The Acme Township Community Master plan builds upon several years of active community engagement revolving around the previous amendment to the 1999 Community Master Plan, revised in 2009; community efforts focused on the acquisition and redevelopment of the East Bay shoreline and waterfront as presented in the US-31 Placemaking Plan; and the recently adopted Acme Township Five-Year Parks and Recreation Master Plan.  In order to define key community initiatives and strategies, the Acme Township Community Master Plan uses information gleaned from the placemaking plan, a community-wide mail survey conducted by Northwestern Michigan College, and meetings with regional agencies and stakeholders from the agricultural and business communities.

Some of the key ideas advanced in the Acme Township Community Master Plan include:

• Focus on Infrastructure Improvement as means of directing planned growth to the existing business district along US-31 and M-72.  

• The plan calls for the expansion and connection of local and regional non-motorized trails in response to community input and recommendations embedded in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

• There is a long term vision to reconfigure US-31 and M-72 to be safer and more convenient for business patrons, consumers, and residents.  

• The plan deliberately focuses commercial and residential development in areas that already have development or vested development rights. 

• Water quality is a high priority.  

• The acquisition of properties along East Bay has positioned Acme Township to take advantage of recreation-based tourism as part of its economic development strategy.  

• The plan supports the continuation and expansion of agricultural operations and the preservation of farmland, defining characteristics of Acme Township. 

• The Community Master Plan balances policies and strategies with an eye toward creating a community that is attractive to all age groups.