City Council Meeting - 2024-03-04

Detailed briefing

CITY COUNCIL — MARCH 4, 2024 ATTENDEES: City Council members, city staff, Parks and Recreation representatives Dana Mulder and Rachel Bruhn, Planning Commission Chair Bill Mulder, and members of the public; a quorum was confirmed. • Council approved the consent agenda following a roll-call vote. It also selected six residents for the Bluff Stability Committee: Peggy Abood, Robert Brown and Gail Stevens from Bluff Drive, and Debbie Taggart, Linda Rockwitz and Gretchen Lamarche from Third Street. The committee is intended to seek consensus on vegetation management and bluff stability and later report recommendations to council. • Parks and Recreation reported that the western boardwalk section and new skate park opened in 2023. The Zorn Beach playground was ordered and is expected to be installed in April. Planned 2024 work includes skate park landscaping and furniture, a safety railing near Wallstrom's, continued fundraising for the eastern boardwalk and Harborway, and a phased plan for Kiwanis Park. • Parks officials plan surveys on who uses city parks and how residents view possible major projects. They also formed a programming committee to consider activities such as park fitness, student-led sports clinics and open-gym opportunities. A grant application has been submitted for recycling containers in city parks. • Staff presented an overview of the voluntary Redevelopment Ready Communities program. Staff said the city still has development-review and economic-development work remaining and estimated roughly another year of work, without a required deadline. Public comments were divided, with concerns raised about state influence, transparency, development pressure, ethics and conflicts of interest; other speakers supported using selected best practices and emphasized that unsuitable recommendations could be rejected. • Council accepted the seven-page RRC marketing plan by voice vote. Its stated goals are to promote community assets, events and services, and to improve communication and engagement concerning city projects and policies. • The Planning Commission reported that most major elements of its proposed zoning update are finalized. Proposals discussed included reducing zoning districts, changing minimum lot widths and dwelling size, allowing certain accessory dwelling units, flag lots, duplexes and special-use triplexes. No zoning ordinance was adopted by council. A special Planning Commission meeting will first consider concerns from Bay Street's transitional residential district. • The city manager said water samples after a Third Street main break were clear. The Judd Hill retaining-wall project is expected to begin in late March and may take six to eight weeks. Harbor Master Building bid documents are expected by month’s end, and the street sweeper is expected in early summer. Worth watching: 1. How the Planning Commission addresses Bay Street concerns before sending any zoning proposal to council. 2. Scheduling and eventual recommendations of the Bluff Stability Committee. 3. Grant conditions, fundraising and cost-sharing discussions for parks and other city projects. Upcoming: Special Planning Commission discussion Thursday night; Zorn Beach playground installation in April; curbside recycling contract renewal discussions before the current agreement expires in September. Why it matters: Decisions now underway could shape bluff management, park investments, development procedures and future zoning throughout Harbor Springs.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.