Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Residential topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plan Commission approves rewrite of residential district rules, adds 'RN' neighborhood category
Summary
The Plan Commission on May 21 approved a comprehensive rewrite of the village's residential zoning rules that creates a new RN (residential neighborhood) district, consolidates standards and introduces minimum net‑density measures to better align zoning outcomes with neighborhood character.
The Village of Mount Pleasant Plan Commission on May 21 approved a comprehensive rewrite of the residential districts in Chapter 90, creating a new RN (residential neighborhood) district to sit between low‑density (RL) and moderate‑density (RM) categories, consolidating regulations and updating how density and height are measured.
Staff said the rewrite organizes repeated code sections, clarifies when multiple principal buildings are permitted on a lot, switches from building‑coverage maximums to maximum impervious surface, and measures building height by stories rather than feet for consistency with updated commercial rules. "We tentatively titled it RN, which is residential neighborhood, because, you know, low density and moderate density were already taken, so we had to find something in the middle there that kind of did it," staff said.
The RN district is intended to allow a mix of housing types (small‑lot single‑family, townhomes and small multifamily) with limits on the number of attached units and a three‑story maximum in many moderate categories; staff said RN would be a likely fit for missing‑middle product types and some near‑term projects. The rewrite also adds minimum net‑density metrics for denser districts to prevent a zoning designation from being used to authorize a single large single‑family lot where the intent is multi‑unit development.
Commissioners discussed how the rules will interact with large multi‑building rental projects and the importance of land‑division (lotting) controls to ensure each building can be an individual lot in the future. Staff said minimum net‑density measurements exclude public right‑of‑way but include private roads and non‑developable outlots are not counted toward density. The commission voted to forward the revised residential district ordinance (O9‑2025) to the Village Board.
Members said the new structure should make code administration more straightforward, help applicants visualize expected outcomes and encourage neighborhood‑appropriate infill, while enabling flexibility for phased development of larger projects.
