Unique BATA project to include workforce housing

Patti Brandt Burgess, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·5 min read

Oct. 6—TRAVERSE CITY — A unique project combining a Bay Area Transit Authority operations center with more than 200 units of workforce housing, 15 Habitat for Humanity homes and a neighborhood childcare facility was the focus of a presentation at the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners' regular meeting Wednesday.

Kelly Dunham, executive director of BATA, and Eric Lingaur, director of communications and development, told commissioners that the project is planned for 50 acres on LaFranier and Hammond roads in Garfield Township.

Groundbreaking on the housing/BATA project is expected to take place next year, with the first phase completed by the end of 2024.

BATA's 90,000-square-foot operations center will have administrative offices, a maintenance facility and a garage that can park 100 vehicles indoors, with room for expansion. It will employ up to 130 people.

The Flats at Carriage Commons, which is a Traverse City Housing Commission project, is made up of five multifamily buildings with about 215 units, with rents between $680 and $820, which will include all utilities.

It will have a bus transfer station in front of the complex.

Tony Lentych, executive director of the TCHC, said the transit-oriented design has been used in high-density urban areas in Chicago, New York and Massachusetts.

"People can catch buses in front of their homes," Lentych said. "A young couple could probably get by on one car."

Lentych said some ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families spend as much as 20 percent of their household income on transportation — with many of them paying high insurance rates, having unreliable vehicles and driving a long way to jobs in Traverse City because they can't afford to live there.

"This would be a double win for some families," Lentych said.

The entire project is expected to cost about $90 million, he said, and will be funded mostly by grants from federal and state Departments of Transportation, as well as state and federal tax credits.

It will be built in phases, with the first phase including the BATA center and two multifamily buildings.

Dunham and Lingaur also discussed a Nov. 8 ballot request asking voters for the renewal of a five-year millage for BATA.

This millage is for operations, they said. No millage funding will be used for the new office center.

The 0.4788 property tax millage would provide 34 percent of BATA's annual funding. The amount was rolled back from the 0.5 mills approved by voters in 2017 by the Headlee Amendment, a state law that says property taxes cannot be increased by more than the rate of inflation.

BATA bus routes cover 900 square miles of Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties and provide about 1,000 rides per day, Lingaur said.

More than half of those who use bus service are senior citizens or are disabled, he said.

Mandy Joppich of Interlochen, said she relies on the transit system. "Without BATA I would not be working or doing anything," Joppich said during public comment. "So I hope this millage gets passed."

BATA's budget for the coming year is $11.7 million and is based on full service levels. The authority is currently running at about 75-percent capacity with surplus funds placed in reserve.

The millage for operations will bring in $4,783,786 in its first year.

In all, 43 percent of funding comes from local sources, including the millage, bus fares and advertising income. The state provides another 38 percent and 19 percent comes from federal sources.

"BATA has every intention of restoring 100 percent of our service levels," Dunham said in response to questions from Commissioner Ron Clous, who wanted to know why BATA wasn't asking for a smaller amount.

"The local millage amount is really the basis of our budget," Dunham said.

Since the last millage request, about half of BATA's buses have gone green and are using domestic propane, which is cleaner, Lingaur said. WiFi was added to all buses and 15 bus shelters have been added since 2016, he said.

BATA also launched the Link On-Demand service that lets riders request a bus to pick them up at their residence. The service increased by 124 percent over the last year, Lingaur said.

But some routes have been discontinued or their frequency reduced because of staffing levels. BATA has 112 employees and openings for 12 bus drivers.

Commissioner Darryl V. Nelson said a recent survey indicated that the most frequent complaint about Cherry Capital Airport was the lack of app-based ride services in the area.

Lingaur said BATA has a ride-based app that lets people request bus service from the airport. He said that last summer and into fall, when the rental car crisis reached its peak, he met with airport officials on ways to fill the gap.

"Our Link On-Demand service is app-based," Lingaur said. "You can request a bus in real time, similar to Uber and Lyft, from the airport immediately. We've seen a large uptick from airport usage."

Commissioner Brad Jewett asked why the millage was for five years rather than four, which would put it on the schedule with other county elections, which take place in even years. The 2017 millage request was a special election that cost the county about $200,000.

Dunham said the decision was made by the BATA Board of Trustees with the idea to secure this funding for as long a duration as would be allowed by state law.