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CITY OF MUSKEGON
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
October 23, 2025 @ 4:30 PM
MUSKEGON CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS
933 TERRACE STREET, MUSKEGON, MI 49440
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
L. Willett-Leroi called the meeting to order at 4:31 PM, and a roll call was taken.
ROLL CALL
Members Present: Ken Johnson, Jonathan Seyferth, Destinee Keener, Shonie Blake, Steve
Gawron, Lea Willett LeRoi, Bryon Mazade, Jill Montgomery-Keast, Lashae Simmons
Member(s) Absent:
Member(s) Excused:
Staff Present: M. Franzak and S. Romine
Others Present:
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Approval of the minutes from the regular meeting of September 11,
2025. Planning
A motion to approve the Minutes of the regular Planning Commission meeting on September 11,
2025, was made by D. Keener, supported by B.Mazade, and unanimously approved.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Case 2025-38: Request to rezone a portion of the property at 560 Mart St
from Waterfront Marine (WM) to Waterfront Industrial PUD (WI-PUD), by
West Michigan Dock & Market Corp. Planning
SUMMARY
The applicant is requesting to rezone 23.5 acres of the 43.5-acre site to WI-PUD. The area to be
rezoned is located behind the existing security fence (please see attachment). This area has
historically been used for port-related activities. Although these uses are not allowed in the WM
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zoning district, they are considered legally non-conforming (grandfathered). Rezoning this
portion of the property to WI-PUD would allow the applicant to apply for a PUD for port-related
uses, which would allow them to become legally conforming. The rest of the parcel would
remain under Waterfront Marine (WM) zoning. Please see the enclosed zoning ordinance
excerpts.
This rezoning request is related to the "land swap" project between the City, Mart
Dock, and Verplank. More information regarding the project can be found
here: https://muskegon-mi.civilspace.io/en/projects/connecting-community-to-
the-water-ports-and-parks
The land swap project would help complete several goals identified in city plans,
including the following:
o Increasing publicly-accessible land along the waterfront - Imagine Muskegon
Lake (page 10).
o Increasing publicly-accessible shoreline - Imagine Muskegon Lake (page 10)
o Increasing multi-use paths and trails align the shoreline - Imagine Muskegon
Lake (page 10)
o Increasing mixed-use development along the waterfront - Imagine
Muskegon Lake (page 11)
o Activating the Mart Dock property as an activity center - Imagine Muskegon
Lake (page 37,40,41)
o Habitat restoration at the future park on the Verplank site - Imagine
Muskegon Lake (page 59)
o Connecting the Western & Central Waterfront Districts to Downtown -
Imagine Muskegon Lake (page 15)
o Become regionally and nationally designated by organizations that will bring
visibility and economic development to Muskegon Lake - Master Plan
(Economic Development, page 19)
o Improve the environmental quality of greenway corridors by cleaning up
contaminated sites, safeguarding areas highly susceptible to private land use,
and reducing dumping - Master Plan (Natural Features, page 13)
o Increase and enhance publicly-accessible amenities along the waterfront and
soften shorelines where possible - Master Plan (Economic Development,
page 18)
o Invest in placemaking opportunities that capitalize on community assets -
Master Plan (Economic Development, page 10)
o Increase access to the Muskegon Lake shoreline - Master Plan (Jackson Hill,
page 11).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
I move that the request to rezone a portion of the property at 560 Mart St from Waterfront
Marine to Waterfront Industrial PUD be recommended to the City Commission for approval.
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PUBLIC HEARING COMMENCED
J. Eckholm, Director of Development Services: Supports this rezoning and spoke about it as a
component of the "land-swap" agreement with 560 Mart Street.
CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING — MOTION
A motion to close the public hearing was made by S. Gawron, supported by J. Montgomery-
Keast, and unanimously approved.
MOTION PASSES
MOTION
Motion by L. Simmons, second by D. Keener, that the request to rezone a portion of the property
at 560 Mart St from Waterfront Marine to Waterfront Industrial PUD be recommended to the
City Commission for approval.
ROLL VOTE: Ayes: L. Willett-Leroi, J. Montgomery-Keast, J. Seyferth, S. Gawron, B.
Mazade, S. Blake, and L. Simmons II
Nays: K. Johnson and D. Keener
MOTION PASSED
B. Rezoning of 501 E Western Ave from Open Space Recreation (OSR) to
Waterfront Industrial PUD (WI-PUD). Planning
SUMMARY
Staff is requesting to rezone a portion of Fisherman's Landing (501 E Western) to WI-PUD to
allow for port activities on-site. Once the property is rezoned to WI-PUD, the owner would be
able to apply for a PUD for port-related activities. The remainder of the property will remain
OSR zoning, and the boat launch, fishing areas, and bathrooms will remain open to the public.
About 3.5 of the 5 parking lots on-site will remain (about 46 parking spaces to be eliminated).
Please see the enclosed map depicting the portion of the property to be rezoned and the
zoning ordinance excerpts for WI-PUD and OSR.
This rezoning request is related to the "land swap" project between the City, Mart Dock, and
Verplank. More information regarding the project can be found here: https://muskegon-
mi.civilspace.io/en/projects/connecting-community-to-the-water-ports-and-parks
The land swap project would help complete several goals identified in city plans, including the
following:
o Increasing publicly-accessible land along the waterfront - Imagine Muskegon Lake
(page 10).
o Increasing publicly-accessible shoreline - Imagine Muskegon Lake (page 10)
o Increasing multi-use paths and trails align the shoreline - Imagine Muskegon Lake (page
10)
o Increasing mixed-use development along the waterfront - Imagine Muskegon Lake
(page 11)
o Activating the Mart Dock property as an activity center - Imagine Muskegon Lake (page
37,40,41)
o Habitat restoration at the future park on the Verplank site - Imagine Muskegon Lake
(page 59)
Page 3 of 5
o Connecting the Western & Central Waterfront Districts to Downtown - Imagine
Muskegon Lake (page 15)
o Become regionally and nationally designated by organizations that will bring visibility
and economic development to Muskegon Lake - Master Plan (Economic Development,
page 19)
o Improve the environmental quality of greenway corridors by cleaning up contaminated
sites, safeguarding areas highly susceptible to private land use, and reducing dumping -
Master Plan (Natural Features, page 13)
o Increase and enhance publicly-accessible amenities along the waterfront and soften
shorelines where possible - Master Plan (Economic Development, page 18)
o Invest in placemaking opportunities that capitalize on community assets - Master Plan
(Economic Development, page 10)
o Increase access to the Muskegon Lake shoreline - Master Plan (Jackson Hill, page 11).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
I move that the request to rezone a portion of the property at 501 E Western Ave from Open
Space Recreation to Waterfront Industrial PUD be recommended to the City Commission for
approval.
PUBLIC HEARING COMMENCED
None.
CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING — MOTION
A motion to close the public hearing was made by S. Gawron, supported by J. Montgomery-
Keast, and unanimously approved.
MOTION
Motion by D. Keener, second by K. Johnson, that the request to rezone a portion of the property
at 501 E Western Ave from Open Space Recreation to Waterfront Industrial PUD be
recommended to the City Commission for approval.
ROLL VOTE: Ayes: L. Willett-Leroi, K. Johnson, J. Montgomery-Keast, J. Seyferth, S. Gawron,
B. Mazade, L. Simmons II
Nays: D. Keener and S. Blake
MOTION PASSED
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None.
NEW BUSINESS
None.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
None.
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GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
ADJOURNMENT
The Planning Commission meeting adjourned at 5:14 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC City Clerk
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