Ferrysburg council approves ordinance to allow small produce stands in residential zones

The Ferrysburg City Council voted June 2 to approve its consent agenda, which included adoption of Ordinance No. 337 to amend the city zoning code to permit small-scale produce stands in residential districts and the payment of the city's bill memos totaling $99,048.04.

Council members moved to approve the printed minutes from May 19, 2025 (with a correction that Amber Schoenherr will sign the minutes) and to adopt the ordinance amending Chapter 154, Section 3.28 to allow small-scale residential produce stands. Amber Schoenherr called the roll; the recorded vote was affirmative for Council members Saas, Murdoch, DeWitt, Sterling, Montgomery and Mayor Carlson. The motion passed.

Resident Skip Larabell addressed the council during public comment in support of the produce-stand change, saying he and his wife give away produce for free and asked the city to keep the application process simple and monitor stands so neighbors can live with them. "We are in support of this change that will include us," Larabell said.

City staff answered questions raised during consent-agenda discussion about storm-related tree removal and pension account entries. Staff explained two contractors were used after storm damage and clarified an Alaris Financial/MERS accounting entry of $3,971.85 reflected correction of a deferred defined-contribution account for an employee whose enrollment had not been set up properly; staff had been holding and subsequently submitted the employee funds to MERS.

The council approved the consent agenda and moved on to other business. The ordinance amending zoning to permit produce stands was adopted as part of that vote.