Restaurant owner asks commission’s permission to construct animal display

The owner of the Water?s Edge Restaurant hasn?t given up on his efforts to construct an animal display adjacent to his business. With some changes from his request from a year-and-a-half ago to display elk, deer, and moose, Norm Arlt received permit approval from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality, as well as the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and now is looking for an okay from the city.

Conversation on the topic dominated Monday?s Planning Commission meeting. The issue appeared before commission members as a zoning ordinance amendment. City manager John Bruning said Arlt became interested in pursing the enclosure again earlier this summer. It would house no more than four animals.

AFTER LENGTHY debate, and with many questions needing to be answered, commission members asked Bruning to research the issue further and come back with a draft amendment at their next meeting. Commissioner Milt Very said it would be easier to ?red pen? than it would be to ?originate? an amendment. Bruning did some leg work prior to the commission meeting by requesting an opinion from the city?s zoning consultant, Ken Dettloff.

?I asked him if he had any familiarity with it, and he really hadn?t,? said Bruning. Dettloff, who has 30 years of experience, spent a day looking into it. Through quite an extensive search, Bruning uncovered a small section of the ordinance which prohibits animals, other than household pets, within the city. ?It follows several pages of parking regulations,? he said. ?It?s pretty plain and pretty easy to understand, so I asked the city attorney to look it over and see if there was a way to grant a variance to that.? The only way to address the request is through an amendment.

ARLT WANTS to attract tourists to Rogers City and more customers to his restaurant. The last time Arlt attempted to get the city?s approval, the DNR said the pen was too close to a city well. ?Initially the request was to use city parkland, which is closer to the well,? Bruning said. But modifications were made to the proposed design and now the enclosure would be well outside the 200-foot radius around the well.

Arlt keeps the animals at his rural home and before bringing them into Rogers City he would put them in a pen to see how they would get along. Health department regulations would prohibit restaurant workers from handling the animals and customers from petting them. There?s a similar facility in Harbor Springs, that Arlt says has been in business for 20 years. When asked about waste, Arlt said four dee

r eating dry goods and grass wouldn?t create as much waste as two dogs. ?To me it?s very minimal.? A total of 10,000 square feet is available for the enclosure, which under the new plan, would be lcoated away from the bike trail.

?WE?RE LOOKING at amending the entire zoning ordinance and it applies to anything, certainly within the B-3 district,? said Bruning. ?That?s my main concern. I don?t think this proposal is such an issue because he?s got a large parcel and he keeps animals. It?s the other ones (requests) down the road.? ?We want to differentiate amending the ordinance for a specific use,? said Bruning.

?I think if we?re going to make a judgment on a special approval application,? said Bruning, ?We need to know at least in our own minds how that animal waste is going to be maintained, certainly next to a restaurant.? Bruning suggested Arlt submit an operation plan. The issue is expected to be back before the Planning Commission at its meeting August 25, but the required procedures to amend the ordinance could take several months.