Township confirms master plan update
By Kevin Elliott
The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees on Monday, November 14, approved the confirmation of the township’s 20-year-master plan, through 2027.
The master plan serves as the guide for all future growth and development in the township. Ultimately, the master plan is the document that guides all zoning maps and zoning ordinances in the township to meet stated goals and objectives. The current master plan was approved in 2007, and is expected to be updated again in 2027.
“It is a 20-year master plan, so when it was adopted in 2007, it was an update to the 1991 Master Plan,” said Bloomfield Township Director of Planning Patti Voelker. “The reference to the date is just the date of adoption. We are charged with this whole process of reaffirming and re-evaluating those goals and objectives every five years to make sure they are current and relevant.
“At the end of this next five years, that will be a discussion that the township board will have in wanting to proceed with a course of action to be able to proceed with a master plan study, which we would likely be hiring a planning consultant to assist us with the process. It is a 12 to 14-month process, where you’re engaging the community with a variety of topics and opportunities for meetings with the various stakeholders, all culminating into a final document.”
The current update to the master plan essentially reaffirms the current plan, and its goals and objectives are in alignment with the township’s long-range vision.
Voelker said a review of the plan shows it has been and remains consistent. The last update, in 2018, called for some minor amendments regarding housing and commercial development at Squirrel Road and South Boulevard, which has since been developed in accordance with the master plan. Overall, she said zoning changes and developments have supported the spirit of the master plan.
Voelker said the township planning board reviewed the master plan update, as well as the 14 zoning requests that were made over the past five years since the last update. She said all of the requests have been consistent with the plan.
The update and plan was unanimously approved by the board, with treasurer Brian Kepes and trustee Neal Barnett absent.
