Cheboygan County Community Development Director Steve Schnell Searches VRBO For Lawbreakers

The Cheboygan County Commissioner’s room was standing room only at the Planning Commission meeting on February 1, 2017 and the controversy for a change was not Meijer. Will what began as an ill-conceived letter writing campaign be resolved with public input and cooperation?  Last September, Community Development Director Steve Schnell addressed a letter to Andy Stempky.

Dear STEMPKY, ANDREW & NANCY HM/, It has come to our attention that a home on your property is being used as a transient rental at XXXX Hiawatha Drive in Aloha Township. In accordance with section 21.3.1 of Zoning Ordinance No. 200, it is a requirement in all districts of Cheboygan County that a property owner obtain zoning permit prior to changing the use of a property or constructing a building on their property. We are sending this notice in hope that being aware of this violation you will voluntarily take steps to correct the situation. This notice therefore allows 30 days for such compliance. The use of a home as a transient rental is not a permitted use in the Lake and Stream zoning district. If you feel this notice was sent in error or have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Steve Schnell-Community Development Director.

That cease and desist letter also gave notice that a deck had been built without a permit and included a permit application. Typical for Steve Schnell are enforcement actions for already built decks, pole barns, and commercial buildings. Mr Schnell continues to make the rules he never enforces. He has created a career amending Planning & Zoning Ordinance #200 and that effort is at Amendment #140 and counting.

Now, seemingly out of character, the Community Planner has become “The Enforcer”. To give credit where it is due, Mr Schnell on his own initiative has interpreted that a use by right, a single-family home allowed in Lake & Stream Zoning becomes a different use if rented for less than a 30 day period. Do not look in Ordinance #200 for any mention of transient rental? There is none. He has picked the wrong thing to enforce. Anyone already financially impacted must direct the criticism toward Mr Schnell. No County Commissioner and no Planning Commission board member asked him to create a problem where there was none.

None of this is surprising from a Community Development Department that wasted everyone’s time reading word definitions from a multitude of dictionaries like a 5^th grade spelling bee during the Heritage Cove public hearings. Mr Schnell’s January 5, 2017 memo to the Planning Commission recommends repealing Section 17.3. “Single Family Dwellings.  A building containing not more than one dwelling unit designed for residential use…” Why? Will more cease and desist letters for transient rental use follow?

At the February 1st meeting, Mr Schnell shared his recentlyacquired knowledge of short-term rentals. He was correct to address possible negative issues. He had clearly been ignorant of the huge economic benefits to the owners and the community at large. That was why the protesters were there. He alleged growing numbers of complaints over the past few years. Really? Do those alleged complaints have the same substance as the debunked complaints that almost created a draconian ban on camper use in the county?  I have already asked for records of all the enforcement actions this year on “transient rentals” and the complaints, if there are any.The attendees at the February 1st Planning Commission meeting were not supportive of Mr Schnell’s enforcement actions.  The protesters came from all over and even outside the county. They presented sound, sane, and logical reasons with some sharing their personal situations and the economic need for short-term rentals. Too many long-time residents lamented the economic slide in Cheboygan County that is still accelerating. Job #1 is to strip the “Enforcer” of his super-powers by defining short-term rentals as a use by right for any residential neighborhood that desires it. The County Commissioners should take this opportunity to direct the Planning Commission to tool a new planning document that works to drive growth. Emmet County grows without benefit of a Community Development Director. We can do the same.