Helena Township Planning Commission Meeting and Public Hearing Minutes

Thursday, October 2, 2025 – 5:00 PM

Call to Order

Chair Jim Gurr called the meeting to order at 5:02 PM.

Pledge of Allegiance

All in attendance participated.

Roll Call

Present: F. VandenBerg, J. Gurr, D. Hunstad, M. Robinson, G. Schafer, J. Schilling, D. Whipple
Absent: None

Township Officials Present

Butch Peeples, Oryana Leffew, Bob Logee

Approval of Agenda

J. Schilling motioned to approve the agenda, seconded by D. Hunstad.
Motion approved.

Conflict of Interest

None.

Approval of September 4, 2025 Minutes

D. Whipple motioned to approve the minutes, seconded by J. Schilling.
Motion approved.

Communications

• The commission acknowledged receiving communications from residents regarding RVs.
• There will be no Antrim County Planning Commission meeting in October due to a lack of agenda items.

Public Comments

• Paul Sak commended the commission for correctly following legal procedure by holding a second public hearing for Ordinance 5.02.01 and requested a review of procedures for Ordinance 5.02.02.
• Gary Mayes addressed the concept that if a “use” is not explicitly mentioned in the zoning ordinance, it is permissible. He cited a Michigan Supreme Court ruling clarifying that “uses” not explicitly listed in a zoning district’s permitted use section are generally disallowed. He emphasized the importance of this understanding, as it could impact future decisions.

New Business

• Bob Logee, Zoning Administrator, shared the September 2025 zoning activity report.

Public Hearing: Ordinance 5.02.01

At 5:10 PM, the regular meeting was temporarily closed to open a public hearing on Ordinance 5.02.01.

• Paul Sak spoke to correct the minutes from the August 25, 2025 meeting. He clarified that his original point was not about permitting two dwelling units on a single lot, but rather questioning the logic of allowing two separate, non-waterfront lots to share access via a single 100-foot waterfront lot. He argued that this still constitutes funneling by doubling the potential number of people, boats, and docks on a standard 100-foot lot, which is inconsistent with the R1 zoning standard of one dwelling per lot.
• During the commission’s discussion, it was clarified that the ordinance applies only to vacant waterfront lots. Once a primary residence is built on the waterfront lot, the shared access for two back lots would be eliminated.

Commission Action on Ordinance 5.02.01

Following the close of public comment, the commission discussed the ordinance.

F. VandenBerg motioned to approve, seconded by D. Whipple.
Motion passed unanimously.

The ordinance will be presented to:

• The Helena Township Board on October 9, 2025
• The Antrim County Planning Commission in November 2025

The regular meeting resumed at 5:21 PM.

Announcements

• The next Helena Township Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, 2025.
• Chair J. Gurr encouraged commission members to subscribe to Mary Riley’s planning and zoning news email service. Details have been emailed to members.

Adjournment

F. VandenBerg motioned to adjourn.
The meeting adjourned at 5:24 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Fay M. VandenBerg
Helena Township Planning Commission
Zoning Secretary