ESCANABA — After months of sometimes contentious discussion between the Escanaba Planning Commission and the city council, the council moved Thursday to strike a controversial site plan approval requirement.

Following the second public hearing on the issue — during which, no members of the public spoke — the council voted to remove the requirement for public hearings on site plans for projects that are considered permitted uses under the city’s zoning ordinance. These public hearings, held at the planning commission level, have been championed by many on the city’s planning commission who feel the requirement draws in residents and allows them to express concerns they may have about projects with the developers. However, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has raised concerns over the hearings, because permitted uses cannot be denied as a result of the hearings and the hearings can cause delays in the development process.

Whether or not keeping the hearings would be a deal-breaker for the MEDC if the city continues with its plan to seek recertification as a Redevelopment Ready Community has been a difficult question to answer. At various points, the MEDC has said removing the hearings would be a requirement, but the MEDC softened its position after the planning commission balked and the city opted to drop back down to a provisional status with the program rather than completely recertify earlier this year.

“I think at different points in that conversation, they changed their view on that. At first they said this is a requirement, it was part of the list,” Zoning Administrator Roxanne Spencer told the council, adding she thought the MEDC would eventually want the requirement removed but it seemed willing to give the city time to make the necessary changes.

Council Member Ralph Blasier, who serves as the council’s liaison to the planning commission, had a different view.

“I never understood for a minute that it was not a deal-breaker and I was at the combined meeting, too. So it was always at least a partial deal-breaker and nothing less,” he said.

The only council member who did not vote to eliminate the requirement Thursday was Tyler Dubord, who instead suggested the council wait and only remove the requirement if the planning commission could provide a workable alternative.

Spencer suggested a few alternatives the planning commission might consider on a case-by-case basis — such as asking developers to send letters to neighboring properties or the planning commission notifying property owners itself — but no standard course of action was agreed upon and no planning commission members signed into the virtual meeting to weigh in.

In other business, the council discussed selling the Center Court building to the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority. The building has been home to the DDA for decades under a lease agreement, but negotiations for a new lease agreement stalled last year, largely due to disagreements over maintenance and the exit of former DDA Executive Director Ed Legault.

How much the city would sell the building for was not determined, but the council formed a subcommittee composed of Blasier and Mayor Marc Tall, who also serves on the DDA, to negotiate a price.

The council also approved adding the sale of heavy equipment and trailers as a permitted use in heavy manufacturing districts after holding a public hearing.