WHEREAS, since 2010, Pittsfield Township has been implementing improvements to its primary corridors through resurfacing; safety medians, street lighting, addressing capacity, road diets; installation of multimodal amenities such as greenway, bike lanes, sidewalks, transit, and mid-block crossings; and, most recently, installation of green infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, this consistent, focused, and diligent approach of the past decade has placed Pittsfield Township as a leader within suburban communities retrofitting their infrastructure to promote not just multimodality but sustainable transportation in an ongoing effort to reduce carbon emissions; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved adoption of Resolution #21-11 (Resolution to Request the Michigan Department of Transportation to Designate Paved Shoulders as Multi-use Pathways as Part of the 2022 Michigan Avenue Reconstruction Project) on February 10, 2021; and 

WHEREAS, since the adoption of that resolution, about six months ago, we have been working with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to revise the cross-section, as outlined in Resolution #21-11, to provide for the conversion of paved shoulders to multi-use pathways; and 

WHEREAS, Resolution #21-11 was introduced because of the continued top prioritization, since we began collecting public feedback through forums/design charrettes/surveys in 2009, by Pittsfield residents to expand non-motorized amenities, most recently as evidenced in the feedback from the four (4) Preservation Forums hosted in January 2020 (Pittsfield-mi.gov/sustainability); and 

WHEREAS, the attached cross-section agreed to and approved by MDOT does, in fact, comply with the Township’s request thereby significantly expanding Pittsfield’s multi-modal network into the south side of our community and along a corridor that supports manufactured housing neighborhoods, apartments, and other multi-unit housing types allowing for not just walking/biking but more expansive transit options; and

WHEREAS, this expansion of Pittsfield’s non-motorized and multi-modal network will allow hundreds of thousands of Township and area residents to rely on multi-use pathways for not just recreational use but also for, among other things, better access to jobs, health care, and daily amenities thereby much more seamlessly integrating multi-modality into Pittsfield Township’s transportation network; 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Pittsfield Charter Township Board of Trustees supports the attached 10’ multi-use pathway cross-section and agrees to both the elimination of the paved shoulders and inclusion of this pathway into its existing non-motorized maintenance plan.