More than 1,500 Monroe-area residents let their voices be heard in extensive written surveys prepared and compiled for the ongoing Resilient Monroe community planning project.
Residents of the Monroe Community have a reputation for high civic engagement, and the response to the recent Community Planning Survey effort was no exception. Surveys were mailed to approximately 10,800 randomly selected registered voters within the City of Monroe, Monroe Charter Township and Frenchtown Charter Township. A total of 1,578 people responded to the survey, 500 more than expected.
The survey brought a number of trends to light, beginning with a clear consistency of responses across all three jurisdictions were very similar, whether they live in the city or one of the townships.
Popular desires for the downtown area include more shopping, a greater variety of stores, more fine dining options, and better parking options. When asked about the most-needed new developments, high frequency responses included a major destination restaurant, retail clothing and shoe stores, and visitor and tourist attractions.
Survey respondents also responded to questions on needed transportation improvements, saying better safety features for Telegraph Road and South Dixie Highway top the list. Pedestrian improvements also received very high rankings. When it comes to improving municipal facilities, survey respondents put a heavy emphasis on repairing and repaving roadways.
When asked about weather trends, most survey respondents said they have seen a change over the past 10 years. Substantial majorities of survey respondents indicate that they have seen an increase in heavy rainstorms (67 percent) and a decrease in snowstorms (55 percent). To manage storm water, survey respondents favor planting more trees and other vegetation, wetland preservation, educational support for homeowners, and better landscaping of new developments.
A report summarizing survey results is available on the Resilient Monroe project website at www.resilientmonroe.org.
