2021 Survey of Resort Township Residents
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2021 Survey of Resort Township Residents
The Resort Township Planning Commission conducted this survey to get the views of Township
residents on issues that affect the quality of life in our Township. The Township’s Parks and
Recreation Committee recently conducted a survey related to its scope of responsibilities,
however, the last comprehensive survey of citizen opinion in the Township was conducted in
2010. Responses to this survey will guide updates to the Township’s Master Plan, as well as
ongoing actions the Planning Commission recommends and decisions it makes regarding the
Zoning Ordinance. The Township’s Board of Trustees will also use the survey results to inform
its actions.
The survey was developed by the Township Planning Commission in 2020. With the assistance
of Richard Deuell, Planning Consultant, the survey instrument was completed. The survey was
posted on the Survey Monkey website and printed copies were made available at the Township
Hall. A notice was inserted in the winter tax bill with approximately 2,000 landowners being
contacted. There were 415 surveys completed (28 dropped off and 387 online).
Profile of Survey Respondents
Ownership and Residency
When asked to select the property type they own, largest group was waterfront landowners
with 37% of the total responses. Thirty‐three percent selected subdivision residential and 24%
chose rural residential. As would be expected 5% of the responses were farmland owners. The
low number selecting Bay Harbor (only three) is likely attributed to people selecting waterfront
or subdivision instead of Bay Harbor. As mentioned previously, while 37% of the survey
respondents were waterfront landowners, a review of current parcel data found approximately
19% of the parcels, including Bay Harbor, are waterfront.
Year‐round resident homeowners accounted for 78% and seasonal residents 20% of the survey
responses. This is similar to the percent of year‐round and seasonal housing units in the US
Census data. Peak months for seasonal residency are June, July and August. May, September
and October also have higher usage. One third of the survey respondents have owned property
in the Township for more than 30 years and nearly 70 percent have owned their property for 11
or more years.
Please classify your residency in Resort Township:
Answer Choices Responses
Year‐round Resident – Homeowner 78%
Year‐round Resident – Renter 0%
Seasonal Resident ‐ Primary Residence in Another Community 20%
None of the Above 2%
1Which best describes your property in Resort Township?
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Waterfront Farmland Rural Residential Subdivision Bay Harbor
Residential
Months seasonal residents typically reside in Resort Township.
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
2How long have you lived in Resort Township, part‐time, full‐time, and/or
owned property?
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Do not 0‐4 years 5‐10 years 11‐20 years 21‐30 years More than 30
live/own years
property in
Township
Age and Household Information
Sixty‐seven percent of the survey respondents were 60 How many people regularly live
years and older. The high percentage of persons 60 years in your household?
would account for 61% of those surveyed being two Answer Choices Responses
person households and 49% were retired. Only 17% of 1 8%
the households have children 17 years and younger. 2 61%
3‐4 28%
Seems somewhat skewed towards the older segment of More than 4 3%
the Resort Township year‐round and seasonal population. The US Census, while not a direct
comparison, has information on the year‐round population. The 2019 American Community
Survey shows 29% of the population was 60 years and older; the average household size was
2.7 persons; and 37% of the households have someone 65 years and older. Of the 168
respondents that are employed, 107 or 64% listed the Petoskey zip code as the location of their
job.
Employment Status
Answer Choices Responses
Retired 49%
What category is your age?
Answer Choices Responses
Not working 9%
Under 20 Years Old 0%
Employed 42%
20‐29 Years 0.5%
How many children age 17 or 30‐39 Years 6%
younger live in your household? 40‐49 Years 12%
Answer Choices Responses 50‐59 Years 15%
0 83% 60‐69 Years 39%
1 7% 70‐79 Years 21%
2 9% 80 Years or Older 6%
3 or More 0.7%
3Community Planning and Development
The first question was designed to evaluate citizens’ preferences towards planning and future
development. As shown in the table below, the survey found a clear majority (71%) support a
policy of Planned and Limited Growth.
