The City of Linden adopted a new 20-year Master Plan to maintain its small-town character, build community sustainability and multimodal circulation, and prioritize community services as the population and economy grows. A longtime client, Linden is a vibrant community along the Shiawassee River featuring a historic downtown and desirable neighborhoods. The City received technical assistance funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program to prepare the new Master Plan. Wade Trim led the master planning effort, with assistance from CIB Planning, and helped Linden earn its RRC certification. The plan was adopted in February 2023.
Public engagement was strong during the master planning process. Linden officials formed a steering committee to oversee master planning efforts, which included a web page, focus groups, visioning and recreational workshops, press releases, social media, event booths, public meetings, and information shared in newsletters published by the City and Linden Community School District.
Key elements of the Master Plan include two firsts for the community to meet its goals: creation of a Circulation Plan and a Priority Redevelopment Sites section. Building on local and regional initiatives, the Circulation Plan lays out a complete streets vision to transform Linden’s streets into safe and efficient routes that support vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian travel. The Priority Redevelopment Sites section identifies four underutilized sites near downtown targeted for transformation into mixed-use spaces.
A Future Land Use Plan was also prepared to protect and enhance the City’s historic, cultural, and natural assets while targeting growth in strategic locations, and an Implementation Matrix was prepared to guide plan execution over time. Concurrent with development of the Master Plan, the City prepared an Economic Development and Marketing Strategy that recommends specific resources and branding efforts to drive new public and private investments. Although separate documents, the Master Plan and Future Land Use Plan work together to establish the preferred vision for Linden’s future.
