MANISTEE COUNTY — Spring and summer are the seasons to build anew, but without proper permits or approvals, that new garage you would like to build may never happen.
Zoning can be quite complicated. That’s why the News Advocate reached out to Manistee County Planning and Zoning Administrator Katie Mehl for tips on how to ensure a smooth process in getting approvals to add on to your property or to build a she-shed or man cave.
Mehl oversees the zoning ordinances of the city of Manistee, Arcadia Township, Bear Lake Township, Onekama Township, Bear Lake Village, Copemish and Eastlake. Along with Manistee County Planning Director Mike Szokola, she makes up half the team for planning and zoning administration at the Manistee County Planning Department.
MANISTEE NEWS ADVOCATE: What should people know before they get started on any additions to their property?
KATIE MEHL: I would say something that most people are aware of, but not everyone is, that all of the zoning ordinances and zoning maps are online. So you can always look these things up yourself at first.
And sometimes the ordinances can get a little intense where it can seem quite daunting to review something like that yourself.
But it’s always good to take a look at the zoning ordinance first and try to get an idea of where your property exists within the zoning ordinance or what district you’re in and (get) an idea of what the setbacks are; (what) some of the basic requirements (are) so that you can have an idea before approaching the zoning administrator or department with what you’re wanting to do.
MNA: What are some tricks people can use to speed up the process?
MEHL: Another good trick that I feel like a lot of people aren’t aware of is when you look these documents up online — and they are PDF documents — you can use “Ctrl F” on the keyboard and it pops a search (tool) for searching through documents so you can search specific words.
That’s something I utilize all the time on the zoning ordinances, which people don’t tend to know (that shortcut) exists. So that can be really helpful because if you’re trying to put up a garage or accessory building, you can use “Ctrl F” and then just (type) in — “accessory building” or whatever you’re looking for, and then then it’ll pull up every word in the document that relates to that.
MNA: What are things that people sometimes overlook? What are the best away …….