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LATEST NEWS
Updated for April 16 PC Meet HEIGHTS: Asking Architects, Builders & Citizens to Read
To our Readers - In hopes that the conversations during the April 16th meeting will go well, we asked Lynee Wells again for a letter on heights - it still was not clear to us - what may be missing in our new zoning code.. We hope that Beckett & Raeder will attend...
In response to the Harbor Light story on the hiring of the City Manager
March 29, 2026 Dear Community, Following recent news coverage referencing We Love Harbor Springs, we received a number of calls from community members asking for clarification. We welcome the opportunity to provide that context. Local journalism plays an important...
City Council Sets Policy;City Manager Implements It – Time to Refocus on Harbor Springs Residents
Dear Members of our City Council, As Harbor Springs enters a period of administrative transition, this is an appropriate time to reaffirm the responsibilities within our council-manager form of government. The City Council sets policy and legislative direction. The...
What is an RFP? Request for Proposal ? Who What and Why
This report about RFP's is under construction: Context for understanding: A community member brought the suggestion of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for Zoning and Planning Services for the City of Harbor Springs. This action item ( Published below) was submitted to...
More on “Let’s Talk About It” Harbor Springs Doesn’t Have a Participation Problem. It Has a Participation Design Problem.
Briefly Harbor Springs’ board structure was designed in an era when “civic engagement” meant showing up to a Tuesday night meeting. It excludes roughly 60% of the people who consider this town home and burns out the volunteers it does include. Monday’s City Council...
Monday March 16th – Boards & Commissions – “Can we talk about it ?”
Watch the Meeting - LINK for Monday’s march 18, 2026 meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfILfuqpxI https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/glm-member-db/files/city_council_agenda_and_packet_march_16_2026_1773409809.pdf Agenda for Monday March 16,...
Thank you for reading our latest News posts. We’re glad you’re here!
ZONING
Updated for April 16 PC Meet HEIGHTS: Asking Architects, Builders & Citizens to Read
To our Readers - In hopes that the conversations during the April 16th meeting will go well, we asked Lynee Wells again for a letter on heights - it still was not clear to us - what may be missing in our new zoning code.. We hope that Beckett & Raeder will attend...
City Council Sets Policy;City Manager Implements It – Time to Refocus on Harbor Springs Residents
Dear Members of our City Council, As Harbor Springs enters a period of administrative transition, this is an appropriate time to reaffirm the responsibilities within our council-manager form of government. The City Council sets policy and legislative direction. The...
What is an RFP? Request for Proposal ? Who What and Why
This report about RFP's is under construction: Context for understanding: A community member brought the suggestion of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for Zoning and Planning Services for the City of Harbor Springs. This action item ( Published below) was submitted to...
More on “Let’s Talk About It” Harbor Springs Doesn’t Have a Participation Problem. It Has a Participation Design Problem.
Briefly Harbor Springs’ board structure was designed in an era when “civic engagement” meant showing up to a Tuesday night meeting. It excludes roughly 60% of the people who consider this town home and burns out the volunteers it does include. Monday’s City Council...
Upcoming 3.19.26 PC Meet: Heights in Harbor Springs – A Memo by Aligned Planning Consultant Lynee Wells –
Responsibility for Height To ensure correct decision-making, adherence to State Law and the City Charter, and to avoid placing the City and its inhabitants and taxpayers at risk. While we are going to discuss adding parking for consensus, we’d like the three other...
Proportional Planning and its’ importance for PDs.
This piece was sent to us by a community member - in response to our recent conversations.... Planned Developments are powerful tools. In larger cities, incremental increases may spread across a broad geography. In Harbor Springs, incremental increases compound...
Catch Up HERE: Compilation of Lynee Wells, Aligned Planning advice on Zoning.
2.19.26WLHS Compilation of Lynee Wells Memos & Meetings. CONTENTS INDEX BELOW Contents 7.31.2025 Meeting Lynee Wells spoke via Zoom 8.14.2025 Meeting Lynee Wells spoke via Zoom 9.19.2025 Emails 9.12.2025 Red Line of Article 10 – Planned Development - nine pages...
WLHS BLOG
In response to the Harbor Light story on the hiring of the City Manager
March 29, 2026 Dear Community, Following recent news coverage referencing We Love Harbor Springs, we received a number of calls from community members asking for clarification. We welcome the opportunity to provide that context. Local journalism plays an important...
