City of Harbor Springs's June 26, 2023 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting

Detailed briefing

City of Harbor Springs Zoning Board of Appeals — June 26, 2023 ATTENDEES: Michael Behrman, John Leo, Bob Thoma, and Kathy Macho were recorded as present; the board confirmed a quorum of four. • The board held a special meeting focused solely on a revised variance request for a Third Street project. Approval of prior minutes was deferred to the next meeting. • The applicant revised the plan after discussions with the eastern neighbor did not result in a new letter of support. The revised approach moves the proposed replacement garage so it complies with the applicable setbacks, removing the need for a garage variance. • Staff explained that the ZBA was now considering only two variance areas: a proposed connector between the house and garage that extends into the principal-building setback, and a proposed second-story addition that increases the building’s volume without expanding its footprint. • The replacement garage would be narrower than the existing garage—20 feet rather than 26 feet—and three feet deeper, at 24 feet rather than 21 feet. The applicant said the new garage form better matches the house architecture. The old garage is to be removed and replaced with a newly engineered structure. • Board discussion clarified that the garage remains an accessory structure because the connector is less than 50 percent of the relevant common-wall width. If treated as part of the principal residence, the garage would face the principal-building setback instead. • The board opened a public hearing, received no public comment, and closed the hearing. A member said the two criteria that had previously failed had been addressed by the revised plan. The board then approved the request, with four recorded yes votes. Worth watching: • Planning Commission still must review work in the restricted bluff zone, including whether it can be completed safely without damaging the bluff or nearby property. • Planning Commission also will consider the required special land use discussion for proposed second-floor guest quarters. • The final project must retain the revised configuration under which the garage complies as a detached accessory structure and only the connector and second-story addition received variances. Upcoming: The project will go to the Planning Commission for restricted bluff-zone and guest-quarters review; no meeting date was stated. Why it matters: The redesign allowed the board to narrow the variance request while leaving additional safety and land-use review to the Planning Commission.

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