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Commission approves Harbor 31 amendment with requirement to build public boardwalk access before occupancy
Summary
The commission approved a PUD amendment for four apartment buildings (48 units) at Harbor 31'Vidian Drive, requiring an updated stormwater permit and completion of a western public access path and signage to the boardwalk before the Meadows phase receives certificates of occupancy.
The Moskegan City Commission on May 12 approved an amendment to the Harbor 31 planned-unit development to allow four threestory apartment buildings (48 units) on Vidian Drive, with conditions intended to protect wetlands and ensure public access to the waterfront. Planning Director Mike Franzac told commissioners the revised plan was driven by an emergent wetland that made the project's earlier townhouse layout infeasible.
"A portion of the property is zoned wetlands and that's why the development pattern has changed," Franzac said, explaining why the plan shifted from 20 townhomes to multifamily buildings. The site plan shows 67 off-street parking spaces for the 48 units; the form-based code requires fewer, but staff noted about 61 additional spaces exist elsewhere in the PUD.
Developer Dan Hendrickson said the buildings are oriented so living areas face the wetland and that the configuration preserves the natural feature as an asset. Hendrickson said he expects roughly $13 million in total building investment for the phase and that parking and landscaping will be screened and refined.
Commissioners pressed staff and the developer on several details: the safety and alignment of driveways near the existing Forplex property, placement and screening of dumpsters adjacent to the wetland, and how parking demand from nearby uses (innovation hub, existing housing, and a proposed hotel) will be managed. Franzac said the public works director had requested realignment of an entrance and removal of eight on-street parking spaces originally proposed near a pinch point to improve safety.
To address public-access concerns, the commission added two conditions required in the approval: first, the stormwater permit must be updated with the engineering department; second, certificates of occupancy for the Meadows portion will not be issued until the western access path from the development circle to the boardwalk is constructed, usable and marked with public-access signage. Franzac said the western access point will be centered at the circle and include a ramp and seating area to provide barrier-free access to the boardwalk.
The planning commission had unanimously recommended approval with conditions; the city commission adopted the amendment with the two outstanding conditions to ensure public access and environmental protections are implemented as development proceeds. The amendment returns for a formal zoning ordinance second reading as required by code.
