Interns present interactive natural features inventory; staff plans to use it for planning and riparian work

Three city planning interns on Aug. 5 presented a new interactive Natural Features Inventory for Traverse City that compiles soils, steep slopes, wetlands, rivers, tree canopy and other environment‑related GIS layers into a public web 'story map' staff can use in future land‑use decisions.

The interns — Ted Arnold, Cole Maxson and Olivia Ned — described the inventory as an accessible, interactive map and narrative designed to help the city identify significant natural features and corridors, inform sustainability and riparian protection, and guide future land‑use decisions. Maxson said the story map "combines maps, text and images to tell a story about the natural features that exist within the 8.3 square miles of Traverse City." Olivia Ned emphasized the project’s practical intent: the map is "meant to be an interactive narrative meant to inspire future informed land use decisions that promote sustainability, conscious development, and environmental stewardship."

Key findings summarized by the interns and staff: - Soils: much of the city sits on sandy, well‑drained glacial outwash and related loamy and sandy soils; mucky and peat soils exist in wetlands and can be prone to poor drainage and sliding. The interns noted silty clay loams are more problematic for construction because they expand. - Steep slopes: higher slopes appear at the edges of the city including the base of Old Mission, Hilltop, Morgan Farms and areas adjacent to the Boardman River and Kids Creek; slopes increase erosion and runoff risk and require vegetation protections. - Water and wetlands: the map documents Grand Traverse Bay, the Boardman (Otaway) River and Boardman Lake, Kids Creek, Mitchell Creek and numerous wetlands. The interns noted ongoing restoration work (for example, dam removals on the Boardman River and daylighting near Munson Medical Center) and said the inventory highlights corridors that connect upland areas to the bay. - Urban features and heat: the team mapped city parks, trails and tree canopy and produced an index showing natural‑feature diversity across the city. The West Side and the Mitchell Creek corridor (near Cherry Capital Airport) showed high concentrations of significant features; the airport runways and other impervious areas exhibited the highest urban heat signatures.

Planning Director Sean Winter and commissioners praised the technical work and lauded the interns’ use of GIS; staff said copies of the inventory and a standalone interactive map will be available to the public and to city departments. Commissioners and staff agreed the resource will be useful to the Riparian Buffer Subcommittee and to coordination with adjacent townships on watershed issues; one commissioner noted it would be helpful to share the map with East Bay Township and Garfield Township because creeks and watersheds cross municipal boundaries.

No regulatory action was taken; staff said the map will be used as a planning resource, and staff will produce follow‑up materials such as a tree inventory and a landscape/planting plan when projects are proposed along stream corridors. The Riparian Buffer Subcommittee will review the map in upcoming meetings.

Ending: Staff said it will publish the story map, share it with the Riparian Buffer Subcommittee and neighboring jurisdictions, and incorporate the resource into future planning and outreach on riparian protection and climate resilience.