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HARBOR SPRINGS
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Harbor Springs is Beautiful!
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The town of Harbor Springs voters repealed Ordinance #439 and these decisions will give our town back the right to Decide for ourselves as a community our future within the city.
It’s time now to organize the building a new zoning code that reflects the Master Plan, the Community Surveys and to build new legitimate surveys that will ask the tough questions of the community to provide answers in deciding the towns future.
Ask yourself the question – how do you imagine the City for your children and grandchildren?
Now with the November vote, the repeal of a zoning code behind us and to disengage from certification by the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC)/Michigan Economic Development Corporation. (MEDC)- the Planning Commission Chairman and commission members need to explain to the community members the premise of each of the zoning changes that will be brought forward at the upcoming meetings. Please go to the City of Harbor Springs website to find the calendars, agenda’s and zoning schedules.
Are the reasons for zoning changes to build better living conditions, weather resiliency, infrastructure protections, visitors opinions, tourist attractions, downtown businesses expansions for more money into pockets or for reasons the property owners are asking the zoning administer to attend to? Are these ideas for envisioning the future? Are they products of the people ? Changing dynamics or ?
A sensible discussion might lead with ” the zoning reforms were based on our findings…”.
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Let’s always keep the lights on!
Petoskey News covered the request from the City Manager to the City Council for moving ahead a ten million dollar bond but City Hall did not provide very much education for the community prior to the 45 day countdown. The “Letter” was published in the Harbor Light last Wednesday.
“After sharing the letter ( in the newspaper) , anyone opposed to the idea of bonding has 45 days to petition. A total of 10% of voter signatures need to be collected to allow the issue to go to a vote.” Petoskey News Review
www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/2025/03/22/harbor-springs-exploring-bond-funding-for-power-...
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Harbor Springs City Council exploring bond funding for substation project
www.petoskeynews.com
The Harbor Springs City Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing for a letter of intent for bonding projects during their last meeting.3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Do you have a better idea to fund the necessary upgrade?
Hi Jody - that’s a great question and I think we should ask that question when City Hall educates - there are only two weeks left to do so - seems important !
“…The City of Harbor Springs currently services electricity to over 3,600 residential,
commercial and industrial customers, water to over 1,336 customers, and sewer to
over 1,078 customers…”
This means the city utilities reach outside the 1.3 Square Miles of city boundaries. The school district reaches well outside the boundaries too. The number of second home owners is high, we know - yet there has been no discussion of what number of city properties are even habitable in the 12 months of a year. Why don't they live here all year round because even if they wanted , they cannot. Maybe bet that we don't even have enough contractors to serve that need. We are a resort town. Let's celebrate our uniqueness. It's time to officially welcome everyone into the upcoming discussions about the zoning.
It is each property owners responsibility to preserve protect and steward his or her piece of Harbor Springs ! Pass it on. And let's get to work.
PRESERVE AND PROTECT - From the 49th We Love Harbor Springs newsletter. Sign up soon at www.weloveharborsprings.org
In the early 1970s, a group in Harbor Springs realized the town's future was imminently threatened. An influx of various interests had begun identifying large housing and development sites all around northwest Michigan, recognizing the vast untapped potential.
They formed the Little Traverse Group, which of course grew into the Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC), and consisted of members Dr. John Tanton, David Irish, Frank Pierce, and Earl Larson, along with legal counsel, Seberon "Boo" Litzenburger, and supporters Ed Koza, John Fischer, and Wrigley "Bud" Offield.
The group formed a land conservancy where they could preserve land by buying it and protecting it into the future rather than fighting costly, divisive, and potentially unsuccessful legal battles. To date, the LTC has preserved and protected 71,100 acres, 175 miles of shoreline and maintains 125 miles of hiking and biking trails.
James Gamble, president of the Harbor Point Association, shared a letter to the Point shareholders in the early 1970s about the Little Traverse Fund. Mr. Gamble said,
“It behooves all of us, not merely the permanent residents, to work to preserve the climate which attracted either us or parents or our grandparents to the Harbor Point area. We would hope that you, as individuals, would support this Committee which is working for our interests, to the best of your ability.”
One thing to remember when talking to people who live in small towns is that generally, they choose to live there because that’s the way they like it. Small, comfortable, known. They want life to stay the way it was when they were growing up there or later raising their family.
