Three Mile Road traffic will be detoured for several weeks at Parsons/Airport Access starting Friday while the state spends $1.9 million to redesign the Three Mile/US-31 intersection. Crews are also working further south in the Three Mile corridor near Hammond on preparations for a new Safe Routes to School trail and civic plaza breaking ground this year. In other East Bay Township news, planning commissioners this week approved plans for the Skegemog Raptor Center to open a new home on Rasho Road and discussed zoning rule updates for data centers.

Three Mile Work
Two separate projects are getting underway in the Three Mile Road corridor.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is planning to start a nearly three-month project on Friday, April 10 to redesign the Three Mile/US-31 intersection. Plans call for aligning the Traverse City State Park beach driveway with the northbound approach of the intersection, which “will improve traffic flow entering and exiting the beach day-use area parking lot,” according to MDOT. That was the “number one improvement or change” identified by stakeholders when the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created its management plan for the park in 2021, the state says.

The existing state park access drive will be closed down, with the new access drive aligned with the traffic signal. The intersection will also get a second westbound left-turn lane to help reduce congestion. New sidewalk will be installed on the north side of US-31 and connected to existing sidewalk in the state park area. A new sidewalk connection and crosswalk will also lead to the beach bath house. Improved ADA-compliant pedestrian crosswalk ramps will be installed at the intersection, which will receive a new modernized signal. An upgraded BATA stop is also planned.

Three Mile Road traffic will be detoured to Parsons Road and Airport Access Road for the majority of the work period for production speed and worker safety, according to MDOT. “Work will also require lane closures on US-31, pedestrian detours, and Traverse City State Park Beach access changes,” according to the state. The project has an estimated completion date of July 2. Crews have also been working nearby on US-31 to install a new traffic signal where the new campground entrance is planned to be located. That signal is expected to become fully active in late April, according to the DNR.
 
Further south, preparatory work has begun on a new Safe Routes to School Trail in the Three Mile/Hammond corridor and a civic plaza planned along the trail just east of the True North gas station. The project will add almost two miles of 10-foot-wide pathways along Three Mile and Hammond Roads where none currently exist, connecting Cherry Knoll Elementary School, East Middle School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Middle School, and Grand Traverse Academy to surrounding neighborhoods and commercial properties. Tree removal is happening now along the trail corridor and is expected to be finished next week, followed by stump removal through May 5. Trail construction is scheduled to begin in June, according to the township’s website.

Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner said at Tuesday’s planning commission meeting that a “robust landscaping plan” has been planned for the trail project, with a significant planting effort intended to offset the removed trees. In a Facebook post, TART Trails CEO Julie Clark said the larger trail project in the Three Mile corridor has been in the works “for over 20 years” and will help connect “over 4,000 students and thousands of residents to schools, parks, and new community spaces like the TCAPS fieldhouse and East Bay civic plaza.” The overall project is made possible by a collaboration between TART Trails, East Bay Township, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, and Norte, Clark said.

Skegemog Raptor Center
Skegemog Raptor Center received township approval this week to open a new headquarters at 651 Rasho Road. The center will be located on just over four acres of vacant agricultural land and will feature an educational center and clinic with flight pens and an open-air pavilion. The project plans allow for future expansion with additional flight pens and enclosures.

Executive Director James Manley said the project would be as “low impact as possible,” accommodating small groups for educational events but still focusing the majority of the nonprofit’s outreach out in the community. The organization currently has two bald eagles, two owls, and an American kestrel – though has helped rehabilitate hundreds of other birds – and needs room to meet growing demand, Manley said. The new center will likely break ground this fall or next spring.

Educators were enthusiastic about the project and thanked land owner Lewis Rasho for welcoming the center. Retired school teacher and volunteer MaryEllen Newport told planning commissioners that having a facility in East Bay “where kids can go for…inspiration I think would be a really amazing resource for your community.” Andrew Phillips, principal of the nearby Courtade Elementary School, said the school’s location has traditionally constrained walkable field trips. Skegemog Raptor Center’s location will help provide free or inexpensive field trips for students and multiply the “learning experiences” available to Courtade students, Phillips wrote.

Data Centers
Planning commissioners are eyeing new rules for data centers in East Bay Township. The board discussed possible updates to zoning rules Tuesday, notably only allowing data centers in industrial districts with a special land use permit. Karner said legal counsel has advised that banning them outright typically won’t hold up in court but that the township can put in regulations limiting their location and impact.  

Planning commissioners are considering other possible rules including limiting the maximum size of data centers, setbacks, building heights, and the hours that back-up generators can operate. East Bay Township could request reports like environmental impact assessments and traffic studies before approving such projects. Karner said there aren’t likely many locations in East Bay Township that could accommodate large-scale data centers due to their intensive energy and water needs – combined with available land – but cited the Townline/Hammond area as one possible exception. Planning commissioners are expected to continue working on developing the updated rules in the coming months.

Note: This story was updated after publication to reflect MDOT's announcement that the Three Mile project will now start Friday instead of Monday and that detours will be in place for most of the work period.