The Mackinaw City Planning Commission voted 7-1 to place two un-zoned, village-owned waterfront parcels in the marina commercial district, and took no action on a suggestion to add allowed uses to the district at its Thursday, September 11 meeting. The district prohibits hotels, motels, and retail operations.

Commissioner Paul Allers voted against the recommendation to zone the parcels marina commercial (MC).

The decision reaffirms the commission's July recommendation to the village council. The council sent the matter back to the commission for reconsideration after its members voted to place two privately owned, adjoining parcels in the general business B2 district Thursday, September 4. Those two parcels are owned by Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry, which protested that zoning the parcels MC would damage the company.

B2 allows a full range of commercial operations. The change in the potential use of the adjoining properties prompted the council to send the matter back to planning.

Commissioner Jeff Hingston, who also sits on the village council, suggested that the uses in the MC district are too restrictive and proposed allowing retail business and other. The area could change owing to the presence of B2 zoning, he pointed out, and he also cited the large state marina nearby. Once completed, it could draw business away from the Mackinaw City municipal marina, Mr. Hingston said.

"I think of how business has slipped because of the economy at marinas, mainly our marina. With this new marina, . . . it most likely will slip even more."

The new state marina will have 125 slips. The village marina has 104, "which I think is going to put the pressure on this marina of ours," he said.

"It may not be advantageous for the village to run [its] own marina," he suggested. However, "if there were other uses allowed, you could go to private enterprise and say, 'Well, we'll lease you this land and you can do this or that along with the marina,' [including] restaurant, retail, etc."

He also addressed the issue of an open view to the water, which has been at the center of the controversy regarding what types of buildings to allow on the downtown waterfront.

Several planning commission members and members of the public favored MC zoning for the parcels to prevent blocking the view of the Straits of Mackinac.

Mr. Hingston noted that accessory buildings in the MC district are allowed to be 30 feet high.

Mr. Most explained that zoning the area MC would prevent hotels and motels from being constructed there. These businesses would seek to maximize room numbers on the waterfront. Unlike operations allowed in the MC district, hotel and motel owners are likely to build tall buildings, he said.

The MC district allows for ferry boat operations and parking, performance shells, museums, marinas, and accessory buildings for these allowed uses.

Views of the water could be protected with wider side-yard setbacks and other construction guidelines.

Current guidelines should be examined at a future time, Village Manager Jeff Lawson said.

Commissioner Rosada Mann opposed Mr. Hingston's suggestion that more uses be allowed in the MC district. She cited commentary at recent meetings by resident Bill Marvin, who insisted that the village owned parcels will never result in blocked views of the water because they are village owned and therefore "inviolate."

Commissioner Edward "Bo" Whipkey agreed that making the village marina more attractive would be a good idea in the face of competition from the state dock, once completed, however, he suggested finding ways to do so without radically changing the zoning of the parcels.

The meeting took place without Earl "Doc" Taylor, whose term is up in October and has chosen not to seek another appointment on the Mackinaw City Planning Commission, reported Chairman Robert Most.

Once again, the commission lacks full membership, a problem that has plagued the commission for much of the past year. The issue will be addressed at a future village council meeting, said Mr. Lawson.

The village council makes appointments to the commission.