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Commission denies conditional rezoning for 1700 Division Street after public comment
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Summary
After a public hearing with several residents and the applicant, the Marquette City Commission voted 7-0 to deny Ordinance 25-13, a request to rezone 1700 Division Street from Mixed Use to General Commercial with conditions. Commissioners said the request conflicted with the city's master plan and the intended character of South Marquette.
The Marquette City Commission voted 7-0 Tuesday to deny Ordinance 25-13, a conditional rezoning request to change 1700 Division Street from Mixed Use to General Commercial.
The planning commission had recommended approval, finding the rezoning consistent with the community master plan and the land development code; city staff read that recommendation into the record before the public hearing. During the hearing, neighbors said the proposed development — described by the applicant, Logan Stauber of LMS Ventures, as a multi-unit self-storage facility — would be incompatible with surrounding residential neighborhoods and would undermine the corridor’s intended walkable, mixed-use character.
“Some of the homes will be literally 50 feet from the properties,” resident Dan Nee said, adding that a 25-foot buffer and trees would not sufficiently screen the development. Paula McCormick, who said she lives about a block from the site, urged the commission to preserve the neighborhood’s residential character and the existing pedestrian-oriented corridor.
Stauber, the applicant, said the parcel had been underused and that a modern storage facility would be a low-traffic, well-landscaped option that could be designed with inward-facing, “fortress-style” units so neighbors would not see individual doors or lighting. He told commissioners national usage averages show self-storage produces limited daily trips.
Commissioner Kyle Larson moved to deny Ordinance 25-13, citing the land development code sections governing rezonings and compatibility (LDC 54.311(a); 54.1405). He said the mixed-use designation was intended to promote a walkable corridor of neighborhood-serving businesses and housing, and that a storage facility would not advance that vision. Commissioner Gottlieb seconded the motion; discussion from multiple commissioners emphasized master-plan consistency and the potential for the rezoning to create an isolated zone incompatible with adjacent residential zoning.
The motion to deny carried on a 7-0 roll call vote. Mayor Hanley and all commissioners voted yes.
What happens next: the commission directed no ordinance adoption for 1700 Division Street; any future development on the parcel would need to comply with the existing Mixed Use zoning or pursue a new, separate application. The planning commission and staff may continue to field proposals that aim to meet the area’s mixed-use vision.
