Summary
This document is a Zoning Administrator staff review report prepared by Steve Patmore for the Leelanau Township Planning Commission, dated December 9, 2024, regarding a Special Land Use Permit application for a communications tower on Kitchen Road. The report compares the applicant's revised submission (reviewed by the Planning Commission on November 14, 2024) against deficiencies identified in a September 2024 preliminary review, and flags several unresolved issues requiring further applicant action or Planning Commission decision.
Infrastructure Projects
The report addresses the proposed Kitchen Road Communications Tower in Leelanau Township. Key issues identified include:
- The submitted tower map (page 98) omits at least two existing towers (on Davis Road, owned by Leelanau County, and on Kovarik Road); page 7 incorrectly states only two towers exist in the township. A corrected map is requested.
- Plans (sheets A-2, A-3, A-4) still depict barbed-wire fencing, prohibited under Zoning Ordinance Section 18.3.A.5, despite the applicant's claim on pages 9 and 47 that it was removed. The applicant asked staff to "cross-off" the barbed wire references before the November 14 meeting, but staff is instead requesting a written memo documenting the plan change.
- Propagation maps (pages 256-257) were resubmitted at matching scale with a signal-strength key (page 47), but staff finds them still difficult to interpret due to missing tower labels, no scale, and unexplained dBm terminology; staff has received questions about how dBm relates to 4G/5G coverage.
- Tower material photos (pages 258-261) appear to show a shiny finish, which would violate Section 18.3.A.7 barring shiny or metallic finishes; this is flagged for Planning Commission discussion and decision.
- Kitchen Road's status as a seasonal county road was raised: the Road Commission letter (page 47) did not address this, and it was noted at the November 14 meeting that the Village of Northport DPW plows and stores snow on part of the road. Staff questions whether the road will need plowing/maintenance to the driveway and whether it would become an all-season road, given servicing trips occurring a few times per month (per page 6).
- Staff is still reviewing the application's wetland protection and stormwater management responses; no conclusion is given.
Action Items
- Applicant to submit a corrected township tower map including the Davis Road and Kovarik Road towers.
- Applicant to provide a written memo formally documenting removal of barbed-wire fencing from plan sheets A-2, A-3, and A-4.
- Planning Commission to determine whether the proposed tower finish (pages 258-261) complies with the "no shiny or metallic finish" requirement.
- Further clarification needed on Kitchen Road's seasonal status and maintenance/plowing responsibility for the proposed driveway access.
- Zoning Administrator Steve Patmore to continue reviewing wetland and stormwater management compliance.