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Marquette adopts broad Land Development Code amendments aimed at increasing housing options
Summary
The Marquette City Commission adopted Ordinance 25-07, a comprehensive update to the city's Land Development Code that relaxes some setbacks and adds housing types such as quadplexes and accessory dwelling units to encourage more housing supply; the vote was 7-0.
The Marquette City Commission unanimously approved ordinance 25-07 on June 30, 2025, adopting a comprehensive set of amendments to the city's Land Development Code aimed at increasing housing variety and clarifying multiple land-use definitions.
City planning staff and the planning commission presented the package as the product of several months of review and public meetings. Sarah Mittelfeld, who led the presentation, said the changes focus heavily on housing: "we're trying to sort of honor the tradition of the single family home in our community, but also open it up to other types of housing options," and cited duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and accessory dwelling units as targeted forms.
The planning commission recommended approval after finding the draft amendments consistent with the community master plan and with Section 54.1405 of the Land Development Code. Commissioner Aaron Gottlieb moved adoption and Commissioner Larson seconded; the ordinance carried 7-0 on a roll-call vote.
Key changes in the adopted package include allowing increased building height in some residential settings with corresponding yard setbacks, explicitly permitting detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in rear yards with a single off-street parking requirement, and permitting quadplexes by special land-use permit in medium- and low-density residential districts. The code updates also refine rules for fences, storage uses, bicycle parking requirements, planting standards with a stronger emphasis on native species, and environmental standards for natural resource extraction and processing.
Supporters said the amendments are intended to add housing choices while protecting neighborhood character through setback adjustments and design standards. Several commissioners and planning commissioners praised staff and the volunteer planning commission for the months of line-by-line review and community outreach.
No members of the public spoke at the commission public hearing on the ordinance. The commission directed staff to implement the amended code language and to continue outreach on specific provisions where clarification was requested during discussion.
