Traverse City commissioners delayed a scheduled review of the National Cherry Festival at last night's study session by two weeks to alleviate a packed agenda that also included discussion of two proposals from Safe Harbor of Grand Traverse and Grand Traverse Sports Center (GTSC) to lease a city-owned warehouse at 517 Wellington Street.

Following the usual study session format, commissioners heard presentations and discussed Safe Harbor and GTSC's proposals, and then provided feedback to City Manager Jered Ottenwess on the direction they wished the city to pursue – all before taking public comment. The order meant that, after generally agreeing a lease agreement with Safe Harbor was preferable to selling 517 Wellington or using a management agreement for the property, a majority of commissioners directed Ottenwess to focus on Safe Harbor and not entertain GTSC's proposal – a move that angered the nearly 40 residents who proceeded to speak in favor of the sports center during public comment.

“It's very clear this hasn't been an open process, and you haven't done your due diligence,” one Boardman Neighborhood resident told commissioners as public comment commenced. Other Boardman residents and Eighth Street business owners lined up to express frustration commissioners weren't “willing to consider” a plan they said would raise property values and contribute to the “economic development” of the Eighth Street corridor, with some urging the commission to “keep an open mind” on both proposals. Approximately a half-dozen meeting attendees stood up to take the opposite stance, publicly voicing support for Safe Harbor's proposal.

While Mayor Michael Estes and Commissioner Barbara Budros advocated for considering other options besides Safe Harbor – “I don't think we're being responsible if we preclude anyone else from coming forward with a proposal,” said Budros – Commissioners Jim Carruthers, Ross Richardson, Jeanine Easterday and Tim Werner felt Safe Harbor had made a compelling case for its tenancy. Easterday said the organization “deserves respect for the time they've invested” in developing their plan to operate an emergency homeless shelter at the site, and that “if GTCS approached us first, maybe that would be different.”

Easterday also addressed angry criticism from the crowd that she or other commissioners were close-minded on the best use for the Wellington building, saying she made “a very knowledgeable, scientific decision this is what's best for our community” based on her research. She added: “Just because this room is filled with people who support the sports center...Safe Harbor could just as easily load this room with people who support the homeless shelter.”

Since commissioners didn't officially vote on a proposal last night (due to being in study session), the first official action taken on Safe Harbor's application will likely come in the form of an upcoming planning commission meeting on September 16 and planned public hearing on October 7. Those meetings will mark the beginning required steps of the organization's special land use permit application process.