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Saugatuck council reviews ordinance to bar first-floor waterfront apartments, tighten PUD rules
Summary
The Saugatuck City Council reviewed Ordinance No. 241223-A proposing to remove first-floor waterfront-facing apartments from the C-2 Downtown Waterfront Preservation District, add limits on PUD height-increase requests, and require legally binding mechanisms to guarantee public access created through PUD approvals. The Planning Commission recommended the changes; no final council vote was recorded at the workshop.
The Saugatuck City Council reviewed Ordinance No. 241223-A on Dec. 18 that would amend Title XV, Chapter 154 (including sections 154.038 and 154.113(E)) to remove first-floor, waterfront-facing apartments as permitted or special land uses in the C-2 Downtown Waterfront Preservation District and to revise the Planned Unit Development (PUD) provisions that govern public access and allowable departures.
The Planning Commission recommended the change after raising concerns that placing apartments at first-floor, waterfront-facing locations could reduce public access to the boardwalk and waterfront areas. The ordinance draft retains upper-floor apartments as permitted uses while seeking to eliminate new first-floor residential units that directly abut the waterfront.
Councilmembers discussed three main components of the proposal: removing first-floor waterfront apartments from permitted and special uses in the C-2 district; reorganizing and clarifying the PUD departure language without broadening the existing allowances; and adding a restriction on PUD height-increase requests. The draft also would require a legal mechanism — for example, an easement or restrictive covenant — to memorialize any public access offered as part of a PUD approval so that access remains enforceable over time.
Steve Manns of Weirich Drive spoke during public comment in support of moving forward with the waterfront preservation proposal. Councilmember Peterson indicated she was pleased with the recommended changes.
No ordinance adoption vote was recorded at the workshop; the Council received the draft amendments and discussion points for future consideration and additional review by staff and the Planning Commission.
The ordinance references Title XV, Chapter 154, section 154.038 (C-2 Downtown Waterfront Preservation District) and section 154.113(E) (PUD modifications). The Council did not take final action during the meeting, and next steps will be determined in subsequent meetings and public hearings as required by the City code.