Preferences Towards Future Development
Answer Choices Responses
Allow planned and limited growth 71%
Let growth take its course 10%
Encourage residential and/or commercial growth 9%
Discourage all new growth 9%
No Opinion / Don't Know 0.5 %
Land Use and the Environment
The land use and environment question measures interest in protecting farmland and open
space, and securing additional lands for parks and waterfront access. The results show a high
level of support for protecting farmland and open space. The combined “strongly agree” and
“agree” selections was 84% and higher for: The rural character of Resort Township should be
preserved; Viewscapes in Resort Township should be preserved; Active farmlands are important
community assets in Resort Township; and Areas of open space are important community assets
in Resort Township. There is community support to acquire additional property for parks with
60% selecting either strongly agree or agree.
Land Use and the Environment Strongly Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Agree Disagree
Farmland should be preserved in Resort Township 43% 36% 17% 4% 0.2%
The rural character of Resort Township should be 51% 33% 12% 3% 0%
preserved
Viewscapes in Resort Township should be preserved 60% 29% 8% 3% 0%
Undeveloped land should be protected and/or preserved 37% 33% 19% 9% 2%
Active farmlands are important community assets in 54% 32% 11% 3% 0.2%
Resort Township
Areas of open space are important community assets in 60% 30% 9% 2% 0%
Resort Township
It is important to slow the conversion of Township 44% 28% 18% 8% 1%
farmland to development
The Township should work to secure additional property 30% 30% 23% 12% 5%
as parks
The Township should work to secure additional 26% 24% 19% 17% 13%
waterfront property for public access
Fifty percent of the respondents strongly agree or agree with the township acquiring more
waterfront property. This response warrants digging deeper into the data. Waterfront property
owners showed little support for acquiring waterfront property for public parks (strongly agree
and agree = 16.4%). Whereas the support for acquiring waterfront parkland for non‐waterfront
landowners was very high (71.8%). The difference between waterfront and non‐waterfront
4owners was 55.4%. Another consideration would be, while 37% of the survey respondents were
waterfront landowners, a review of current parcel data found approximately 19% of the
parcels, including Bay Harbor, are waterfront. Given the higher percentage of respondents who
are waterfront owners, the township should consider giving more weight to the non‐waterfront
owners when considering acquisition of waterfront property for parks.
Farmland and Open Space
Farmland and open spaces are two key elements of Resort Township’s community character.
Like other rural communities, large open spaces are cherished by many, but owned by a few.
The Township recognized the importance of protecting farmland and open space. In 2010, the
Township Board of Trustees approved a Farmland and Open Space Preservation Ordinance and
voted to provide $300,000 for the purchase of development rights to achieve the purposes of
this Ordinance. To date, the Resort Township Planning Commission has worked closely with
Little Traverse Conservancy and the Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy to conduct
appraisals on six properties and successfully preserve one farm under this program.
The survey inquired into the reasons why farmland and open space should be preserved. Nearly
84% felt it is important to keep active farming a part of their community and 78% support
retention of farmland to promote the growth of more local food and other farm products. A
lower percentage of surveys were concerned with farm ownership transfers, since only 5% of
the respondents identified as owning farmland, this is to be expected.
Reasons Farmland Should Be Preserved
100.00%
80.00%
83.75%
78.25%
60.00% 71.00%
65.00%
40.00% 47.50%
20.00%
0.00%
Preserve beauty/viewscapes
To facilitate farm ownership transfers
Keep active farming a part of our community
Promote the growth of more local food and other farm products
Protect the environment
Just over 75% support the continuation of the Township’s Farmland and Open Space
Preservation Ordinance and efforts to purchase development rights. Sixty‐two percent (62%) of
5the respondents support expanding funding to enable the Township to protect additional
farmland and/or open space properties once the current funding has been fully used. There
were 33 landowners that expressed interest in using the program sometime in the future.
