Calumet council hears zoning ordinance update

Calumet Village Council held a regular meeting Tuesday evening, gaveling in just before 6:00. President Brian Abramson was absent, but four members were able to initiate a quorum. The group heard from Planning Commission Chair Colleen Kobe on progress concerning the zoning ordinance. She said the group’s main sticking point is whether short-term rentals, such as VRBO or AirBnB are allowed in the upper levels of buildings along the village’s main commercial districts.

The council directed the body to study rental ordinances put in place recently by the Cities of Houghton and Hancock. Kobe says a challenge for Calumet will be how any rules adopted would be enforced.

Kobe also spoke about the long contentious issue regarding marijuana retailers. She said that the Planning Commission had spent a lot of time on the topic, only to have the council vote it down last year. Buffer zones leave few places for cannabis retailers to have locations. Those can be amended at the village level, but Kobe says she isn’t sure if there is public support for such steps. She asked that the issue be added to the ballot in a future election, for only village residents to weigh in on.