City planners outline 2050 master plan updates and Mission Street improvements; public hearing set for Sept. 22

City staff and consultant Progressive Companies presented proposed updates to Mount Pleasant's master plan, including incorporation of the Mission Street improvement plan, updated demographics, a parks and recreation five-year update, and targeted land-use adjustments.

Jason Ball of Progressive Companies reviewed the 18-month Mission Street process: steering committee outreach, a walking audit, community surveys and a steering-committee-approved corridor plan. Ball said Mission Street has been losing traffic for years and that safety — including nearly 1,000 crashes on Mission Street from 2019–2023 (with 11 severe crashes, 13 involving vulnerable road users and one fatality) — was the chief community concern driving the recommended changes. The corridor recommendations include pedestrian refuge islands, left-turn modifications, additional crossings and a shared‑use path where right-of-way allows.

The consultant and staff recommended treating Southern Mission Street separately from downtown by creating a new "mixed use regional corridor" future land use designation that allows more flexible building setbacks and parking configurations to improve feasibility for new development. Ball said those changes will require follow-up zoning code amendments if the commission adopts the master plan updates.

Staff reported public comments were received during the state-mandated comment period. Staff recommends two textual changes to the draft: (1) explicitly show the West Broadway Street extension on the future-transportation map but note any extension should be driven by future development (not constructed preemptively); and (2) clarify language about a proposed interchange on US-127 to remove an incorrect reference to Broomfield Road and note the city's preferred alternative is subject to MDOT analysis and design. Staff partially addressed Union Township comments and declined to move a proposed Bluegrass/Mission roundabout to Old Mission Street because the alternate location would not meet MDOT funding warrants.

A public hearing on the draft master plan updates is scheduled for Sept. 22; the commission will consider final adoption after that hearing. Ball and staff said implementation will be incremental and likely depend on a combination of MDOT projects, grant funding and smaller, lower-cost improvements implemented alongside scheduled resurfacing work in 2026–2027.