Support continuation of the program Support expanding the funding
Response Percent Response Percent
Yes 75% Yes 62%
No 11% No 24%
No Opinion 13% No Opinion 14%
Surface and Groundwater Protection
Resort Township has long supported protection of surface and ground water. To determine the
support of water quality protection measures, the survey asked people to prioritize the need to
regulate waterfront greenbelts and require septic system inspections at time of transfer. The
chart below shows a majority respondents consider regulations for greenbelts and septic
system inspection to be high or medium priority. Respondents that own waterfront property
consider regulations to protect waterfront greenbelts important with 64 percent choosing high
priority and 24 percent medium priority. A similar relationship was found for septic system
inspections. For waterfront owners, the combined high and medium priority percentages were
a few percentage points above the township as a whole for both questions.
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00% High Priority
Medium Priority
30.00%
Low Priority
20.00% Not a Priority
Neutral/No Opinion
10.00%
0.00%
Waterfront Greenbelts or Other Septic System Inspection at Time
Shoreline Protections for Water of Transfer to Protect Water
Quality Quality
6Accessory Event Centers
Several farms, wineries, and other properties in Emmet County have created facilities for
weddings, family reunions, and other similar events in barns or other buildings. These are
frequently known as “accessory event centers.” The Planning Commission has discussed
regulation of these facilities and would like to determine if residents consider it a priority. As
seen below nearly 60 percent of the respondents consider it a high or medium priority to
regulate accessory event centers.
Regulation of Accessory Event Centers
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
High priority Medium priority Low priority Not a priority Neutral/No
Opinion
Public Services and Facilities
The following table displays the results of a question concerning satisfaction with public
services and facilities. Many of the public services had very high satisfaction rates of 80% and
higher. Zoning enforcement and road maintenance had lower satisfaction rates of 41% and 57%
respectively and relatively higher dissatisfied percentages.
Public Services and Facilities Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied
Emergency Medical Services 82% 18% 0%
Fire Protection 84% 15% 2%
Law Enforcement 77% 20% 3%
Zoning Enforcement 41% 41% 18%
Road Maintenance 57% 24% 19%
High Speed Internet 63% 25% 12%
Trash Collection 80% 14% 5%
School Bus 62% 37% 1%
Annual Roadside Spring Clean‐Up 84% 11% 5%
Yard Waste Recycling Center 77% 21% 2%
Parks and Other Recreational Opportunities 84% 13% 3%
Petoskey District Library 81% 15% 4%
7Concerns and Issues
The survey investigated areas of concern associated with quality of life. The below table shows
high taxes as the number one issue, followed by limited affordable housing choices, lack of
access to public transit, availability of senior housing, and road conditions and maintenance. A
breakdown of areas of concern by ownership shows differences in issue levels, especially
between waterfront ownership and other ownership types. For example, limited affordable
housing choices and availability of senior housing are much lower for waterfront owners.
Another concern with differences between ownership types is high taxes. Some 52% of
waterfront owners consider taxes a major issue and farmland had 29% who considered high
taxes a major issue. This scenario is common in northern Michigan communities where
waterfront residential properties, acre for acre and foot for foot, are the most valuable
properties in the township. In Resort Township, Walloon Lake and Bay Harbor waterfront
properties have some of the highest property values in the region.
The survey provided an opportunity for respondents to write their comments and concerns.
The 131 comments can be found in the appendix.
