Name a major transformative project in Traverse City over the past three decades, and you’ll find Russ Soyring’s fingerprints on it. Redevelopment of the former State Hospital into the Grand Traverse Commons in the 1990s? Yep. Transformation of the Bayfront from industrial waste site to a beach, open space, and plaza? Check. Creation of the Warehouse District? More sidewalks throughout the town? The two downtown parking decks? The new Eighth Street? All of it and more.

Soyring has been city planner since he arrived on a snowy January day back in 1986, when Traverse City was a very different place. And now, almost four decades and six city managers later, Soyring is planning a February retirement. Former Downtown TC Director Bryan Crough deservedly gets credit for transforming the downtown district, but Soyring could be considered the town's most influential leader of this century. We wanted to hear more about his recollections, insights, and his biggest worry about Traverse City once he’s gone.

Ticker: Why retire now?
Soyring: I love this job so much, but I also know there are a lot of things I’d like to do. I think about my mother’s statement that, “You want to travel when you still feel like climbing the mountain.”

Ticker: Let's talk about Traverse City in 1986 when you first came here. What was your vision for this town then, and how has it changed? I bet not much, actually.
Soyring: You know, you’re correct on that. One person in our office says, “The thing about you is you consistently say the same thing.” I guess there are certain values I have, and I think they are the community’s values as well. To build a really great community that people want to live, work, and play in. What makes it attractive is something that’s always on my mind, even when I travel, looking for something we could try here in Traverse City. So one thing I said a number of times is I wanted Traverse City to be the most walkable community in Michigan and maybe in the Midwest. One way way to do that is to create places to walk to that are interesting: shops, services, parks, schools, recreation. Those things can’t be too far away. You want to make things convenient and not too spread out. Something that concerns me is this movement to do regional parks with large parking lots where parents drive their kids to play a sport. 

Ticker: You don’t like that idea, but what inherently is wrong with it?
Soyring: The environmental ethics in me and in others here; we often don’t like all the congestion and pollution and traffic. When I came here, the first thing the city manager said was, “I want you to solve the traffic problems.” And we still have those problems — probably even more today — but I wanted a transformation, instead of more streets to accommodate more and more cars. To have options, instead of having to drive your car everywhere. You want mixed uses in a compact area. But when everything’s spread out in a suburban township pattern, nothing is convenient. There’s just a few major streets and we don’t connect really well. In Traverse City we have a great network of streets with many alternatives.

Ticker: But isn’t it an uphill battle to try to fight what people want? Many want to drive.
Soyring. Well, that's true. But when you do surveys as we have, 80 percent say they want to live in a walkable community, so you have to create streets and sidewalks that are convenient and safe. Think about Eighth Street. Before, it was four lanes with cars going fast, and if you were walking on those skinny sidewalks, you’d get splashed on. Now traffic speeds have dropped, the traffic flows more smoothly and safely, and there are places to walk and cross. For a long time we were trying for more lanes and more intersections, and that just invites people to drive more. But if we build a place for walking and biking, you’ll see more of that, and maybe driving becomes slightly less attractive.

Ticker: I was thinking back about major projects you were involved in, just since I moved here and became your neighbor 22 years ago. Maybe give a few recollections about these. Remember the new utility towers downtown, maybe around 2000, that people hated?
Soyring: Yes, there was one on Wadsworth, and I remember someone moved away because of it. Now it’s somewhat invisible with Virginia Creeper [vine] climbing up it. The other was near Randolph and Grandview Parkway. It was painted to look like a lighthouse, and even after all the complaints, people were disappointed when it was torn down. But those helped us get power lines underground.

Ticker: What about redevelopment of Building 50 and the Grand Traverse Commons?
Soyring: That just brings a smile to my face. A group of very active people made sure that the state didn’t tear it down. We came really close, and the board even voted to raze the buildings. It was very tenuous. But luckily Ray Minervini came and raised his hand and said he’d like to save it. Great things have happened there. It’s mixed use and vibrant. And mixed-income housing, too, which is really hard to pull off. When I have friends visit, I take them there. 

Ticker: What about that 2-3 year period where festivals were the big conversation?
Soyring: Well, festival fatigue is real, and we have to pay close attention to it. I’ve been hearing a lot about responsible tourism, so a community isn’t destroyed. I’ve always believed that you should build an attractive, authentic community for the residents who live there. And that will naturally attract tourists. Some thought [the redo of] Clinch Park and that plaza was for tourists. It wasn’t. It was for locals to enjoy.

Ticker: What about the Bayfront and the Open Space? Massive difference today from the 1980s, when it was industrial.
Soyring: That was one of the earlier projects I worked on. We had received a big Natural Resources Trust grant. That first thaw in 1986, I walked down there and thought, “Boy, this really isn’t attractive. This should be a pristine beach and waterfront.” So we did the Open Space down to West End Beach, landscaped it, and planted 78 trees. I got a lot of negative calls about blocking the view of the Bay. One guy was vicious and called me at home. And I said, “We’ll cut them all down in three years if nobody likes them.” Then in three years I was walking down there and I saw that man sitting under the shade of a tree playing chess. I didn’t say anything. I just smiled. And then later we did the east end and Clinch Park. We obviously had the splash pad issues, and that was a terrible day. And now this high water is causing problems. But it’s been remarkable what we’ve done down there, and as a planner it’s fun to see people enjoying something you’ve helped transform. 

