A Mackinaw City business wants to add an aerial cable ride, called a zip line, and reconfigure its existing store and restaurant to use additional space, but is awaiting approval to build a tower for the ride while planning commissioners decide what type of fencing such an attraction will require. The issue was discussed during a special planning commission meeting Monday, November 30.

The zip line, on which a rider glides on a pulley along an inclined cable, would extend from about 34 feet up a proposed tower and propel a rider across the Animal Tracks miniature golf course, owner Enzo Lieghio told The St. Ignace News. He said the amusement is being built to meet visitor demand for added attractions in Mackinaw City.

A zip line and climbing wall at Historic Mill Creek just east of Mackinaw City has been a successful draw to that state park.

Mr. Lieghio's tower structure would replace the Dippin' Dots Ice Cream building on the corner of North Huron Avenue and Crossings Drive. A rock climbing wall would be attached to the northwest side of the tower.

The Mackinaw City Planning Commission tabled a special use permit for a second structure near the miniature golf course on South Huron Street. The commission was unable to reach a decision regarding where a fence would be placed to contain trash around the platform and operating area. The commission partially approved site plan revisions, but with the exception of the zip line operations structure.

The proposed building would be about 42 feet tall, with a zip line platform. The inside of the building contains office space and retail space.

The facility requires the Lieghio TBWC Family Limited Partnership to obtain a special use permit and is considered to be an open air business and must comply with rules to keep out blowing trash. t

Village Manager Jeff Lawson outlined three options the commission

could consider to address the fencing requirements for open air businesses. The commission could follow the zoning ordinance, the property owner could apply for a variance, or the commission could change the language relating to the fencing requirement.

Changing the language of ordinances is normally performed to address a recurring issue, Mr. Lawson said. The village has seen few open air businesses in the past, and he said the zip line issue is unique.

In the case of a variance, one is normally granted when an applicant is "harshly affected" by the ordinance and the applicant's property is in some way unique. At the time of the meeting, the Lieghio family had not applied for a variance.

The rub of the matter concerning fencing is where trash could potentially be generated along the zip line. Chris Brown, representative of the Lieghio family, argued fences should only be required on the launching and landing areas of the zip line. With customers holding onto the zip line, there would be little chance of riders creating trash during the ride, he said. A fence had been planned for both landing and launching areas as a safety precaution, he said.

Food would not be sold at the zip line, which would reduce the potential of trash generation, Mr. Brown said. Constructing a fence along the entire ride would look ugly, he added, and could look uninviting to customers.

The planning commission grappled with the wording of the ordinance and had difficulty reconciling its literal intention and how it would apply to a zip line. The commissioners agreed building a fence along the entire operating line of the ride would look unappealing and could be potentially expensive to construct.

Commissioner Rosada Mann said if a fence or wall were to be required along the entire operating area, the family could consider building natural berms. The berms would look pleasant from the air, she said, and would contain any trash. Mr. Brown replied the area over which the zip line is suspended could be used for potential development in the future, and he would prefer to fence the landing and launching areas.

Commission Chair Rob Most agreed a berm would look pleasant and may fit the fencing requirement. He suggested the Lieghio family could consider how to work a berm into the site plan to meet the fencing requirement while not interrupting any long term development goals.

As the meeting continued, commissioners reached an impasse on how to define the perimeter that should be fenced or walled. The commission tabled the special use permit until the Thursday, December 10 meeting. Mr. Lawson said he would consult with the village attorney to see how the perimeter could be determined.

Lieghio Site Plan Revision Accepted Sans Zip Line Building

Following the special use permit discussion, the commission quickly approved several site plan revisions to the Mackinac Bay Trading Company at 312 South Huron Avenue in Mackinaw City. The revisions include the elimination of 2,500 square feet of outdoor dining area adjacent to Nona Lisa's restaurant, the conversion of 4,097 square feet of restaurant area to retail area, and the conversion of 1,412 square feet of retail area to indoor restaurant area.

Mr. Lieghio explained the Woodland Creek business consolidated its retail space, giving the family more room to use in the building. The dining area outside will be moved inside the building, he said, as customers seem to prefer dining inside.

The site plan revisions also included the construction of the zip line tower, but commissioners decided not to address it until the fencing issue is settled.

The revisions were submitted to the Mackinaw City Village Council meeting Thursday, December 3 and received final approval, except for the tower structure.