After hearing from League staff, the Senate Local, State, and Urban Affairs today passed two bills that deal with transit and land use. The bills, HB 5211 and 5212 sponsored by Rep. Donigan (D-Royal Oak), add provisions to the zoning and planning acts which specify that transit be included in the normal reviews of master plans and zoning plans.
The League has been very involved with these bills and several other similar bills. Transit is one of the 8 assets, and should be part of the normal review of land use policies. There are no new mandates, just additional things to look at when creating or reviewing these policies.
Sen. Van Woerkom (R-Muskegon) expressed that these bills are important because transit should be reviewed, and they are similar to the Complete Streets bills which the Senate passed unanimously. Sen. Allen (R-Alanson) also supported the bills, saying that they are a key component of transit review being done by local units of government.
The League worked closely with Rep. Donigan on the bills, and testified in support. An amendment was added to the planning bill because of language conflicts with the Complete Streets law, but it was just technical fixes.
Andy Schor is the Assistant Director of State Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. Contact him at (517) 908-0300 or by email at aschor@mml.org.
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