Council advances first reading to rezone former church on Mitchell Street for mixed use

The City Council on May 7 heard first reading of a rezoning request for the property at 224 Mitchell/Michigan Street, the former Seventh‑day Adventist/Church of Jesus Christ property. The owner (Great Lakes Housing Preservation LLC) seeks a change from Office‑Service to B2B Mixed‑Use Corridor to allow adaptive reuse for residential units, studios, small public‑assembly events and limited commercial uses.

City planner John summarized the planning commission review: the commission examined consistency with the 2021 Livable Petoskey master plan, noted concerns from two commissioners about potential uses such as brew pubs or hotels near adjacent residential lots, but voted 6–2 to recommend rezoning. The planner also explained the related request to include the property in a parking‑exempt district because the lot lacks practical off‑street parking; planning staff recommended focusing the parking exemption on this property only.

The applicant’s representative (Lindsay, participating by phone) said the property owners plan evening programming and expect off‑street demand to be met largely by the Darling Lot across the street, and that typical evening events should not overload parking. Council set second reading for two weeks to allow further review and public input.

Outcome and next steps: The rezoning and parking‑exempt district moved forward with a second reading scheduled at the next council meeting; staff will post materials and accept public comment in advance of the second reading.