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

development patterns in the Reservation area, as well as the direction the larger
community is taking. This, and the priorities of the tribal membership, can only be
addressed by a Master Land Use Plan. The Plan is a policy guide for Tribal
decision-making. It does not carry the force of law or statute, but may be utilized to
generate Tribal statutes or other public policy tools as may be necessary for the
Tribal Council to achieve the goals and objectives in the Plan.
a. The Plan will be a resource document for Tribal Council and staff to gauge
how the proposed acquisition will “fit” and whether it is advisable to
pursue.
b. The Policy, developed from the Plan, will provide the guidance on what
types of acquisitions should be pursued, and what factors any particular
acquisition should be judged against.
c. The Plan is not a substitute for detailed site planning and site plan review of
proposed developments, either Tribal or otherwise. While the Tribe’s
“Land Base Restoration Plan” (last updated in 1999) provides general
direction for which uses the initial tribal land acquisitions should be put to,
they and all other development sites still must rely on original and on-site
data gathering for best results.
2) Governmental Context. As a practical matter, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of
Odawa Indians only has jurisdiction over land use on property it owns and has
placed in trust. This means that land use decisions elsewhere are made at the
Township, City, or County level, depending on who has been granted zoning
authority. Thus, any land use plan developed by the Tribe must take other plans
into consideration. Therefore, a great deal of our analysis focused on these
“external” plans and ordinances.
The external reservation boundaries of the LTBB encompass 12 Townships, 3 Cities
and 2 Villages or Names Places. This, in addition to the County governments of
both Emmet and Charlevoix, as well as sometimes distinct or overlapping Federal
authority can create a jurisdictional patchwork that is sometimes difficult to
negotiate. Nevertheless, and largely because of the sovereignty of the Tribe, any
land use decisions made at any level of government can have an impact on all the
others.
3) Process. To create a Master Land Use Plan for the tribe, a great many factors must
be considered. This includes information about trends in the larger population,
tribal populations, current and historic land use information, and the capability of
the land itself to support development.
Traditionally, future land use plans and policies are based on elements such as:
a. The needs and desires of the citizenry and elected public officials, in this
case citizens of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and it’s
Tribal Council;
b. The location, number, and quality of existing public facilities
(infrastructure) such as roads, water, sewer, parks, and other elements of
the built environment;
4