Who's Running the Show?
We are asking the City Council …. why is PC moving forward with writing a new code?
2025 Zoning Code Update:
We’re determined to push the zoning update through on schedule—but we still haven’t decided where we are headed
IMPORTANT: Attend the “Listening Sessions” being held by the Planning Commission
As we noted in our last newsletter, the City is moving quickly to meet with citizens about zoning. We worry that their process is too fast and will exclude many of those disgruntled with the zoning updates. Our request for town halls have become listening sessions. We were seeking back-and-forth discussions to develop better ideas. Based on the public meetings so far, we are unsure where the Planning Commission is headed. We will, for now, give the Planning Commission the benefit of the doubt.
On January 13th, they posted a new meeting schedule - see below. The first meeting is Thursday night. Make sure you attend.
The following page will be updated with relevant information throughout this process: https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/government/planning-commission/.
The following is a schedule of Commission meetings where the zoning code will be discussed. https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/planning-commission-zoning-code-rewrite-schedule/.
The Commission is also hosting Town Hall Listening Sessions and Open Houses. You may view that schedule here: NEW Community Engagement Schedule
You may also attend by Zoom: Link
In November and December of 2024, the City Manager conducted a survey on zoning code topics. The survey was distributed to 300+ individuals via e-mail, mailed to 250 random households, posted on social media, and advertised in the newspaper. You can review a presentation of the results or view the raw data.
The current zoning code can be found here: Current Zoning Code.
You can e-mail comments and suggestions about the zoning code to Jeff Grimm at: assessor@cityofharborsprings.com.
Trust
The Vote NO campaign highlighted trusting the Planning Commission to make the right decisions. We argue this also means your actual neighbor. In this city, your neighbor is likely a voter, a generational homeowner, or a second homeowner.
While one group or person may advocate “A” and another person or group advocate “B”, the right answer can be “C”. Not as a compromise, but “C” as something that solves “A” and “B” better than either “A” or “B”.
But you only get to C by discussions.
When someone says “You need to wait for the summer people to make this decision,” you may roll your eyeballs and you can oppose that and say, “We do not have time to wait”. Or you could say, “What needs to be true is to include non-residents in the discussion now?”
Last Thursday, January 9th, the audience at the Planning Commission was asked to help “get the word out” about a series of meetings to be held in January and February to develop a new code. We expected the series of meetings to include districts - so that neighbors could talk and listen to their actual neighbors.
But we still can’t understand why a new zoning code helps existing property owners. We understand how it helps builders and people who want to move to Harbor Springs. We hear the Planning Commission wants feedback on building heights and lot line setbacks, but neither the City Council nor the Planning Commission has explained the value of a new zoning code. Where are we headed, and why?
Ask yourself:
Why is increasing the housing density so important to me?
Why does increasing the size of the business district matter to me?
Does the Planning Commission and City Council work for us or do we work for them?
We are not here to create theoretical economic opportunities for their goals. The Planning Commission's job is to update zoning when it does not work for existing property owners. It has no duty to hypothetical future homeowners, and it’s not its job to guess what a future economy may look like. We all can work out the economy on our own.
Comments Received
“I wonder why the Planning Commission continues to insist on changing the zoning code? There was an overwhelming outcry from the city residents to stop the madness in the recent election. What is the big hurry? Why does the city need to change? Why can't the city residents receive some sort of communication via USPS to know what is going on with our city? Based on the recent election results, the residents do not want a lot of change. Why are the residents' wishes being thwarted?”
“These are the questions that I have. I am worried about my city, and I am among the majority of residents that do not want major changes shoved down our throats. Please stop meddling with the zoning, and move on to individual issues. Communicate with the residents to make sure you are representing their wishes. Government officials are elected to serve the people. The people have spoken. It's time to listen.”
“We are somewhat disillusioned with how things are going. The City Council needs to be WAY more vocal on all the issues that WLHS has raised, researched, and promoted. They are the only ones that can legitimately force a discussion on these matters in public. Planning Commission Chairman Bill Mulder will continue to forge ahead because nobody can stop him. Same with the City Manager. The public comments fall on deaf ears. Same with the letters. The public asks questions, makes comments and the Planning Commission seems to ignore them.”
“It would appear that elections have consequences, but in the case of Harbor Springs it seems the city elected and non elected officials have decided to ignore the messages sent during this past referendum. We do NOT want a change to the zoning in this town. The process has worked fine for all the years I have been present since 1990 and will continue to work long after I am gone. So sad our city officials cannot digest the message.”
“As a community member we do NOT want a change to the zoning in this town. The process has worked fine for all the years I have been present since 1990 and will continue to work long after I am gone. So sad our city officials cannot digest the message.”
"I appreciate the transparency We Love Harbor Springs is bringing to this. I'm well aware of all the commotion recently about changing the zoning. You've hit the nail on the head here...Why do we need to change it? What are the problems that we are trying to solve? Will zoning changes really solve them? Harbor Springs is technically a city, but it's really a small town. Why such a radical change for a small town?”
The only reason for zoning changes is the RRC. It dictates higher density and multi-family housing in order to qualify for grants from the state. THIS is the reason the city is so dug in about changing the zoning code. Take the RRC out and you have the 2005 code which has served Harbor Springs so well. Some people stand to make a lot of money by opening us up to development. These people should not be making decisions for the rest of us.
WHEN will the Planning Commission tell us WHY? It is troubling to watch them ignore the people's very simple request. Second question is why the hurry? The city and the Planning Commission will not be forthcoming about answering these two very reasonable questions. And finally, instead or defending the modalities of choice for outreach to the community WHY not send the property owner a professionally constructed survey? a Professional Survey Firm whose only business is to write, tabulate community outreach surveys. Have THEM document and interpret the outcomes? Reasonable, smart and proactive. If the survey firm is not attached to the city in anyway it will not only be substantially more valid, BUT it will build confidence from the constituents. Instead of blaming and pointing fingers about public participation, why not use the USPS to send surveys? The city already knows the value and the effectiveness of this mode because they used the post to send information out before the #439 election, send our tax receipts, bills and utility fees, etc. Send surveys in the mail that way the likely hood of it reaching the owner is robust & you can prove you got to them and that they are valid property owners - rather than depend on the owner being at the right place at the right time (on line, reading a once a week publication or happen to attend a meeting where the survey is mentioned.) AND wondering if they are truly property owners. The onus is on the staff to ask & problem solve, "if this is not working, what else can we do?" rather than blame it on the property owner for not being at the right place/right time. The people have spoken/voted and yet they have not been heard. STILL not heard. The challenge remains...you can Listen all day, and still not Hear.