Planning Commission 9.16.2021

Detailed briefing

Planning Commission — September 16, 2021 ATTENDEES: Beth Rahaly, Mary Katherine Hanna, Emily Duvet, Bill Mulder, Mark Boudet, Andrew Bowman and Al Daika were recorded present; Jack Deegan and George Peet were recorded absent. • The commission approved the August 19 meeting minutes. Staff noted that audio was lost about 34 minutes into the prior meeting’s online video, so the draft minutes were reconstructed from notes and may not capture every detail. • Commissioners reviewed feedback from the public short-term-rental meeting. They said attendance and engagement were strong, with owners/hosts as well as residents concerned about rentals participating. The main themes reported were a desire to revisit the city’s approach, uncertainty over possible Michigan legislation, and a need to balance competing interests. • Discussion highlighted enforcement and neighborhood character as separate issues. Staff described a complaint-based city hearing process that can lead to license suspension, but said it can be cumbersome and slow. Commissioners also noted that some complaints, including street parking, may not be enforceable under the current short-term-rental ordinance. No ordinance changes were adopted. • The commission agreed that the four people who worked on the prior short-term-rental public meeting would continue as a working group. They are to develop written options for the full commission, including whether rules should remain in city code or move to zoning, how enforcement should work, and whether density, unit-number, or location limits should be considered. • The commission continued its master-plan review. Members discussed refining goals on trees, housing, form-based-code concepts in business districts, waterfront uses, charging stations, energy-efficiency programs, and regional cooperation. Members were asked to send additional substantive or grammatical comments to Jeff for a revised draft. • On land-use maps, commissioners requested clearer density definitions and updates for land that has been developed, conservancy land, parks, and constrained parcels. They also discussed whether future land-use designations should better reflect existing residential density and potential mixed-use areas. Worth watching: • The short-term-rental working group’s written recommendations and whether they can reach Council before the next rental season. • Whether the city retains short-term-rental rules in general city code or considers zoning regulation, which members said could affect grandfathering and fines. • Revised master-plan goals and land-use-map definitions, especially residential density and mixed-use designations. Upcoming: Staff said the next meeting was October 2, and the commission also discussed an October 7 special master-plan meeting; the transcript does not resolve the scheduling reference. Why it matters: The work underway could shape rental oversight, housing policy, development patterns, and public-space planning in Harbor Springs.

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