City of Harbor Springs's Planning Commission Special meeting June 7th 2022

Detailed briefing

City of Harbor Springs Planning Commission Special Meeting — June 7, 2022 ATTENDEES: Commissioners Rick Tarchinsky, Vanessa Warren, Emily Dubay, Bob Thoma, Bill Mulder, Mark Bidet, Barry Lustgarten, Al Daika and Max Bassett were recorded present; George Peet was absent. Little Harbor Club representatives John Avery and Timothy Jenkins participated. • The Commission considered only Little Harbor Club’s request for special land use approval to operate 174 Traverse Street as a rooming house. The Commission said its aim was to approve or deny the request rather than delay it again, unless substantial new issues arose. • Little Harbor Club presented a two-year property-improvement plan and said it had begun improvements at other housing properties. The club said its membership is capped at 200 equity members and that 174 Traverse could hold up to 12 occupants under a maximum double-occupancy scenario. It described the intended residents as more mature staff than those at Beachview. • Public testimony included support from a nearby owner who cited the need for employee housing, the club’s improvement commitments, and what he described as the club being a good neighbor. Other residents described recurring late-night noise near Beachview, difficulty sleeping with windows open, concerns about additional traffic and parking demand, and worries about neighborhood character and property values. • Commissioners reviewed the seven special-land-use standards. Discussion centered on whether the use would fit the neighborhood and R-2 district, whether added occupancy could worsen parking, whether noise could create a nuisance, and whether the use could substantially affect neighboring property values. City staff said no measurable reduction in nearby assessed values had been identified from existing Little Harbor Club properties. • The Commission discussed possible conditions, including landscaping or screening, occupancy limits, management arrangements, and an applicant-offered condition that the special land use would lapse if the property were sold to an owner without common control. The approval motion included landscaping improvements and relinquishment of the special-use capability upon sale. • The motion to approve did not receive the six affirmative votes staff said were required for special land use approval. The Commission therefore did not grant the request. Worth watching: • Whether Little Harbor Club follows through on its stated property-improvement and landscaping plans. • Whether residents continue to report noise, parking, or traffic concerns related to existing club housing. • Whether the club submits a revised rooming-house proposal or a separate short-term-rental application. Upcoming: No future meeting date was announced in the transcript; staff said the applicant could potentially return at a future time. Why it matters: The decision leaves 174 Traverse Street without the requested rooming-house approval while highlighting ongoing tensions between employee housing needs and nearby residents’ concerns.

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