The Issue of Camping at Michigan Moto Mania

Steve Rauch, who works at the Clare County Cleaver, has gone to some lengths to justify calling Michigan Moto Mania a "resort" of late.  In a post on the Michigan Moto Mania facebook page dated 25 Aug 2010, Steve says, “the ONE thing MMM doesn’t have in that resort wording NOW is camping and that WAS ONLY to help Harrison more.  Toss a few campsites back in the mix and it’s a open resort!”

Steve seems to be a part of an initiative by the Clare County Cleaver to paint Michigan Moto Mania as a "resort," and to get the citizens of Hayes Township who read the Cleaver on board with the concept.

I have already blogged the definitions per the Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance of both resort and club.  But from the beginning, Michigan Moto Mania was called a "park" by the Cleaver. 

The Request for Special Use, dated 15 Oct 2009, that Doug Longenecker turned in to the Hayes Township offices refers to the proposed facility as a "park" in two places on the form.  He signed the form, so I’m guessing he meant to say “park” and not “resort” or “club” or he would not have signed it and turned it in with that verbiage.

The Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance’s definition of a park is: Properties and facilities owned or operated by any governmental agency, or private agency, which are open to the general public for recreational purposes.

Michigan Moto Mania fits this definition.

In every article published by the Cleaver since the very first article published on 18 March 2010, Michigan Moto Mania To Open Soon In Harrison, the Cleaver, under Genine Hopkins’ byline, has referred to the facility as a "park."  In the just about weekly articles that have in some way shape or form made mention of Michigan Moto Mania on one of the four main pages of the Cleaver, no doubt designed to keep Moto Mania in the forefront of everyone’s short attention span in every news cycle, the word “park” or “development” was used in association with Michigan Moto Mania.

Then, it was as though someone at the Cleaver finally picked up a copy of the Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance and read it and discovered that since Michigan Moto Mania is a privately owned park, and not a publicly owned park, and therefore not an allowable use in an area zoned Agricultural/Rural Residential, the word “park” fell out of favor as a descriptor for the development.

But what to call it?  I know!  We can call it a "resort!"  That’s an allowable Special Use, according to the Zoning Ordinance, and we’ll just keep on calling it a "resort" until the public buys into the concept and then it will be easier to sell this one to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Never mind the fact that because Doug had earlier, in an attempt to ingratiate himself to the business community, namely the motels and campgrounds in the area, decided to eliminate camping from his plans.  In doing so, he inadvertently disqualified his development from actually being a resort.  The lack of facilities for an overnight stay keeps Michigan Moto Mania from fitting the description of a resort.  This was all before the Mulligan was decided by the Planning Commission for the second time.  No camping then became part of the restrictions adopted by the Planning Commission for the Gamble-Longenecker property.
 

Steve maintains that it was in an effort “to help Harrison.”  I would suggest that it was to help Doug have an easier time gaining public support against the growing number of opposing neighbors.  "Helping Harrison" was a side benefit. 

Also, the hoops that Doug would have to jump through to get a permit to establish and construct a new campground is restrictive and requires interaction with a lot more government agencies higher up than Hayes Township, from the DEQ Water Bureau, to the Health Department, not to mention all the permit fees and licensing fees.  I don’t think Doug will be able to just “toss a few campsites back in the mix,” as Steve suggests as a viable alternative.  Letting all of that fall out of the equation was a lot less hassle and expense than keeping camping as an option. 

Not to mention the scrutiny that could potentially come to bear on this whole thing by government agencies higher up than Hayes Township.  Getting rid of camping was probably best for everyone. 

The first use of the word “resort” with regard to Michigan Moto Mania in print was in the 22 Jul 2010 edition of the Clare County Cleaver, in the article, Hayes Township Zoning Appeals Board Deadlocks on Moto Mania Appeal, by Genine Hopkins.  In every Cleaver article regarding Moto Mania since that one, the word “park” is never used and the word “resort” is always used.

 One term that the Moto Mania supporters are loath to use is “club.”  But that may be for several reasons, not the least of which is I am the one suggesting it.  But Moto Mania does meet the Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance’s definition of a club.  Whether they like it or not.  Also, similar facilities, such as Polka Dots Motocross Club, to which Doug, his family and many of his supporters and at least one member of the Planning Commission, (no conflict of interest there), belong have no problem calling themselves clubs.  I would suggest that the aversion to calling Moto Mania a club by Doug and his supporters, especially his supporters on the various Hayes Township boards, is because to admit that it’s a club could very easily close the door on the Special Use in a zone where such a facility does not belong.