Strategic Planning Fall Report, Survey, and Engagement

January 14, 2025

City of Traverse City Strategic Action Plan Project
Community Report, Survey, and Roundtable Session

The City of Traverse City is embarking on a forward-looking, community-driven Strategic Action Plan that charts a course through 2035. This robust and inclusive planning process is designed to build on the City’s current achievements while setting a sustainable path for the future. The plan’s objective is to position the City as a diverse, resilient, and innovative community, equipped to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Kicking off in fall 2024, the project began with Think-Tank workshops, where participants explored macro trends and their potential impacts on Traverse City. In November 2024, over 200 community members contributed their insights during Community Visioning Sessions, helping to shape the foundation of the plan.

The second phase of the process includes the release of a Think-Tank Report summarizing key findings, a community survey to gather broader input, and a Strategic Roundtable Session to collaboratively identify focus areas and priorities. These elements are critical steps in refining the vision and ensuring the plan reflects the aspirations of the community.

Running from October 2024 through May 2025, this initiative will culminate in a comprehensive Strategic Action Plan that will guide City programs, investments, and priorities over the next decade.

City Manager Liz Vogel emphasized the importance of engagement, stating, “We are grateful to everyone who contributed their insights during the October Think-Tank sessions and those who participated in the November Community Visioning Sessions, helping to lay the foundation for the City’s future. As we enter the second phase of the strategic planning process, we invite all residents to remain actively engaged. Your participation is vital in shaping the direction of our community. These upcoming opportunities for input are a chance to share your vision, help prioritize our goals, and work together to create a strategic path forward for the City.”

Think Tank Report
A Think Tank Report has been completed and summarizes the findings of a Think-Tank workshop and Community Visioning sessions that were part of Traverse City's Strategic Action Plan process thus far. The report outlines each key step in planning, beginning with background exploration and analysis. The process involved "future gazing," where participants considered various possible directions for the City's future and assessed their potential impacts and consequences. From this, participants identified an optimal or preferred future, providing a foundation for determining actionable steps to achieve that vision. The report serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding community priorities and will inform the strategic pathways to meet them.

Think Tank Report

Community Survey
The first community survey for the Strategic Action Plan project is now available. Its primary goal is to gather insights on the community’s desired future direction to inform the development of the Strategic Plan. The survey is designed for residents of the City of Traverse City and individuals with a direct connection to the community. It seeks to understand their perspectives on life in Traverse City and their vision for the City's future.

Take the Survey

Roundtable Session
The Strategic Roundtable session will be a highly interactive session that will help create the key strategic focus areas for the Strategic Action Plan. The session is open to the community and will include an update on the outcomes from the Think-Tank held in October 2024 and the Community Visioning session held in November 2024. Preliminary results from the Community Survey will also be reviewed. The purpose of the session is to identify 5-6 key strategic focus areas that will support the preferred future for the City of Traverse City. The session will include initial brainstorming of ideas and possible action steps. More in-depth focus group workshops, which will dive more into detail, will be held during the period February 18-20, 2025.

Strategic Roundtable Session
January 21, 2025
West Shore Bank Community Room
400 E. Eighth Street, 3rd Floor
1 pm – 3 pm

Register to Attend

Key Elements of the Strategic Action Planning Process
The planning process will involve extensive research, data collection, and community engagement, with a special focus on identifying both current and future needs. As part of the initiative, the City will prioritize collaboration with residents and community collaborators to define its long-term vision.

The Strategic Action Plan process will focus on community engagement through the following activities:

• Communication strategies to inform the community
• Community Partner Interviews
• Traverse City Community Visioning Sessions and Report
• Community Surveys
• Strategic Pillar Roundtable Session
• Strategic Pillar Focus Groups
• Production of the Community Dashboard/Balanced Scorecard
• Production of the final Traverse City Strategic Action Plan

The City of Traverse City has contracted with Future iQ to facilitate the development of the plan.

Get Involved
The City of Traverse City encourages community members to participate in guiding future programs and investments in the community. Details on how to get involved, upcoming engagement opportunities, and progress updates will be available through the City’s Strategic Plan Project Portal