Council forms study committee to consider removing landmark status for former city greenhouses

HOLLAND, Mich. — The Holland City Council voted unanimously Thursday to appoint a study committee that will prepare a report evaluating whether to remove the landmark designation from the former city greenhouses, which were demolished in November 2025.

Anna Scudder, the city’s municipal planner, told the council the greenhouses were constructed in phases between 1911 and 1950 and were added to the city’s list of landmark properties in 1999. She said the structures had been vacated in 2019 and deteriorated to the point that the Historic District Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness and a notice to proceed with demolition on safety grounds. Scudder said the HDC’s approval also included a plan to relocate the 1929 tropical house to Centennial Park; that reconstruction is tentatively slated for summer 2026 but has not been completed.

Scudder said removing landmark status from the original greenhouse site would require an amendment to the city ordinance and follow state procedures under the local historic district law cited in her presentation. She advised council that forming a study committee is the first step: the committee will meet with staff, review statutory removal criteria, prepare a report, hold or participate in a public hearing through the HDC, and share findings with the State Historic Preservation Office before any ordinance change would be considered by council.

Scudder cautioned that removal of the landmark designation could open the site to future development, though any project would still be constrained by existing zoning and environmental rules. She identified Evergreen Commons as one actor that had previously expressed interest in the property but emphasized there are no concrete redevelopment plans at this time.

Councilmember Schultheis moved to appoint the members recommended by staff to the study committee. Brenda called the roll and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. Scudder said the committee is expected to meet in early February and return a public report to the HDC and council for further consideration.

The action follows public planning steps taken in 2023 when the parks department applied to the HDC to remove the greenhouses and relocate the tropical house; Scudder said site plans for the relocation were prepared by GMB. The council’s approval authorizes the committee to evaluate eligibility for removal and to follow the statutorily required review and public-notice process.