With a new township supervisor and fresh ideas flowing into our small township, I am one who believes strongly in keeping Highland rural. When sewers were about to come online a few years back I was worried. When new subdivisions starting cropping up before that, I was even more concerned. As we look at the future for our township, I think it is important that we remember why many of us moved to Highland. We moved here because we loved the fact that our township is filled with rolling pastures, horse ranches and beautiful undeveloped parkland. It is special because we still see turkeys strutting through our yards and deer crossing our backroads.
I think we should welcome more bike trails connecting to existing trails and I love the idea of horse trails and hiking paths snaking through our parks. But what we don't need is to open up our master plan to changes that would encourage more development or an influx of business and commerce. Highland does not need to become another White Lake. I would be concerned if we started to head down the route Hartland has with its big box stores crowding out the hometown mom and pop type establishments.
Let's keep Highland rural and sleepy. As we start dialogue and meetings in the township about the direction we are headed, please speak out and let your voice be heard.
Unfortunately Katheryn, but with these gigantic BIKE Pathway Plans and the DNRs Plans along with local counties and Communities, comes everything Highland does not wish. And so does many other Communities. read the latest DNR/MSTAC Trails Report and see that in a 150 page report there is absolutely no considerations for Natural Resources or Nature in their Report. Just businesses growing, Fake Land values rising and economic growth. All these things are the new focus of our DNR and the Communities they convince to jump onto their BIKE Pathway bandwagon. Here is a Link to both that Report and a Survey. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-39002_56382—,00.html Do not be fooled by these BIKE Pathways. What started as a good idea has turned into a HUGE mistake and nothing more then funding schemes for a few Non Profit groups led by the Greenway Alliance and the DNR. The DNR just donated over $300,000 to Shelby Twp. Parks & Recreation to pave a small Trail through the largest Great Blue heron nesting site in Southeastern Michigan. There where no studies done on the environmental impact or Natural Resources effects. But there are Books of info on how local businesses will prosper and everyone will make money by installing the new paved BIKE Pathway through the Nature area and Heron Nesting site. Even though this kind of Pathways destroyed the Heronry in West Bloomfield many year ago, our DNR went right ahead and pushed to get their new paved interconnecting BIKE Pathway installed. What you have done with the Highland Conservancy has just been OUTSTANDING all these years. But you now face a foe like no other. The DNR and their MONEY. The money that comes from the support of the PASSPORT system. A system that most Michiganders believed would be improving our Parks and Natural resources, but in reality are mostly destined for new Linear BIKE Pathways. Keep up the good work. It will get very hard to do so now.
Posted by: Havenhillproject.wordpress.com | January 21, 2013 at 07:41 PM