To follow up on the critical master planning effort carried out by Township staff and officials, the Gaines Charter Township Zoning Ordinance overhaul project commenced this summer. The comprehensive audit was presented to the Board and Planning Commission, and the code will be completely restructured and rewritten. A primary objective is to implement the Master Plan's future land use recommendations focusing on housing diversity, traditional neighborhood development, and mixed-use village centers.
Horizon Community Planning conducted a comprehensive audit of Saugatuck Township's development requirements and worked directly with a Steering Committee and three Advisory Committees tasked with developing zoning recommendations to implement the Tri-Communities Master Plan. The Audit also involved stakeholder outreach and roundtable discussions. Ultimately, this report set the stage for a new Zoning Ordinance rewrite project that is currently underway.
As a result of explosive industrial and residential growth related to the Port of Savannah, Horizon Community Planning was hired to conduct a Zoning Ordinance Audit and a full rewrite of the Zoning Ordinance. The ordinance was developed to prepare the City to manage growth to ensure compatibility between major warehousing and distribution facilities and residential development. The project focused on user-friendliness and simplifying cumbersome review processes while setting clear review standards. The project is currently scheduled for first reading by the City Council.
The Almena Township Zoning Ordinance update was a comprehensive overhaul of processes, use requirements, and development standards. The project consolidated use and dimensional requirements into user-friendly tables and updated processes and standards for Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), special land uses, site plans, and variances.
The Holland Charter Township Zoning Ordinance update was based on a detailed audit, and the project improved antiquated regulations. The project also reassessed processes and standards to streamline development regulations, expedite reviews, and improve the user-friendliness of the ordinance.
This project included an overhaul of all zoning, subdivision, and development-related regulations into a unified development ordinance. The project was based on a technical audit prepared by the team and character area recommendations included in the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. Urban and neighborhood village design street layouts and regulating plans were developed to implement the character areas, and an overlay zoning district was established to help transform the area around an aging state highway commercial corridor.
The Village of Suttons Bay Zoning Ordinance update project resulted in a reformat of the entire ordinance structure, updated processes and procedures, and included form-based regulations for the downtown Village area.