Council opens 63-day public comment on housing readiness master plan amendment, discusses downtown Kmart site

Garden City’s City Council voted unanimously on April 20 to authorize distribution of a draft housing readiness master plan amendment and begin the 63-day public comment period required under the Michigan Planning Enabling Act. The draft was prepared with grant support from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Planning staff presented the amendment as a set of potential housing alternatives for the downtown area and said the 63-day comment window is a statutory requirement for plan amendments. "As required by the Michigan Planning Enabling Act, a draft master plan amendment must be made available for public comment by residents and property owners for a minimum of a 63-day review period," Mr. Ortega said.

Councilmembers and staff discussed how residents will provide feedback — via at least one Planning Commission meeting during the comment period, copies of the draft available at public buildings, website posting, surveys and the consultant’s intake (email/phone to McKenna). Councilmembers also raised outreach to property owners downtown; Councilmember Dold said the draft includes concepts for the long-vacant Kmart property and asked whether the city has had recent substantive discussions with the owner. Staff said there has been outreach earlier in the planning process but agreed that more recent substantive conversations should be pursued.

Several councilmembers pressed for updated underlying data (some figures in the draft are drawn from 2018 or older census data) so that public review is based on current information. The council also discussed housing-type options (cottage-style homes, townhouses) and noted that pending state bills could change what will be permitted by right in local zoning if those bills become law; staff said the city should still state its local preferences through the plan.

A brief public commenter, Bernice Smith, spoke in favor of the process during the public comment period. The council’s vote authorizes the formal distribution of the draft and begins the comment period; the Planning Commission will compile comments, recommend edits and present the amended plan back to the council for final adoption.

Next steps: staff will post the draft in public buildings, on the city website and schedule at least one Planning Commission meeting during the 63-day period; the Planning Commission will collect input and return recommendations to council for final action.