When Will The City Council Approve?

Who Loves Harbor Springs more than you? Developers!

The Brief…

1. At the last City Council meeting on May 6th, the Council referred 3 to 4 items back to the Planning Commission for changes.

2. In a departure from standard procedure, the City Council appears poised to approve most of the zoning on Monday, May 20th, before the Planning Commission reviews proposed changes.

3. We can’t honestly figure out what they are going to do next.

4. In the absence of normality, you need to attend the Monday meeting to influence the outcome.

5. Next City Council - Monday, May 20th, 7PM EST Schedule - in person or via zoom

6. If they approve, we will launch a voter-backed referendum. It will be painful, but we are confident that it will prevail.

7. If they do not approve, hopefully, they will engage with you in town halls to explain and understand the zoning, getting this right.

8. If you or your neighbors are property owners in the City, be sure you signed the legal Protest Petition.

9. This is not an end but a beginning. Approval on Monday will upset property owners even more, making the right choice even harder for City leadership.

10. Our long-term focus is zoning, a referendum, and electing a new mayor and 2 city council seats in the fall. If you want to run, let us know. weloveharborsprings@gmail.com

Data Points

We are the voters, property owners, area townships, and visitors who love Harbor Springs. The data from the last 30 days shows that:

• 821 Signed on the Property Owners Protest petition

• Newsletter with more than 1,000 subscribers, 5,300 views, and 70% open rate

• Facebook: 102 Followers, 51 likes and growing

• Only one follower on Twitter, but a start: Twitter

• 60+ Donors: (Please donate) - This is a 501(c)(4). All monies received will go towards legal action, public relations, and political impact.       

• 955 Supporters on Change.org

Property Taxes
Voters, property owners, other townships, and visitors make Harbor Springs great. It is incredible to realize that 78.7% of the city property tax comes from property owners who do not vote. They do not look for special treatment. They pay those taxes because they love Harbor Springs.

What we have done and help needed

What we have done

1. Created We Love Harbor Springs, a 501(c)(4) also known as a PAC (Political Action Committee) 

2. Established the core messaging and network for We Love Harbor Springs

3. Built an organization of 30+ volunteers helping to run WLHS

4. Raised seed money to launch the effort

5. Hired proper legal council

Help Needed

1. Watch Dog: Have a WLHS member attend all the city's regular meetings (need volunteers)

2. Form a slate for the Fall Election - Mayor and two city council seats

3. Raise more funds for PAC to support the election and long-term positioning of good city government, whether it's a mobile home park or a house on Glen Drive.

Why Now? - Taxes

Is the Master Plan really about more tax revenue? Who knows.

Read the possible revenue options for the city, from more taxes, relaxed zoning, or annexing the Weque, Harbor Point, and other associations. (Link)

Why Now? Affordable Housing

The world outside Harbor Springs is investing billions in small towns to expand 2nd home housing. Driving prices up in the process. Just look at the speed of development in Bay Harbor and Petoskey.

But it's not just fancy homes. The largest private equity groups in the world are investing in mobile home parks, like Harbor Springs Estate off East Lake.

Firms like BlackRock invest in the mobile home park, increase rent, drive out existing tenants, and then upgrade the units with higher-end and expensive manufactured homes. Mobile homes at a price point to high for current residents.

• Under hedge fund ownership, Michigan mobile home parks' rents spike while maintenance lags

• Rents spike as large corporate investors buy mobile home parks

Private Equity knows how to do this without slowing down for planning commission approval. They are a machine of efficiency.

When investors are spending billions to buy up mobile home parks, why wouldn't they buy up 30-40 properties at a time in Harbor Springs and revamp them into lovely duplexes for some wealthy family looking for a nice second home?

Do you know who loves the new zoning more than the planning commission? Outside investors. They love the new zoning because it lets them move faster, be more efficient because of the relaxed zoning process and sell more second homes.

