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LATEST NEWS
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...
NEW from Lynee Wells about PD’s and WHY to fix our new zoning code. Recommendation for Reform
PD Memo for Planning Commission 2.12.26 Harbor Springs must decide which approach serves the community best. MEMORANDUM To: Harbor Springs Planning Commission Date: February 12, 2026. To download the letter: Please click: PD Memo for Planning Commission 2.12.26...
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...
Planned Development – Discussion Points – Easy to understand.
How Developers “Hold the Community Accountable” Developers do not “hold the community accountable” politically — they hold municipalities accountable legally and contractually. Here’s how that works: 1. Vested Rights Once a project is approved under existing zoning,...
Heights in Harbor Springs – A Memo by Aligned Planning Consultant Lynee Wells –
February 2026 Height Memo for Planning Commission 2.2.26 3 Pages - Heights and regulations in CBD and in Residential neighborhoods vary in many ways, many are still confused why we want to review the Heights subject again. So for many of us that are participating in...
3 Real time Examples for PD’s, Height and Administrative Review Committee (ARC)
Dear Readers, We know there are a lot of details to sort out - and through - but to get it right, thats what needs to be paid attention to. Opening Thought: Clear zoning language is not about stopping development. It is about making sure that what gets...
Thank you for reading our latest News posts. We’re glad you’re here!
ZONING
A 5 Day Deadline -What happens when big box stores come to Emmet County? What happens to our local businesses?
The public comment period ends January 27, 2026. Anyone wishing to voice concerns may do so through EGLE’s website link: https://mienviro.michigan.gov/ncore/external/publicnotice/search. Enter HQF-AXAK-T2VJC in the reference number search box, click ADD COMMENT...
A New Way to Participate in the Planning Commission Meetings -With Suggestions
This is a speech Karin Offield prepared for the January 15th meeting - the version that was actually presented was very short. We received the speech in entirety and want to shout out to Barry Lusgarten for bringing this subject up and the Planning Commissioners...
1.5.25 Proposed Zoning Code Overview – by Harbor Springs City Planner John Iacoangeli
Taken from the Transcript of January 5, 2026 - The Summary of the Zoning Code presented to the City Council Members - on the night they approved the New Code. By Beckett & Raeder's John Iacoangeli "The proposed zoning code is structured into 15 articles,...
The Zoning is approved!
January 8, 2026 A Wrap-Up on the Zoning Vote At the January 5, 2026 City Council meeting, the motion to approve the proposed zoning code dated October 21, 2025 was approved with several conditions by a 3–2 vote. We believed that a brief delay of several weeks,...
November 20, 2025 Editorial on Zoning
Zoning Update The following is a Zoning Update from Karin Offield who has participated in nearly every planning commission meeting since February of 2024, ever since concerns on the zoning emerged. Nov 20, 2025 My joy comes from knowing that, instead of reverting to...
The final Planning Commission Meeting of 2025 – a win for the zoning , but not yet quite done
Dear Readers - Hope this is helpful to all who asked...."How did the Meeting go?" December 18, 2025 We took a few pieces of the transcript about the Admin Review Committee to help us clarity our position on the Administrative Review Discussion for the January 5 City...
Dear Planning Commissioners,
Why should the City Council send the proposed zoning back to you? It is far easier to fix these issues now than to live with their consequences later. We hope you'll consider taking the proposed zoning code back into 2026 meetings, and finish what is almost ready to...
WLHS BLOG
Not Overlooking Community Input and Visualizing the Future – Bike Path
A kind of Lecture: https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/2021-master-plan-updates/ In the complex web of urban planning, the creation of a master plan and the zoning code that follows are not merely technical exercises. They are the backbone of a city’s future...
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...
Election Matters & Candidates for November 4th Election
An Open Invitation to Residents, Candidates, and City Leaders “Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. But action with vision can change the world.” — Nelson Mandela John Wooden: “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.”...
November 13, 2025 Public Meeting for the Proposed Zoning Code – Please attend
One more look at the proposed zoning code for the community and by the Planning Commission before approval? Here is the proposed code. We will add to this post, as elements become available. Proposed Zoning Code...
A thank you for your service & Petoskey News: City Manager announces resignation, last day set for Dec. 16
"It is with heartfelt gratitude that Harbor Springs will say goodby to Victor and his family as they move on to a new chapter. Leaving one place for another is hard and at the same time, exciting and it marks a time for growth and possibility." "Your service to...
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!
DDA
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EVENTS
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HISTORY
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NATIONAL & LOCAL PRESS
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LETTERS
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...
Letter: 4.3.24 Please Mr. Mayor let’s hold a Town Hall about the Zoning
From: Karin Offield Subject: Letter from Karin Offield about a Town Hall scheduling Date: April 3, 2024 at 5:09:59 PM EDT To: Matt Bugera <mjBugera@gmail.com>, Jamielynnmelke@gmail.com, kathy.motschall@yahoo.com Cc: mbehrmann@cityofharborsprings.com,...
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 Silence Speaks Volumes by Patrick Kenney
Letter to the Editor: In May 2019, having lived in Harbor Springs for less than one month, the newly appointed city manager, Victor Sinadinoski, for some reason, felt he had a thorough understanding of Harbor Springs and that our quaint town needed to become an RRC....
Letter: “Affordable Housing has left the station”: by Maureen Kenney
Dear Editor: I write not as a “character assassin,” a term carelessly thrown around by a Planning Commission Member, but rather as a concerned citizen intent on holding elected and appointed city leaders accountable for their words and actions. This letter serves the...
SURVEYS
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CORRECTIONS
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RRC – ARCHIVED
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....
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...
5.4.24 Response to RRC Best Practices by City Manager
Recently, City Manager Victor Sinadinoski released a list of the RRC’s 30 “best practices” on the city website. This list covers many basic aspects of good governance. However, the purpose of releasing this list is confusing because it doesn’t necessitate...
3.18.24 City Council Meeting Reply – RRC
Members of City Council; We would like to offer a correction in the spirit of transparency around a comment delivered tonight (March 18, 2024) at the City Council meeting. Although correct; during the process of the zoning update, the RRC was not specifically...
3.18.24 City Council Meeting – Zoning Approvals Postponed until May 20
Mayor Matt Bugera and City Council members Micheal Behrmann, Jaime Melke, Kathy Motschall and Nancy Rondel vote - unanimously - to postpone the approval of the zoning reform proposal put forward by Planning Commissioner Chair Bill Mulder until May 6 2024.
3.8.24 Planning Commission Meeting -Zoning Questions & Answers
City of Harbor Springs Zoning Code Update Project Questions and Answers March 8, 2024 https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/City-of-HS-Zoning-Questions-and-Answers-March-8th-2024-Official.pdf
2.15.24 Planning Commission Meeting-Summary of Changes to Zoning Code
https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Zoning-Code-Update-2024-Summary-of-Key-Topics-V.2.pdf