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Updated: December 26, 2024 @ 2:26 am
Cadillac Director of Community Development discusses a request for a special use permit for the property at 108 South Mitchell St., pictured on screen.
Commissioners listen as a request for a zoning change at 128 East Pine St. is introduced.
Cadillac Director of Community Development discusses a request for a special use permit for the property at 108 South Mitchell St., pictured on screen.
Commissioners listen as a request for a zoning change at 128 East Pine St. is introduced.
CADILLAC — The Cadillac Planning Commission on Monday made history by approving the first legal short-term rental in a downtown district.
Commissioners granted a special use permit for the building at 108 South Mitchell St., next to the Clam Lake Beer Company.
The owner, Daniel Babcock, and his wife, Morgan, spoke to the planning commission about their plans for the site.
The couple doesn’t live in the area but Daniel grew up here before moving away to pursue his professional goals.
He said Cadillac has always held a special place in his heart, which is why they have an interest in running a short-term rental downtown.
Daniel said the location is ideal for short-term renting, with an excellent view of Lake Cadillac and being in the middle of the city, close to restaurants, shops, entertainment and more.
The site is already zoned B-2, where short-term rentals are allowed via special use permit, although prior to the Babcocks’ request, no short-term rentals had been approved in this district.
Several commissioners commented how impressed they were with the level of detail in the couple’s plan and special use permit application, which was primarily composed by Morgan.
Morgan said they tried to come up with a contingency to deal with just about any problem that might arise but she added that they also are not opposed to changing their plan to incorporate future feedback from staff and the planning commission.
While commissioners were impressed by the plan, approval of the special use permit was given cautiously.
Commissioner Greg Bosscher said since this would be the first short-term rental approved in an allowable district since codification of the city’s short-term rental policy in 2023, he wanted to make sure it was done right.
Other commissioners agreed, including Dale Rice, who commented that their decision could face some scrutiny from residents who are worried about the impact short-term rentals could have in the city.
“Once this ball gets rolling, it’s going to be a snowball,” Rice said.
Bosscher asked if the city should require all applicants to follow an established set of guidelines and standards for running a short-term rental.
City attorney Laura Genovich said the nature of special use permits is that they allow the planning commission to establish regulations and standards tailor-made for each applicant. If the city were to create a framework that every short-term rental operation has to follow, it would make it more of a “use by right” than a special use permit, Genovich said.
That doesn’t mean, however, that the planning commission can’t add language to the special use permit that specifies exactly the standards they expect.
Commissioners added several stipulations to the special use permit, including that the unit be reviewed annually by staff to ensure that the operation is running smoothly and not causing problems for neighbors. This review could lead to modification to the special use permit by the planning commission.
The commission also required that contact information for the Babcocks and the short-term rental manager be provided to the relevant city departments in the event that an issue arises and someone needs to be called.
The house rules and standards established by the Babcocks also were included in the motion to grant the special use permit.
Also on Monday, the planning commission approved another short-term rental request, this one from the owners of the property at 128 East Pine St.
The property currently is zoned OS-2 but in order for it to be used as a short-term rental, one of the property owners, Matthew McCall-Stillman, has asked that it be rezoned B-2.
This is the second time that McCall-Stillman has requested the zoning be changed to allow the property to be used as a short-term rental. He made the first request in the spring of 2023 but it was denied by the Cadillac City Council.
Council members commented at the time that they wanted to wait until the city’s zoning overhaul was complete before approving the request. They also wanted to avoid “spot zoning” and were concerned about rewarding bad behavior, as the property was being used as a short-term rental before the zoning change was approved by council.
Present at the planning commission meeting was another owner of the property, Sarah Glidewell, who said that the decision to operate the short-term rental at the property before council granted its approval was a misunderstanding.
She said the owners were under the impression at the time that the planning commission’s recommendation of the zoning change was all the approval they needed to begin operating the short-term rental.
When the city sent letters to McCall-Stillman ordering that he cease using the property as a short-term rental, Glidewell said he didn’t receive them for months because he was in the midst of moving.
Glidewell described the property as a “work of art” that isn’t well suited as a single-family home, given its many features that are out of place in the surrounding neighborhood.
According to the rezoning application: “This property is uniquely suited for this use (short-term renting) as it has high quality finishes and amenities for entertainment, including a home theater room and outdoor living space with a pool and hot tub.”
The property has been listed for sale for several months but Glidewell said no buyers have expressed interest.
Even if the property isn’t approved as short-term rental, Glidewell said it could have other commercial uses allowed in the B-2 district and not in the OS-2 district.
Unlike the last time they asked for the zoning to be changed, the property owners this time reached out to people in the neighborhood and asked them to write letters of support.
Letters were written by several residents, business owners, and the Cadillac Downtown Development Authority, which stated that during the months the short-term rental was operating at the property, there was a notable increase in business for multiple downtown shops.
One of the commissioners asked if changing the zoning from OS-2 to B-2 was considered “spot zoning.” Cadillac Director of Community Development John Wallace said he didn’t think so, because the home is adjacent to properties that already are zoned B-2, including the Book Nook, which is next door.
Commissioner Kevin Fent commented that the property owners’ explanation about why the home was being used as a short-term rental before approval was given by council made him comfortable recommending the zoning change for a second time.
The rest of the commission agreed and unanimously approved the request, which now goes to the Cadillac City Council for consideration.
If council approves the zoning change, the property owners will still have to obtain a special use permit to operate a short-term rental there.
clamphere@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)
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