Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Using a city street map, former planning commission chairman John Turkal, explains to the commission how a three lane road would be set up if the city of Bessemer reduces their lanes from four to three. City Manager Charly Loper looks on.
By JEAN NORDINE
Bessemer - In the public comment portion of the Bessemer Planning Commission's regular meeting Wednesday, former planning commission chairman John Turkal used a Bessemer city street map to explain how the three lane highway should be set up if the city chooses to go that direction. Turkal also plans to attend Monday's public meeting with MDOT.
In other business as part of on-going training, City Manager Charly Loper presented a pamphlet called "3 Major Problems With Parking Minimums." The pamphlet states 1. They rob us of financial productivity and prosperity. 2. They hinder small business owners, homeowners, developers and renters. 3.They fill our cities with empty, useless space.
Although the city currently does not have a parking problem, Loper said with city growth, "I'm hoping we create a parking problem."
Loper presented a draft of a new Lighting Ordinance. All outdoor lighting in all use districts used to light the general area of a specific site shall be shielded to reduce glare and shall be so arranged as to reflect lights away from all adjacent roads or properties. The lighting shall be directed toward the ground area and cannot exceed 4800 lumens with some exceptions such as flagpoles, outdoor advertising displays, outdoor recreational facilities and others. For residential uses, any lamp type with output of 1000 lumens or more shall be fully shielded.
The commission also discussed the Brownfield program. A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.
Michigan has Brownfield Programs for cities to use to take care of their "brownfield" properties. The commission will begin to list properties in the city that fall under the brownfield description and see if there is available funds through the Brownfield programs, to clean up said properties.
