Grand Traverse County unanimously approves Plante Moran RealPoint countywide facilities study

Grand Traverse County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement to advance a countywide facilities-location study with Plante Moran RealPoint, a national real estate consulting and program-management firm, on March 4–5, 2026. The action continues work tied to a $190,000 contract inked in December, and the Traverse City Commission has agreed to pay a portion of that contract fee and participate in the project.

The board authorized continued work with Plante Moran RealPoint but available records include a truncated authorization line that ends "under an ex," leaving the exact administrative phrase unclear in published materials. County officials say the study will be conducted in the coming months and is intended to shape where future county projects will land and how current county facilities will be used.

County leaders intend to be directly involved in planning conversations that flow from the study, and Traverse City officials will work closely with consultants and county staff to provide input and recommendations. The agreement authorizes consultants to analyze facility locations, operational needs and likely project sites across Grand Traverse County as part of the professional services scope attached to the contract.

Background materials supplied to the board point to an earlier Facilities Master Plan and related studies housed at the Grand Traverse County Document Center. Administration staff submitted Request for Board Action documents dated April 23, 2025, prepared and submitted by Chris Forsyth, Deputy County Administrator, that include two attachments titled Facilities Master Plan 1 Page Summary and Condensed FMP. Staff condensed the original report because commissioners had previously described the initial report as "very detailed and containing important information"; the original staff text references an "initial report of 498" but that reference is truncated in county files.

The Facilities Master Plan materials include preliminary cost ranges: a full campus estimate shown at $139M–$169M and a Boardman campus estimate shown at $32M–$45M. Those figures remain part of the baseline the county and consultants will use as they assess where renovations, consolidations or new construction may be needed.

Key scheduling and financial details remain to be clarified in forthcoming county releases: the December contract line does not specify a year in the materials provided to the board, and the exact dollar amount or percentage the Traverse City Commission is contributing was not listed. The county has said the full FMP and prior facilities studies are available for review through the Grand Traverse County Document Center, and the board expects consultant reports and recommendations to be posted or presented as the study progresses in the coming months.