Cassopolis hosts Master Plan Open House

CASSOPOLIS — The Village of Cassopolis is looking ahead after hosting an open house for their upcoming Master Plan on Thursday.

Billed as “The Voices of Cassopolis,” the effort by the village has involved forming steering committees and conversing with village residents at events and in the schools. The conversations and the eventual plan they will form are intended to direct Cassopolis government leaders on where to lead the village, how to spend tax dollars, and how to realistically achieve the dreams of residents in the next five to seven years.

“We wanted to hear the voices of Cassopolis,” said Village Manager Emilie LaGrow. “We continue to trend in the right direction.”

According to LaGrow, the event was well attended by a cross section of those interested in the future of the village, including residents young and old, business owners, elected officials, and potential investors. Village staff and members of both the planning commission and design team were present to discuss and answer questions.

“That was important because we want all of the voices,” said LaGrow.

Those unable to attend will still have the opportunity to weigh in, via a survey available on the village website at cassopolis-mi.us/government/master_plan.php.

Around eighteen projects were offered for discussion at the event, based on ideas that had been prioritized based on previous community engagement and feedback. Attendees were able to “spend” $200 across projects and assign green and red dots to them, helping identify where residents prefer the village to put dollars and resources.

Among the items discussed were parking, housing, and amenities such as parks.

A community center was overwhelmingly voted for, according to LaGrow. Such a project has been in the works for a year and a half, with research being conducted and a grant from the Office of Rural Prosperity funding work with consultants.

“We’ve heard pretty loudly from the community that they want us to keep pursuing this,” said LaGrow.

Though data from the event is still being reviewed, attendees also emphasized a focus on connecting the village via sidewalks and continued to work to improve and increase housing. 

LaGrow was surprised to find attendees preferred other amenities over parking, voting overwhelmingly against adding additional parking in spaces proposed. The conclusion from village staff is that while parking can be a challenge in the summer, the solution indicated is additional signage toward existing lots versus the addition of more.

“Overall, we had really positive feedback from everything people were seeing,” said LaGrow.

Village staff will use data from the event and the surveys to finalize a list of projects for the next Master Plan. Work will continue over the next few months, after which the public will get another chance for review. The aim is for the Planning Commission to approve recommendations for a new Master Plan to be sent to the village council at the beginning of March.

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