Fly ash property headed to market
May 17—TRAVERSE CITY — Another attempt to find a buyer for a nearly 50-acre fly ash pit in Garfield Township will be made by Traverse City Light and Power.
The utility board this week appointed an ad hoc committee that will list the property for sale this summer, establish criteria for reviewing purchase proposals, then review those proposals and make a recommendation to the board to dispose of the property. Light & Power Executive Director Brandie Ekren suggested the committee "to thoroughly address the particulars of this property and ensure we explore all strategic avenues effectively." It will include board members Maura Brennan, John Taylor and Tim Werner, who will work with utility staff to coordinate the sale process.
The utility has escalated efforts this year to find a buyer for the vacant site, which is located along Cedar Run Road just west of Barney Road and has been on and off the board's radar for more than five years. Part of the property was used to dispose of fly ash from Light & Power's former bayside coal-burning power plant — now the city's Open Space — that was decommissioned in 2005. Environmental restrictions on the dumping pit portion of the site, which is capped and has an underground liner to contain the contamination of the fly ash, leaves about 33.5 acres available for future use.
The property has been appraised at just over $650,000, and portions offer views of Grand Traverse Bay. It's located in Garfield Township's Agriculture zoning district, and identified for low-density residential land use in the township's master plan.
The board in February issued a request for proposals targeting nonprofit organizations and public entities seeking potential uses for the site including picnic grounds, playgrounds, hiking and bike paths, wildlife areas and other public uses. Public and nonprofit organizations were given priority to make redevelopment proposals, but none were received by the April 1 deadline.
The revised plan calls for the ad hoc committee to meet in June to develop its evaluation criteria that will include financial, environmental, community impact and logistical factors. The property would be listed around July 1, and the committee would review purchase offers from late July through late October and make a recommendation to board on selling the property.
Both the TCLP Board and the City Commission would have to declare the property as surplus before it can be sold. Utility officials want to close on the sale by May 2025, as revenue from the sale is scheduled to be included in Light & Power's 2025-26 operating budget.
