Petoskey planning commission approves special-use for boutique gym at 1019 Buckley Avenue

The Petoskey Planning Commission on Jan. 15 approved a special-condition use request allowing a boutique gym to operate in a specific tenant space at 1019 Buckley Avenue (Case 56-24).

John, city planner, summarized the application and review. He told the commission the zoning administrator and the Zoning Board of Appeals previously had reviewed the proposal and found the personal-service use compatible with the zoning and consistent with parking provided for similar nearby uses. John said the staff had three recommended motions and that the commission’s prior request that parking spaces be delineated on the property remained part of the record.

The commission discussed site-specific operational and safety concerns. Commissioners asked whether the special use should be limited to the unit occupied by the applicant; John said that limitation could be added to conditions and staff agreed to include it. Commissioners also questioned the lack of a turnaround and whether reverse-angle parking or other changes should be required. One commissioner said the space appears adequate for an appointment-based operation and noted “we're not gonna have more than 1 or 2 people in there at the time.” Another commissioner said fire-lane access had been considered and, given the expected low number of parked cars, would not be prohibitively affected.

Applicant Elijah Brumback spoke briefly and declined to add comments at the meeting.

Commissioner Charlie moved to approve the application as described in the staff materials; Commissioner Albert seconded. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all commissioners present voting yes (motion and tally recorded in the minutes). The commission did not place additional special requirements beyond specifying that the special use applies only to the tenant space occupied by the applicant and leaving delineation of parking and complaint-based enforcement to staff follow-up.

The commission closed the public hearing without public comment before taking its vote. The commission’s approval is an authorization for the use under local zoning; any required building permits, site markings (if pursued), or other administrative steps remain subject to staff review and permit processes.