Petoskey City Council completed a first reading of proposed amendments to Article 12 and Article 20 of the city's zoning ordinance intended to clarify variance procedures and resolve internal inconsistencies between two sections.

City Manager Shane Horn and Zoning Administrator Lisa Denoyer told council the changes respond to conflicts between existing sections addressing variance length and permitting. Denoyer and the city attorney revised the text, and Horn said the most recent bolded language in the handout was added the day of the meeting to clarify differences between section 17.21 and section 2,007.

The substantive change offered in the draft extends a commonly applied variance time frame from 12 months to 18 months in some cases. Councilmember Demore and others said the new wording is clearer than the previous version. "The latest iteration is far superior to the preceding one," Demore said.

Horn explained the revisions were drafted with input from the zoning board of appeals and planning commission and that the city attorney advised it was not necessary to send the current revision back to the planning commission for repeat review. This item was presented as a first reading; no final vote occurred and any adoption would be scheduled later after required notices and readings.

Next steps: staff will present the ordinance for subsequent readings as required by charter and state procedures; council asked staff and counsel to continue to refine language as needed ahead of final consideration.