A Harbor Springs Agricultural Historical perspective
Why it all matters
35 Years of Zoning — A Quiet Evolution in Harbor Springs’ Agricultural Residential District
Harbor Springs’ Agricultural Residential (AR) zoning district has served as a peaceful and practical transition zone, designed to preserve the area's open space, support agricultural uses, and accommodate residential living in harmony with the natural environment.
From 1991 to 2009, a small number of ordinances guided this district’s evolution, revealing a pattern of thoughtful, incremental adjustments rather than sweeping change:
Ord. 255 (1991) established a minimum dwelling size of 1,000 square feet, reflecting community expectations of home durability and function within an agricultural district. While such requirements may now raise questions about flexibility, the zoners were rooted in maintaining quality, continuity and transition.
Ord. 309 (1997) introduced accessory retail use, allowing sales, such as those from those greenhouses, on a limited scale. These uses supported homegrown commerce while respecting the district’s quiet character.
Ord. 317 (1999) brought in R-1-A design standards, including yard setbacks and a 35-foot, two-story height limit, aligning homes in AR with neighboring low-density areas. These adjustments emphasized compatibility, not restriction. And did not imagine density in this peaceful neighborhood, just on the west side of town.
Ord. 373 (2009) permitted guest quarters in accessory buildings, a modest and practical evolution, especially in a farming district, allowing families to adapt to changing household needs without sacrificing character or space.
Across more than three decades, these changes reflect not stagnation, but a sustained commitment to and for intentional land use. This approach has enabled Harbor Springs to maintain its unique rhythm, a blend of agriculture, residential living, and community identity that is increasingly rare in the region. That’s a flag for preservation.
Today, as neighboring areas like Petoskey and Bear Creek Township pursue larger-scale, cost-efficient housing through modular design, mixed-use zoning, and land lease models, Harbor Springs continues to offer something different. Not something exclusive, but something enduring: a town-scale environment where community and land are deeply interwoven, and where preservation is as much about planning as it is about property rights. More info being researched.
Rooted in the Past, Growing Toward the Future: Why Historical Touchstones Matter in Harbor Springs
In a time when change seems constant and fast-moving, the quiet, enduring elements of our community, its stories, its soil, its shared memory become more important than ever. Historical touchstones are not just things we preserve in museums or photographs; they are living parts of our identity. They remind us who we are, where we came from, and what we choose to carry forward.
This summer, something deeply meaningful is happening just west of town. Thanks to the care and collaboration of local growers Jessica and Scott Heston and family, with the help of a local master arborist, and a community-rooted effort to reconnect with the land, a piece of Harbor Springs’ agricultural history is being brought back to life.
The Hestons are currently raising scions, clones of apple branches, from one of the last remaining trees originally planted by Puella Sparrow in 1898. These trees, once a familiar part of daily life here, provided apples Puella sold to townspeople a few years later. After a recent ice storm took one of the four surviving trees, it was a relief to know the scions had already been cut and were safe in the greenhouse.
In three to five years, if all goes well, you’ll be able to buy those same apples at the Farmers’ Market. Grown in Harbor Springs soil. Pollinated by our bees. Watered by our own rain. And connected directly to the same apples our great-grandparents may have enjoyed over a century ago.
This isn't just about apples. It's about continuity. It's about place. It’s about the spirit of Harbor Springs: quietly regenerative, proudly rooted, and lovingly hands-on.
They are also beginning hügelculture mounds (a regenerative agricultural method that uses layered, decomposing plant matter and wood) on the west side of the property, a small but important step toward sustainable, closed-loop growing. It’s the kind of slow, steady, intentional work that fits Harbor Springs perfectly.
So why keep agriculture alive in Harbor Springs?
Because it’s local, it’s meaningful, and it’s ours. Because it gives us a way to touch the same earth, taste the same fruit, and share in the same rhythms that shaped our community generations ago.
If you want to learn more about the orchard or Heston’s plans, they are happy to talk. There’s a lot growing this summer, not just in the soil, but in the story we continue to write together.
A letter for understanding Harbor Springs Zoning: A Historical Perspective
Preserving the Character, Charm and Uniqueness of Harbor Springs
As cherished historic communities change and grow, it’s essential to remember what made them impressive in the first place. Also, for those that remain pretty much intact, how were they able to preserve their unique appeal? Most well thought out historic towns and small cities began with a simple yet comprehensive and viable plan. They balanced architectural design and community interaction with privacy and personal responsibility. The ones that survived, and kept their charm, tend to share a few key characteristics:
· Value, preserve and honor their architectural past (from humble to elaborate)
· Respect, highlight and build upon their history and identity
· Incorporate and uplift their natural surroundings
· Support and grow their local businesses
Harbor Springs is a composition of historic homes and public buildings, e.g. churches, retail stores, a library and even gas stations, each with a story to tell. “City” homes like Nan’s were placed in neighborhood environments within fairly close proximity to one another but, for the most part, not encroaching upon fellow residents. Businesses were organized in a strategic, concentrated area within the city center. They were not overpowering in size nor scope and reflected the character, architectural styles and beauty of their surrounding neighborhoods. This formula is not unique to Harbor Springs.
However, unlike other quickly growing historic towns, Harbor Springs has been able to quell extensive overbuilding and growth through strong community involvement. Residents and generational property owners, for the most part, understand that each home and commercial building has an historic narrative. Those stories are integral to the town’s attractiveness. If they are lost to the “new and shiny” then the town is no different than a fabricated community built anywhere. New towns are not bad. They are beautiful places to live and interact, but they offer little to nothing in the way of history and accounts to learn from and enjoy.
A town’s history, if honored and passed down, can be complex, beautiful and maybe troubling in some respects, but that history is a window into who we are today as a community. We can build on the past, learn from it and grow. One of the best ways to accomplish this is visually, which in the example of Harbor Springs, is through seeing and educating ourselves about the architectural background of our old homes and buildings.
The city of Harbor Springs has, for the most part, been able to preserve its attractiveness by limiting massive and inconsistent development while respecting the history and beauty of its old homes, buildings and natural surroundings. Thank you to those who own and maintain historic homes and structures as well as all the people involved in supporting efforts to preserve and protect the historic appeal of Harbor Springs. Your work is very much appreciated.
Sincerely, Garon Gopigian
Harbor Springs Resident