Courtland Township Master Plan

Courtland Township is located 20 miles north of Grand Rapids in rural northeastern Kent County. Residential development has been increasing along the southern portion of the Township, especially near the City of Rockford, yet much of the community remains undeveloped, covered in woodlands, wetlands, and agricultural fields. However, the Township is on the fringes of Michigan’s second-largest metropolitan region, and growth pressures and the need for housing are impacting the community.

Working with the Planning Commission, Williams & Works was hired to complete a fresh rewrite of the master plan. Nineteen unique goals and supporting objectives were developed that provide a framework for future housing, transportation, natural resources, community services, and land use decisions. Residents were engaged through a community open house and online survey where they expressed strong support for protecting natural resources and agrarian land use.

The future land use map that was developed focused on maintaining large contiguous agricultural plots where prime farmland was located in the northern part of the Township. Future residential development was allocated to the southern portion of the Township, where growth is already occurring. A new residential land use classification was established around local lakes to permit residential development while protecting the integrity and character of the area. New housing in this area should be designed to preserve wetlands and blend new develop into the current fabric of the neighborhoods.