How Diamonds are Made
Today, I've got a bit of a science story. Carbon is one of the building blocks of life on earth. Somewhere between 90-120 miles below the planet's surface, intense heat, pressure and time transform simple carbon into extraordinary diamonds.
Heat, pressure and time. One could argue these are the forces the update to our zoning code has had to endure as well.
HEAT :
The Planning Commission has certainly felt the heat from a handful of folks, some from residents of Harbor Springs and some not. They have work hard, studied and considered every word. But despite their best efforts, few can argue that the vitriol in meetings and online has, at times, been a bit fiery.
PRESSURE :
And this group of stalwart volunteers has no doubt been under pressure. I think about how this process could have been so much more positive if the interactions by some had been more honest and less a proxy battle for a whole host of other issues. Some of those issues are community related...some are personal issues. We are lucky these volunteers have stuck with the process for so long given the often-unpleasant pressure they have endured.
TIME :
Finally, this process has taken time. A lot of time. Nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer time over the last year and hundreds more in the years before. Dozens upon dozens of public meetings across all four seasons. Meetings with residents. Zoom involvement with summer guests. Every voice heard every comment addressed. After a ton of money was spent to repeal the code last fall ($58 a vote!), the Planning Commission laid out an intense winter timeline. That wasn't enough time. So, meetings continued through the spring. More time was still needed so hearings were held throughout the summer. There had been a thought that the Council elected in 2024 would be able to vote on the updates to the code. The delays will force the issue onto the new Council's plate. A formal hearing was held. Then a request for another. More time has been put into crafting the updates to the zoning code than perhaps any other city initiative.
I am not saying the updates to the zoning code are all diamonds. But all the heat, pressure and time has created something remarkable. They have combined to produce updates we can be proud of as residents of Harbor Springs.
Tonight's Planning Commission meeting is at 5:30pm at City Hall.
You can review the code updates for yourself, here: https://harborspringsworkingtogether.org/.../Harbor...
I've posted summaries of what the updates will do for different areas of our community. A reminder, we don't get any of the benefits if we do not update the code (and some of them seem like pretty big benefits to me).
Downtown: https://www.forwardharborsprings.org/.../updating-the...
Neighborhoods: https://www.forwardharborsprings.org/.../updates-to...
Format: https://www.forwardharborsprings.org/.../the-more-you...