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LATEST NEWS
Can you Volunteer for Harbor Springs?
The Deadline is December 11th! Please consider how to participate! The City has begun the recruitment process for City boards. All existing board members whose terms expire in 2025 have the option to reapply, and notice has been given to the general public on...
Focus on November 4th, Election Day – There is still time to vote!
New Zoning Proposed Code – Some details! To be continued. Check Back Often
As we go through these subjects, corrections and further insights may be added. Thank you for taking the time to review. Administrative Review: A Review The Proposed Code - Headed to the Planning Commission for Approval on November 13, 2025 The community has two weeks...
ZONING
Key Takeaways Across All Planning Commission Open Houses September 2025
• Density denial vs. perception: Residents consistently reject the PC’s claim of “not increasing density.” ADUs, PDs, and cluster housing are seen as density boosters regardless of PC framing. • Trust deficit: Most comments circle back to distrust of the PC — process...
Why we should be extra careful of Planned Developments in Harbor Springs
We write to the community to express our deep concern regarding the proposed changes to the Planned Development (PD) provisions within the zoning ordinance, especially in light of recent developments such as Cottage Company’s projects on Zoll Street and Main Street....
REGULATED USES TABLE – proposed draft
Proposed Draft – Article 7
Article 7 is much of the guts of the proposed draft code. Read so you understand further of what can happen where and why? Ask that question! Here is the LINK: Article 7 - DRAFT Code Here is a image of the Article 7 INDEX -
Proposed Zoning Code Public Meetings and Public Hearing "The Planning Commission has wrapped up their review of the zoning code and will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, September 18, 2025 @ 5:30 PM at City Hall to receive public comment on the proposed zoning...
Update Letter 8.26.25 Following the Recent PC Meetings
Your letters speak for you, please show up at the Public Hearings now scheduled - See below Date: August 26, 2025 at 5:16:24 PM EDT To: Bill Mulder <wmulder1@gmail.com>, Tom Graham <tom@grahamre.com>, jamielynnmelke@gmail.com, kathy.motschall@yahoo.com,...
We believe Harbor Springs cannot build its way out of the national employee housing problem.
Our Position Harbor Springs is the heart of a larger region. With improved connectivity, short distances, and shared resources, we believe in a regional approach to housing — where surrounding townships have more space and flexibility. Ours is a resort community...
WLHS BLOG
Who is WLHS?
What is We Love Harbor Springs? We Love Harbor Springs. org was established to ensure the voice of our entire community is heard. Our group is made up of over 1,000 people from all walks of life, including voters, full-time and part-time residents, multi-generational...
Questions & Answers in Harbor Light News of Candidates for City Council
QUESTIONS: FROM THE HARBOR LIGHT Please tell us about yourself and what skills you believe you would bring to the City Council table. What are the biggest challenges you believe the City currently faces? Are there additional long-term concerns you have that need to be...
Part 2: More about We Love Harbor Springs.org What is the cost? Tell us about yourselves!
There have been some questions raised about our community group, We Love Harbor Springs (WLHS). On the off chance some of you aren’t familiar with us, I wanted to take the time to fill you in on why I personally got involved, and why we formed WLHS: To Preserve and...
More about We Love Harbor Springs.org
Questions have been raised about our IRS filings. Here are the facts: We Love Harbor Springs is a registered 501(c)(4). We requested and received a standard IRS filing extension for our Form 990. That makes our new filing deadline November 15, 2025. Until that date,...
Why we should be extra careful of Planned Developments in Harbor Springs
We write to the community to express our deep concern regarding the proposed changes to the Planned Development (PD) provisions within the zoning ordinance, especially in light of recent developments such as Cottage Company’s projects on Zoll Street and Main Street....
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 Do You Love Most About Your Neighborhood?
After last night’s Planning Commissioner meeting, I left with a lot on my mind — and maybe you did too. It got me thinking: What do I love most about my neighborhood? About our downtown?Is it the undulating rooflines, the mix of buildings that still carry hints of the...
DDA
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EVENTS
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NATIONAL & LOCAL PRESS
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...
