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City council meeting

monday,  january 17, 2022

agenda & action memo

public NOTICE


The City of Fremont has adopted Ordinance O-22-01 adding Article II:  “LOCAL OFFICERS’ COMPENSATION COMMISSION” to the City Code of Ordinances.  This Commission will consist of registered electors of the City who shall determine the salaries of the Mayor and Members of the Council.  to see the ordinance, click this link.

​COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS!

Fremont community Joint planning commission, which includes the city of fremont, dayton township and sheridan charter township, is currently working on updating/rewriting the fremont community joint comprehensive and growth management plan (joint master plan).  the master plan is a long​-range document and policy guide designed to help communities create a vision of what they want to look like in the future.  master plans help guide communities in their decisions on land use/preservation, growth management, development, and redevelopment.  as required by the state of michigan, every five years the master plan must be reviewed and updated as necessary.  as part of this five year update, the joint planning commission asked residents to assist in the planning process by taking part in a community-wide survey.  the following link shows the results of the survey.                                   2021 community survey results.

FREMONT HOUSING MARKET STUDY (OCT 2021)
​THE CITY OF FREMONT RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT TO FUND A FULL-ANALYSIS OF THE HOUSING MARKET IN FREMONT AND THE SURROUNDING AREA.  THE STUDY CONFIRMS RESULTS FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES PERFORMED OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS, SHOWING THE NEED FOR BOTH HOME-OWNER DWELLINGS AS WELL AS RENTALS IN THE FORM OF APARTMENTS AND SENIOR DWELLING.  THE CITY WILL CONTINUE TO PLAN AND COLLABORATE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESIDENTIAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY UNTIL THAT NEED IS MET.  THE FOLLOWING LINK ENTAILS THE STUDY RESULTS.    FREMONT HOUSING MARKET STUDY
POSITION PAPER - WEAVER STREET - 12/20/21
For the  past two years, the City has been working with property owners of vacant buildable parcels and local developers, hoping to stimulate new housing opportunities in Fremont.  Since there has been a significant shortage of available rental and owner-occupied dwelllings for the past several years, the City had a housing market study performed for the Fremont community and surrounding area, which overwhelmingly confirmed what we suspected.

When Gerber Products officials requested the City evaluate closing a section of North Weaver Avenue, the City thoroughly considered their request.  Gerber Products' request included offering an exchange of vacant land (approximately 7 acres) they own along Weaver and 44th streets for $10,000.  The City , not only wanting to support its' largest employer and community partner for the past 75 years, recognized this as a potential opportunity to address the community's desire for a much-needed residential development.

Gerber representatives conveyed that having full control of the street section between the plant and warehouse would help improve the security and safety of employees and products.  They also confirmed that the new gate system will permit trucks to enter 24/7, thus eliminating the current issue with trucks parking along Weaver in front of the residential homes throughout the night.

For years, employers and community members have been expressing the need for more housing opportunities in Fremont; a residential development on this 7-acre lot will provide 30 or more new dwellings for the community, involving a mix of single and multi-family dwellings in the form of houses, condos, townhouses and apartments.

The City believes this land swap and project to be in the best interest of the City, it also acknowledges the additional traffic pressure on Division Avenue and Stone Road due to the closure of the portion of North Weaver Avenue.  To reduce some congestion, the City removed on-street parking along North Division Avenue and established three lanes to accommodate better uninterrupted 2-way traffic in front of Daisybrook Elementary.  The Police Department monitored traffic the first two weeks of school and confirmed less congestion and better flow after the first week.  The School's transition of parent drop-off at Daisybrook to Darling Avenue certainly helped as well.

There have been questions regarding the City's notice of this project; the City would like to clarify that timeline.  The City Council brought notice to the public following their August 2nd decision to consider the land-swap with Gerber Products.  School officials were notified the next day, Tuesday, August 3rd, and asked to meet with City representatives to discuss traffic accommodations three weeks before school was scheduled to start.  It wasn't till one week before school began that school officials requested a meeting to discuss the issue; the City was told by the school officials that there would be little effect to bussing changes.

Traffic congestion in front of Pathfinder and Daisybrook Elementary Schools is nothing new to this community; following construction of Pathfinder Elementary over 25 years ago, traffic issues at Pathfinder increased following the schools elimination of in-town student bussing over seven years ago.  The City is considering plans to widen 44th Street in front of Pathfinder Elementary and adding a turning lane for parents turning into the parent drop-off parking lot.

The Police Department is monitoring traffic speeds on Stone Road, and has already performed a traffic study confirming excessive traffic speed and plans to request the Newaygo County Road Commission consider reducing the speed limit back to 45 mph just north of town.  This will make the 44th Street/Stone Road intersection safer and easier for traffic turning off 44th Street on to Stone.  The City has also requested Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to adjust the Main/Stone traffic light to lengthen the green light time for Stone Road traffic.

When the City obtains ownership of the vacant parcel, we will then coordinate a public viewing and input session to help confirm a desired design of the development.  Once finalized a Request for Proposal (RFP) process will be completed to secure a development firm to construct a potential mix of single and multi-family residential housing as laid out in the final design.  

                              To see a map of the street closure, please click this link.