Those investors will invest in and build more expensive properties attractive to part-time residents, who will pay more, whether it's a mobile home park or a house on Glen Drive.

Why Now? 476 Lost Souls Since 2000

The Planning Commission continues to argue that Harbor Springs has lost 476 residents since 2000, to a current population of 1,091.

Sounds bad. Let’s discuss.

A resident is a year-round resident. There are thousands more residents who live here for 3 months, 6 months, or even 11 months, but that does not count toward the US census. 356 of those people actually disappeared in 2010 during the fiscal crisis. Their homes were not left vacant; a non-resident bought them.

But where did they go? Probably Bear Creek and West Traverse. The only towns in the region to see growth in 2010.

Why did they move? Will the new zoning bring them back? Do they want to come back? We do not know because the conversation is stuck talking about the forlorned 476 as if it's a long-term trend when it was mostly a one-time shock in 2010.

If we want to fix the missing 476 full-time residents, as the planning commission muses, that would be about 200 new housing units in Harbor Springs—a bit more than the city talks about, which is about 5 a year. (There are about 1,050 housing units today)

If we build it, will they come? The City Council needs to analyze that question before passing the proposed zoning code. 

Recent Letters to the Harbor Light

The Current Planning Commission works well…..

To the Editor:

The Planning Commissions, along with the zoning code, has kept our community safe from overdevelopment for 45 years. And to the document’s credit it is because of it’s community-oriented consultative process.

Planning Commission have always had a tough job; Chairs Fred Walstrom, Sara Smith, Andrew Bowman and Bill Mulder along with their various teams of civic and community minded volunteers Jeanne Benjamin, Jack Deegan, Jeff Ford, Lee Kramer, Sheryl McCleery, John Cupps senior and junior, Carrie Wiggins, Mark Buday, Mary Catherine Hannah, Beth Rahaley, George Peet, Al Dika, Emily Dube, Rick Tarchinski, Vanessa Warren, Bob Thoma, Nancy Rondel, Barry Lustgarten and Tony Johnson have been successful guiding slow and steady year on year community growth and development.

Planning Commission Chair Bill Mulder and City Manager Victor Sinadinoski have pointed out that by this process very seldom are property owners denied a request. That’s because the zoning system in place allows neighbors to query, suggest, or make a constructive comment about placement or compatibility with other neighborhood buildings. And by and large, smaller lot developments, duplexes, guest houses, mobile homes and rent controlled apartments have almost always been allowed in Harbor Springs through Planning Commission’s oversight and neighborhood input.

The current system works.

City Hall also has an informed City Accessor (Zoning and Planning) in Jeff Grimm who is familiar with the needs of the community. He himself was raised here; he has an intimate knowledge of the community. Though he no longer lives in Harbor Springs he reminisces about the pine tree he planted on Ottawa Street when he was a kid. That connection contributes to community trust as he manages the systems and processes already in place.

Suffice it to say – a ‘fraternity’ of the few – the past and current Planning Commissions – have been responsible stewards; be it ‘aging in place’, providing accommodation for our yet-to-launch kids or our aging parents needing our care, our current zoning already provides it all!

What is different this time however is this zoning proposal put forward with the help of Beckett & Raeder Inc. adheres to guidelines of the Baseline Redevelopment Ready community (RRC) report, two organizations that are unfamiliar with Harbor Springs, affects not a few properties but well over 1000+ parcels changing all areas of the community. We property owners, 2/3 of whom are just now becoming engaged, are trying to do our homework, now that we know - we want and need to discuss how each of us will be affected by the changes to our property, and changes to a process that has worked so well for years. But most importantly we want assurances that this proposed zoning code continues to protect Harbor Springs.

I’d like to understand the ‘for’ and the ‘against’ considerations: Like, did you know, if your property has a house on it now, you will no longer have to ask your neighbors to change your home to a duplex?

