Traverse City Planners Preview Grand Traverse County Zoning Atlas, Corridor Tool

Traverse City planners were shown two interactive planning tools developed by Housing North that map where housing can be built across Grand Traverse County during a March 3, 2026 demonstration to the Traverse City Planning Commission. Staff walked commissioners through a county-level Zoning Atlas and a growth corridor mapping tool designed to translate local zoning regulations into a regional format and highlight areas capable of supporting higher-density development.

Housing North, described in project materials as a 10-county regional housing agency based in Traverse City, announced the Grand Traverse County work after piloting a regional atlas in the Grand Rapids area. The project has secured a recent $50,000 grant from the Milwaukee-based Brookby Foundation and funding approval of $40,000 from the Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corporation in August, according to project announcements. Kevin Endres, Chair of the GTEDC, said, “As our region continues to attract new residents, this second phase of the project is critical and will provide valuable data to communities that face continued development pressures. Communities will be able to utilize the Zoning Atlas and growth mapping to help identify the areas of the county that can support higher density development”.

The Zoning Atlas and corridor maps were previewed publicly at a Housing North and GTEDC open house on June 26, 2025, held from 2:30 to 4:00 PM at West Shore Bank’s Third Floor Community Space, 400 E. Eighth Street, Traverse City. DTE Energy sponsored refreshments for that event, and Housing North materials note the atlas is available online for public viewing. The project timeline also includes a Zoning Atlas introduction webinar on November 14, 2024.

Project materials cite the Grand Rapids Regional Atlas pilot as covering 85 local jurisdictions across Ottawa, Kent and Muskegon counties and producing headline findings that buildings with four or more units are legally allowed on less than 5 percent of land in the pilot area while single-family housing is permitted by right on more than 80 percent of residential land. The Zoning Atlas effort is positioned alongside national efforts to digitize zoning; the National Zoning Atlas has mapped zoning conditions for more than 33,000 jurisdictions.

Local zoning activity in Traverse City provides immediate policy context for the atlas. Commissioners recently introduced and approved an amendment to the R-2 Two-Family Dwelling District allowing up to four dwelling units per lot in a 4-3 vote; the measure affects 2.3 percent of the city’s zoned land and was scheduled for possible enactment on April 7. City Planner Shawn Winter said of that amendment, “This was done with the intention to allow any additional housing that is built to accommodate more dwelling units, to blend more harmoniously with the neighborhood character and not disrupt that,” Winter said.

Housing North and GTEDC staff emphasized to commissioners that the atlas and growth-corridor mapping are intended to guide community development decisions as the region grows, building on the Grand Rapids pilot and earlier public outreach. The March 3 demonstration marked a step toward integrating those county-level zoning translations into local planning conversations in Traverse City and Grand Traverse County.