The Lakeshore Hotel Proposal? Planning Commission Says No

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell.

TUESDAY’S MEETING…Normally, Planning Commission meetings attract about as much attention as your local stamp collectors club meeting. But not this one…More than 100 citizens shoehorned themselves into the Commission chambers, with 25 standing against the wall, and another 25 relegated to seats on the floor…

“The room is at capacity!” an official announced ten minutes before the meeting was to start. “You can come into the room only if someone else comes out!”…That left 40 late arrivals waiting out in the hallway.

THE PROPOSAL…A local contractor who owns the property in question, and a downstate development group were requesting a special land use permit to build a four-story, 107-room, extended stay hotel on Lakeshore Boulevard about a mile north of downtown…A Hilton property…If approved, it would be the third largest hotel in Marquette County…

THE NEIGHBORHOOD…It borders the beach, the bike bath, and a long, linear green space along the beach. It’s primarily residential, but there are a few, low key, local businesses interspersed within the neighborhood…Although it’s generally quiet, on hot summer days, hordes of sunbathers flock to the beach and park on Lakeshore Boulevard. It can get busy. But it’s considered by most to be a spot for locals, not tourists.

THE DEVELOPERS: Barry Polzin, the prolific local architect for the project, somberly led a group of three others in the group to their seats in clearly hostile territory…No boos or catcalls, fortunately; just stares.

Polzin, as the sole speaker for the development, told the Commissioners that: 1) It was set back a good distance from Lakeshore Boulevard  2) Its size conformed to the land use code in that area  3) The building, itself, would occupy only 14% of the property, and  4) Trees would be preserved and there would be plenty of landscaping around the hotel…He referred to the development as “a gentle use of the property.”

THE CITIZEN RESPONSE…”If this was in your neighborhood, would you be in favor of it?” one resident asked the Planning Commissioners. Then he turned to Polzin, who was sitting five feet away. “Would you want it?” he asked Polzin. “Raise your hand if you’d want it in your neighbohood.”

Polzin didn’t care for the question. “You wanna go outside?” he retorted.

The crowd tittered.

Three dozen other residents also spoke up, all of them opposing the hotel:

“This is the road to ruin! We can’t become another gentrified tourist trap!”

“They’re prioritizing profits over the needs of the people!”

“Let’s not just focus on the dollars!”

“The sheer size and bulk of the hotel is not compatible with the neighborhood!”

“Once we open Pandora’s box, we can’t close it!”

“You’re going to shape this town for the future!” one resident told the Commissioners. “This will be your legacy! It’s up to you!”

THE COMMISSION’S DELIBERATIONS…As one Commissioner put it prior to their deliberations, “If this was a popularity contest, this would be an easy decision.”…But it wasn’t a popularity contest. Commissioners had to determine whether the hotel, despite the controversy and negative comments, still met the criteria of the Marquette Land Use Code in this particular mixed-use district…

And in one basic way, it did not, some of the Commissioners argued. The hotel did not seem compatible with the mostlyquiet, mostly residential area where it would be located…Too much traffic, too many lights, too much noise, and it did not provide any serious benefits, unlike other local businesses, to the residents of the neighborhood.

“Where are we at? What do we wanna do?” the chairwoman finally asked after the lengthy pro-and-con discussion appeared to end. The Commission meeting was now five hours old…After some hesitation, a motion was made to reject the hotel proposal, and seconded.

THE DECISION…The vote? 5-2 to reject--followed by applause and the weary exodus of the 50  residents who had hung on until the end.

Democracy in action. In this case, the people clearly won and the developers lost. Doesn’t happen that often.

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