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

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It is important to note that some areas on the ‘Prime Farmlands’ map identified as prime
farmland have already been converted to an alternate form of land use.
Land Cover
The ‘USGS 1992 Land Cover’ or Map 27 represents land cover for Emmet and portions of
Charlevoix counties for the year of 1992. The LTBB reservation boundary falls within this
geographic extent.
Land cover is often mistaken for the MIRIS (Michigan Resource Inventory System) land use
classification system. A MIRIS land use is composed of a series of polygons (vector format), each of
which is assigned a land use code according to the MIRIS land use classification system*.
While similar, land cover is actually created from multi-spectral satellite imagery, and stored in
multiple layers in a raster (image) format. Individual land uses reflect different wavelengths of color
along the electromagnetic spectrum. By assigning different colors to each layer, it then becomes
possible to differentiate varying land cover classifications.
Analysis of land cover data can yield many different types of information which can be useful to
tribal operations. Examples of this data would be vegetation type and density, or areas of high and
low residential density, or wetland locations. This type of information is important from a tribal
perspective as it can aid in developing a more complete natural resources management plan. For
example, by comparing land use coverage’s from different time frames, a tribal forester could
evaluate changing forest densities and more accurately plan a timber harvest. Also, a tribal planner
could compare residential densities of a neighboring subdivision in relation to a planned tribal
housing development.
State Equalized Value Patterns
ZONING
The map labeled “State Equalized Value Patterns” (Map 28) depicts, for all of Emmet and part
of Charlevoix County, the approximate State Equalized Value or SEV for each parcel of land. SEV
is one end product of the assessment and equalization process that each county goes through in
order to distribute property tax assessments more fairly. The SEV system assumes that the end value
should be roughly one-half the market value of a piece of property at any given time.
As can be seen from the map, the highest value parcels fall into two general categories. First,
large inland parcels that might typically be associated with a seasonal land use, i.e. ski resorts or golf
courses, or in some cases certain types of agricultural enterprises. Second, and perhaps most
obviously, the large number of small but highly valued parcels along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The effect of having so much SEV concentrated in so little geographic area is hard to analyze
unless we take into account the reason for the concentration. Essentially, people want to live along
the lakeshore, and since no more lakeshore is being created any time soon, the resultant rise in
demand over supply causes the price to rise and remain high.
On the other hand, this does leave quite a bit of the county at the lower end of the SEV
spectrum. Bear in mind, though, that a large portion of the land classed as having low or no SEV
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