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City to discuss Heartwood Forestland, strategic plan on Monday

By JAYMIE DEPEW

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — The Marquette City Commission will have a back-to-back work session and regular meeting Monday where officials will discuss updates on the city’s strategic planning process and the Heartwood Forestland property, among other agenda items.

Marquette city officials are seeking requests for qualifications from developers interested in the Heartwood Forestland property, which has popular recreational trails located on parts of the land.

The solicitation is for parcels 9, 10, 11, 12 and 35 of the property that was purchased by the city for $5 million in 2005. The deadline for requests is set for June 15.

Several people at the commission’s May 29 meeting expressed their distress over potential development on the property, specifically Parcel 35, which consists of 20.39 acres of vacant forestland. That parcel was appraised in September at $153,000, and is zoned as a multi-family residential district. The property is adjacent to a regional recreation area that includes a hiking and bike trail system maintained by the Noquemanon Trail Network. The parcel is accessed off M-553 along the north side of Mount Marquette Road and is heavily tree-covered.

At its May 23 work session, the city commission began its strategic planning process where it discussed the potential for development of the former Cliffs-Dow industrial site along Lakeshore Boulevard, as well as how it might address lost tax revenues from the closing of the Presque Isle Power and Shiras Steam plants.

The Marquette City Charter states that a strategic plan must be submitted to the city commission within one year of being adopted so the plan can be used in preparation of the city’s annual budget. The charter also states that the strategic plan is to be updated every two years. The commission will continue going over a strategic plan on Monday.

The work session will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Marquette City Hall Commission Chambers, while the Heartwood Forestland property will be discussed at the commission’s regular meeting, which starts at 6 p.m.

Work sessions and commission meetings are open to the public and have designated times for anyone wishing to address the commission.

For more information about the work session or meeting, visit the city’s website at www.marquettemi.gov.

Jaymie Depew can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is jdepew@miningjournal.net.

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