Areas of Concern Major Moderate Minor Not an Neutral/No
Issue Issue Issue Issue Opinion
High Speed Internet 8% 21% 13% 48% 9%
Zoning Enforcement 9% 19% 19% 26% 28%
Road Conditions and Maintenance 12% 24% 26% 34% 4%
Limited Affordable Housing Choices 23% 16% 13% 22% 25%
Availability of Senior Housing 14% 15% 16% 21% 34%
Lack of Access to Public Transit 14% 18% 16% 32% 20%
Junk/Trash/Blight 8% 23% 28% 34% 7%
Nuisance from Vacation Rentals 8% 14% 19% 44% 15%
High Taxes 31% 24% 22% 20% 4%
Fireworks 10% 14% 23% 47% 6%
Major Issue Waterfront Subdivision Rural Farmland
Areas of Concern Residential Residential
High Speed Internet 10% 7% 7% 5%
Zoning Enforcement 11% 5% 9% 5%
Road Conditions and Maintenance 13% 10% 13% 19%
Limited Affordable Housing Choices 9% 25% 43% 38%
Availability of Senior Housing 5% 15% 24% 29%
Lack of Access to Public Transit 12% 16% 15% 19%
Junk/Trash/Blight 6% 7% 13% 10%
Nuisance from Vacation Rentals 12% 5% 4% 5%
High Taxes 52% 17% 16% 29%
Fireworks 12% 6% 10% 10%
8Little Traverse Wheelway
In the spring of 2020, a section of the Little Traverse Wheelway/bike path in Resort Township
between Magnus Park in Petoskey and Resort Township’s East Park collapsed due to erosion
caused by high Lake Michigan water levels. Resort Township collaborated with the City of
Petoskey and Emmet County to conduct a study of the options and costs of reconstructing this
portion of the Wheelway. That study estimated the costs of different reconstruction options to
be in the range of $5.3 million to $9.1 million. More recently, the Township, City and County
funded a separate contract to study options for re‐routing the bike path away from the steep
shoreline, the results of which are not yet available.
The survey had two questions associated with the Little Traverse Wheelway. When asked how
frequently the trail is used by family members, over 40 percent chose often and 25 percent use
the trail sometimes. When asked if Resort Township should contribute to the cost of repairs of
the Little Traverse Wheelway along the Lake Michigan shoreline between Magnus Park and East
Park, 64% support the action.
How frequently do you or family members use the Little Traverse
Wheelway/bike path?
45.00%
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Often (once/month Sometimes Rarely (once/year or Never
or more) less)
Do you believe that Resort Township should contribute to the cost of repairs of
the Little Traverse Wheelway/bike path along the Lake Michigan shoreline
between Magnus Park and East Park?
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Yes No Neutral/No Opinion
9Housing Needs
A series of questions were used to evaluate housing needs and concerns in Resort Township.
The first question concerned the type of housing needed in Resort Township. Forty‐two percent
selected “existing housing options are adequate” and 37% identified single‐family homes, while
35% chose affordable housing as a housing need. Rental units, condominiums, duplexes and
smaller housing options were all below 15%.
What type of housing (if any) is needed in Resort
Township?
Existing housing options are adequate
Affordable housing
Rental units
Condominiums
Senior living centers or communities
Accessory Dwelling Units
Duplexes
Smaller housing options (less than 720 sq.
ft.)
Single‐family homes
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Residential Development Patterns
The Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance are primary tools communities use to support planned
development. As new residential development occurs, Resort Township would like to know the
community’s preferences for the types of residential development patterns. Clustered lots with
designated conservation open space had the highest level of interest at 53%, followed by large
tract residential development at 48%. Around 41% preferred small lot residential development.
Multi‐family residential and condominiums have a much lower preference rating.
10As new residential development occurs, what types of development
patterns would you prefer?
Residential on large tracts 2 acres and larger
Residential on small tracts less than 2 acres
Multi‐family residential
Condominiums
Clustered lots with designated conservation
open space
Traditional subdivisions
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%
Reduce Minimum Size of Residential Units
Single‐family residences in Resort Township are presently required to be at least 720 square
feet in size, approximately the size of a 2‐car garage. Emmet County recently reduced the
minimum size of residences in parts of the County for which it controls zoning to 560 square
feet (except in the Scenic Resource zoning Reduce Minimum Size of Residential Units
district where it remains 720 square feet). Response Percent
When asked whether they believe this Yes 20%
minimum size should be reduced in Resort No 62%
Township, a clear majority 62 percent selected Neutral/No Opinion 17%
no, with 20 percent choosing yes and 17
percent neutral or no opinion. Farmland owners are more favorable for reducing minimum size
of residential units.
