TRAVERSE CITY — Economic experts will tell you that great air service is one of the most important keys to growing a community’s economy. Along with that, comes developing the airport’s surrounding properties.
There are proposals in the works to make that area around Cherry Capital Airport (TVC), known as the “Gateway Corridor,” along South Airport Road, more convenient and attractive, adding hotels, restaurants and shops.
It would not only be for travelers, but also for people from all over Northern Michigan who use TVC.
“Certainly, for visitors, whether they’re from Charlevoix, Manistee or whatever, if they have a 6:00 flight in the morning, this would be a great place for them to stay, to be able to come the night before, settle in and then take off early in the morning,” said Garfield Twp. Planning Director, John Sych
Autumn MacClaren, Director of Air Service Development and Marketing at Cherry Capital Airport added, “We get quite a bit of traffic from Leelanau County, folks coming in from Gaylord, Petoskey, Charlevoix, even the U.P., we see a lot of a lot of passengers from the U.P. so just more opportunities.”
There would be opportunities for them to possibly stay overnight for an early flight and get meals in a much closer proximity to TVC. A hotel is already slated to be built on the airport property itself. “We see it as really positive growth to accommodate the air service, the growing air service that we have here at TVC in Northern Michigan. And then the plans for the Terminal Additions project, there’s going to be there is demand for, more hotel rooms and more event space that that is being proposed. It’s really leaning into a better travel experience. And of course, being right next to the airport when you have when you know you’re going to travel the next day, it’s a matter of convenience as well,” said MacClaren.
It’s not just Traverse City where we are seeing this kind of development. More and more, airports around the world are becoming the center of what’s known as an “aerotropolis,” complete with a central city and an outlying area of businesses. Traverse City is definitely not on that scale, but what’s being proposed would make TVC a much smaller version of an aerotropolis.
“So, it’s not just a drive through, but it’s a destination, kind of a town center concept that helps kind of concentrate the activity in areas in those corridors, the infill corridors. It also helps preserve green space and natural area because it concentrates where the economic activity is,” said Traverse Connect President & CEO, Warren Call.
Three municipalities surround Cherry Capital Airport: The City of Traverse City along with Garfield and East Bay Townships. There are movements in all three to improve the airport corridor, with Garfield being the latest to look at changing its master plan to accommodate a mixed-use of residential, industrial and commercial next to TVC.
“Also, it’s an opportunity to knowing that some of the expansion of the airport is going to need some additional services. So, we wanted to do something that would have a certain aesthetic, in terms of the types of uses, how these things are laid out and designed, as well as providing those needed services,“said Sych.
Right now, leaving the Cherry Capital Airport entrance, you don’t get a great impression of the area and Garfield Township could help change that by allowing improvements on 12 acres land just to the southwest.
There are some of those businesses we would like to keep away from there, mainly the auto intensive businesses such as drive thru restaurants, our gas stations or car washes. We’d like to provide something that complements what’s happening over there at the airport so that it’s more of a certain, quality of development,” said Sych.
The Garfield Township Planning Commission will be voting to recommend the change to the master plan to the full township board at their Jan. 14 meeting. Action on the measure is expected at the board’s Jan. 27 meeting.