By James Windell
Hardly anyone ever shows up for Planning Commission meetings. Dedicated commissioners generally go about their business with very little fanfare and a lot of tedious, professional work.
That wasn’t the case on Thursday, May 7, 2026, when a regular meeting of the South Haven Planning Commission met. One item on the agenda drew a large audience to the City Council Chambers. That was a public hearing on the rezoning of 120 Baseline Road.
This contentious issue – whether to rezone 120 Baseline Rd and 201 Webster Ave from RM-1 and R-1B (multi- and single-family residential) to MHC (Manufactured Housing Community) – has been a focus for the Planning Commission for much of the past year. But this was the first public hearing along with the likelihood that the Commission would finally decide on the rezoning.
Since the last Commission discussion of 120 Baseline rezoning, Eric Rothner, the owner of the property, shifted from a straight rezoning to a conditional rezoning after he voluntarily offered eight conditions in writing. Among those conditions offered by Rothner was that there would be no STRs in the development and there would be no more than 24 manufactured homes.
Before the public hearing began, Commissioner Mary Hosley noted her conflict of interest as she owns property adjacent to the 120 Baseline property. She indicated she would not take part in the discussion or any votes.
Also, prior to the public hearing, a representative for Rothner, Dave Wiatrowski, spoke to the Commission framing the project as a legacy and a quality development intended to support year-round, single-family detached bungalow-style homes. He emphasized that each of the 24 manufactured housing units would be a minimum of 2,000 square feet with attached covered porches and permanent foundations.
Following Wiatrowski, Emily Palacio, the attorney for the project, argued that the project aligns with the Master Plan designation for single-family residential because the ordinance definition does not distinguish stick-built versus manufactured homes on permanent foundations. She stated that the manufactured home community supports a vision of Rothner’s in which he retains ownership of the land and common elements, while occupants own the units. She stated that a seasonal mobile home park use was never the intent of Rothner.
The public hearing was begun and there were a dozen residents who voiced both support and opposition to rezoning 120 Baseline. The themes of those who spoke were familiar as all of the arguments for opposing the project had been stated previously at Planning Commission meetings. One of the common themes was that rezoning to MHC would shift key regulatory control from the city to the Michigan Manufactured Housing Commission. Another was concern about a reduced property tax base for manufactured housing communities. Some indicated a fear of future sale to a private equity group with accompanying rent increases, reduced maintenance, and residents being unable to move homes.
Rick Fleming, as an example of a resident who opposed the rezoning, said that a key factor for him was that “In addition to paying limited property taxes, MHC zoning will require that the City of South Haven cede control and oversight of 120 Baseline to the Michigan Manufactured Housing Commission.” Fleming also said that “The property tax revenue for our City will be greatly reduced, even though the 120 Baseline residents will use and benefit from our community services.”
One of the final speakers during the public hearing was Eric Rothner. He described being a resident of South Haven for many decades and he said that “I love South Haven.” He went on to say that he has built several home nice homes in the City and added, “What I plan to build here is also nice.” As he concluded his remarks, Rothner said: “I’m not here as a stranger. I’m here to build a community…I’m not here to make a quick buck; I don’t need a quick buck. It’s a legacy.”
Before the lengthy public hearing was closed, Chairman Bob Sherman read a multi-page list of written public comments, all of which were opposed to the rezoning. When the public hearing was ended, the Commission entered into deliberation and the members reviewed the five required rezoning factors. The ensuing discussion reflected mixed views on whether the proposal was consistent with “single-family” Master Plan guidance, with several commissioners focusing on the requested district (MHC) rather than the building type. The Commission generally viewed the infrastructure capacity as adequate, noting the prior nursing home/convalescent facility and existing utilities.
Finally, the Commission voted on Resolution 2026-14 recommending denial of the conditional rezoning to MHC for 120 Baseline Rd and 201 Webster Ave. The majority of the Commission voted to accept the resolution – thus not recommending approval of the rezoning application.
While the Planning Commission will recommend rejecting the proposed rezoning of 120 Baseline, according to South Haven Zoning Administrator, Kelly Getman-Dissette, this is not an official denial of the rezoning request until the South Haven City Council votes on it. It is not known at this time when the matter will appear on the City Council agenda.
In a conversation with Eric Rothner following the Planning Commission meeting, he said that the next step is to go to the City Council meeting when the rezoning application is on the agenda and “See if we are successful there.”
And what if the City Council fails to approve the rezoning?
“We are going to visit them in court,” he said. “I don’t want to do that, but if I have to, I will. I believe I did everything right. I went to the City before I bought the property.” He was assured that what he was planning was appropriate.
“I’m really committed to this project,” Rothner said. “It’s really important.”