Or that a guest house is allowed so long as the City Manager, the City Accessor, the City Planners of Beckett & Raeder, the City Lawyer, the Planning Commission Chair and one other member of the Planning Commission approves?

In the proposed zoning code I would no longer need to let my neighbors on either side, who’ve lived in my neighborhood for decades, that I was wanting a guest house in my back yard.

That’s not right. And frankly that’s not how Harbor Springs works. Neighbors’ and neighborhood input is a crucial right. I am not trying to tell City Council what to do nor am I trying to show the Planning Commission any disrespect. What I am trying to allow is continued respect for the ability for any neighbor to say – hey – maybe, could you neighbor, just consider a different solution? One that suits you and suits me? This is what we’ve always been able to do and I don’t believe this right should be removed.

Parcel by parcel, case by case, project by project since 1979 Harbor Springs has managed to allow everyone reasonable solutions on each parcel while allowing Harbor Springs to grow.

Monday night May 20th 7pm is approaching, the date City Council intends to change Harbor Springs’s zoning code. I would encourage you to voice your concerns now; Planning Commission meets again May 16th 5:30 pm. (CANCELLED) I believe what we currently have in place is a consultative and sensitive process that already allows solutions to our current and future needs, our neighbors needs, our overall growth and maintains rights that keeps us safe from overdevelopment. Is this change worth the risk?

Ashley O’Reilly
Harbor Springs

Stop this zoning proposal

To the Editor:

Under the new proposed zoning codes, your neighbor does not need to inform you of changes they are making to their property. These changes are becoming “ by right” versus the current process of having to submit an application, and then approval by the Planning Commission. Your neighbor can add an ADU ( accessory dwelling unit) up to 75% of their house size on their lot without permission from you or the Planning Commission. Your neighbor can start a home business, i.e., dog grooming, hair salon, coffee shop, without permission from you or the Planning Commission. Your neighbor can build a 35 foot tall duplex(es), with an 8 foot set back without permission from you or the Planning Commission . (see pages 7, 12, 76, 78, 82, 88 of the proposed zoning code: www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Harbor-Springs-Zoning- Ordinance-City-Council-Draft-05-20-2024_compressed.pdf).

And everyone keeps wondering “why” is City Council rushing this vote ?

When Headlee Override failed the first time in November 2021, the city was scrambling for money and published this: www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Revenue- Options-for-the-City-of-Harbor Springs-1.pdf)

To increase revenue, it is clearly documented the city wanted to relax the zoning regulations ( pages 21-22) including reducing setbacks, creating smaller lots, let people build higher and cover more area of their property and prevent merging of lots. Also stated, “Harbor Point and Wequetonsing are geographically sensible areas for annexation/425 with high property values.”

City leaders asked, “ Will allowing more density and more buildable area/volume fit with the Master Plan and residents’ vision for Harbor Springs?

The answer is NO! Over 800 property owners have signed the legal protest petition saying this is not our vision for Harbor Springs. 60 % of the City’s General Fund is derived from property taxes ( page 5) and 62% of those property taxes are from part-time residents. Property owners represent 60% of the city’s budget, yet have 0% input on the city’s decision making.

Also, of note in this document ( page 2) is mentioned that, “The City sent a letter to every resident providing basic information” regarding why to vote for Headlee. Yet, the city did not send a letter informing property owners of the zoning changes and what the impact is to their personal property and our downtown. When it impacts the city budget, of course they will communicate with residents, but when it impacts the residents let’s not communicate. This is a violation of property rights, lacks transparency, and is just wrong.

On this same page, it states that public surveys show that residents want : affordable housing, increased communication, and more zoning enforcement. Yet, look what is happening – there was no communication with property owners, housing prices will continue to rise and there is now less zoning enforcement.

I plead with residents, taxpayers, and property owners to get involved to stop this zoning proposal. If passed by City Council on May 20th, Harbor Springs will never be the same. Visit www.weloveharborsprings.org for more information.

Maureen Kenney
Harbor Springs