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ZONING | WLHS BLOG | DDA | HISTORY
Press | Letters | Surveys | Corrections | RRC
LATEST NEWS
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...
Parking, and how a meeting in March didn’t reach the Realtors – yet
Let's have the conversation again. What are your thoughts ? Responsibility 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 parking...
Thank you for reading our latest News posts. We’re glad you’re here!
ZONING
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...
Planned Development – Definitions of Subjective and Objective terms – Helping us understand the PD language.
Planned Development - Strong enough for Harbor Springs? In a meeting in early May 2025, when the Planning Commissioners discussed standards and property rights, Mark Rondel spoke regarding a variance request for a garage, noting that while the proposal met technical...
What is Ordinance 50 ? Why does it Matter? Short Terms Rentals Recently Discussed ?
Please read carefully. This is in the January 5 2026 City Council Packet - A report on Short Term Rentals comes next ...
WLHS BLOG
Focus on November 4th, Election Day – There is still time to vote!
Stepping up to run for City Council – Thank you!
Thank You for Stepping Up Seeking to Serve Harbor Springs First off—thank you. By choosing to run for City Council, you’re stepping into one of the most important roles in our community. You’re not doing it for recognition or a title—you’re doing it because you want...
Thanks from a True Blue Local
Thoughts From a True Blue Local Harbor Springs is one of the few places left that is so naturally beautiful, so surrounded by abundant natural resources, so, dare we say inherently charming, people are not only drawn to it, they want to make it their own. So people...
Who is WLHS? Short Version
What is We Love Harbor Springs? Please read about us in the ABOUT tab on our Website! 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,...
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...
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....
DDA
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EVENTS
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HISTORY
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NATIONAL & LOCAL PRESS
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LETTERS
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...
To the Community – Now 4.24- 8.11.24
To members of the City Council; This paragraph is in reference to the delicate and important balance principle homeowners and most importantly second homeowners play in the economic balance of Harbor Springs – a resort town. In a business sense our second homeowners...
SURVEYS
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CORRECTIONS
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RRC – ARCHIVED
1.4.24 Planning Commission Meeting- A Power Point of the RRC Zoning
Chair Mulder presented a power point presentation updating the Planning Commission on the tasks and progress of the Planning Commission Sub-Committee. Planning Commission member Emily Dube asked what resources were utilized in arriving at the proposals included.