They want and do contribute to the town but aren’t driven to change it, exploit it, or grow it.
As Superintendent of Harbor Springs schools, Brad Plackemeier said, our kids find their way back, educated and wanting to live here again because it hasn’t changed.
If we do not prevent change to this crown jewel in Emmet County, we will lose the very thing that drives people here, and come back home for.
Why do families want to move to the area? The Superintendent said it’s the education, natural beauty, and shared opportunities among the surrounding communities. It’s not “build baby build” or stuffing duplexes about and backyard housing.
Towns often thrive during change or critically die from lack of use. Different outlets replace stores that change as people age, retire or move on. New trends bring new ideas, and new businesses bring vitality. Local zoning controls how all that newness fits into all the oldness. That’s the Planning Commission elected mission.
A city's planning commission's charge is to guide the town's future building and land use policies and maintaining a master plan, reviewing the building proposals, and recommending zoning changes, all while ensuring that all building proposals align with community goals and regulations.
The challenge in city planning, especially in small towns, is finding a balance between ‘preserve and protect’ and ‘economic growth’. Any city can stagnate, yet the small town qualities absolutely disappear if zoning allows too much growth.
Growth and Improvements are designed to fit in with the character of the community. The duplex next door is normal. The one not yet built is a threat. Most of the community has long ties in Harbor Springs. The changes being dangled are from outsiders. Well-intentioned men and women who grew up elsewhere and want the changes to Harbor Springs to reflect the memories of the towns they grew up in.
This town is renowned for its charm, and is not preserved by coincidence. It is each property owners responsibility to preserve protect and steward his or her piece of Harbor Springs ! Join us.
We Love Harbor Springs | Help Preserve Our Beautiful City
www.weloveharborsprings.org
A new zoning proposal could irreversibly change the unique charm of Harbor Springs. Help We Love Harbor Springs save our city’s one-of-a-kind character.1 CommentComment on Facebook
This piece is very well written. Harbor Springs has always been an entity in and of itself. Up until 5-6 years ago ,under different city leadership, new residents respected the entity of HS and along with generational/life time residents protected and preserved our town. We all got along. None of this current city planning is good for our town or belongs here. HARBOR SPRINGS NEEDS TO BE THE EXCEPTION AND NOT THE RULE. Leave well enough alone.
You can tell when you drive to TC, or even to the BearCreek area...it's a PUSH. This is the TC story, that we can now avoid here. Let's pay attention and not follow in their footprints. Attend Thursday's meet at 5:30 PC/City Hall.
By Beth Milligan | March 8, 2025
Traverse City planning commissioners voted this week to advance a proposed amendment to the R-2 (mixed density residential) zoning district to the city commission for approval.
The proposed changes would allow up to four dwelling units instead of two to be built on R-2 properties. City Planning Director Shawn Winter noted the rules would still limit the maximum of residential structures to two, but would allow new configurations like two duplex buildings, a triplex with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or a quadplex. “Essentially, the only change is how a residential building may be divided on the inside to accommodate the allowed number of dwelling units,” he wrote in a memo.
Setbacks, height limits, impervious surface limits, and lot width and area would also remain the same, so the changes “would not permit something to be built in terms of scale and placement other than what is allowed today,” Winter wrote. The intention of the changes is to increase opportunities for more infill housing in residential neighborhoods while still maintaining the aesthetic character of the neighborhoods.
The proposed zoning changes were part of a package of housing density recommendations made by the planning commission to city commissioners in 2023. While most of those recommendations were approved, city commissioners never voted on the proposed R-2 changes. The R-2 amendment is schedule to be introduced at the city commission's March 17 meeting, with an approval vote to follow at a future meeting.
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Add this … Why does the Zoning Code need to find its roots in the Master Pkan? Legal protection. Zoning decisions that have no basis in the comprehensive plan are more successfully challenged in court. There must be a rational basis for zoning decisions and requirements. Additionally, …requires that zoning directives harmonize with and not contradict the comprehensive plan. Zoning means different things to different stakeholders. For developers, zoning is a building tool. For residents, it is a tool used for protection from the unknown. For local government, it is a tool to promote the prosperity, health, and welfare of the whole community. For planners, zoning is a tool to achieve the plan goals.