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Other Recommendations: G. Transportation & concurrently as a means to unify trans-
portation and land uses along the lake.
Increase the visual "porosity" of Circulation
the shoreline (more places that allow at In terms of commercial transportation,
least a glimpse of the water.) Existing Conditions a number of deep draft berths can be
found at various scattered sites along
Implement streetscape and design The combination of Lakeshore/ Shore- the lake. The most heavily used among
program for the Lakeside commercial line Drives forms the principle trans- these is the dock at the CMS power
district. plant at the extreme northeastern edge
of the lake. This dock receives frequent
Provide incentives for animating shipments of coal to help fuel power
or softening the appearance of indus- plant operations. Running parallel to
trial facilities along the lake. Lakeshore/ Shoreline is one of the few
remaining active railroad corridors left
Preserve the industrial character in the City and operated by CSX Rail-
of the waterfront. Integrate new build- road.
ings/ uses that interface compatibly
with this character. Despite periodic plans to reestablish
portation spine of Muskegon Lake. Ma- cross-lake ferry service, water-born
Promote human-scaled, pedes- jor streets which feed into this system passenger transit has been dormant in
trian-oriented development along the are Laketon Avenue, Apple Avenue via Muskegon since the retirement of the
lake, and in downtown. Promote devel- Terrace Street, and U.S. Business 31. Milwaukee Clipper in the mid 1970s.
opment that seeks to create a visual The western leg of Shoreline Drive,
connection between downtown and the completed in the mid 1990s, serves as Lakeshore Drive
waterfront. the City's lakefront parkway, and has
been credited with increasing access Although the current "level of
and investment activity along the lake.
Major improvements to the area's
transportation infrastructure are pend-
ing completion of Shoreline Drive -
East, and the Lakeshore Trail bicycle
path. Both projects are being developed
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 24
service" of lakefront streets is consid- diverted from Muskegon and Webster routes be developed - or traffic demand
ered good to excellent, new housing Avenues. management measures implemented -
developments underway at Bluffton to relieve the burden of this route. Im-
Bay and along McCraken will likely While this will likely make the core provements to McCraken Street would
cause a noticeable increase in traffic on downtown more pedestrian friendly, it be a logical first step in attempting to
Lakeshore Drive (especially in the will accentuate the existing "divide" disperse traffic in this area.
summer months). If other proposed de- between downtown and the lakefront,
velopments materialize (such as at the unless steps are taken to mitigate this Other Recommendations:
present-day, MeKoff Dock), a further effect.
increase in traffic volume can be ex- Institute a "way-finding" system in
pected. Possible solutions include boldly downtown and along the primary routes
marked/ textured crosswalks at Third to Shoreline Drive (Apple, Laketon/
An area of current concern, is the heavy Street and Shoreline Drive, and at Sev- Seaway) designed to highlight the loca-
volume of truck traffic generated by enth and Shoreline. If future traffic tions of key downtown and waterfront
Sappi Paper, along Lakeshore Drive. volumes warrant, pedestrian bridges attractions.
Heavy shipment volumes and cramped and visual devices (i.e. pavers, boldly
conditions at the entrance to the mill, marked crosswalks etc.) intended to Develop the necessary transporta-
have resulted in frequent truck queues strengthen the physical connection be- tion and infrastructure needed for more
as trucks attempt to negotiate the mill's tween downtown and the waterfront fully developed port operations at the
gates. should be explored. desired location for such operations.
Recommendations: McCraken Corridor If future circumstances warrant,
develop an overpass at the
Unifying the Waterfront Clearly, one of the most pressing trans-
portation issues facing the City is the
The pending completion of Shoreline current traffic volumes on Lakeshore
Drive - East is widely viewed as a cata- Drive in Lakeside. With possible plant
lyst for redevelopment of major sec- expansions at Sappi and with new
tions of shoreline. One planning objec- residential developments at Bluffton
tive of the new road is for it to serve as Bay, along McCraken and at Harbour-
the new downtown segment of U.S. town, (and with more lakefront housing
Business 31; thus allowing traffic to be proposed under this plan) it is impor-
tant that alternative transportation
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 25
current junction of U.S. 31 and the which are encouraged along the lake Primary goals of such oversight are to
Causeway (Veteran's Memorial High- (i.e. restaurants, hotels, recreational fa- encourage a higher level of aesthetics,
way). cilities). preserve/ protect view-sheds, provide
public access, and promote environ-
Work to develop a staging area for Typical of most zoning schemes in ma- mentally sensitive design in exchange
a cross-lake ferry near downtown. ture urban areas, many aspects of the for greater site plan flexibility.
City's current zoning appear largely to
Work with Sappi officials to better affirm historic land uses, rather than Integral to an effective PUD program,
manage truck traffic volume on Lake- attempting to change them in any pro- is the adoption of specific design crite-
shore Drive. Options include: physical found way. Besides the aforemen- ria for all residential, waterfront ma-
modifications to entrance and unload- tioned W-2 and L-R, the major classi- rine, commercial and industrial zones
ing areas, as well as traffic flow man- fications include Industrial (I-2), Open along the lake. Design considerations
agement measures such as, restrictions/ Space Conservation (OSC), and Busi- should include:
prohibitions on truck arrivals/ depar- ness (B-2). Conspicuously absent, are
tures during commuting hours. most residential classifications al- Detached or recessed garages and
though most would be allowed in other carports (residential areas).
Further study the development of zones as a permitted or special use.
alternative route from Lakeshore Drive Maximum setbacks or "build-to"
to Sherman Blvd. Recommendations: lines (residential and commercial ar-
eas).
Lakefront P.U.D.
H. Zoning Maximum/ minimum residential
lot sizes (residential areas).
Existing Conditions In attempting to control the quality of
development in sensitive lakeside ar-
eas, a Planned Unit Development Discourage/ prohibit gated com-
With the exception of higher density (PUD) overlay zone is strongly sug- munities (residential areas).
residential areas, the City's existing gested along the entire lakeshore. PUD
lakeshore zoning includes almost every should not be construed as an addi-
zoning classification found within the tional layer of regulatory control, but
larger City. A few special designations rather as a way to encourage a superior
such as Lakefront Recreation (L-R) and level of design, responsive to the par-
"Waterfront Marine" (W-2) are used to ticular characteristics of a given site.
address the special types of land uses
Waterfront Redevelopment Sub-Plan 26