Harbor Springs council passes new zoning code despite public pushback

HARBOR SPRINGS — A zoning code update that’s been in the works since 2022 was approved by the Harbor Springs City Council on Monday, despite more than 800 people signing a petition against it.

The contentious update resulted in several hours' worth of public feedback across multiple meetings, as well as a public campaign in opposition to the changes.

Jeff Grimm, the Harbor Springs planning and zoning administrator, said the biggest change that can be seen from the updated code is based on plans to make the document more easily accessible. The code being used was originally passed in the 1970s, and a bigger overhaul was made in 2005.

This latest overhaul, Grimm said, includes updates that make it easier to find what you’re looking for in the document online.

While the process to update the zoning code has been in the works for two years, many property owners said they only recently became aware of it. The council was originally meant to vote on the proposed update in March, but postponed it for a May 6 public hearing. At that public hearing, a vast majority of attendees asked for the zoning code updates to not even be considered, citing concerns about overdevelopment in the city. Residents also expressed opposition to the city's participation in the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) program, which is hosted by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Several property owners asked the council to pause and restart the process with more community engagement and feedback.

Despite this, the council approved the proposed zoning code update unanimously on Monday night. The ordinance will go into effect on June 1, said Harbor Springs City Manager Victor Sinadinoski. Until then, the current ordinance will remain in effect.

Grimm said the code’s changes include more options that can be assessed by the city planner, rather than requiring people to attend a meeting with the zoning board, which only meets once a month, in order to get approval for something. He said the updated code will allow the process to be streamlined.

“I’m able to move at a slightly faster pace because I’m not tied to only taking action on things once a month,” Grimm said.

Maureen Kenney lives in Toledo, Ohio but has owned property in Harbor Springs for 37 years. She said she did not used to be politically inclined, but over the last few years she has started attending more city meetings and becoming involved in different issues, such as bringing playground equipment to Zorn Park or moving M-119.

“Until five years ago, no, I was not politically inclined, nor did I attend city council meetings because I didn't even know who they were,” Kenney told the News-Review. "But now I know. And if it's an issue that is going to impact the beauty and the long-term preservation of the historic aspect of Harbor Springs, yes, we're going to get involved.”

Kenney said her concern about the zoning changes was based on the council’s plan to try to rush it through the approval process.

The issues concern more than just the voters in the city, Kenney said, and property owners should have their rights protected. She agreed that the zoning code could probably be revamped, but didn’t understand the urge to push the process through so fast once more residents started speaking against the issue.

Kenney said she was also concerned about the lack of notification regarding the potential changes. Information was published online, but many people commented at council meetings that the city should have mailed out information regarding the updates, the same way that tax information is mailed.

A change.org petition made by the Political Action Committee We Love Harbor Springs was just shy of 1,000 signatures as of May 21.

The petition claims that "The Harbor Springs City Council and planning commission have been working under the community's radar to transform the town into a Redevelopment Ready Community. While leaders spearheading the zoning changes suggested the RRC will improve affordable housing, the reality seems starkly different. Several meetings later, the chairman of the planning commission stated the affordable housing train has left the station. The community deserves a chance to ask important questions and contribute input."

Many concerns about the updated zoning also overlap with the public's concerns about the RRC program.

Sinadinoski said while the zoning code was unrelated to the city’s participation in the RRC program, the city did receive grant money from the MEDC, which they applied for after learning they were eligible due to the city’s participation in the program.

After public comment and prior to the approval of the ordinance, council member Nancy Rondel spoke in support of the proposed code. She said she has heard people’s responses, but she thinks the plan is fair after compromises have been made. She also said people have told her the city is a “summer town,” but it’s the council’s job to make sure that the city’s business goes on year-round.

“It's not that I haven’t heard your concerns, it’s not that people aren’t important to me and that property owners aren’t important to me, but I think this is a good plan for the City of Harbor Springs,” Rondel said.

Council member Kathy Motschall said she didn’t think any of the emails and comments she heard gave her “much of a clue as to what the real issue is” for people against the changes.

“I think this plan is well constructed. It’s well-written. I think it covers all the issues we can think of,” she said. “I understand that no plan is perfect, but I believe this plan is a good one and we need to proceed with it.”

Mayor Matt Bugera spoke about the issues with the old zoning code, saying it made it difficult for people who wanted to build new homes. The process will now be simplified for people who want to move to the city, he said.

“It’s a well thought-out plan that can be changed in the future,” he said. “There’s lots of ways to control the development that you’re all so afraid of. I don’t think it’s going to be a drastic change to the community.”

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The council did ask the planning commission to keep looking at and considering different topics, including the ideas of triplexes, a residential water zoning district and outdoor display of goods.

While the zoning code passed, options have not run out for residents who oppose the plan. The Harbor Springs City Charter has a referendum stating that the ordinance can be placed on the ballot and potentially repealed if the signatures of 25 percent of registered voters within the city limits are collected.

The newly approved code can be seen at cityofharborsprings.com.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs council passes new zoning code despite public pushback