Tuesday's commission meeting puts real money on the consent agenda and a report on the wharf. The items below are ranked by community impact and overall budget. Tap any photo below to visit links with supporting information.
Infill housing brownfield amendment — Infill means building houses on empty lots already inside the city, instead of new land at the edge. A brownfield plan lets a developer get reimbursed from the new property taxes those houses create. This amendment covers that program, about 555 parcels. It also records a $246,405 settlement with West Urban Properties, the company that was supposed to build 100 rental houses under a 2020 deal. Staff says 50 are built. That $246,405 is the same payment as the next item, not a second check. A yes closes the hearing and approves the amendment.
West Urban settlement — The city would pay West Urban Properties $246,405 to end the 2020 housing agreement. Under that deal the city was on the hook to cover a rent gap and to seed a subsidy fund so the houses could be rented below market. This payment closes that obligation. Half this fiscal year, half next. It is not in the budget. The money comes from the Housing Fund, and a budget amendment is marked yes, which means the commission has to add the line before the check can go out. A yes signs the end of the deal. A no leaves the old agreement in place.
Hartshorn park grant — The state awarded Muskegon $730,200 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for 2.15 acres next to Hartshorn Park and the launch ramp. The city's match is $243,400. Staff hopes that is a land donation, not cash. The owner has not agreed to sell at the appraised price. A yes keeps the grant open. It does not buy the land. The form said the signed agreement had to be back by Sept. 22. No site map or legal property description is included in the agenda packet.
Hartshorn fishing platform — Parks wants $59,827 more for the accessible fishing spot at Hartshorn, on the seawall northwest of the boat launch. The original job, approved in March, was $152,136. This add is pavement for the parking lot next to the platform and the restrooms, plus a short run of new sidewalk. The money is leftover federal relief (ARPA) that has to be spent by Dec. 31. A yes adds the pavement. A no leaves the platform as already bid.
Third Street Wharf update — This is a report, not a vote. The city has purchased the Mart Dock land on Third Street for a public waterfront space, paid with state money. The state grant is $2.8 million. The city has to spend the first half, $1.4 million, before it can collect the rest. Paid so far is about $347,000. Most of that is the land: Mart Dock was paid $314,111. Last fall the public briefings put that buy near $800,000. The packet does not explain the gap. No new vendor bill has come in since Sept. 22. A public design review is scheduled for Oct 20 at the wharf site 5-6:30 PM.
Farmers market design bill — On May 12 the commission accepted a $481,267 state agriculture grant and a $65,000 design agreement with Integrated Architecture. Staff now wants to add $91,400, paid from that same grant. The work has grown past the original kitchen and barn. Construction administration stays hourly, with no cap. A yes lets staff sign the revised agreement.
Fleet cameras and GPS — Public works wants a five-year deal with Samsara for 32 dump trucks and plows. $18,643 a year, $93,216 over five years. Dash cameras face the road and provide useable data. Paid from the equipment fund, out of rental rates already charged to departments. The city can walk at the end of a budget year if next year's money is not appropriated.
Nelson School tax cut — General Capital is renovating the old Nelson Elementary into apartments. They want the payment in lieu of taxes (a fee paid instead of property taxes) cut from 4% of shelter rent to 1%. Shelter rent is the rent the building collects. Staff says the city's share of that cut is about $1,000 a year, about $25,000 over 25 years. The trade is five house lots for the city's program of building on empty lots inside the city.
Wesley dog daycare rezoning — Pioneer Resources is a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities. They want 1145 Wesley changed from neighborhood residential to a form-based code district so an indoor dog daycare can go in the back garage. Form-based code cares more about the shape of the building than about separating houses from businesses. Participants would run the daycare, and a later phase would train people in grooming. A zoning change needs two votes. This is the second one. A notice in the packet is written as if the commission already adopted it on Sept. 22.
Purple Heart proclamation — A proclamation that would call Muskegon a Purple Heart Community and mark August 7 as Purple Heart Day. The medal is for service members wounded or killed in combat. No exterior flag display or interior display is mentioned for city hall. Staff still asks the commission to approve it. The agenda packet names no local Purple Heart recipient, though Muskegon has at least two.
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Winter farmers market fee — Staff wants a higher fee for the indoor winter farmers market. Current fees are $20 - $30. The proposed fee would be $25 - $35. The form says the advisory committee raised no objections on Sept. 15. It does not say how many stalls this affects or how much extra the market could take in.
The rest of consent is smaller or already covered above. West Urban also has a tax-break covenant, a tax-capture reimbursement agreement, and a housing tax exemption on the same night as the settlement. The Clay Avenue project from September has its own development and reimbursement agreement. The city would buy five house lots from General Capital, the trade named in the Nelson block. There is builder's risk insurance for the Public Service Building renovation, and an energy demand-response program at the filtration plant. The zoning code is being moved into Municode (the website where city laws are posted), and a few lots on McLaughlin, Catherine, and Williams are for sale.
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