After more than six months of work, the Bingham Township Planning Commission has recommended adoption of a zoning ordinance amendment that would outline requirements for "agritourism" in the township.

The proposed new zoning ordinance provisions may make it easier for the owners of farms and other agriculturally zoned properties to engage in businesses related to farming that will bring more tourists to the township. Examples already occurring in Bingham Township include special events held at local wineries, bed-and-breakfast operations at local farms, and on-site sales of locally produced food and beverages.

Planning Commission chairman Mike Park said the draft zoning ordinance amendment has been forwarded to the Leelanau County Planning Commission for review and will also be examined by township attorneys before being considered for adoption by the Bingham Township Board, tentatively next month. Park credited Don Coe, a co-owner of Black Star Farms in Bingham, for suggesting that the commission consider drafting the amendment. Black Star Farm includes a winery, a tasting room, a cheese-making and retail sales operation, horse boarding stables, a petting zoo, and a bed-and-breakfast inn.

Coe noted last week that Bingham Township may be the first township in Michigan to recommend approval of “agritourism” language in a local zoning ordinance, according to Park.

“This new provision of the zoning ordinance is probably not perfect,” Park said, “but it’s a start.”

In other business at their regular monthly meeting last Thursday, Bingham planners:

• Recommended approval of a “housekeeping” amendment to the township zoning ordinance that will clarify the terms under which land use permits expire or are renewed.

• Approved an application for a home business from Shari Whittaker on Fort Road. Whittaker wants to operate a small art gallery on her property.

• Discussed ideas presented last month by Road Commissioner John Popa, who is calling for better coordination of site plan reviews between townships and the county Road Commission.

• Discussed concerns about varying water levels in Lawrence Lake and whether water levels are being affected by irrigation at a nearby golf course. The township may ask the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to review the matter, Park said.

• Discussed changes to Michigan statutes on planning and zoning. Chairman Park, member Midge Werner, and the township board’s representative on the commission, trustee Mary Bush, recently attended a training session on the new laws and shared information on the topic with the rest of the commission, Park reported.