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Council asks for more detail on DTE pipeline easement request across city property
Summary
DTE requested permanent and temporary easements across about 2.5 acres of Petoskey City property on Krauss Road for a larger pipeline redundancy project serving ~19,000 customers; council asked staff for clearer maps, laydown-yard timing, tree-impact and compensation details before making a decision.
City Manager Horn presented a request from DTE Energy for a permanent and temporary utility easement across just over 2.5 acres of city-owned property on Krauss Road as part of a larger pipeline redundancy project.
Horn said the project would create a secondary natural-gas feed intended to improve reliability for approximately 19,000 customers in the region. DTE’s presentation (also scheduled for the county commission) indicates a project timeline targeted for fourth-quarter 2026 for construction sequencing; the easement request includes a temporary workspace during construction that staff said would be restored after completion.
Horn provided comparables for vacant-land sales ($7,500–$13,000 per acre) to give council a baseline for negotiating easement compensation and said the payment proposed is a one-time, perpetual easement payment rather than a lease. Council members pressed staff for clearer, parcel-level maps that show the proposed pipeline alignment relative to the North Country Trail and local landmarks, for exact laydown-yard locations and durations, expected tree removal and restoration standards, and an estimate of how long DTE would need temporary access to city property. Several members indicated they preferred to see DTE’s county-level presentation next week and to receive more detailed exhibits before acting on the easement request.