City Council Sets Policy;City Manager Implements It – Time to Refocus on Harbor Springs Residents
Dear Members of our City Council, As Harbor Springs enters a period of administrative transition, this is an appropriate time to reaffirm the responsibilities within our council-manager form of government. The City Council sets policy and legislative direction. The...
More on “Let’s Talk About It” Harbor Springs Doesn’t Have a Participation Problem. It Has a Participation Design Problem.
Briefly Harbor Springs’ board structure was designed in an era when “civic engagement” meant showing up to a Tuesday night meeting. It excludes roughly 60% of the people who consider this town home and burns out the volunteers it does include. Monday’s City Council...
Monday March 16th – Boards & Commissions – “Can we talk about it ?”
Watch the Meeting - LINK for Monday’s march 18, 2026 meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfILfuqpxI https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/glm-member-db/files/city_council_agenda_and_packet_march_16_2026_1773409809.pdf Agenda for Monday March 16,...
Update: Interviews on You Tube! 4 Candidate Snapshots The effort we ask of the City Council is no less than the effort we are asking of ourselves.
City Manager Interviews on YOU TUBE : Click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=YQxjQxxU9os Hear for yourself - thank you to all involved. If you happen to know people from these communities, perhaps reach out and see what they think A Snapshot of...
Are we Investing in the Right Projects for our Residents and our Youth? – Shay Park for Example
Char-Em ISD expands co-op program to help students find careers Janis Reeser, Reporter assisted by AI Wed, March 4, 2026 at 4:03 AM EST 4 min read https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/char-em-isd-expands-co-090357071.html Petoskey News Review Change from the Outside In...
How to Pick a Great City Manager for Harbor Springs? Guidelines by ICMA
This article was first published January 24, 2026. The Open to the Public Interviews take place on Saturday March 14,th starting at 8:30 or 9 am - Please check with City Hall for further details. The best way to educate on the answer to this question and to...
DDA
Monday March 16th – Boards & Commissions – “Can we talk about it ?”
Watch the Meeting - LINK for Monday’s march 18, 2026 meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfILfuqpxI https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/glm-member-db/files/city_council_agenda_and_packet_march_16_2026_1773409809.pdf Agenda for Monday March 16,...
Who gets to decide the future of Harbor Springs—and how?
Who Decides the Future of Harbor Springs? Dear Friends, In recent months we have written about many specific issues in Harbor Springs — zoning tables, ARC thresholds, parking requirements, consultants, memos, timelines, trees being planted on State Road and planning...
Old Sidewalks – Let’s Fix Them
Big ticket item at the Downtown Development Authority meeting this month. In Michigan, a sidewalk is considered unsafe, and a municipality may be liable for injuries resulting from a fall, if a vertical discontinuity defect is 2 inches or more, or if there is a...
What is the DDA? What does it do?
What is the DDA? For more information: DDA-101_handouts-3 The DDA is integral to the MEDC's (Michigan Economic Development Corporation's) plan/process across the State of Michigan. Small towns, large towns are all being swept into either certification or engagement...
11.11.24 Traverse City Problem Solving with DDA
This thread is "under construction"
EVENTS
WLHS Town Hall Meeting Dates May 2 & 4, 2024
The “We Love Harbor Springs” team is hosting two Town Hall meetings via Zoom, dedicated to discussing the proposed zoning changes that will shape the future of our beloved community. These sessions are designed to educate residents on the proposed changes and provide...
HISTORY
Are we Investing in the Right Projects for our Residents and our Youth? – Shay Park for Example
Char-Em ISD expands co-op program to help students find careers Janis Reeser, Reporter assisted by AI Wed, March 4, 2026 at 4:03 AM EST 4 min read https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/char-em-isd-expands-co-090357071.html Petoskey News Review Change from the Outside In...
Lynee Wells Letters to HS, meeting transcript & History of ARC
More to Follow : HISTORY -Institutional memory matters. Many current discussions have long histories. Policies and decisions now being revisited were once debated publicly, approved through established processes, and supported by prior governing bodies. Moving...
Who gets to decide the future of Harbor Springs—and how?
Who Decides the Future of Harbor Springs? Dear Friends, In recent months we have written about many specific issues in Harbor Springs — zoning tables, ARC thresholds, parking requirements, consultants, memos, timelines, trees being planted on State Road and planning...
