Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Tim Romanowski’s site plan for a proposed six-home development at 846 S. Lakeshore Drive. The property currently houses the Starport Marina and campground, and Romanowski is pushing for the parcel to be rezoned as a planned urban development district.

Tim Romanowski’s site plan for a proposed six-home development at 846 S. Lakeshore Drive. The property currently houses the Starport Marina and campground, and Romanowski is pushing for the parcel to be rezoned as a planned urban development district.

PERE MARQUETTE TWP. — Dozens of people filed into Pere Marquette Township Hall on Tuesday to express their thoughts and concerns about a proposed rezoning of Starport Marina that could result in the property being converted into a housing development.

Tim Romanowski of Peninsula Cove LLC is asking the township to rezone the marina and campground, which he’s in talks to purchase. The 846 S. Lakeshore Drive parcel is currently zoned for low-density residential use; Romanowski, who aims to build six single-family dwelling units on the property, is asking that it be changed to a planned urban housing (PUD) district.

There was no board action on the issue during Tuesday’s meeting — and the township said there are steps that need to be taken before a final decision is made — but the proposal still drew impassioned comments from residents who spoke up during a public hearing on the matter.

Some of the speakers use the marina and consider it a perk of the area. Others voiced concerns about space and density with respect to Romanowski’s proposal, which would bring six buildings onto 1.6 acres — three to the north and three to the south of the marina.

Starport Marina is currently out of compliance with township zoning regulations, as it operates commercially in a residential district, but it’s a legal nonconforming site, according to Township Supervisor Jerry Bleau. The owner, Steve Abrahamson, recently passed away, and the sale of the property is in the hands of his family.

Dan Hooper, a property owner on South Lakeshore Drive, said he’s “very much opposed to this particular development,” and said the “ridiculous density” of the proposed PUD would still be out of compliance. He cited the language in the township’s zoning ordinance that states a PUD district must be a minimum of 3 acres.

“You don’t take a nonconforming piece of property and slam another one into it that may or may not ever get built. It just makes no sense,” Hooper said. “And when the ordinance specifically says that you cannot do it, it’s incumbent on this board to follow that ordinance, or it’s up to us to take legal action against you. I hope it doesn’t come to that. … And I hope that if this is allowed, you limit it to three houses only.”

Zoning Administrator Kristen Lange confirmed what Hooper said about the 3-acre minimum for PUDs, but she added that there’s also language in the ordinance that allows the planning commission to “consider a PUD with less acreage if the intent of the PUD district will nevertheless be achieved.”

Bleau said he’d consult the township’s attorney to make sure “we’re abiding by our own laws,” as Hooper had “essentially threatened legal action against us.” He added, “I don’t like that tactic, but so be it, it’s their right.”

Jerry Thompson, who also owns property on Lakeshore Drive, said the presence of Starport Marina is a convenience that the township would be “taking away from the taxpayers.”

Thompson told the board that the majority of township property owners are against the development.

“You’ve got huge opposition to this, but we’re still talking about it,” he said. “Most of us do not want this.”

Resident Bill Caldwell said PUDs “do not turn out right — any of them.”

“They turn into slums because the property keeps changing hands, the government keeps financing these things,” he said. “I’d be very leery of that.”

Terri Langerak supports the rezoning and development, stating that Starport is a “nuisance” that’s been “over capacity and noncompliant for 20-plus years.” She added that the number of cars and campers parked at the site is a “hazard to public safety.”

“I’d like to see this project move ahead, but with the condition that we don’t end up with silos or container houses or teepees,” Langerak said.

Mary Ann Harris, who lives on Lakeshore Drive, also said she’s in favor of “bringing the parcel … into compliance.”

“As a resident of this area, we’ve come up against several proposals for this property. The request for a PUD will require that the township be clear in enforcing guidelines,” Harris said. “What you do at Starport will set the tone for development to follow.”

Thompson spoke again, noting that there is no timeframe for the development.

“What if it doesn’t get built? Then all we’ve done is lost a marina,” he said.

Bleau pressed Romanowski about that issue later in the meeting, asking when progress would start on infrastructure if the rezoning is approved and the sale of the property goes through.

“If we saw an approval early enough this year, we’d put the shared driveways and community septic infrastructure in this year. … If not, we’d be doing that at the earliest opportunity in 2023,” Romanowski said.

Bleau also asked Romanowski to submit homeowners association bylaws, a master deed, and “any other pertinent information that’s going to tell us how some of these issues will be addressed.”

Romanowski hasn’t closed on the sale of the property yet, but he said he’s started working with his attorney on bylaws for a homeowners association he formed in anticipation of purchasing one of the homes on the development.

He said he’d have a construction timeline turned in to the township board within two weeks.

“As soon as I get the required information from Mr. Romanowski, we’ll get this back on the agenda for a future date,” Bleau said.

The township board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.

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