The Village of Suttons Bay Planning Commission last week approved a site plan for a couple who hope to convert a house on St. Joseph Street (M-22) into a restaurant.

Judy and Bruce Balas of Omena plan to build an addition to the house they own at 413 St. Joseph Ave. for use as a restaurant, remove a garage from the property to create more parking spaces, and maintain the upper level of the house as a residence.

“This is form-based zoning at its best,” said the village’s staff planner Rochelle Rollenhagen.
The Village Council last year adopted a new “form-based” zoning ordinance which places more emphasis on how structures appear in certain zoning districts rather than on how the structures are used.

The proposed restaurant is located in the village’s “north gateway district” which contains a mix of residential and commercial properties along M-22 just north of the central business district. A similar property – a house converted for use as a restaurant with a residence upstairs – had been in business across the street on the east side of M-22 for several years.

Village zoning administrator Steve Patmore said only a few minor conditions were imposed on an approved site plan for the Balas’ project; and the couple was expected to provide the village Planning Commission with an updated plan next month.

During the July 11 meeting, village planners also discussed requirements for signage in the village, Patmore reported. He said planners were especially concerned about a proliferation of “sandwich boards” on village sidewalks downtown.

“It’s a hard issue for a zoning administrator to enforce,” Patmore said. The new zoning ordinance allows such signs as long as they are no more than six square feet in size.

“It’s just that some people have been putting them right in the middle of sidewalks, and that’s been a problem,” Patmore said. He said the topic would likely remain on the agenda of next month’s village Planning Commission meeting.