Ticker: The Warehouse District?
Soyring: We call it that, but we don’t really have much of warehouses down there. But I love the concept. I just walked there last night. It’s going to evolve into a really great place to live and frequent as soon as we get more activity down there. 

Ticker: The parking structures?
Soyring: They were tough because they’re capital intensive. Some said I had been advocating for more walking and biking, so how could I possibly support a parking deck? But they consolidate parking and stack efficiently. About half of downtown is asphalt right now. If you can put some other uses in those spots, downtown becomes more vibrant. And with autonomous vehicles coming, we have to think about what can those decks be when they’re no longer needed. When we are building them, they should have flat floors and high ceilings so they could have another future use.

Ticker: And the tall buildings debate?
Soyring: The master plan made it clear we should have some taller buildings somewhere. In 1994 we developed that master plan. So I was supportive. But I also knew building heights are extremely sensitive. Listen, there was a lot of tension during that time, but sometimes democracy is messy and not comfortable. But I tell you what, having people engaged is a sign of a healthy community. When people criticize me, I don’t take as personal. They all have a vision of what a perfect community looks like. We may have some disagreements, but we all want to make Traverse City a better place and protect what we already have. 

Ticker: What about the current moves to remove parking requirements for new developments downtown?
Soyring: For many years we had mandated to build large parking lots for new development. But you end up with a small building and a large parking lot. It then takes longer to walk to get to many services. Look at Garfield Avenue and all the space between the buildings. So we reduced parking over 50 percent in 1999 and recently reduced it even further.

Ticker: But the critics will say we have an issue with traffic and parking downtown, and now you’re removing parking. 
Soyring: Well that’s a misnomer. Instead of having it government-mandated, we’re letting the private sector decide how much parking they need to put in. An example is the CVS store [at Front and Division]. Corporate said, “We need all these spaces.” I used to monitor it. It’s usually 75 percent empty. We’re only four square miles of taxable property, and instead of empty asphalt, there’s valuable land that could be tax-producing and places for more people to live and work or even parks.

Ticker: And vacation rentals?
Soyring: I am concerned about housing for the stability of our community to operate, especially for businesses trying to employ people. If there’s nothing affordable in town, they have to live far out, and that creates traffic. We need to address housing and be much more assertive to look in areas we have not looked in the past. It will be rather controversial but we need to address it. And then I see more what I call “dark building syndrome,” where people have their second or third home here, and it sits dark 80 to 90 percent of the time. 

Ticker: It’s a problem, but how do you fix that? Doesn’t the market eventually take care of it?
Soyring: You can’t fix it. But I worry about less and less housing opportunities for people to live in town. People who can afford to buy additional dwellings are snapping those up. But there’s only so much government can do. 

Ticker: Is that what worries you most about Traverse City’s future? Housing?
Soyring: Yeah, I think it is. It is now and it’s only going to get worse. What the planning commission has been talking about is allowing more flexibility. Like in lot areas in single-family home districts, those larger lots could have two principal dwellings on it. That’s different than an ADU. It would be two primary dwellings on one lot. I call it “gentle infill in neighborhoods.” We already have the infrastructure, so it lets more people live in town. But that’s likely to be controversial. 

Ticker: What would be one or two qualities you’d want in your successor?
Soyring: You know, I’ve been credited with a lot of ideas. Those are ideas from interacting with a lot of people while at work or in a grocery store or traveling. It gets you to think in a more rounded fashion. So any planner is going to have to be a listener. That’s critically important. Also important to have really clear values, like our community’s environmental ethic and that streets are accommodating for all users. Any planner who says, “Let’s go in a different direction," there would be a lot of opposition. 

Ticker: So the next planner should be a changemaker or a caretaker?
Soyring: I would hope it's someone who would still advocate for change. Sometimes there’s a risk of damaging something you love, so you have to be thoughtful about it. But I don’t think it should be a caretaker. There are so many more opportunities to enhance this community further. Go down Garfield Avenue. That street alone could be transformed. Even downtown with all those parking lots. The lower Boardman area, peeling off some asphalt and creating something. Fourteenth Street could be another downtown almost like Suttons Bay. 

Ticker: But thousands of people use Fourteenth Street to get across town every day. 
Soyring: Yes, but if they go through a scenic area more slowly, maybe they’ll stop and go out to eat. We have the Parkway, but people will often purposely go through downtown because they enjoy it.

Ticker: Bryan Crough was so instrumental downtown in the 80s and 90s and into the 2000s. But you’ve touched everything in the past 20-plus years. Do you consider yourself the most influential person of the century in Traverse City?
Soyring: Well I don’t know. That makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like a lot of attention. And as I said, a lot of ideas came from others. I’ve worked with more than 100 planning commissioners and six city managers. This town is so engaged. I get instant feedback, even from The Ticker. And that’s important.