G. Rapids rejects zoning change

0

GRAND RAPIDS – A local businessman’s plan to create additional parking space for his funeral home hit a
bump in the road Tuesday.
Brian Habegger, a village resident and owner of Wright-Habegger Funeral Home, requested that two lots
near his business be rezoned from residential to commercial.
On Monday, village council unanimously voted down the request for re-zoning for both lots, which are
located near the funeral home on Second Street.
Council members did not express specific concerns with Habegger wanting to expand his business, but
rather for future use of the commercial property should it be sold.
"I am just concerned about the future and for our future residents," said council member
Carolyn Erdody.
Council member Kevin Olman also cited concerns with the process Habegger followed.
Prior to council’s vote on the rezoning request, Habegger had torn down the residences on the two lots.

Olman said he would have liked Habegger to go through the re-zoning process first, in addition to other
necessary processes, before tearing down the house.
Erdody agreed that the funeral home expansion was a good idea, but "I think the way it was done was
wrong, basically."
Habegger responded and said that regardless of council’s vote, something had to be done with the houses
on the lots.
"Both of the houses, neither of them were a gem by any means. All of them needed extensive
work," he said.
"I have a vested interest in this town. I have put a lot of money into this place both with my house
and with the funeral home and I want to continue to invest and develop it," he said.
"Please know I am trying to help my families out. I think everyone who has used my funeral home can
attest that there is a need for the parking lots," he said.
Council member John Berry, prior to the vote, asked Habegger if he had talked to homeowners in the area
about his parking lot plans.
"I went door-to-door … none of them had problems," he said. "No one has ever voiced a
concern."
Berry said he, too, went door-to-door, but got somewhat of a different response from nearby residents.

"They said that they thought it would be pretty good, until I told them it would be commercial and
anything could go in there … They said, ‘No way, not in our neighborhood,’" Berry said.
Habegger left Monday’s council meeting prior to the vote. An engineer representing Habegger said he could
not speak on Habegger’s behalf regarding plans for the properties now that the rezoning request was
denied.

No posts to display