History of the NDGF Guidebook

The creation of the New Designs for Growth Development Guidebook, the current evolution of the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook, represents a continuation of efforts to demonstrate how development can occur while protecting natural resources. In the early 1990s, public recognition of the need for development that complements and protects the region’s unique beauty, diverse natural resources, and exceptional recreational opportunities prompted creation of the first edition of the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook. A public-private effort from its inception, the Guidebook provided townships in the five-county region (Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau) examples of development practices that would accommodate growth while maintaining and improving quality of life for residents for years to come. The effort of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce to inform local government officials of guidebook principles and implementation methods led to the formation of New Designs for Growth (NDFG). A decade later, community feedback revealed the need for an updated version of the Guidebook. The second edition built off principles in the first but was expanded to include protection and improvement of established and evolving urban centers. In 2000, following two years of hard work by the dedicated volunteers on the Chamber’s New Designs for Growth Guidebook Revision Subcommittee, a revised edition was issued.

In 2005, responding to intensified community desire for developments that enhance existing settlements and protect valuable natural resources, New Designs for Growth retained R. Clark Associates, Inc. to lead concerned citizens and area officials in the revision of the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook. Input from a broad spectrum of community members shaped this revision: over eighteen months of focus groups and information gathering sessions provided a solid base of public and private sector input, as well as a survey of over a thousand elected and appointed government representatives in the five-county region and results of the Vision in GTC and L.E.A.M. studies. The RCAI team worked closely with a content advisory committee to ensure the Guidebook reflects the region’s diverse needs. The New Designs for Growth Development Guidebook includes proactive approaches to development in the region, and the techniques are applicable to both new development and to redevelopment projects. The Guidebook demonstrates how thoughtful, quality design can improve our rural, suburban, and urban environments by creating sustainable developments of economic value that protect our natural resources.