The Boardman River Revitalization

Abstract

Traverse City’s development as an economic hub for northern Michigan was largely centered around the Boardman River. Historically, the river has served as an artery for the transportation of people, timber and other goods. The relative ease of movement through this area prompted steady settlement and development during the 19th and 20th centuries. Without the Boardman River, Traverse City would be a very different place. Despite its role in defining the trajectory of much of Traverse City’s past, the Boardman River’s place within the fabric of Traverse City today is not well defined. Through much of the city’s downtown core the river is heavily engineered and lined with parking lots, other paved areas, forgotten spaces behind buildings and informal camps. Along with a diminished community recognition of the Boardman as a valuable resource, the river faces a variety of environmental challenges, including stormwater flows carrying sediment and other pollutants, bank erosion, the degradation of aquatic habitat and the introduction of invasive species. Although the city has recognized that the time has come to reintegrate the river into the city, there is a need for a comprehensive plan articulating how to accomplish this. Such a plan needs to approach the river’s urban corridor as a coherent whole, creating a highly legible and connected riverfront that is well integrated into the city. A plan must respond to the changing aesthetic and character of the river banks as it flows through different neighborhoods, as well as current conditions and proposed future developments. The Boardman River Plan does just this. The Boardman River Plan strives to expose the river as a defining characteristic of the City of Traverse City, incorporating ecological and social recommendations for elevating it to its rightful place of prominence within the community and the city’s physical makeup and improving habitat, water quality, and bank stability. To accomplish this, the Plan begins at the full city scale to address widespread issues and provide general recommendations appropriate throughout the river’s course. The Plan then zeros in on key areas, offering site-specific recommendations aimed at realizing opportunities and tackling problems discovered during an in-depth process of site analysis. Through these steps, the Boardman River Plan provides a conceptual framework that defines the river as an integral part of the city and supports individual riverfront development projects as part of an ambitious vision for the future of the Boardman River in Traverse City.