Reduce Minimum Size of Waterfront Subdivision Rural Farmland
Residential Units Residential Residential
Yes 13% 16% 35% 43%
No 65% 66% 53% 48%
Neutral/No Opinion 22% 17% 12% 10%
11Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are second small dwellings on the same grounds (or attached
to) a single‐family house, such as an apartment over the garage, a tiny house in the backyard,
or a basement apartment. They can allow seniors to “age in place” by providing options for
family members or care‐providers to live on site and/or for seniors to move into smaller
quarters on their current property, allow current residents to receive rental revenue from their
property to supplement their incomes, and expand housing choices to include smaller
residences than are currently available. If not properly regulated, they could also increase
traffic, noise, and parking‐related issues in residential neighborhoods, stress infrastructure
related to water supply and waste disposal, and in the waterfront zoning districts around
Walloon Lake, increase congestion, noise, and general use of the lake and its resources.
Accessory Dwelling Units are currently not permitted in Resort Township. The survey found
62% support rooms or apartments within principal residence. Apartments attached to principal
residence and detached residence spaces had somewhat lower support. Approximately, 21%
felt accessory dwelling units should not be allowed.
There were slight differences in levels of support between types of ownership. Support for
apartments, both within and attached to residences, were lower (around 10%) for waterfront
properties. However, support for detached residence space was a little higher for waterfront
properties.
Regulating Accessory Dwelling Units
Answer Choices Responses
When asked if Accessory Dwelling Units were
High priority 36%
permitted should these facilities to be regulated by
Medium priority 28%
Resort Township, 36% considered it a high priority.
Low priority 20%
The combined high and medium priority show 65%
Not a priority 12%
would be in favor of regulating ADUs if the Township
Neutral/No Opinion 3%
chooses to allow this land use.
Accessory Dwelling Units Waterfront Subdivision Rural Farmland
Residential Residential
Rooms or apartments within a 56% 66% 68% 67%
principal residence
Apartments attached to the principal 51% 55% 61% 67%
residence
Residential space detached from the 52% 43% 59% 48%
principal residence
Accessory Dwelling Units should not 24% 22% 16% 19%
be allowed
12Which of the following types of Accessory Dwelling Units do you believe
should be allowed?
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Rooms or apartments Apartments attached to Residential space Accessory Dwelling
within a principal the principal residence detached from the Units should not be
residence principal residence allowed
Short‐Term Rentals.
In many resort communities such as ours, residences are being converted to short‐term (less
than 30 days) rentals. For the Township as a whole, the survey found that nearly 14% consider
short term rental a major problem. A higher percentage of waterfront property owners (22%)
consider these uses a major problem compared to the township as a whole and all of the other
land use types. Township‐wide 34% considered short‐term rentals a minor problem, whereas
42% of waterfront landowners consider the use a minor problem. As to the need for regulating
short‐term rentals, 27% consider regulating short‐term rentals a high priority and 28% consider
it a medium priority.
Short‐Term Residential Rentals Township‐wide Regulating Short‐Term Rentals
Answer Choices Responses Answer Choices Responses
A major problem 14% High priority 27%
A minor problem 34% Medium priority 28%
Not a problem 38% Low priority 20%
Short‐term rentals should not be allowed 8% Not a priority 22%
Neutral/No Opinion 6% Neutral/No Opinion 3%
Short Term Residential Rental Waterfront Subdivision Rural Farmland
Residential Residential
A major problem 22% 14% 4% 5%
A minor problem 42% 29% 28% 29%
Not a problem 30% 39% 45% 57%
Short‐term rentals should not be 4% 9% 13% 10%
allowed
Neutral/No opinion 2% 9% 9% 0%
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