By James Windell
When the South Haven City Hall City Council Chambers are packed for a Planning Commission meeting, you can assume two things: One, this will not be a brief meeting; two, there will be controversy.
This was the case on Thursday, August 7, 2025, when the Planning Commission met for a regular meeting. Five minutes into the meeting, when the public was invited to comment on issues on the agenda, it became crystal clear that at least some of the residents were there to register their complaints about the updated Master Plan.
The second speaker, Jim Wettlaufer, a South Haven resident, said he represented more than two dozen residents who were concerned about two parcels of land, 89 North Shore Drive and 1 Oak Court, that are designated as commercial property in the updated Master Plan. Designating these two parcels as commercial, he said, threatens the residential integrity of the neighborhood and “undermines principles of fair community-driven planning.” The change in zoning to commercial appears to represent the interest of one landowner, rather than the entire community, Wettlaufer said.
Wettlaufer’s comments were reflective of the opinions voiced by at least five other citizens who were opposed to designating the properties as commercial. In addition, Planning Commission Chairman Bob Sherman cited a number of letters and emails related to these properties – most opposed to the change in listing them, particularly 89 North Shore Drive, as commercial in the future use map.
When the matter of approving the Master Plan Update was reached on the agenda, Sherman stated that designations of land use in the Master Plan do not change the zoning of that property. “They simply indicate what may be appropriate in the future,” Sherman said.
Kelly Getman-Dissette, Zoning Administrator, pointed out that all the necessary meetings were held in order to approve a new Master Plan. She recommended that the Planning Commission approve a resolution approving the Master Plan, so that it could go to the South Haven City Council for adoption. A motion was then introduced to approve the Master Plan.
However, for the next hour there was discussion about possible changes to parts of the Master Plan – and several amended changes were introduced by the City Council representative to the Planning Commission, Mary Hosley. Hosley indicated she was responding to concerns of residents and one of her concerns with the Master Plan that has been under discussion and review for months had to do with the commercial designation of 89 North Shore Drive.
The City Attorney attempted to clarify what Chairman Sherman had previously stated. The City Attorney reiterated that “Just because a parcel of land is designated commercial does not mean that a request to rezone it would be approved.” Hosley introduced several amendments regarding this parcel of land and others. All were defeated after discussion.
Finally, the original motion to approver the Master Plan and send it on to the City Council came to a vote. The vote was in favor of approving the Master Plan. It will be presented to the City Council in a future council meeting where it can be adopted or sent back to the Planning Commission for further changes.