NATIONAL & LOCAL PRESS
Are we Investing in the Right Projects for our Residents and our Youth? – Shay Park for Example
Char-Em ISD expands co-op program to help students find careers Janis Reeser, Reporter assisted by AI Wed, March 4, 2026 at 4:03 AM EST 4 min read https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/char-em-isd-expands-co-090357071.html Petoskey News Review Change from the Outside In...
Lamp Posts – Looking at Harbor Springs as a pallet: Harbor Light 10.8.25
1) A comprehensive plan is put together that includes the following: A) a detailed plan with color schematics for lampposts and other features in the downtown and surrounding area, B) a map of lampposts being recommended for painting, and C) public input. Kate...
UPDATED 5.28.25: The Garden Club, Flag Pole, Lower Zorn Park includes Newspaper & Letters
Added: Petoskey News Report . We respectfully urge you to vote to preserve Harbor Springs’ precious green space, reject this proposal, and return it to the Garden Club with instructions to identify a more appropriate and welcomed location. This is an opportunity to reaffirm the city’s century-long tradition of preservation, protection, and responsible stewardship.
1.15.25 Harbor Light
Planning commission considers options for expanding public participation in zoning code revision By Kate Spaulding | Harbor Light Newspaper | on January 15, 2025 The Harbor Springs Planning Commission began discussion of a public engagement plan related to the zoning...
National News 9.26.24 Cultural Steamroller Heads for Harbor Springs
http://Enjoyer Brochure Steamroller Harbor Springs.pdf O.W. Root is a writer based in Northern Michigan, with a focus on nature, food, style, and culture. Follow him on X @NecktieSalvage. The idea that Harbor Springs—a town of 1,274 with no stoplight, a town so quiet...
6.4. 24 Housing in Boyne City NPR
“The urbanization of Boyne City, characterized by the construction of massive four storey buildings threatens to undermine the small town charm and unique character that residents and visitors have long cherished,” Roland said. Boyne City commission turns down housing...
Resort Town or a Year Round Livable Historic Town? The Best Lake Town
The writer of this wonderful story uses the word “historic” about 25 times and every positive note is conveyed due to its utter lack of ugly commercial development. Harbor Springs is special because of its natural beauty and gorgeously kept historic houses and...
9.5.24 National News About Harbor Springs & the referendum explanation
In 1873, as a result of the Homestead Act, my great-great-great grandfather, of French-Canadian descent, was awarded 160 acres of land in Leelanau County, Michigan for military service in the Civil War. Since then, Northern Michigan has been special to my family, and...
9.4.24 Petoskey News Review Story
Wed Sep 4 2024 HARBOR SPRINGS City shares official wording for ballot item Karly Graham The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY NETWORK HARBOR SPRINGS — The City of Harbor Springs recently shared the formal language of a ballot item for the Nov. 5 election that asks...
8.7.24 Petoskey News Review – Harbor Springs declares referendum petition ‘defective,’ puts issue on the ballot anyway.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham atkgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN. HARBOR SPRINGS — The City of Harbor Springs deemed a petition to put a referendum on the November ballot defective, despite having more than the necessary number of...
LETTERS
UPDATED: Citizen Participation, One Community Voice Sparked it…Add Your Opinions about “Michigan Block Grants” Comments below
What steps need to be taken before considering a "Block Grant"? This 6 Page Citizen Participation - Grantees are responsible for several requirements that extend beyond administering the Community Development Block Grant project. These requirements include...
Aligned Planning’s Lynee Wells Letter to the City Council 12.12.25
DOWNLOAD OR PRINT Ordinance Review Final Edits Summary 12.12.25
THE HARBOR SPRINGS BUDGET – FOR COMMUNITY REVIEW – A REVIEW BY A CITIZEN
Click on this LINK to download letter in entirety HS 2026 Budget Analysis CITIZEN BUDGET REVIEW BY CARTER WILLIAMS 12.10.25 City of Harbor Springs, Michigan Fiscal Year 2026 Proposed Budget December 2025 Purpose and Limitations This memo is offered in the...
