Planning commission advances zoning changes on municipal markets and reclassifying auto-centric uses, with questions on scope

The Traverse City Planning Commission used a portion of its April 21 meeting to continue two zoning-text discussions: adding "municipal markets" to the Open Space (OS) zone — in part to facilitate a proposed farmers market pavilion — and reclassifying auto-centric uses such as car washes, gas stations and drive-thrus from uses by right into special land-use permits.

Staff explained the municipal-market change is intended to expedite the DDA's farmers market pavilion project; commissioners cautioned that a broad definition could open up roughly 28 OS parcels to municipal-market uses without additional guardrails. "It would be really up to the city commission, where those would be because they're municipal," Lauren told the commission, noting that permitting and Parks & Rec policy would still control use of city-owned parkland.

On auto-centric uses, Leslie explained the objective is to require special land-use review — bringing such proposals before the Planning Commission and City Commission rather than leaving them as administrative approvals. Commissioners raised several implementation questions: whether to confine these uses to certain commercial districts, how many existing nonconforming drive-thrus would result from reclassification, and ambiguous technical language (for example, the phrase "two bays" and what constitutes a "pump"). Several commissioners also supported adding a traffic-study requirement for auto-centric special land-use applications; staff said adding new noticeable requirements might need further noticing and could appear in a June update.

Commissioners asked staff and the city attorney to tighten definitions and to return with clearer language before the May public hearing. The commission did not vote on either amendment; both items are scheduled for continued consideration and public hearings at future meetings.