The Planning Commission received a request to change the property at 800 Ludington St. from “E-3” Central Retail to “E-3” Commercial. According to a staff report from Planning and Zoning Administrator Joey Walker, the property is neighbored by “E-3” Commercial to the north and “E-3” in all other directions.

While a case can be made in support of the rezoning, Walker ultimately recommended denial, per his staff report.

“The building actually does lend itself to the use, I think. If you were to put a mechanic shop on Ludington, that’s probably where you would want to do it,” said Walker. “But it is zoned ‘E-3,’ which we specifically excluded those types of uses from, partially because we wanted to create a downtown district on that section of Ludington, and partially because we allow mixed-use and residential on the top floors.”

Walker received a letter from some neighboring property owners concerned about the noise that would come from a mechanic shop, as they had been renovating to add apartments next door.

An applicant requested the rezoning of the highlighted parcel located at 800 Ludington St. from "E-3" Central Retail to "E" Commercial in order to establish a mechanic/repair shop. (Photo from Escanaba City Council agenda)

Additionally, the requested rezoning is not supported by the city’s Master Plan, which does not include uses such as a repair shop in its synopsis of the “downtown district,” according to the staff report.

In other news, the council —

— Authorized a recruitment plan for the city manager position as proposed by Heather Calouette, the city’s human resources director. The proposed motion to approve the plan was amended to allow Mayor Mark Ammel and Council Member Robert Beauchamp to complete an exit interview with current City Manager James R. McNeil. The plan includes the drafted job description for city manager, an advertising strategy and the hiring timeline. The tentative schedule leaves applications open through the time the city posts the position, which is assumed to be in the near future, to Feb. 1, after which the application review period would last about two weeks. The first round of interviews would be concluded by the end of February, with follow-up interviews — if necessary — by March 6. Background checks, negotiations and the job offer period would last from March 9 to March 20.

— Approved the city’s Electric Rate Ordinance after council had the second reading and public hearing. Ordinance No. 1316 will amend city electrical rates, demand and availability of service. Beginning Jan. 1, this program will allow residents to apply and receive a rebate if they replace current appliances with energy-efficient models. Energy rate classifications include residential, $0.10927 net per KWH used per meter per month; commercial, $0.10223; and water heating, $0.10436. Once finalized, the program will be published on the city’s website.

— Scheduled three public hearings on the 2026-27 fiscal year budget preparation during the council’s regular meetings Jan. 15, Feb. 19 and March 19.

— Authorized a $25,000 contract between the city and A&M Roofing to repair and replace the roof at the Marina Harbormaster Facility. A&M Roofing, based in Escanaba, will tear off the entire building roof down to the deck board, replace rotten sheathing, apply edging around its perimeter and more.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.