🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Cadillac, MI
Cadillac Council Grants Special Permit for Short-Term Rental on Mitchell Street
Cadillac Gives STRs a Green Light—But With Guardrails
Cadillac is opening the door a crack for short-term rentals—but don’t mistake it for a wide-open invitation. At its Sept. 16 meeting, the Cadillac City Council unanimously approved a special land use permit allowing a property at 820 Mitchell Street to operate as a short-term rental.
The decision came after a public hearing that drew local attention. The property owner had originally requested a rezoning that would have fully shifted the site’s classification to allow STRs outright. But city planners balked at that approach. The Planning Commission denied the rezoning request and instead guided the owner toward a special-use permit, a much more targeted route.
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City Manager Marcus Peccia emphasized that this approval doesn’t create a blanket policy for STRs in Cadillac’s General Business Zoning District. Instead, each property will continue to be reviewed individually under a special land use permit process. That means future applicants can’t simply point to this case as automatic approval—local leaders want each application judged on its own merits.
For residents, this case signals Cadillac’s cautious willingness to consider STRs in areas traditionally reserved for other commercial uses. By using special permits instead of rezoning, the city can keep closer tabs on impacts such as parking, noise, and neighborhood character—issues often raised by STR critics.
The upshot? Cadillac is experimenting with a middle path. Instead of blocking STRs entirely or throwing the door wide open, city officials are signaling that STRs can fit into the local economy if they’re carefully vetted. If you’re thinking about opening an STR in the city’s business district, take note: the path runs through a special permit, not rezoning.
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