Oshtemo Township’s Planning Commission reviewed two ordinance updates still in early drafting stages at its July 23 meeting.
No votes were taken and multiple future meetings are planned before either comes back for formal action.
The meeting covered two separate “work items”: a continuing update to the township’s residential zoning standards, and the early stages of a broader restructuring of the township’s environmental protection ordinances. Both are part of a longer process. Planning consultants and township staff described each as one step in a multi-meeting review, with public hearings to follow once draft language is finalized.
Residential zoning update
Planning consultants Jason Ball and Sara Moring-Hilt, of Progressive Companies, presented proposed changes to the township’s residential zoning standards, continuing work aimed at implementing the 2045 Oshtemo Comprehensive Plan and the township’s 2023 Housing Plan. The update would consolidate several existing zoning districts, add “middle housing” types such as townhomes and small multi-family buildings to certain residential districts, and introduce a new Neighborhood Mixed Use district.
One proposed change generated notable discussion: increasing the minimum lot size in the Rural Residential and Agricultural districts, intended to direct new growth toward areas already served by utilities rather than more rural parts of the township. The consultants’ written recommendation was to raise the minimum from the current 1.5 acres to 3 acres. During discussion, however, commissioners indicated they were more comfortable increasing it further, to 5 acres, to better preserve the township’s rural character; the consultants said they could adjust the proposal accordingly as the process continues.
Commissioners also discussed how existing lots smaller than the new minimum would be treated going forward. Consultants confirmed that property owners with existing “nonconforming” lots would still be able to rebuild if needed — for example, if a home were destroyed — since the township cannot legally prevent reasonable use of an existing lot, though any rebuilt structure would still need to meet applicable setback requirements or seek a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Other elements discussed included new design standards for townhomes and accessory dwelling units, changes to landscape buffer requirements between residential and commercial or industrial properties, and adjustments to setback and density rules for multi-family development.
Environmental protection ordinance restructuring
Public Works Director Anna Horner and Planning and Zoning Administrator Leeanna Harris introduced the first phase of a separate, longer-running effort to reorganize the township’s environmental protection rules. The project would consolidate provisions currently spread across the zoning ordinance and general ordinance into a new, standalone section of the General Ordinance, covering stormwater management, groundwater and wellhead protection, tree and vegetation preservation, and soil erosion control.
Staff said the restructuring is intended to make the rules easier to navigate and more consistent across the township, and to introduce new “performance standards” that would regulate development based on the potential environmental risk of an activity, rather than relying solely on zoning district or land use type. This portion of the process is still in its early stages — described by staff as a “kick-off” review of the ordinance’s overall structure and definitions — with additional sections to be brought forward at future meetings as they’re completed. Once the full set of provisions is ready, the ordinance would go through public hearings at both the Planning Commission and Township Board before adoption.
What’s next
No formal action was taken on either item, and neither is expected to return for a vote in the near term. Both remain open for additional commissioner and public input as staff and consultants continue refining the proposed language over the coming months.
