Planning Commission Meeting - 2026-09-17

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs Planning Commission — September 17, 2026 ATTENDEES: A quorum was declared. Jeannie Benjamin and Vanessa Warren were reported absent. • The commission approved the September 3 meeting minutes after staff corrected several misspelled names. No vote count was stated in the transcript. • Commissioners continued reviewing proposed Central Business District zoning language. They generally favored requiring ground floors in mixed-use buildings to be primarily commercial, but did not settle on the proposed 60% minimum. Staff will seek more comparisons from communities considered more similar to Harbor Springs, including communities with resort, waterfront, historic, or comparable population characteristics. • The proposed 70% maximum lot coverage for corner parcels also remained unresolved. Members said a simple lot-coverage figure could leave open space in a rear parking or loading area rather than improve the street corner. Discussion raised possible standards for corner setbacks, green or pervious space, viewsheds, massing, and visual treatment. Staff said it could inventory existing corner properties and their current lot coverage. • The commission supported staff drafting zoning language addressing businesses that completely paper over storefront windows in the off-season. Members said full window covering can make downtown appear closed or blighted. They did not adopt a specific rule, and acknowledged businesses may need flexibility in how they present empty or seasonal storefronts. • Members broadly supported exploring an Architectural Review Committee for the CBD. They cited master-plan language about preserving small-town character, integrating development with existing structures, and avoiding large, bulky buildings. Staff recommended first asking City Council whether it supports further work on the idea. Commissioners requested examples of other committees’ membership, authority, and processes, and emphasized the need for clear, quantifiable guidelines without making development overly uniform. • On short-term rentals, no regulation changes were adopted. Members discussed a possible cap, concentration standards, owner occupancy, a longer threshold than the current 30-day definition, required license numbers in advertisements, stronger fines for unlicensed rentals, and public-facing reporting tools. Staff said reductions in the current single-family cap could be achieved through attrition as licenses are not renewed or properties are sold. Worth watching: • Whether staff’s comparable-community research changes the proposed CBD commercial-space and corner-lot standards. • Whether City Council authorizes further work on an Architectural Review Committee. • How staff’s next short-term-rental draft addresses unlicensed listings, license renewals, density, and the rental-duration threshold. Upcoming: Staff will return with additional CBD research, possible storefront-window language, Architectural Review Committee information, and short-term-rental redlines and policy research. Why it matters: The discussions could shape downtown form and appearance, as well as how residential neighborhoods are protected from short-term-rental impacts.

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