Planning commission backs narrower 'family' definition to reduce overcrowding in houses

The Muskegon City Planning Commission voted May 15 to recommend that the City Commission amend Article 2 of the zoning ordinance to revise the definition of "family." Planning staff said the change would replace two overlapping definitions with a single standard intended to bring more residences into compliance and to reduce infrastructure stress tied to heavy occupancy.

Planning staff described the current situation as confusing: one definition ties family to relatives by blood, marriage or adoption plus two other people; another “functional family” definition allows adults who live as a domestic unit but restricts density using a 1 person per 225 square feet standard. Staff noted that under the functional-family rule a very large house could theoretically allow many unrelated adults — “I did a calculation, I believe, around a 4,000 square house… that would allow up to 17 people,” the staff presentation said.

Staff recommended, and commissioners supported, a single definition that would effectively make it easier for several households to be in conformance while giving the city clearer enforcement standards. Commissioners raised enforcement concerns: one questioned how the city would detect or compel compliance, and another noted some states have moved away from defining "family" at all. Despite concerns about enforcement difficulty, commissioners voted to forward the amendment to the City Commission for approval.

The planning commission did not adopt enforcement language beyond recommending the definition change; further zoning or permitting changes would be considered separately, including forthcoming discussion of single-room-occupancy rules.