The Independence Township Planning Commission was not impressed with the anti-keyholing ordinance referred to it by the Township Board.
The commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend denial of the ordinance. The Township Board will take the recommendation under advisement and and make the final decision about it at a future regular meeting.
‘This issue is obviously very important to a lot of people,? said Commissioner Curt Carlson. ‘The more I’ve looked into this, the more I realized that what we have here would not affect the lake in the manner that we want.?
The ordinance is too weak to significantly reduce boat usage on the lakes, Carlson said.
‘We have to have an ordinance that makes sense ? this one isn’t it, unfortunately,? he said.
The ordinance as proposed would prohibit developers from offering use of a lake to non-lakefront residents, such as in a condominium complex, by “keyholing,” or funnelling, it through a single lakefront property.
“This ordinance would not affect water quality – it has no means of enforcement,” Moraco said.
A general ordinance, which could place limits on lake use that would apply to all, would be more effective at cleaning up the lakes, said Commissioner Cheryl Karrick.
Check the Jan. 31 edition of the Clarkston News and back here on the website for more information on this issue.