Consultant outlines zoning rewrite; commissioners flag nonconformities, site-plan thresholds and procedural edits

Giffels Webster consultant Joe Tangary presented the first round of proposed amendments to Bay City’s zoning ordinance on Sept. 24, outlining changes to the ordinance’s purpose and interpretation, procedures for nonconforming uses and structures, zoning‑board‑of‑appeals duties, and site‑plan and development procedures.

The planning‑commission discussion focused on several policy choices in the draft: how and when projects are grandfathered under a savings clause, proposed changes that would let the planning commission approve limited expansions of nonconforming uses, a raised administrative site‑plan threshold in industrial districts and clearer rules on when staff must refer a “minor” site plan to the commission.

Tangary said the draft includes new or clarified sections that municipal planners commonly use: a short title and statutory authorization referencing the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, an expanded severability/savings clause, and clearer rules for interpretation when different sections conflict. "We found that there were kind of…