East Bay Township Passes New STR Ordinance, Peninsula Township Considers Allowing Temporary Signage Off Premises for REALTOR Open Houses, and Quick Updates on Broadband in Antrim and Benzie County.
Welcome back to the GAD Top Three! This week, I start with a quick summary of the new short-term rental ordinance East Bay Charter Township passed on Monday, July 10th. Secondly, the Peninsula Township Director of Planning & Zoning has proposed amending their temporary signage policy which could allow directional signage for open houses. And lastly, a quick update on progress and funds coming to Antrim and Benzie County to expand broadband.
1. East Bay Township Passes New STR Ordinance
In case you missed the article the Traverse City Record-Eagle, "East Bay Tightens Short-Term Renting Rules," East Bay Charter Township passed a new short-term rental licensing ordinance on Monday, July 10th (Short-Term Rental Licensing Ordinance No. 3 of 2023, pages 123 to 136). Key components of the new ordinance include:
- Short-Term rental stays “shall be no less than seven (7) nights”
- “No short-term rental premises shall be located closer than one thousand (1,000) feet to any other short-term rental premises”
- Licenses are effective for “one (1) year from the date it was issued”
- Transfers of short-term rental licenses are only permitted “in certain limited circumstances, which include transfers to immediate family members and reallocations of entity interests holding a short-term rental license among existing entity owners.” Short-term rental licenses will not transfer with the “sale, or other conveyance” of a property.
In addition to this, East Bay Charter Township passed a resolution establishing the maximum number of short-term rental licenses that will be issued at 145 licenses (Resolution Establishing a Maximum Limitation on Issues Short-Term Rental Licenses, pages 189-190). This total is 2.5% of the total housing stock in East Bay Charter Township and is below the current number of short-term rentals licensed in East Bay Charter Township (181). All current license holders will be allowed to operate as long as they renew their license each year as long as they are not within the 1,000-foot buffer between rentals. For more information and updates on East Bay Charter Township’s new short-term rental licensing ordinance, check out their webpage on Short-Term Rentals.
2. Peninsula Township Considers Allowing Temporary Signage Off Premises for REALTOR® Open Houses
At the Peninsula Township regular board meeting held on Tuesday, July 11th (page 46), the Peninsula Township Director of Planning & Zoning (Jenn Cram) expressed interest in amending the Peninsula Township zoning ordinance “to allow uniform, temporary signage outside of the road right-of-way off-premises from the associated use with a property owner approval.” She cited that this would support “property owners that want to provide directional signage for… REALTOR® open houses.” Aspire North REALTOR® members have previously expressed interest in these amendments. I have reached out to Jenn to see what opportunities there may be for our members' input or involvement in these efforts. If you have an interest in this issue and wish to get involved, you can reach out to me at connor@aspirenorthrealtors.com, or 231-944-8315 and I will make sure to provide you with any updates on these considerations as they move forward.
3. Quick Updates on Broadband in Antrim and Benzie County
Antrim County Broadband Update | At the latest Antrim County Board of Commissioners Meeting on Thursday, July 6th (page 65) the Antrim County Administrator reported the following on Broadband:
“It is our continued goal to be a central hub of communication and information for providers and local units. The NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) grant awards are expected to be announced in the next few months. PFN (Peninsula Fiber Network) has been awarded $61 million in grant funding for their project that will provide a middle mile of fiber through the middle of Antrim County, a critical step in county-wide broadband. They would like to work with Antrim County to announce it publicly. Additionally, Truestream has received Initial Grant Recommendation status for the ROBIN (Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks) grant application which includes projects in Antrim County.
Benzie County Broadband Update - At the latest Benzie County Board of Commissioners Meeting on Tuesday, July 11th (page 8) it was reported by Commissioner Art Jeannot, that the State of Michigan will soon be announcing their ROBIN grant awards. They fully anticipate that Benzie County will be receiving $5 million and this money will be used exclusively for broadband access for underserved and unserved properties. Click here to view a full list of ROBIN Initial Grant Award Recommendations
