| 1. | Village looks like every northern Michigan town -- cute lights, paving bricks and Bradford pears. |
| 2. | Industrial on US 31 needs cleaning up.
Marina on Bridge St needs to be spruced up
Clean up movie theater |
| 3. | Overall business district very positive presentation to residents and visitors. 31 Corridor better in current condition than the addition of a McDonald's, Meijers, etc., which would be a BIG distraction from all the positive aspects of Elk Rapids |
| 4. | General value and reputation of ER has risen dramatically since construction of the harbor at its present site. IT is also a "neighborhood" during the boating months, and its people are "neighbors" as well. They've had a lot to do with how well this town's fortunes have risen over the last 15-20 years. |
| 5. | No building on village lots less than 80 feet frontage |
| 6. | Keep the Village a village. You're pushing toward big box with addition of Gill-Roy's and national chains. Keep the small town flavor, business in the business district --- no wall-to-wall development along US 31. We live here because it's small, quaint, and personal. |
| 7. | Keep the suburban plague from our Village! No more ugly "strip" malls ("plazas") and keep out any box retail --- (CVS, Wal-Mart, Meijers, etc). The minority of business owners should not dictate for the majority of residents! |
| 8. | The empty tool factory is an eyesore |
| 9. | Take some of the River St lights out on the west side and put them down on Ames St on the east side.
Get rid of the tacky Xmas decorations on the east side!! Decorate like the west side.
I also think it is time to consider change of zoning for Beck building on 31. It is an eyesore to people entering ER. |
| 10. | Too many commercial developments that make East side neighborhoods seem industrial. They could provide a nice introduction to East side with less commercial development. |
| 11. | There exist properties (private and housing) along Ames and a few on the West side that desperately need maintenance attention. |
| 12. | Need public facilities on waterfront. The vacant land across from the boat slips (where fireworks are launched) would be a great park. |
| 13. | The village has upgraded and improved the looks. Now stop and don't go overboard. |
| 14. | There seems to be no thought as to design and aesthetics. The newer buildings have very dated looks already --- bordering on tacky. The whole area has so much potential --- there are too many ugly buildings. The city planners need to travel to other port towns to see how charming they are… |
| 15. | Again, one very attractive motel to replace the vacant factory would be a positive addition to our village. Access should be on side street.
Do not put a multilevel project on Palmer's vacant property. A restaurant would be nice there.
Get rid of the carnival in the parking lot during Harbor Days.
DDA monies should be spent on Ames St corridor, too.
Do not raise taxes to help private investors. |
| 16. | Keep commercial or industrial growth north and south of town, or out Ames St. River St is great as it now is. |
| 17. | Thank you for keeping out "fast food" choices! |
| 18. | Job opportunities are important as population increases. |
| 19. | River St and portion of Bridge St improving. Old SuperTool Bldg and Morrison Cherry Factory is a sore sight for tourists. Ames St properties are deteriorating as far as houses. A few businesses are a compliment --- e.g., Blue Heron Gallery, Banks, New Art Gallery. |
| 20. | I have watched the changes for the past 40 years. I believe it is in the best shape it has been, but there is always room for improvement. I just hope it never loses the small town appeal. |
| 21. | The US31 corridor is a mess. From either direction, we show our "worst side." It is worse than a strip mall --- no coordination --- a mish-mash. |
| 22. | Important improvements should be focused on Ames, 31 and River (the streets people see!). The village should work to bury phone lines in the whole of the village. Ames & Bridge St, for example, look junky because of them. What kind of business district has large power lines over the sidewalks in front of businesses? |
| 23. | Need to get rid of the old factory building on 31. |
| 24. | Need a caution light at US 31 and 1st |
| 25. | Don't lose the historic appearance. Perhaps a Historic District Commission could be formed to maintain that appearance. |
| 26. | Most people I know who also love Elk Rapids are fearful that more development (new neighborhoods, tract housing, etc.) will change the nature and the image of the village. |
| 27. | All due to over-development |
| 28. | Also yard cleanup/brush. All is important. People shouldn't be able to blow their clippings into the street and across the street to their neighbors' yard. Blocking neighbors in their garage by parking is rude! |
| 29. | On traffic: 1) add a stoplight at US31 and 4th St, keep the existing blinker at US31 and Elk Lake Rd.
2) Hire a professional traffic planner to study the Village traffic patterns and plan appropriately. |
| 30. | I guess this question depends on how long one has been around the area. From 20 ago there have been huge changes. Once the marina was added downtown storefronts became much more desirable and traffic and housing increased. |
| 31. | Overuse of lighting in business and commercial areas. Not consistent with recent trends in ambient light limitations. Street lights on River St should be shielded at the top (lights on N Bayshore near Dexter: a good example). |
| 32. | Get the theatre fixed up! |
| 33. | US 31 Corridor is unattractive and does not reflect the beauty of Elk Rapids. |
| 34. | Move city hall back downtown. |
| 35. | How can the Pres. Of our council let his theater go to rack and ruin when all other businesses in town have worked so hard to keep theirs up --- it's a disgrace! |
| 36. | We strongly oppose and would discourage additional franchise presence, especially fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, and chain establishments, ex. drug stores, not to overlook Wal-Marts, Meijers, etc.
Let us continue to remain supportive of our local, and for the most part, independently owned and operated businesses. |
| 37. | Straighten out Ames St. --- the leaning light posts. |
| 38. | Improve appearance of movie show. |
| 39. | People passing by ER see US31 corridor as first impression. Aside the Chamber Building & boat launch park, the first impression is Industrial and Deteriorating Industrial at that. The abandoned buildings should be painted/repaired or torn down. When I owned on Ames Street I had to keep my property to standards. These folk that own Super Tool Building should as well. |
| 40. | Let's take what we have and make it nicer. We don't need to keep building new! Keep it quaint. Not too tall or wide or (?) -- small town is good! Too much $ spent on extravagance. |
| 41. | We have always thought US31 from the bridge south to caution light at Elk Lake Rd. is disappointing compared to the beauty of Elk Lake due to the unattractive factories and industry. Stores such as a 'cheery' kind of store might attract US31 traffic.
We love the bridge but have always been disappointed in the appearance between the bridge and Elk Lake Rd. --- old factories with broken windows, etc. It is such a contrast to the charm of the village and the beauty of the lake. |
| 42. | Bring the east side of Elk Rapids "into the fold" with sidewalks, bike paths, cross country ski paths. Use the US31 Corridor for motels/restaurants. Eliminate all manufacturing in the village. Restrict commercial development to one/two storey retail enterprises geared toward tourism i.e., apparel, sporting goods, home decor/art. Instead of random businesses dotted along Ames St., confine the businesses to an upscale outside "mini mall" area. Keep it uniform and cute. |