GARFIELD TOWNSHIP: Cuttings broke Kids Creek buffer requirement

Aug. 31—TRAVERSE CITY — Two businesses along a busy Garfield Township corridor will restore brush along Kids Creek that was cleared in violation of a zoning ordinance.

John Sych, Garfield Township's planning director, said landscapers cleared along the stream in front of Fox Motors' new commercial truck center, and the future site of WellNow Urgent Care. Zoning rules prevent clear-cutting within 35 feet of a stream bank and require a buffer strip of native trees, shrubs and other vegetation.

Trimming is allowed in limited instances, but these cuttings went beyond that, Sych said.

"They had a little overzealous landscaping service companies that went in there and removed some of the vegetation beyond what was allowed," he said.

Mike Green, the township's zoning enforcement officer, chalked up both instances up to a misunderstanding, and said that both Fox Grand Traverse and the landowner renting to WellNow Urgent Care are willing to restore the buffer strips.

Site plans show a buffer zone in front of Fox Motors' commercial truck center, Fox Grand Traverse General Manager Tom Gordon said.

"We didn't invade that, we didn't alter the buffer zone but essentially we just asked our landscaping company to scale that back so we could actually see the facility from the road," he said. "Maybe we got a little too aggressive to the degree by which we trimmed it down."

Gordon said company representatives walked through the site with township officials recently, aiming to get a better understanding of what kind of trimming is allowed.

A message was left Wednesday for the owner of the property where WellNow Urgent Care will be a tenant.

The branch of Kids Creek that snakes along U.S. 31 passes in front of several businesses nearby, and conditions on its banks vary greatly.

A few stretches are hardly visible through joe-pye weed, viburnum bushes, riverbank grapevine and goldenrod. Bees and other pollinators buzzed through the flowers one recent afternoon and a few monarch butterflies fed at the joe-pye weed. Finger-long brook trout darted through the water where it could be seen.

Other stretches were all grass, save a few sprigs of spearmint.

Sych acknowledged it's a challenging spot for the creek since there are so many driveways, signs and business owners who want good visibility from the road. And some places have site plans that predate the vegetative buffer requirement, so it can't be enforced there unless the property owner makes a change that requires updating the site plan.

One new business that got the riparian buffer idea right was Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, Sych said. He pointed to the trees, shrubs and wildflowers as an example of how businesses can strike a balance between good visibility and protecting the creek.

These buffers are so important for many reasons: First, because of the shade they help provide, said Heather Smith, baykeeper for The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. That helps keep water temperatures down, which is critical for fish like brook trout.

Streamside buffers also have deep roots that hold soil in place to slow erosion, as well as slowing and absorbing storm runoff. They'll also drop woody debris, leaf litter and other organic matter that helps in-stream habitat while providing habitat on land as well.

"When we see trimming along riparian buffers, that's not necessarily of concern, but when a riparian buffer is completely clear-cut and all the plants are removed, that's when we have concerns with water quality and habitat impacts," she said.

Kids Creek has been the subject of extensive restoration efforts, with The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay landing millions in grants over several years to help a stream that's listed on the state's list of impaired waters.

Sych said Garfield Township will notify neighboring property owners along Kid Creek about vegetative buffer requirements. The goal where that buffer was cut is to bring property owners into compliance and, in both recent cases, the owners are cooperating with the township.

"Fortunately, this is something that can be rectified and restored, so we're just kind of going through that process," he said.