By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Douglas City Council Monday granted Vincent Beckman IV a 6-month sign ordinance exemption for a marker erected at his home at 14 and 16 Ferry St., the former West Shore Golf Course clubhouse.
City planning and zoning administrator Sean Homyen told council staff had received a complaint about the sign, inspected and learned the owner had not applied for a sign permit. He Aug. 18 issued Beckman notice he must obtain said permit or remove the marker by Sept. 18.
The owner submitted a permit application Sept. 2, upon which staff determined the requested sign is not allowed within the R-1 (Single Family Residential) zoning district.
Homyen notified him by law he could contest the violation notice on grounds that enforcement would create undue hardship on him.
“The sign,” Beckman replied Oct. 2 and repeated to council Monday, “is there for address purposes. It gets a little confusing since there is a shared driveway with one of the properties.
“The sign,” he went on, “also tells a story of the land of the land and myself.”
“The properties used to be on a golf course called West Shore. As a child growing up, my father, Vincent Beckman III and grandfather, Vincent Beckman II would take me golfing there. From these experiences, I learned that this land is really a special place.
“They have both passed away and I feel very lucky to live in the old golf club house,” Beckman IV continued. “I wanted to share this with my sign.
“Besides having the addresses of my properties, it also has my initials, VBIV and a golf reference since the sign is on the old golf course. I mad the sign as small as possible (4×3-feet standing 3’9” high) to reflect all of this in good taste.
“The enforcement action would cause undue hardship because I have spent a lot of time and money on this project,” Beckman said.
West Shore Golf Course, built in 1916 at the northwest corner of Ferry and Center streets, was the oldest course in West Michigan before closing in 2011.
BDR Inc. of Grand Rapids purchased the parcel from Macatawa Bank in 2010 and has since then been building the West Shore Woods home development.
