Lyndon Township has a proposed ordinance change before it pertaining to single‑family dwellings, whether constructed on a lot or a manufactured home. The change could come in not adding language, but rather by taking some words out.
The zoning text amendment, if approved, would involve a section on Compatibility Determination when it comes to single-family dwellings. To learn more about this proposal, which hasn’t been voted on yet but has been discussed during public hearings, the Sun Times News connected with Scott Pacheco, Lyndon Township’s Zoning Administrator.
Pacheco said the proposed amendment involves the removal of the compatibility regulations from the zoning ordinance (section 3.09).
He said the Township believes these regulations are discretionary, overly restrictive, and unnecessary to protect the health, safety, or welfare of Township residents.
The proposal is to remove the discretionary regulations from section 3.09.
“Currently, the zoning ordinance does not include specific regulations regarding materials, colors, architectural design, or structure size when a property is being developed,” Pacheco said. “The Township’s position is that as long as a property owner is constructing a permitted use—such as a single-family home in the Rural Residential (RR) zoning district—and the structure complies with required setbacks, height limitations, lot coverage, and state building code requirements, it should be considered appropriate. The compatibility regulations introduce excessive discretion, which the Township does not find suitable.”
As an example, Pacheco said if a property is located on a lake and is surrounded by 1,000-square-foot cottages, would that mean a 2,000-square-foot home should not be permitted because it is not deemed “compatible”?
“Similarly, if an area consists primarily of single-story ranch homes with 4:12 gable roofs, should a modern-style home be prohibited?” he said. “The Township does not believe that such subjective determinations are necessary and may open the township up for additional legal challenges.”
He said this amendment does not prevent property owners or neighborhoods from establishing private deed restrictions or forming Homeowner Associations (HOAs) that regulate design elements, including home size, architectural style, and color schemes.
The Planning Commission held the public hearing on this zoning text amendment on Feb. 27 and made a recommendation motion to the Township Board to approve it. Pacheco said the Township Board had its initial discussion on the zoning text amendment at the March 11 board meeting. They are expected to continue the discussion to the April 8 board meeting.
Pacheco said the board continued the discussion to revise the definition of small scale solar, wind and battery storage to allow additional flexibility in the regulations and definition.
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
