Mount Pleasant planning commissioners back 2050 master plan update, keep proposed Mission Street roundabout at Bluegrass

On Aug. 7, 2025, the Mount Pleasant Planning Commission voted to approve a resolution recommending the City Commission adopt an updated 2050 master plan that incorporates the Mission Street improvement plan and several text and map changes, including a proposed roundabout at the Bluegrass/Mission Street intersection and the long‑standing proposal to reroute M‑20 to Lincoln and Pickard.

The plan update, presented by planning staff, documents a multi‑year process of audits, community surveys and a steering committee that began in 2024. Staff said the Mission Street workgroup and consultant analysis found corridor safety was the primary concern and produced a range of design options from low‑cost changes to higher‑cost reconfigurations intended to slow traffic and improve crossings while keeping business access.

The Planning Commission’s action authorizes the commission to forward the plan to the City Commission for final public hearing and adoption; the City Commission hearing is targeted for Sept. 8, 2025. Staff told the commission the city complied with the Michigan Planning Enabling Act by sending a notice of intent to plan to adjacent jurisdictions and by distributing the draft for a 63‑day review period.

Commission discussion focused on a handful of substantive changes made after the public review period. Union Township asked the city to move the single proposed roundabout from Bluegrass south to Old Mission; staff said it kept Bluegrass in the plan because (1) crash history and traffic counts there make it a stronger candidate for grant funding, including a Carbon Reduction Act grant MDOT submitted to Lansing, and (2) the Bluegrass site would better meet the city’s stated safety and gateway goals. Staff acknowledged that moving the roundabout south would place it outside the city limits and that Union Township did not identify funding for construction.

On rerouting M‑20, staff said the 2020 master plan previously identified Lincoln and Pickard as the preferred alignment and the update retains that change for consistency with past community direction, while noting capacity and right‑of‑way concerns for Lincoln and Pickard. The draft addendum also adds a dashed West Broadway extension on the transportation map so that, if adjacent development occurs, Broadway could ultimately connect to M‑20 via Lincoln and Pickard.

Commissioners asked about pedestrian safety at roundabouts and alternative crossing treatments. Staff and consultant Jason Ball, participating online, described accepted roundabout pedestrian design measures: locating crosswalks set back from the circulating roadway so approaching vehicles have sight lines, providing splitter islands that give pedestrians a refuge and allow them to cross one direction of traffic at a time, and designing geometry to reduce vehicular speeds. Staff also said MDOT and the city could consider event‑day measures such as police direction or temporary controls where foot traffic is unusually high.

Staff summarized public comments received during the 63‑day review. Isabella County Planning Commission reported no concerns. Union Township submitted requests for changes that city staff partially addressed in text clarifications and map edits. Two written comments from Mount Pleasant residents raised concerns about increasing housing density and about walkability; staff responded in the packet by explaining rationale for the City‑4 district designation and walkability goals. Residents who spoke during public comment reiterated concerns about whether the planning process and the commission’s actions are effectively followed when development applications are considered.

During public comment several residents focused on perceived inconsistency between the master plan and a recently approved gas station at Pickard and Main; speakers said the station conflicts with master plan designations for a multimodal gateway and argued the plan is not being honored during development decisions. Staff responded that the master plan guides decisions but that individual development approvals follow zoning and special‑use procedures; no change to the master plan was proposed in response to the gas‑station comments.

A motion to approve the attached resolution recommending City Commission adoption of the 2050 master plan passed on an affirmative voice vote; the transcript records verbal “aye” responses but does not record a roll‑call tally in the meeting record.

The planning staff packet and the Mission Street technical report (“Mission in Motion”) remain the official documentation for design details and for subsequent coordination with MDOT and Union Township.