LTBB Master Land Use Plan - Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa ...

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is these changes that will in part drive development in the area of the LTBB Reservation. In any
case, the tribal member population living in this area is by definition a part of these trends in age
distribution. This is shown in Table _ . As can be seen in this table, and Figure _ that accompanies
it, there is not a great deal of variation in the age cohort distribution between MCD’s in the
Reservation area. As is typical,
Population Density/Distribution The graph “LTBB Reservation – Population Density”(Graph One), and the matching Table Two
that precedes it, show us the density of population in persons per square mile, for each Minor Civil
Division in the LTBB Reservation area. In addition, the table then connects this information with
the number of housing units, and their density per square mile.
In the table, one pattern is immediately obvious, which is that the highest density populations
live in the incorporated cities of Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and Petoskey. Likewise, areas with the
lowest total populations also have the lowest density. It is telling, though, that the municipality with
the second highest population in the area has a population density that is roughly one tenth that of
the City of Charlevoix. This holds true in the area of housing as well, particularly in Charlevoix,
where there is nearly one housing unit per person, but they are squeezed into only 2 square miles of
area.
Contrasting the clearly urban pattern of development in the City of Charlevoix and other similar
areas is the low density of Bear Creek Township. This pattern has important implications for the
future land use of rural areas, since the greater efficiencies of higher population and housing density
must be planned for and regulated in order to happen. The obvious trend is that newer growth tends
to take up more land than older growth did, with larger and larger lot sizes, and the higher cost of
public services that this brings with it.
As the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians begins to make a greater number of
development decisions relating to this growth, the positive and negative aspects of the current
growth pattern need to be kept in mind in order to both maximize the value of Tribal investment and
ensure the greatest life span for that investment. In other words, it may not make sense in some
cases to capitalize on a development pattern that will eventually collapse on itself due to inefficiency
and inability to maintain land values.
As can be seen in the table, and the graph that follows, the general pattern is that population
density is relatively high only in the Cities of Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Harbor Springs. Elsewhere,
in the townships, density is only a fraction as much. This is to be expected, given the rural land use
pattern of forests and farms. Of interest, though, is moderately high density in Bear Creek, Resort,
and West Traverse Townships. Not as densely developed as the cities, but four to six times as dense
as the “rural” areas in Emmet County. This, along with other evidence, gives us a clear indication of
the growth pressure on these three areas.
Educational Attainment as Percent of Population Age 18+
The graph labeled “LTBB Reservation – Education Attainment as Percent of Population Age
18+” (Graph Two) and the table found above it (Table Three) shows us both the actual numbers of
persons over the age of 18 at the time of the 2000 Census. It also shows what portion of them did
not graduate from High School with a diploma, possesses a High School diploma, has some college,
and attained a Bachelors Degree or more college education.
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