5.22.24 Petoskey News “Harbor Springs council passes new zoning code despite public pushback”
KARLY GRAHAM The Petoskey News-Review HARBOR SPRINGS — A zoning code update that’s been in the works since 2022 was approved by the Harbor Springs City Council on Monday, despite more than 800 people signing a petition against it. The contentious update resulted in...
4.30.24 Unintended Consequences, Please sign the Change . Org Petition
To the Harbor Springs Community, Regarding the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) National & Michigan Program: There are unintended consequences that I believe have not been thought out or organized – and there are property owners that are unaware of these...
Harbor Springs in the National News -The American Conservative Magazine 4.16.24
Testing : https://www.theamericanconservative.com/communities-have-a-right-to-set-their-own-housing-policy/
LETTERS
Letter to Editor – M.Kilbourn About the RRC
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HARBOR LIGHT January 9, 2025 Please accept this letter for publication in the Letters to the Editor: The City Council enacted a zoning ordinance which the voters evaluated and rejected via a ballot referendum last November. Since then, the...
12.13.24 Letter to Harbor Springs City Council by JR Elliot
12.5.24 Conflict of Interest (COI) : Letter to City Council
From: Ashley O'Reilly <ashleymkor@icloud.com> Date: December 5, 2024 at 5:23:17 PM GMT To: Graham Tom <tom@grahamre.com>, Michael Behrmann <mhbehrmann@gmail.com>, Jamie Melke...
Letters: 8.28.24 Refused at Harbor Light, published here. Mike Kilbourne
28.24Subject: LETTER TO THE EDITOR Please add my attached (and below) letter for publication in the next Letters to the Editor section of the Harbor Light. TURNED DOWN "Is it all about money? The City Council recently enacted a zoning ordinance which will now appear...
6.26.2024 Our Community and Our Voice
Letter To the Editor: ‘Our Community; Our Voice’ What we want, isn’t it a community that Council can depend on; a community of voices, of ideas, of thoughtful contributions, and of deliberate participation, open to all members of the community, that creates and builds...
4.30.24 Letter to the City of HS – from Wendy Reeve
I have attended all 3 zoning commission meetings held within the last 3 weeks. An investment of 9 hours to familiarize myself with this many pronged octopus the Planning Commission is proposing. Two days ago I read thru the RRC Best Practices Handbook. The...
Letter: 4.30.24 To the Editor: Re: Nancy Rondell & Hope by James Kenney
Dear Editor: In an October 2020 interview with the Harbor Light, while running for city council, Councilwoman Nancy Rondell highlighted the importance of local government in Harbor Springs, encouraging input from all residents. She insisted, “It is so important that...
SURVEYS
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CORRECTIONS
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RRC – ARCHIVED
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". ...
RRC & WLHS Questions about Growth
Growth Council Report https://growingmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-12-14-GMTC-Final-Report-2.pdf Pg 53 ‘Developing and rehabilitating our housing stock to create more and denser housing and additional live-work options will better match the lifestyle...
7.8.24 RRC History & Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Grants Projects: Up North 2019 – 2024
MEDC Revitalization Projects PDF for sharing Here is the research: Let the voters decide. WLHS asks: Does our community need or want a zoning reform if its result is State mandated property development? Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Michigan...
9.18.24 Why RRC ? Some History of Harbor Springs – Master Plan
HISTORY: Anyone who supports the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) views, rules and regulations may have missed a valuable story of how Harbor Springs became a ‘best’ lake city here in northwest Michigan. (This month voted by Travel and Leisure Magazine.) The...
11.12.24 What is the RRC ? Does Harbor Springs want or need the RRC?
Months ago we wrote a newsletter that talks about the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) & Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Here's the link: https://wlhs.substack.com/p/wlhs-redevelopment-ready-community Here's the MAP. As of 11.24 we believe...
9.17.24 The MEDC’s Mission is promoting Michigan’s strong image worldwide.
But in order to under something, it's best to review the history of it. Here is a link to a report written in 2009 on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). We will follow up on a new report, written recently....
9.22.24 History of the MEDC/RRC and its almost failure. Report #1 of 2
We hope you can get through this lengthy article; https://www.mackinac.org/S2009-06#executive-summary 2009 MEDC and it’s failures and costs to the State coffers - the entire project could have been axed. Instead in 2012 it was resurrected/reformed into all the...