By Maggie LaNoue
Contributing Writer
What should Albion look like 10 years from now?
That question brought together about a dozen people at the Ludington Center on July 27 to begin updating the city’s Comprehensive Plan and Housing Assessment. The group spent the afternoon brainstorming ideas about the city’s future before any recommendations are written.
Those present included City Manager Sheryl Theriot; council members Jim Stuart, Lenn Reid and Vivian Davis; Tom Hunsdorfer, a member of the Albion Planning Commission; Debbie Kelly, Albion Economic Development Corp. president and CEO; Amy Rose Robinson of the Calhoun County Land Bank; and McKenna Associates planners Lauren Sayre, Alexis Farrell and Paige Smith.
Rather than presenting a finished plan, the McKenna team led discussions about Albion’s strengths, challenges and opportunities. Housing, neighborhoods, transportation, parks, economic development, public engagement and quality of life were among the topics.
A comprehensive plan is a community’s long-range guide for growth and development. Updated about every five years, it helps guide decisions by the Planning Commission and City Council on housing, land use, transportation, infrastructure, parks and other issues.
Theriot described it as “the overall vision and development plan for the city.” She said the current plan was extended for one year to allow time for the update and a comprehensive housing assessment before a new five-year plan is adopted.
Hunsdorfer encouraged participants to think beyond today’s projects. “What is Albion going to look like 10 to 12 years from now?” he asked. “What do we need to do now so that Albion is a viable community? … I don’t ever recall painting a picture of what we’re going to be.”
Theriot said she wants the finished document to be practical. “In my mind, success looks like something that’s actionable,” she said, adding that the process should identify barriers to success rather than produce another “pie-in-the-sky” report that sits on a shelf.
Sayre, who is leading McKenna’s planning work in Albion, said the firm shares that goal. “You mentioned wanting an actionable plan, and we’re totally behind that,” she said. “We don’t want this to be something that is unattainable.” She also asked participants how well the previous plan had served the community and whether it had been difficult to implement.
Council members added ideas of their own. Stuart pointed to walking as one of Albion’s underappreciated assets; Davis raised Kellogg Community College’s industrial arts program while discussing higher education; and Reid brought up community gardens combining education with a practical, edible result. Robinson mentioned new work by the Calhoun County Land Bank in Albion.
Housing emerged as a central theme. Participants discussed housing choices, neighborhood investment, workforce development and barriers that can discourage redevelopment. The housing assessment being prepared with the plan will examine current conditions and future needs.
McKenna will also review more than a dozen existing plans and studies while gathering information about housing, infrastructure, redevelopment opportunities, sidewalks, trees, utilities and other community conditions.
Among those documents is the 2022-26 Comprehensive Plan, prepared by Beckett & Raeder and adopted in September 2022. It won the Michigan Association of Planning’s 2023 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan, with jurors noting its emphasis on community engagement. The current discussion is not starting over, but is asking how an award-winning plan can become a new plan that is more focused and easier to put into action.
Linda LaNoue, a former City Council member who served on the steering committee for the 2022 plan, said implementation needs accountability, including regular updates and shared measures of success. She also noted that comprehensive plan priorities can help shape future grant applications.
The new planning work also begins at a time when signs of investment and redevelopment are visible around Albion. The Hayes Block at 106 E. Erie St., owned by Hayes Block LLC, has been restored for apartments. Other Dobbins-related redevelopment projects are underway in downtown Albion as well. The Calhoun County Land Bank has expanded its work in Albion, including construction of its first new home built from scratch in the city. Developers are also pursuing conversions of the former Washington Gardner and Austin school buildings into housing.
At Cass and Superior streets, a fence now surrounds nine long-vacant buildings at 101-119 S. Superior St. County and state records identify Albion Reinvestment Corp. as the property owner and developer; state project records identify Samuel Shaheen as the contact for the redevelopment. The work is another highly visible example of plans moving toward physical change downtown.
The kickoff meeting also focused on hearing from residents who may never attend a City Hall meeting. McKenna’s proposed engagement strategy includes online surveys, public workshops, focus groups, stakeholder interviews and outreach at community events.
Residents are likely to see the planning team at Festival of the Forks and possibly other events over the coming months. Taking a few minutes to answer survey questions or speak with planners can help ensure recommendations reflect a broad cross-section of the community.
The Albion Planning Commission will review the work as it develops before recommendations go to the City Council.
City Council approved a $67,909.80 professional services agreement with McKenna Associates in July for the comprehensive plan update and housing assessment. A pending $50,000 Michigan Economic Development Corp. Technical Assistance Grant is expected to cover most of the cost, with the city providing the remaining local share.
The process is expected to continue through public outreach and drafting into 2027, with Planning Commission review and City Council consideration anticipated in the spring. The ideas residents contribute along the way will help shape a plan intended to guide many of Albion’s decisions for the next five years.
