PARK TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Nov. 24, 2024) – A lawsuit challenging a Lakeshore community’s right to ban short-term rentals has been dismissed, for the moment.
On Thursday, 20th Circuit Court Judge Jon Hulsing ruled in favor of Park Township and against Park Township Neighbors, who had sued to overturn that jurisdiction’s ban on such use of residential property. In his conclusion, Hulsing said that when the township’s amending of the zoning ordinance this past March, “the entire posture of this case changed. In reality, there is no longer a legally recognized dispute before the Court.”
Park Township Neighbors, a non-profit group formed when the township initially banned STR in November 2022, had sought to have the ban lifted in favor of having part-time enforcement during the busy summer months, along with a good registration and licensing system in place. However, concerns about neighborhood integrity and dealing with disciplinary issues involving guests’ actions led the township to the initial ban. The March amendment lifted that ban in the C-2 Resort Service District, along with changing the wording of the STR prohibition elsewhere. Hulsing’s ruling means that any requests for exemptions to the STR ban must go through the local board of zoning appeals.
“This decision protects the family-friendly, residential character of our neighborhoods. The court’s ruling clarifies this issue for the community going forward.” – Howard Fink, Park Township Manager.
Park Township Neighbors did not make any initial comment on the ruling.
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