Residents press council on Polly’s Place lease termination, Done Paper rezoning, roads, bike lanes and jobs

Several Port Huron residents used the public-comment period to press city leaders on a range of neighborhood and economic issues, including a terminated lease for Polly’s Place, opposition to industrial use at the Done Paper/Dunn site, and persistent street, sidewalk and bike-lane concerns.

Julian Rupp, who identified himself with Polly’s Place, said he received an email notifying him the city was terminating the lease for his South End location about a year and a half into a 10-year agreement. “No discussion. No warning. No vote with the community,” Rupp said, adding that Polly’s Place had limited development (about 15% complete) and had not received a water hookup during the term. Rupp said he received an email from James Fried noting the city needed to deal with a developer proposing nine single-family houses. He encouraged council members to consider alternatives to the proposed purchase of his on-site shed and to recognize the work volunteers had contributed.

Multiple speakers opposed industrial uses at the Done Paper/Dunn site and across that riverfront parcel. Claudia Smith, who lives near the property, said she supported rezoning it to a planned unit development and opposed heavy industrial activity and aggregate operations that could bring trucks and noise. Terry Baum and others reiterated opposition to industrial use and urged residential or low-impact redevelopment.

Residents also raised public works concerns: Ken Harris and other speakers complained about delays and safety issues on Lapeer Avenue, uneven pavement on Water Street (Thirteenth to Tenth), and a need for traffic-calming measures and enforcement for cars parking in bike lanes on Gratiot Avenue. Speakers said crosswalk markings and school-zone paint have deteriorated. Alan Skinner suggested planning for a full-line grocery store within a short walk of the proposed South Park community center.

City Manager remarks during his report addressed several points raised during public comment: the city will reconstruct Water Street from Thirteenth to Tenth in the spring under an $800,000 project; the mailed “water service” letter asks residents to report whether their water service line is lead as required under Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulations; and the city reported about $850 million of new investment in Port Huron over the last decade and approximately 3,750 new jobs, but staff said a worker shortage remains and about 300 jobs in the industrial park are unfilled. The manager also described a Port Huron Police Department initiative embedding a community mental-health social worker with officers and reminded the public that the 988 crisis hotline is available.

Ending: Commenters asked the council to move proactively on sidewalks, lighting, enforcement and land-use decisions; city staff gave timelines for several infrastructure efforts and outlined programs to address jobs and mental-health response.