100+ Gather to Support We Love Harbor Springs
With some time off for 4th of July, the referendum is hard at work now gathering signatures every day. It won't get done without your help.
Please visit our tent each week at the Farmers Market to sign the ballot initiative and the nominating forms for the Mayor and City Council candidates. You can also get information on how to register to vote in the City of Harbor Springs. with the League of Women Voters, who are also there.
The Brief
We are more than halfway gathering the signatures for the ballot initiative. If you are a Harbor Springs voter then sign the initiative. Please go to our booth at the Farmers Market any Wednesday or Saturday. Or send an email to signthereferendum@gmail.com and we will come to you!
The Harbor Light will no longer accept letters to the editor on the zoning issue, but we will. See the note below if you have a point to make in a Letter to the Editor. This newsletter has more than 1,800 readers across Harbor Springs.
We are starting the election process to elect two new city council members and a Mayor. Tom Graham (Mayor) and Wendy Reeves (City Council) have both announced their Candidacy. More will soon.
For more real-time news updates, follow us on Facebook. More follows results in more reach.
The City Council meeting on Monday may be a bit contentious. It's an excellent opportunity to see how the sausage is made. Attend Monday night at City Hall at 7:00PM (Agenda)
Gathering at the Colonial Inn
On Wednesday night, 100 local residents who love Harbor Springs gathered at the Colonial Inn to talk about zoning, elections, and family. It was an enthusiastic group of all ages and backgrounds, but with a shared commitment that what makes Harbor Springs unique is the combined strength of full and part-time residents, nearby townships, and even the visitors during the 4th of July.
About half the crowd were City voters. The others realized they spend so much time in Harbor Springs that they really should be voting here.
There was keen interest in the election and the referendum. We had an engaging conversation about the challenges with the zoning. People were actually allowed to speak for more than three minutes!
Wendy Reeves announced her candidacy for the City Council. Tom Graham announced his candidacy for Mayor. Both quickly gathered nominating signatures from those present.
The group discussed the referendum goals. Volunteers signed up to help with canvassing for signatures and to assist in the fall election, committing their time and other resources.
People who love Harbor Springs are now more engaged in the political and community process, which helps strengthen the City and facilitates working on the challenges that emerge as the world changes.
Challenges are easier to address when you make an effort to engage, listen, and change.
Fund Raising
We Love Harbor Springs is established to focus City Government decision making on the needs of full/part-time residents, area businesses, area townships, and visitors. We are raising money to help support legal reviews, ballot initiatives, and the election.
We have received substantial financial support from many of you. Your capital helps us hire talented people to help focus the message and keep an eye on City Government. Thank You for your support.
To get through the election Cycle, we are raising capital to support good candidates. Please reach out to weloveharborsprings@gmail.com for more information, or donate via the website.
We will soon be “posting” (honoring ? sharing) the names of our team and supporters on the website in the coming days. If you are a donor and would prefer your name not be listed, please let us know.
Everyone Should Sign the Citizen Led Referendum!
A Letter to the Editor by Janie Jenkins
I have been a part of this community for 60 years, I am also a resident. When I first heard about the new zoning proposal and how it checked a box for Harbor Springs to become a Certified Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) late last Feb, I was astounded. I read the RRC Best Practices Handbook, everyone should, it’s easy to read and clearly written. The vision statement of the RRC welcomes private sector investment while shifting zoning to a “predictable customer service approach”. My concerns were and still are, why does Harbor Springs need redevelopment, private sector investors (private equity), developers or to be mandated by the State of Michigan and why would our city council open us up to this kind of wealth financing.
That kind of zoning is an open invitation for outside developers and private equity to “redevelop” and build, which is a goal of being a Redevelopment Ready Community. Overdevelopment and increased density have happened in so many towns like Harbor Springs and there is no going back. I am not against change, but the look and feel of Harbor Springs will change forever. I started to attend planning and city council meetings where I met others who had the exact same concerns.
RRC Best Practices #2 is Zoning. It talks specifically about how zoning regulations can discourage development and investment. It also talks about how variance requests can extend project timelines, increase costs, and create uncertainty for development and developers. Why would Harbor Springs get rid of zoning regulations, the zoning approval process and cater to developers? Those processes are safety nets that have been in place for many years, and they work.
The city officially presented the proposed “By Right” zoning to the public on March 8, 2024 however, they said the Planning Commission had been working on the changes for two years and it was our responsibility to pay attention and be informed. Plans to approve the “By Right” zoning were being fast tracked and the community had not been directly notified by the city.
The concerned community members came together forming the group now called We Love Harbor Springs (WLHS). The group is made up of residents, neighbors and business owners who are committed to preserving the things that make Harbor Springs special. The group started to inform others. Hundreds of people spoke up asking the city to slow down the decision until everyone was properly notified. Please note, RRC Best Practices #1 is titled Plans & Engagement. Engagement as in community engagement.
Concerned citizens wrote letters to council, some had meetings with the Mayor. The Mayor suggested the group send a “What We Like and What We Want Changed” document so the council could see the concerns. This document, which is now posted on the WeLoveHarborSprings.org website was sent to council but was never up for discussion or engagement.
There was a Change.org petition that hundreds of people signed, when that was disregarded, a property owners petition was created where over 20% of the property owners asked the city to slow down the process until every property owner was notified and the community could be engaged, but that too was disregarded.
Please note, unlike the zoning issue, when the city proposed the Headlee Amendment, they notified every single taxpayer by mail, why weren’t they doing this for the zoning as well? The Headlee Amendment failed at the ballot box.
City Council passed the “By Right” zoning Ordinance #439 on May 20th. Ordinance #439 made changes to every property in the city limits.
When a significant portion of the community feels unheard or is unaware of the changes, it suggests a need for more effective communication and engagement strategies. Dismissing these concerns overlooks the possibility that the outreach methods were inadequate.
Michigan is a ballot initiative state. It allows you to collect a percentage of voter signatures to get an issue of concern on the ballot for citizen vote.
The concerns are justified.
The “By Right” zoning that was passed is an open invitation for developers and private equity firms; and it has already started. The buying and splitting of lots and density building, are the changes that will happen over time. Affordable housing has no chance, enlarging the Central Business District and 3.5 story buildings on Bay Street, allowing duplexes and accessory dwelling units to be built in neighborhoods without notifying neighbors, are all reasons for concern.
We would not be at this point if the community had been engaged in the process.
Signing the citizen led referendum petition to get this issue on the November 5th ballot for vote is a legitimate way for the citizens to be heard so everyone can voice their opinion.
Everyone should sign the referendum, including Mr. Lio, the planning commission, city council members and the mayor.
If they believe the changes, they made are for the betterment of Harbor Springs then the following should not be an issue; signing the citizen led referendum, taking it to vote, allowing the citizens to be heard.
Janie Jenkins
Our Letter to the Editor Policy
With Harbor Light's surprising change of editorial policy, we are more than willing to publish Letters to the Editor in our weekly WLHS newsletter, which has 1,800 active readers in the region.
Letters need to speak to constructive action that introduces discussion to draw the area community together. We welcome all viewpoints.
We will avoid posting "Fact Checks" because they typically miss the point. But happy to present LTE that offer constructive options or digs at data to improve understanding.
Our research team is also willing to work with you to find critical data if you need help constructing your points of view.
Please send your letter to the editor to weloveharborsprings@gmail.com.