MONTAGUE — The Montague city council unanimously granted site plan approval to a planned unit development (PUD) on Bowen Street during its Monday meeting.
City manager Jeff Auch said the approval is "the first part of a longer process" which will still take some time to complete before construction can begin on the project, which would have space for 48 homes to be built. The original plan called for 60, which was lowered so that there would be adequate space for all the units. The site plan calls for 3-5 units per acre.
Also in the plan are 35-foot property line setbacks, the introduction of native plants, two potential ponds (which if eliminated would become more buffer space), and enough parking for each unit to have two spaces, plus an additional 37 spaces for guests.
Montague resident Bill Tarr, who has recently spoken several times about the PUD during public comment periods, did so again Monday, suggesting the city devise multiple recommended alternate routes for the inevitable traffic disturbances created by construction.
The council also approved, by a 6-1 vote, an already-budgeted $2,500 contribution to the 2026 Fourth of July fireworks show, which may take place Friday, July 3 next year. Mayor Tom Lohman, a member of the fireworks committee, said that's the date currently under contract, but the committee is hoping to ultimately move it to July 4. Due to next year's holiday being the United States' 250th birthday, there is higher demand than usual for fireworks shows.
Susan Newhof was the lone dissenting vote; she shared her standing objections to fireworks shows, saying they cause pollution, spook dogs and cause post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. She urged the council to consider switching to a drone show display for 2027, saying other communities have done so and they "are fabulous."
Fireworks committee member Jason Jaekel spoke during public comment, reporting that five new members have joined the committee. He also shared that the fireworks show this year will cost $25,000, up from $20,000 the past few years. Council member Paul Schultz said both Montague and Whitehall may want to consider increasing their support given the price increase. Auch noted that the Downtown Development Authority will also be asked for a $2,500 contribution to the show later this fiscal year.
The council also gave unanimous approval to its deer management area, with the hunting portion placed south of Old Channel Trail, in an area enclosed by trees and a good distance from the road. Another unanimous approval was made on an updated property tax poverty exemption. Identical to the one previously approved by Whitehall, the updates no longer allow recreational vehicles to be exempted from a taxpayer's income. Instead, households are allowed to exclude the value of one vehicle per income provider from their assets.
