TRAVERSE CITY — Garfield Township could soon allow food trucks for the first time and is moving to require special permits for data centers, officials said Wednesday during an annual joint meeting of the Township Board and Planning Commission.
The wide-ranging session at Garfield Township Hall covered development updates, trail planning and a pair of emerging land use questions that drew significant public interest: whether to welcome mobile food vendors into the community, and how to regulate an industry that residents and officials alike say could strain local water, energy, and infrastructure resources.
Garfield Township’s zoning ordinance does not currently permit food trucks. The township’s planning and zoning director outlined a two-track approach: a zoning amendment that would allow mobile food vending units as an accessory to established businesses such as breweries and coffee shops, paired with a separate licensing ordinance to cover temporary events at parks and public gatherings.
The concept was prompted in part by a local brewery and coffee shop that wanted to offer food service without building out a full commercial kitchen, Sych said. Instead, operators would park a food truck adjacent to the business.
Board members were broadly supportive but favored a cautious rollout.
Several members suggested starting with food trucks as accessories to brick-and-mortar businesses, then expanding to parks and events if the system works. One member noted that some food truck operators in the region have eventually moved into permanent locations, suggesting the model can complement rather than compete with established restaurants.
The Parks and Recreation Commission has also discussed the idea and expressed interest in allowing food trucks at pavilion rentals and special events, though concerns about parking and park rules remain unresolved.
Sych said the Planning Commission will draft ordinance language, and officials indicated action could come by summer.
Data centers dominated the meeting’s public comment period, with more than half a dozen residents urging the township to impose strict controls before a developer submits an application.
Under the current zoning ordinance, adopted in 2015, data centers are permitted by right in both of the township’s industrial districts — meaning they can be approved administratively without a public hearing or special review.
Sych said that language was written at a time when data centers were small-scale facilities, like those operated by Traverse City Area Public Schools and Munson Healthcare.
“We do not currently have any applications. Nobody’s approached us — haven’t received a phone call, email, period,” Sych said. But he added that the township is proactively studying the issue in light of large-scale, AI-driven data center proposals that have surfaced elsewhere in Michigan.
Staff’s initial recommendation is to migrate data centers from a use-by-right to a special use permit, which would require public review and allow the township to impose standards on noise, water consumption, energy use, air quality, impacts on neighboring properties, and decommissioning plans.
Sych said the township also plans to broaden those standards to cover high-intensity industrial uses generally, rather than singling out data centers.
Sarah Cashel, a Traverse City resident, told the board that special land use permits are a matter of good governance.
“Requiring special land use permits for data centers isn’t anti-growth — it’s pro-community,” Cashel said. “Decisions of that scale should never happen quietly through administrative review.”
Mitchell Distin, director of the New People Foundation, an environmental nonprofit, said his organization has been tracking data center proposals statewide and that Garfield Township’s proximity to high-voltage transmission infrastructure puts it on developers’ radar.
Several planning commissioners raised the possibility of a temporary moratorium on data center applications while new rules are drafted. Sych said he has no immediate cause for concern but acknowledged that a speculative application could be filed under the current use-by-right framework before the ordinance is amended.
The board asked staff to evaluate the moratorium question and bring a recommendation to the Planning Commission at an upcoming meeting. Members also emphasized moving data centers to a special use permit as quickly as possible.
Officials also discussed plans for a new trailhead at the Grand Traverse Commons Natural Area, where an accessible trail is expected to be constructed this summer.
The trailhead’s primary access point is Red Drive, a township-owned dirt road that runs through wetlands south of the former Northwest Education Services parking lot. The road has deteriorated significantly, and officials debated whether to invest in rebuilding it for vehicle traffic or converting it to non-motorized access only.
Complicating the discussion is a potential new development at the Northwest Education Services campus and interest from The Barns at the Grand Traverse Commons, which uses the adjacent parking lot for event overflow. Green Spire School parents have also raised safety concerns about drop-off traffic in the area.
The board directed staff to convene a stakeholder planning session with Northwest Education Services, The Barns, and other interested parties to evaluate scenarios, including a concept known informally as “Purple Drive” — a potential connector road from Red Drive to Silver Drive that would also link to the Boardman Lake Loop trail.
No timeline was set, but officials said the township plans to extend water mains through the Red Drive corridor, potentially around August, which could influence the road’s future design.
In other business, Sych updated the boards on the implementation of the township’s master plan, including the development of new mixed-use zoning districts — the first in the township’s ordinance. Officials also reviewed the status of the Oleson Foundation development, a roughly 170-acre site at the corner of Ready School Road and U.S. 31 that is undergoing engineering review, with the first building, a facility for the Cherry Capital Library Cooperative, expected to be introduced to the Planning Commission in March.
The Grand Traverse Mall was also discussed. The former Macy’s building, approved for redevelopment into a multi-tenant strip-style retail center last August, is now being prepped for buildout. Officials said additional outlot development is anticipated but has not yet been formally submitted.
The board also reviewed trail priorities identified in the township’s non-motorized plan, including a new sidewalk segment along Franke Road expected to be completed this year in coordination with the Grand Traverse County Road Commission.
Wednesday’s meeting was a discussion session; no formal votes were taken.