Two Housing Projects Get Approval on Mackinac Island
By Karen Gould

Debra and Sandra Orr plan to build a two-story home on the vacant lot between the Little Stone Church and Debra Orr's house on Cadotte Avenue. The Mackinac Island Zoning Board of Appeals approved the project December 5.

A new home on Cadotte Avenue and an apartment on Mission Street received variances from the Mackinac Island Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Wednesday, December 5. The proposed home lacked the needed rear setback and the apartment lot did not meet size requirements.

The ZBA held public hearings on both variances.

Debra and Sandra Orr plan to build a two-story home on a vacant lot just south of Little Stone Church on Cadotte Avenue. The structure will be built between the church and a home owned by Debra Orr. The area is zoned high density, R3.

The proposed home will be built 12 feet from the rear lot line, but city ordinance requires it must be 25 feet from the line. The land behind the lot is owned by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Orrs have had a lease from the commission to use the land for more than 30 years, explained Debra Orr, who attended the meeting.

Letters sent to the ZBA from nearby property owners supported the construction. Of the 48 nearby property owners within 300 feet of the proposed construction, letters were received from Tom Largo and Buzz Waggoner representing Little Stone Church, R. D. Musser of Grand Hotel, Robert Chambers, Jim Chambers, and Victor Callewaert.

Betty BeDour plans to convert an existing unused area of a home she owns in the Mission into a third apartment without changing the footprint of the structure. The site is zoned high density residential, but the lot size will not accommodate three apartments under the ordinance.

The house was formerly owned by the Medical Center and used for housing.

Ms. BeDour attended the meeting and said the apartment would be rented by the year, not monthly. ZBA member Armin Porter, who cast the only dissenting vote, expressed concerns over how future owners would manage the property.

A letter from Robert Shaver, attorney for nearby property owner James Azzar, asked that the board deny the variance.

"Mr. Azzar's homes are zoned R1 single family residential and, in his judgment, granting the variance to allow Ms. BeDour to improve her property and increase residential density of the immediate neighborhood will negatively impact the value of Mr. Azzar's property," said Mr. Shaver.

A letter from next-door neighbor Mary Jane Barnwell supported the project.

When granting a non-use variance, city attorney Tom Evashevski advised the ZBA, the overriding decision should be based on something unique about the situation that poses a practical difficulty to the owner.

The question the board should ask is, he said, "Is there a practical difficulty with this property that justifies making this deviation from normal rule?"

The lots in the area do not conform to current city standards.

"Part of the problem here," said Kay Hoppenrath, hearing attendee, "is that when the lots were created, there was no zoning on the Island. They would not be allowed to be created today. They're really non-conforming lots."

The board determined that the building was smaller than 10% of the size that would allow three apartments, and considered that a practical difficulty.

Before the building permit applications are issued on both projects, the board noted the owners would need approval to hook into the city's sewer system.

The Island is under an 180-day sewer moratorium, which is scheduled to expire at the end of January.