IRON MOUNTAIN — A former synagogue will be converted into a non-profit center to house programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous under a special use permit approved Monday by the city council.

The building at 401 S. Kimberly Ave. will be purchased and then donated to 12-Step Programs Center by Iron Mountain resident Karen Kovars.

“This is something that is important to the community,” council member Bill Revord said.

A zoning variance was needed because the building is in a residential area and has no off-street parking, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said. The Zoning Board of Appeals has agreed to lower the required off-street parking from 10 spaces to zero.

The city’s Planning Commission had a hearing on the special use permit Dec. 9 and recommended council approval, despite some neighborhood concerns about traffic and parking.

The building will host about 14 meetings a week for eight to 10 people in programs that also will include Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Al-Anon and Alateen.

Mayor Dale Alessandrini hesitated to support the permit but agreed after encouraging Kovars to discuss neighborhood parking issues with program participants.

The vote to approve was 5-0. Council members Butch Schinderle and Pam Maule were absent.

The building has been at its present location for more than century. Formerly the Anshe Knesseth Israel Congregation Synagogue, it has about 3,100 square feet of space, including a partially finished lower level with kitchen.

In other action Monday, the Iron Mountain council:

— Scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Jan. 6 on an ordinance amendment that would allow up to five licenses each for growing and processing recreational marijuana — the same number that’s permitted under a change made last month in the city’s medical marijuana ordinance. The current limit for growing and processing facilities under the recreational marijuana ordinance is two.

Even if a change is approved, the number of recreational marijuana dispensaries permitted will remain at two. That means growers without retail shops would have to sell their products wholesale to licensed dispensaries, Alessandrini said. Applications for recreational marijuana business licenses in Iron Mountain are due Dec. 23.

— Approved a Community Development Block Grant application for a rental rehabilitation at 323 S. Stephenson Ave. The project totals $541,265, aided by a potential state grant of $255,065. All expenses not covered by the grant will be the responsibility of the property owner, Menominee Range Investments LLC, represented by Jesse Land, who plans to build four apartments upstairs in the downtown building.

— Opened bids from engineering firms for Small Urban Program street improvements planned in 2020 and referred them to staff. The estimated construction work totals $344,000. The engineering bids came from Coleman Engineering, $42,712; U.P. Engineers & Architects, $53,100; and GEI Consultants, $65,168. The council is expected to act on the bids Jan. 6.

— Approved vacating 100 feet of the undeveloped 500 block of Chapin Street to provide more vehicle parking and storage for UP Auto Sales. The business resolved neighbors’ concerns after the council turned down a similar request in October.

— Amended a special use permit to allow for a small enclosure at Arcand’s Service Center at 1330 N. Stephenson Ave. To make room, the number of used car spots will be reduced from 14 to 12.

— Received a report showing 13 deer have been harvested under the city’s managed archery hunt, compared with 48 a year ago. The meager cull likely will lead to more nuisance deer complaints in 2020, Stanchina said.

— Heard East F Street resident Dan Bailey say city plows are leaving too much snow at intersections.

— Learned from Stanchina that area municipalities will form a committee to promote an accurate 2020 census count.