Oshtemo Township’s Planning Commission reviewed draft zoning changes October 22 for the future neighborhood mixed use district, parking, landscaping and lighting.
The review is part of the township’s ongoing zoning ordinance update with planning consultant Jason Ball of Progressive Companies. The commission took no votes. A revised draft of the neighborhood mixed use district will return in November.
Neighborhood mixed use district. The consultant’s recommended approach would require buildings to sit at least 25 feet from the curb, or 15 feet from the right of way, and no more than 40 feet from the curb, or 30 feet from the right of way. Parking would not be allowed between the building and the right of way. The planning commission could still grant a waiver for a setback of up to 70 feet. The aim is to balance pedestrian safety and business visibility along corridors such as Stadium Drive. The consultant also recommended replacing the current “appears to be two stories” standard with a measured minimum building height. Commissioners generally favored the clearer standard.
Parking. The draft would reduce the minimum parking space width from 9.5 feet to 9 feet and the minimum aisle width from 16 feet to 15 feet, which reduces paved area. It adds a table and graphics for dimensions. It removes the requirement that barrier-free spaces be concrete rather than asphalt, and it clarifies the waiver process.
Landscaping. The draft sets three buffer types between residential and other uses. Buffer widths would be 20 feet for institutional and multi-family uses next to single- and two-family homes, 30 feet for commercial uses, and 50 feet for industrial uses. Parking-lot landscaping would apply to lots of 10 or more spaces. It would also require foundation plantings along at least 25 percent of the street-facing frontage of non-residential buildings.
Lighting. Changes are limited to clarifications. The draft moves requirements for service stations and outdoor dining into the special land use and use-condition sections. Commissioners also raised questions about decorative holiday lighting and flagpole lighting, which the consultant will revisit in the next draft.
The township’s remaining “parking lot” items include a zoning map showing parks, natural areas and greenspace, short-term rental rules, and food truck regulations. The next review covers overlay districts, planned unit developments and special land uses.
