Preserving Elberta Beach
Help create a Conservation District Overlay to protect what’s unique about our shoreline and dune forests.
Special Planning Commission Meeting Thursday, February 22, 6 p.m.
Next Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Community Building, the Planning Commission will hold the first of three meetings with Sara Kopriva, our consultant from Beckett & Raeder, to work on a conservation and environmental protection amendment to our zoning ordinance.
Conservation has been a goal of the village since the 2018 Master Plan, and now we begin the process of amending our zoning ordinance to reflect that.
Currently, the conservation goal stated in the master plan is somewhat at odds with our current zoning map. Our residents want a conservation district, as seen in the map below:
But, as you can see below, our 2015 Zoning Map shows a development district in the dunes and beach:
At this first meeting we’ll begin the discussion of the amendment and look at conservation strategies used by other local towns and villages in their ordinances. The Planning Commission will explore case studies mentioned in the Networks Northwest guidebook Planning for Coastal Resiliency in Northwest Michigan's Dunes. We’ll look at the zoning ordinances from Manistee Township, Charlevoix Township, and Suttons Bay Village.
What does it mean to preserve and protect our local environment? We will explore strategies like providing bluff and shoreline setbacks, vegetative green belts, limiting removal of shore cover, district overlays, and cluster developments (as opposed to sprawl). All these can help protect the land while allowing existing development rights to remain. Can humans and our special local wildlife and plantlife (some of whom exist hardly anywhere else on earth) live together in harmony? We think so, and are going to try to make it so.
The next two meeting dates are to be determined. We’ll continue the discussion of the conservation district, review the language of the zoning amendment document, and hold a public hearing before any amendment is adopted.
As always, Planning Commission meetings are open to the public! Regular meetings are always the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 in the Community Building. We’re excited to say we now have a full five-member commission, with the new additions of Megan Gray, of Elberta, and Mary Link, of Frankfort.
On February 15, Council approved our draft master plan. The public will now have 63 days to review it and submit comments. After any changes, this document will then become the legal guiding light for the Elberta Experience for the next five years. (So it’s kinda important.)
Submit a comment on the master plan before the end of April, attend a Planning Commission meeting, spread the word among your social circles—these are all great ways for residents and Elberta fans to love and protect this special place, so close to many people’s (and rabbits’) hearts.
Ryan Fiebing is an architect, a Village of Elberta Trustee, and a member of the Planning Commission. He lives in Elberta and is remodeling Jim Baker’s old house on Furnace Street.
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Love your cover photo!!