Peter H. Askew 153 Zoll Street Harbor Springs, MI 49740 November 21, 2025 Mayor Thomas Graham, Jr., Members of the City Council City of Harbor Springs 160 Zoll Street Harbor Springs, MI 49740 Dear Mayor Graham and Members of the City Council, I urge you to take a hard...
Carter Williams City Council Letter regarding the Hire of a new City Manager
From: Williams, Carter <carter@oiventures.com> Sent: To: Monday, November 10, 2025 8:23 PM Tom Graham; Reeve 4 HS Council; Jamielynnmelke@gmail.com; kathy.motschall@yahoo.com; Jeanne Benjamin, Cc: Victor Sinadinoski Subject: City Manager Search Process Dear...
4.20.25 Weather Preparedness by Bing Howenstein
Letter TO: Mayor, City Council, City Manager and Community Written by Bing Howenstein DATE: April 20, 2025 SUBJECT: Recommendations for Enhanced Community Emergency Preparedness Introduction The recent Michigan ice storm, which resulted in a week-long power outage,...
Inclusion means something in a community
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Let’s take a moment to imagine Harbor Springs without second homes and second-home owners. No grand turn-of-the-century cottages. No yachts in the bay. No Irish’s, no Walstrom’s, no ferry. No bustling art fairs, no car shows, no...
SURVEYS
Are we Investing in the Right Projects for our Residents and our Youth? – Shay Park for Example
Char-Em ISD expands co-op program to help students find careers Janis Reeser, Reporter assisted by AI Wed, March 4, 2026 at 4:03 AM EST 4 min read https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/char-em-isd-expands-co-090357071.html Petoskey News Review Change from the Outside In...
SURVEYS: 80 People filled out recent Economic Survey. 13 pages of great answers for & against.
https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/All-Survey-Results-ECON.pdf The Economic Survey was produced in November 2024. The answers are telling, rewarding the attempts to build Harbor Springs into a full time year round town, and answers that are...
9.11.24 RRC ? Now ? Later ? Learn from this Survey
HISTORY: Anyone who supports the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) its' long long views, their rules and lots of regulations may have missed a valuable story of how Harbor Springs became a ‘best’ lake city here in northwest Michigan. (just this month voted by...
CORRECTIONS
Corrections: 7.24.24 Bluff Gardens Apology
7.23.24 In the past, from February 8th to recently, the property to the west of Bluff Gardens - Harbor Springs iconic store with large cutting gardens was referred by the City Council and everyone that referred to it, as the place where the "agricultural" zoning...
ZONING: Correction made: What’s Happening to the Mobile Home Park? 5.06.2014
UPDATE & Correction. WLHS researched and found the ownership of the trailer park had changed, but only within the family - not as a new buyer/seller situation. The changes in fees being charged were explained to be "updates" for years old inconsistencies in the...
RRC – ARCHIVED
MEDC/RRC Two recent stories
June 18, 2025 New News about the MEDC. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-ag-executes-search-warrant-state-economic-development-offices Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office served a search warrant Wednesday at the Michigan Economic...
2018 RRC MEDC Document for Review
CITIZEN’S COMMENTS 2.18.25 ON THE RRC
Update: 2.18.25 It is important that the trajectory of the RRC/MEDC involvement be understood. At last nights meeting, the RRC was abandoned to strong push back from audience citizens and City Manager. The Mayor’s comment that in 6 years no one had told him what was...
Zoning: Dexter, Michigan 6 years after leaving the RRC
Discovering the Allure of Small Town Living in Dexter, Michigan Dexter, Michigan, is a prime example of a fast-growing community that seamlessly combines a rich historical tapestry with a welcoming atmosphere, drawing in residents and visitors alike. Situated in close...
Should we further Certify Harbor Springs as a RRC town?
At this time, we believe Harbor Springs is an "engaged" member of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Here is the full document that slide by slide shows the steps a town needs to become "Essential" or "Certified". ...
Zoning A reminder on how the MEDC/RRC Status can be involved -What to watch for – 6 slides
For zoning, and learning how our zoning is affected by the involvement of the MEDC/RRC. As an update, we now have various zoning parties and leaders suggesting that Harbor Springs does not go further into RRC Essentials or Certification status at this time. Please put...
2021 RRC MEDC Slide Show details
Please review this document. We are look for a more recent version. https://www.miplace.org/4a73de/globalassets/documents/rrc/rrc-2.0-info-sessions-presentation_2.1.2021.pdf