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Boyne City Approves Short-Term Rental Ordinance

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Boyne City City Commission approved a short-term rental ordinance on December 13. Boyne City officials started in July 2021 to create an ordinance that would be tailor-made for their community. Several special meetings were held to identify the impacts and issues of short-term rentals. The ordinance was created in an attempt to address those impacts and issues and allow the short-term rentals to exist. The commissioners were not able to agree on a proposed maximum limit on the number of short-term rental allowed in the traditional residential district. They decided to move ahead with approving the ordinance without having the cap decided.

 

 

 

Petoskey Home Projects Step Toward More Affordable Housing

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Northern Homes Community Development Corporation began construction on two homes near downtown Petoskey. The projects received funding from Charlevoix State Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. According to Northern Homes Executive Director Jane Mackenzie, making the homes affordable for local residents is a tricky endeavor. Households earning less than 80% of the area median income with a family of four will be able to purchase the homes. The properties are part of the Northern Homes Community Land Trust program.

 

Pabst Blue Ribbon Extends Its Reach Into Hospitality

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Pabst Blue Ribbon is continuing the go-to trend for brands to feature retro products and cultural icons from the past. The brand has created three PBR-themed motel rooms that transport guests to the 1980s. In creating the rooms, which are located within the Grand Traverse Motel in Traverse City, they’ve cloned a dive bar, arcade and rec room. Think shag carpeting, back-in-the-day game consoles, a jukebox, and a blue ribbon trophy case that store PBR cans. Seattle-based agency DNA collaborated with Hotopp Creative Studio to create the rooms. The 1980s theme comes from the brand’s tagline, “Pabst is the place.” Pabst has experienced a resurgence and reemergence during the pandemic with people remembering brands that illicit a sense of safety and nostalgia.

 

Upper Peninsula State Representative Requests AG Investigation

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Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette has requested that the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel investigate an Upper Peninsula development company headed by a Northern Michigan University board member. The firm states that Cambensy’s claims are “meritless and reckless.  Cambensy wrote a 13-page letter on July 28, sounding an alarm about a potential conflict of interest and misuse of state and local money in regards to the former Marquette General Hospital. 

 

 

Judge Dismisses Lake Charlevoix Lawsuit

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33rd Circuit Court Judge Roy C. Hayes III dismissed the lawsuit against Hayes Township officials. The lawsuit alleges a lack of due process and conflict of interest concerning the construction of a boathouse and private marina on residential property. The plaintiff  and neighbor LuAnne Kozma and her husband, with support from environmental groups, have been trying to stop the project. The lawsuit wasn’t about environmental concerns, however, but rather the lack of township administration. Judge Hayes did not find the lawsuit to have a proper basis and asserted that it was without merit.

 

Sugar Loaf Demolition Completed But Cloaked in Mystery

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Speculation among community residents runs rampant as the new owners of the blighted Sugar Loaf ski lodge complex make good on their promise.  A fence rims the demolition site that is now the staging area for work crews who are crushing the remaining asphalt and making topsoil runs up to the top of what was once the ski hill. Residents are curious about what’s next, but anyone who is in the know isn’t talking. The property was purchased in late 2021 by SPV 45 LLC who said it would remove the blighted buildings and clean up the property.  A real estate advisor for the owners recently attended the annual meeting for townhouse owners who asked many questions. Unfortunately, they didn’t get any answers about the future.

Charlevoix Mansion Garners High Price Tag

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A Charlevoix mansion has sold for the enormous price of $9.845 million dollars. According to Interluxe, a luxury real estate marketplace, that price tag is the 5th highest resale price ever for a residential property in Michigan. The lakefront home at 08425 Raspberry Lane in Charlevoix drew more than $205 million in total bids over four days. The  10,000 square foot home designed  by J Bradley Moore & Associates Architects for Frank Macher. It was built in 2009.

 

Michigan’s Vacation Home Market Is Hot

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Demand for vacation homes is just as strong as the market for first homes. During the first half of 2021, vacation home sales jumped more than 57 percent when compared with 2020. Several counties in Northern Michigan are considered “vacation home counties,” which are counties with 20 percent or more of their housing inventory listed as seasonal. Leelanau County is a prime example. The average home price in the first quarter of this year jumped to $779,960 from $494,649 in the same quarter of last year. A more shocking comparison can be made when the average home in Leelanau County sold for $274,831 in 2012!

 

KSL Capital Partners Expands Its Mackinac Island Profile

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KSL Capital Partners  purchased Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel more than two years ago and is expanding its Mackinac Island footprint. It now owns Bicycle Street Inn and Suites, a collection of 3 boutique hotels on Main Street. They also hold Waterfront North and Waterfront South and the restaurant, Winchester’s Whiskey and Bourbon Room.

 

Charlevoix’s New Ordinance Inhibits Blight

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Charlevoix City Council has approved a property maintenance code to address declining properties before they reach blight status. The international Property Maintenance Code Ordinance is designed to supplement the Dangerous Buildings Ordinance.  According to zoning administrator Jonathan Scheel, the city didn’t have any type of property maintenance code to prevent a building from becoming dilapidated. The new code will give the city the ability to intervene and require deteriorating structures to be corrected before they become unfixable issues.