MONTAGUE — The White River Township board unanimously approved the two ordinance changes referred to it by the planning commission during Tuesday's regular meeting.
The two changes, referred by the commission at a special meeting last month, were regarding nonconforming structures and short-term rentals.
One change removed a requirement that an enlargement or extension to a nonconforming building or structure shall not exceed 50% of the area of the original building or structure at the time it became nonconforming, and it also remanded approval of nonconforming setbacks to the zoning administrator rather than the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The other change allows STRs to be served only by a private road as long as the road is at least 15 feet wide at all points; there is a turnaround point of at least 120 feet in diameter; and the road is suitable for at least a 20-ton fire truck to operate upon it year-round. The ordinance also states that renters utilizing the home must sign a contract disclosing that the road is private and not maintained by the township.
During public comment, local resident Paul Schroeder asked the board if it had made any movement about a proposal he made on behalf of the Muskegon Conservation District about a potential co-ownership agreement for two parcels of land on Lost Lake; he is the MCD board chair. Supervisor Ron Bailey replied that due to the parcels being landlocked, the board had a neutral reaction to the proposal
Also during public comment, the board was asked about township boards signing nondisclosure agreements with private companies, an issue that has come up elsewhere in the state. The commenter asked if it was possible for the township to prohibit such things from happening. The Pioneer reported that Big Rapids Township adopted such a prohibition in January, and the Livingston Post reported in November that multiple Howell Township board members had signed NDAs with a data center developer.
Planning commission chair Lauren Wackernagel updated the board on last week's special meeting regarding the Lakeside Solar special use permit application. She mentioned the commission working with the limited responses it received to township questions, and noted that two more experts will be on hand for the commission's meeting next Tuesday to discuss the permit with regard to noise levels and brownfields.
