Staff proposes alternative standards to ease infill housing in Michigan City's older neighborhoods

Planning staff presented a proposed zoning approach on Sept. 23 intended to make it easier to rebuild homes and add modest new housing on Michigan City's smaller, older lots without requiring a board of zoning appeals variance.

Planner Skyler York described an "alternative standards" approach that would apply only in R-1D and R-1E single-family residential zones — the city's older, gridded neighborhoods with many 40- to 50-foot-wide lots. Under current rules, typical front and corner setbacks of 20 feet can render a 40- or 45-foot lot effectively unbuildable without a variance; staff said the proposal would allow staff to apply an average-block setback and reduced minimum footprint in defined situations so that modest homes can be built by right.

"We need to be creating some flexible code to allow this," York told the commission, summarizing the intent to preserve neighborhood character while encouraging reinvestment. Staff noted the city's existing Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance already contains a similar flexibility for R-1E, and the proposed changes would extend an analogous process to R-1D.

York gave examples the standards would produce: using average setbacks on a block could reduce a typical front setback to about 16 feet and allow footprints in the 700–900 square-foot range on narrow lots, measured as building footprint rather than total gross floor area. York stressed the approach is meant to be "a la carte" — applicants would use only the specific relief they need — and to create a "buy-right" permitting pathway that avoids the time and uncertainty of a variance process.

Public commenters and department staff expressed support. Wendy Vachey, public works director, said the change would allow the city to use existing infrastructure and reduce staff time spent processing variance applications. Several residents, including Scott Mellentour and Tommy Kolovic, also praised the proposal as a practical way to return vacant lots to the tax roll with smaller, more affordable homes.

York said staff will provide a draft ordinance for the commission to review at the next meeting and intends to present a digital version and public-facing materials when live streaming is restored. He and staff indicated related code updates on tree protection and landscape requirements, and possible transit-oriented development adjustments, will be brought forward in coming months.