Zoning update tries to address county shortfalls

Jeff Broddle | Cadillac News The difference between agricultural land and land available for development is a big part of Wexford CountyÕs Zoning Ordinance update.

Here’s some food for thought.

Wexford County’s current zoning ordinance has no language concerning groundwater protection.

Based on the ordinance, Wexford County can grow to nearly 500,000 people.

Dwelling types are all treated the same. That means stick-built homes, apartments, modular homes and trailers all fall under the same construction category.

“Zoning by itself is not effective unless it’s combined with a complete zoning program,” said Kurt Schindler, statewide land-use educator for Michigan State University Extension. “Communities that are able to accomplish that are communities that are going to succeed in the coming decades.”

Wexford County already has its Master Plan in place. Zoning is the tool that implements the master plan. The problem is that the current zoning ordinance and the newly enacted Master Plan don’t match.

In preparation for the new plan, which is already in draft form, the Wexford County Planning Commission held three public hearings.

Input from those meetings was used to tweak the plan to better fit the will of the people.

“The biggest issue that came up, we heard concerns about the agricultural zoning district and the limitation the planning commission had,” said Mike Solomon, planning chairman.

The plan called for the smallest split for agricultural land to be 40 acres. The commission basically allows farmers to choose agricultural orrural residential.

“Agricultural zoning is a very difficult issue for a community to grapple with,” Schindler said. “It comes down to a policy decision and it has to be the community that makes it.”

The debate is essentially this: is protecting farmland and keeping it available for agriculture more important that preserving a person’s right to sell land for development purposes?

“If you look at it for your own personal gain, you say you want to divide it and sell,” Schindler said. “If you look at a bigger, societal issue, you look more toward agricultural preservation.

“The farmer wants his cake and to eat it too. If he’s farming, he doesn’t want a subdivision next door.”

Another change is the Lake Mitchell Overlay Zone. As time has passed, the character of that area has too. Solomon said a change from resort residential to residential fits well with a change in development from cottages to large residences.

By mid-November, Solomon said he hopes to have a draft document to present to the Wexford County Board of Commissioners.

In the meantime, anyone who wishes to provide public comment can do so by contacting the planning commission through (231) 779-9501.

Your Local Connection

Some differences