use addition with 44 residential units, several income-restricted to 85% and 95% AMI, and roughly $11.77 million in total project cost with an estimated $3.6 million in rent-loss eligible activity.

Commissioners welcomed both proposals, noting the transit accessibility and mixed-income design. Each project was closed out of the public hearing and referred to the Committee of the Whole for further review and next steps.

What’s next: both Brownfield amendments will be considered by the Committee of the Whole; staff and developers will return with final project details, inclusion goals and financing schedules.","Developers presented Brownfield plan amendments for Bretton Meadows (168 units, roughly half priced as attainable) and a revised February redevelopment (44 units with a portion price-restricted). Commissioners praised transit-oriented locations and referred both items to committee for further consideration.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":42,"_43":88,"_45":88,"_46":89,"_48":90,"_50":91,"_52":92,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6787902,"City hears public concerns over MobileGR drone survey for downtown parking data",6536770,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0&start=6536&end=6536","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5581410-baea83d40a6a6eee0986ae9640aa07f0/thumbnail_6536770.jpg","/articles/6787902/Grand-Rapids-City/Kent-County/Michigan/City-hears-public-concerns-over-MobileGR-drone-survey-for-downtown-parking-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6787902-beb4e80d10415d6412ed7ce854e92e8b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771149836&Signature=XergHRAUVhn7ApcDqDyhREi02XB3zQb3besqPUgGQvo9thNUGN2YpijBXU2WiVBopRvDOG6Vx3z8cWQKRBMC71SUVUaWMYuP0-rVjsCrqTwdcW5kE4h72IbWWlsh~EGiUotC1Fs7CpDEOaW-sSRA736kUewSXFQWMUmmn97e8bx4qr9tmttj4pEyy23vHofJxOuiqjScAB5P6opMZszRZOMxEzaX6E7lTA~oyyA~CfPErWMBuhOOejEOrJKujmzuk39vjx4TWObzjnpLbW0YVLOHJumRcCAiaBWXRs7JLaYqDdWvJYm8jpZV8l1da8FCcpQNle8Fj2KnMrNJ9-muOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff and MobileGR presented a public hearing on Aug. 12 seeking permission to use unmanned aerial devices to collect static aerial imagery of downtown parking for a ‘parking investment strategy.’ The project’s data collection would run over a three-week window and capture high-resolution static photos (no continuous video) to measure on-street occupancy, turnover and dwell time.

\"These are just static images, with a very high resolution camera,\" Max Dillivan, a project manager, told the commission, adding the imagery would not include license-plate numbers or personally identifiable vehicle information. MobileGR Director Jessica Smith said consultants would retain raw imagery on secure servers and that the city would receive derived heat maps, charts and anonymized outputs rather than raw photos.

Still, public commenters raised immediate concerns about privacy, jurisdictional approvals and the program’s benefits. Brooke Clement, director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, noted that many downtown lots adjacent to federal property require FAA coordination and said, \"we would need prior FAA approval before any drones fly over those spaces.\" Other speakers expressed a broader distrust of drones and asked how long data would be retained, who would have access and what operational changes would follow from the study’s results.

City staff explained the study is part of a larger parking investment strategy and said the on-street data would help determine whether surface lots are underused and could be repurposed (for housing or other investments) after assessing occupancy now and after major projects are completed. The data-collection portion for on-street images is roughly $30,000 of a broader $180,000 study funded from the parking fund.

Commissioners and staff described a review process tied to the city’s surveillance policy: the public-safety committee reviews Fourth Amendment and privacy implications, a public hearing is required before the full commission (this item), and fiscal committee review of funding and scope follows before any final approval. The commission referred the item to the Fiscal Committee for a funding decision and further procedural review.

What’s next: MobileGR will present a funding request and final operational safeguards at Fiscal; FAA clearances and the surveillance-policy checklist are expected before any flights.","MobileGR presented a limited, three-week drone-based parking data collection plan for downtown; presenters emphasized anonymized, static imagery and consultant-held raw files, while residents and museum staff raised FAA, privacy and surveillance concerns.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Grand Rapids adopts Climate Action and Adaptation Plan after hours of public comment

Commission hears two Brownfield housing proposals that would add mixed-income units downtown and on transit corridors

City hears public concerns over MobileGR drone survey for downtown parking data