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HARBOR SPRINGS
Harbor Springs is Beautiful!
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The town of Harbor Springs repealed Zoning Ordinance #439. This gave our town the
right to Decide for ourselves as a community, our future within the city.
WELCOME TO WE LOVE HARBOR SPRINGS
A COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH, STEWARDSHIP, AND STRONG PUBLIC PROCESS
Harbor Springs is shaped by many decisions—large and small—that affect how we live, work, gather, and care for this place over time. Zoning is one part of that picture, but so are parks, trees, open space, public infrastructure, historic resources, and the way our local boards, commissions, and City Council engage with the community. At We Love Harbor Springs, our commitment is to strong research, clearly explained ideas, thoughtful review, and public processes that invite participation and build trust.
You can follow our ongoing work under the NEWS tab, we share research, updates, letters, corrections, press coverage, and analysis related to community decisions and governance.
Community input—through surveys, town halls, public meetings, and individual engagement—has been invaluable. These perspectives help ensure that decisions reflect lived experience and shared values, not just technical compliance.
In February 2025, the City Council chose to step away from the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) certification and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) program. This decision marked an opportunity to reaffirm local priorities and reaffirm the importance of community-driven decision-making.
There are more decisions like that to still be made to Preserve and Protect.
Disclosure & Commitment to Open Dialogue
We Love Harbor Springs is committed to fairness, transparency, and careful research. The information shared on this site is offered in good faith to support informed public discussion. Facts, interpretations, and conclusions presented here are always open to challenge, correction, or clarification. We welcome additional information, differing viewpoints, and evidence-based feedback at any time, recognizing that strong communities are built through accuracy, openness, and respectful dialogue. Contact us at weloveharborsprings@gmail.com with details.
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Hello,
Emmet County is hosting a 2nd community survey to inform the Master Plan update, and it closes tomorrow (Saturday, February 28). This is your last chance to take the survey and add your voice to the nearly 2,000 others who have participated!
Take the survey at this link:
www.surveymonkey.com/r/8L55J5L
If you've already taken the survey, thank you! Please consider forwarding this email to anyone else who might be interested.
Warmly,
Elise Loud (consultant supporting the Emmet County Planning & Zoning Department with community engagement for the Master Plan project)
Elise Loud
Placecraft
www.placecraftmi.com
www.placecraftmi.com
Image description: Multi-colored oil painting of a seaside port community. There are various sailboats, people, and buildings in rich, jewel tone colors of eggplant, terracotta, amber, robin egg blue,...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
This is an interesting subject to discuss. Please be thoughtful in writing your responses, the work being done at City Hall is progressing nicely.
Proportional Planning and its’ importance for PDs. | We Love Harbor Springs
weloveharborsprings.org
This piece was sent to us by a community member - in response to our recent conversations.... Planned Developments are powerful tools. In larger cities, incremental increases may spread across a broad...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Take Survey 2
Click the link below or scan the QR code to get started:
Survey 2 Link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/8L55J5L
Chip Ironside at last Monday's Planning Commission meeting asked Harbor Springs to help Emmet County. 6 days to respond!
So we are asking you what reasons are there for people to take part in a survey within the county where we live ?
It's a great question — especially in a place like ours where civic engagement really matters.
The motivations usually fall into a few clear categories:
1. To have a voice in local decisions where people participate when they believe their input could actually influence policy; believing that elected officials are listening, and by giving information on decisions about zoning, parks, taxes, schools, or roads that affect them personally.
In small communities (like Harbor Springs and Emmet County), people know their voice can realistically matter. A survey feels like a low-barrier way to participate without attending a 2 hour meeting.
2. To protect what they value - residents and visitors respond when they feel something important is at stake like neighborhood character; farmland or open space; lake access; historic buildings; trail systems; traffic and parking and one of everyone's favorite....taxes and public spending!
Surveys often attract higher response rates when framed around stewardship, preservation, or community identity.
3. Convenience compared to public meetings because not everyone can attend a 8 a.m. DDA meeting; sit through a City Council session; or speak publicly (we get so nervous)!
A survey offers privacy; flexibility; time to think before responding; just plain time to think; access for working families and seasonal residents to be involved, and this is especially relevant in communities with mixed year-round and seasonal populations. So here is their survey - think about what it means for Harbor Springs.
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