By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN, MI – Last week’s Buchanan City Commission meeting featured action on one ordinance and discussion about two other upcoming ordinance changes.
Commissioners also gave local approval of a liquor license for a new downtown event venue and amended a state grant application made this spring to increase the amount of the local match.
Commissioners recommended approval of a liquor license for a new venture in the former Clark Equipment complex now known as Building 324. The liquor license request will now go to the state Liquor Control Commission for final approval.
City Manager Tony McGhee said the license request is under the Downtown Development Authority. He noted that Michigan DDA liquor licenses are a tool designed to encourage redevelopment and reinvestment in downtown districts and that multiple liquor licenses are allowed in a DDA district.
Building 324 owner Randy Hendrixson said after the meeting that he plans to open an event space in a large area on the south side of the building toward Front Street. He said renovations will start soon with the goal of opening after the first of the year. He said the venue will host corporate and live events.
Commissioners amended the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant application they made in the spring for St. Joseph Riverfront improvements. McGhee said state officials have indicated that the city’s application is right on the bubble of being approved and that increasing the city’s contribution could help make sure it is funded.
The city had been asking for a $400,000 grant to pay for a fishing platform and restrooms with a $150,000 local match. With Monday’s action, the city is increasing its match to 30 percent of the total cost or $165,000 and asking for $385,000.
The first ordinance matter taken up was for a new short term rental ordinance. Commissioners held a second reading of the new ordinance and then voted to enact it. Unlike last month when two people spoke out against the proposed ordinance, no one spoke during last week’s public hearing.
People in August had said that the short term rental moratorium put in place in March had hurt the sale of their property. They also took issue with the premise of the discussion that short term rentals hurt the school district.
Short term rentals will be allowed mainly in the downtown corridor and will not be allowed in single family residential districts. The new ordinance will grandfather in the 15 existing short term rental properties in the city and that another 15 short term rentals will be allowed in non single family residential neighborhoods.
Two new ordinance matters were also discussed. The commission accepted the introduction of the new zoning ordinance and set a public hearing and first reading for Oct. 13. They also directed Clerk Kalla Langston-Weiss to update the ordinance governing filing deadlines for city commission seats.
In the latter matter, Langston-Weiss said Commissioner Dan Vigansky had brought the matter to her attention earlier this year. She said the city changed the filing deadline in 2018 from 15 weeks before the primary election to 15 weeks before the general election. State law puts the filing deadline at the earlier date and the city is looking to go back to that.
As for the zoning ordinance, McGhee and Langston-Weiss said that the planning commission has done an extensive review of multiple drafts over the last few years before bringing it to the city commission.
The updated ordinance is called a “unified development code” and represents a whole new approach to zoning and development, McGhee said. The new ordinance is “form based” rather than “traditional use based” as it balances growth with preservation with an emphasis on encouraging compact, pedestrian-oriented, mixed use development.
Although not mentioned at the meeting, news broke late last Monday that Community Development Director Richard Murphy had resigned his position. In an email sent out Monday evening, Murphy reported that he had resigned effective Sept. 12.
He thanked residents and city staff for working with him to forge “a vision for Buchanan.” He did not give specifics about his future plans, only saying “now it’s time for me to move on to forge the next vision.” Murphy had been the community development director since January, 2021, coming from Michigan City.
City Manager Tony McGhee said that the position has been posted and he hopes to start interviews next month with other staff splitting Murphy’s duties in the meantime.
He said the community director’s duties have been changed to refocus the position on items like code enforcement, the new rental registration program and overall quality of life in the community and neighborhoods.