Hartland Population Growth Slowing But Expected to Continue, County Planner Says

Latest census figures show Hartland Township's growth slowing to 3.6 percent since 2006, but the county's top planner expects more in the future.

Livingston County Planning Director Kathleen Hudson-Kline says the area's transportation corridors of U.S. 23 and M-59 and a growing list of amenities, such as township lakes and plans to create a new park, will continue to fuel the growth for Hartland.

"They're going to continue to attract a lot of commuters," Hudson-Kline said Tuesday after 2010 Census figures for communities were released in Michigan. "They have a lot of open space and assets as a community."

But Hudson-Kline said the increases — which she predicts for the county as well — will be more modest. Livingston County increased 15.3 percent, the second highest in the state.

"Our numbers seem a lot more optimistic than other counties," she said. "My thought is we will have growth, but it will be slow and incremental."

Figures showed Hartland grew 33 percent since 2000 to 14,663, but since 2006, the number only rose 510. While the pace has lessened, the township still saw several new businesses and construction in 2010 that included , and . They followed the construction of a and a that went forward despite the financial crisis of recent years.

Yet, foreclosures have spawned a crisis over repaying bonds that financed sewer extensions because of development that didn't happen following the housing and financial crisis. The delinquencies that are expected to total in the millions of dollars. And it's not certain the township park proposal will move forward anytime soon while some businesses are struggling. Hartland's only video brick-and-mortar store, , is in the process of closing.

Hartland Township Manager James Wickman said the goal of officials is to keep the township poised for growth when the economy turns around.

"If it picks up where it left off, we’d be right in the mix again," he said. "Time will only tell.”

For more Hartland demographic information, click here.