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Fraser council restores split zoning for Warfield golf course after developer and owner assurances; agrees to keep industrial park designations
Summary
After public comment from the property owner and developer and extended council debate, Fraser’s council removed a proposed change for the Warfield golf course and instructed staff to restore split zoning (recreation rear, commercial front); council also directed that existing industrial designations remain for core industrial parcels after objections from local businesses.
Fraser City Council spent a substantial portion of its June 11 meeting on proposed zoning ordinance updates and a contested map change affecting the Warfield golf course and portions of the city’s industrial park.
Planner Lauren (S11) explained the multi‑year zoning ordinance rewrite and the planning commission’s recommendations, including map edits that would have designated the entire Warfield parcel as commercial general (CG). Property owners and potential developers submitted letters with different preferences; the Bennetts (longtime owners) expressed a desire to keep the existing split zoning, while the developer Verus (represented by Joseph Palizzi) indicated shared interests but also asked for clear timing.
Council members debated tradeoffs between allowing commercial uses and retaining split zoning to preserve the owner’s current expectations and local control. Several council members said retaining the existing rec/back and commercial/front split would give the city more leverage (and preserve landowner rights) until a specific PUD or other application arrives. After public testimony and lawyer/staff clarification on timing and procedure, the council voted to remove item 4 (the proposed CG reclassification) and revert that parcel to its prior split zoning; staff will redraft the ordinance language and return to council at the July meeting.
The meeting also drew an extended public response from industrial property owners and tenants in the Commerce/Maitland/15‑Mile area who opposed proposed relabeling of longstanding industrial parcels as a lighter industrial category. Speakers including business owners and tenants said the map changes could curtail uses, complicate leasing and harm the local tax base. In response, council directed staff to retain the current industrial designations for the affected core industrial parcels and to avoid piecemeal changes that would constrain existing businesses.
Developer Verus indicated it will proceed with a PUD application and asked for clarity on timing; council members said the motion to keep the split zoning would reassure the Bennetts that the status would not change before the applicant and owner complete PUD steps.
The action preserves the status quo for the golf course parcel and certain industrial properties while leaving the broader ordinance rewrite to return as a revised draft for formal adoption at a later meeting.
