Following an extended closed session with township attorney Bryan Graham, the Elmwood Township Board voted Monday to rescind a December motion directing the planning commission to remove short-term rentals (STRs) from Greilickville neighborhoods “using an overlay district or amendment to the zoning ordinances” at their Monday meeting.
The board decision to rescind this motion is certain to face some backlash from Greilickville residents. Former township supervisor Jack Kelly, an active opponent of STRs, had repeatedly called on the township board to make this motion since October until he was permitted up to 10 minutes to present on the subject at the Dec. 11 board meeting.
According to Kelly, the township board directed the planning commission to “remove STRs from subdivisions in Greilickville neighborhoods using an overlay district or amendment to the zoning district” back in September 2021. Kelly said that action was postponed, however, as the township board waited on the Michigan House’s decision on a bill prohibiting such regulations.
“It was clear to me that the township board, at the end of the Sept. 30, 2021, meeting, clearly and unambiguously intended to take some action to protect the Elmwood Township neighborhoods, and just for a variety of reasons that there’s no sense even going into, it just fell by the wayside,” Kelly said in December.
Kelly appeared to have the support of many Elmwood residents as they filled the Elmwood township hall for his presentation at the December meeting. Following Kelly’s comments, the board passed the above motion a narrow margin with a 4-3 vote, with current Township Supervisor Jeff Shaw, Treasurer Chris Mikowski, and Trustee Terry Lautner voting no.
Shaw told the Leelanau Enterprise that this motion by was approved with the understanding that it would be reviewed by legal counsel, and the board went into closed session immediately at the Feb. 12 meeting to discuss this item. Upon returning to open session, the board agreed to rescind the earlier motion, based on their discussions with attorney Graham.
After this, the board went back into closed session to discuss outstanding issues between the township and resident Frank Noverr, owner of Noverr Enterprises, LLC, on Lakeview Road. The case was settled in federal court in 2019, with the township paying Noverr $65,000.
According to Shaw, the settlement was reached on the understanding that Noverr would meet certain conditions for his property, such as introducing a commercial driveway meeting county road commission standards and installing a 20-feet-wide and 13-feet-tall canopy, by December 2022.
Shaw said that to the township’s knowledge, these conditions still haven’t been met. When the board returned to open session, they agreed to verify that Noverr did not install these features before taking further action.
The township board also: - Heard an update on the Discovery Pier project from Discovery Center and Pier CEO Matt McDonough.
- Accepted a Grand Traverse Band 2% grant for $7375 and provided $13,000 in matching funds for the purchase of a refurbished cardiac monitor for the Elmwood Township fire department and ambulance.
- Adopted the Leelanau County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan five-year update as an official plan for the township.
- Reappointed Jonah Kuzma to a three-year term on the Elmwood Township Planning Commission, Ed Basile to a two-year term on the parks and recreation committee, and Bryan Currie to a threeyear term on the zoning board of appeals and a two-year term on the parks and recreation committee.
- Agreed by consensus to have a township personnel committee meet to discuss a year-round building and grounds position for the township. Currently, Shaw said, the grounds crew position is a seasonal one, but there is enough work to justify a permanent hire. The personnel committee’s recommendations will be considered at a future meeting.
