Boyne City has a successful downtown and it is a community that embraces its cultural resources, from history to art. It also has beautiful natural resources, most notably Lake Charlevoix. However, community leaders identified further room for improvement in linking these assets and creating more usable public space along the lakefront. To that end, they requested technical assistance from the Michigan Municipal League and Michigan State University School of Planning, Design, and Construction to assist in creating “a vision for an under realized and disconnected waterfront area that will engage audiences and create unique,  memorable, and welcoming experiences for residents and visitors alike.”
The League worked with City leaders to create a local steering committee that represents a cross-section of residents, business owners and
non-profit organizations. The steering committee subsequently led the creation of the Boyne on the Water project brand and a communications and engagement effort that used creative approaches to solicit participation from the community. Community input then drove the development of a design vision for the waterfront by MSU faculty and students.
The final PlacePlan is both a vision for improving Boyne City’s waterfront public space and a placemaking strategy to improve on the success of the downtown. It includes a conceptual design for four distinct properties and connections between them, recommendations for policy updates that can support the design and a discussion of funding opportunities.
In the news!
Boyne on the Water Plans Improvements for Boyne City Waterfront – March 10, 2016, 9&10 News
Changes in the works for Boyne City’s waterfront – July 21, 2015, 9&10 News
Waves of waterfront wishes – July 21, 2015, petoskeynews.com
Boyne City residents view waterfront plans – July 21, 2015, Up North Live
New northern Michigan towns will have PlacePlans – Feb. 7, 2015, Northern Michigan’s Second Wave
Boyne City lands grant to create waterfront plan – Feb. 6, 2015, petoskynews.com
7 Michigan cities get ‘placemaking’ assistance to help communities thrive – Feb. 5, 2015, Mlive