Council reviews zoning-map correction after mapping error put industrial parcels in residential zone

The mayor and council of Northville discussed a first-reading ordinance to correct an error on the town zoning map that placed two parcels in a residential area though they belong in the light-industrial (LI) zone and the RMI overlay. The change matters because one property owner discovered the discrepancy while attempting to sell the parcel and found it shown as in a residential buffer. The mayor said the mistake appears to date to about February 2007 and carried forward through map revisions. “There was an error on our zoning map which dates back to, we believe, around 02/2007,” the mayor said. Staff told the council the underlying zoning ordinance already designated the parcels as LI with the RMI overlay; the map graphic, not the ordinance text, is what will be corrected. At the meeting the mayor asked for a motion to introduce the ordinance for first reading; a motion and second were made. Council discussion clarified that the change is a visual correction to the map and that the parcels were always part of the LI zone and the RMI overlay per existing ordinance. No final vote on the ordinance was recorded in the meeting transcript. If adopted, the map update will make the graphic consistent with past ordinance language and resolve property-owner confusion during sales or permitting. The council did not set a specific final-adoption date during the discussion; the ordinance proceeded as a first-reading matter and is expected to return for later consideration.