Updating the Zoning Code for Downtown

After months of work, the Planning Commission has just about completed its work on a zoning code update for our city.

The last time our zoning code was reviewed and updated was 20 years ago. Every word of the existing code has been reviewed in a year-long process that has consumed over 1,500 hours.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be highlighting aspects of the update that will improve our zoning code. Today, we will be focusing on improvements related to downtown.

Here are a few updates that have made the code better and position the downtown of Harbor Springs for a bright future while preserving its past.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

• 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 (𝗖𝗕𝗗). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝟯𝟱’ 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲.

• 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭 𝗼𝗳 𝟮 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀 (𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗕𝗗) 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆.

• 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗕𝗗 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲.

• 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗽𝘂𝗯𝘀, 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀, 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗲𝘁𝗰. 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱. 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁; 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗕𝗗 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟱 𝗼𝗳 𝟳 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁; 𝘂𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗖 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘆𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

You can review the entire proposed update at: https://harborspringsworkingtogether.org/.../Harbor...

And all the Planning Commission meetings are available for review online at: https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/.../planning-commission/

The Planning Commission is holding one more public hearing on November 13, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall where you can comment.

I think the volunteers on the Planning Commission and community have come up with some excellent improvements for downtown.

Let’s help get the update to our zoning code approved when it goes to City Council later this year. Share this post to help spread the word to residents of Harbor Springs. As always, thank you neighbors!