Public pushes East Lansing council to reject narrow zoning definition of “family”

East Lansing — The City Council held a public hearing April 22 on Ordinance 15-45, a proposed amendment to Chapter 50 of the city zoning code that would change the code’s definition of “family.” Speakers at the hearing urged the council not to reenact a narrow, categorical definition of family they said would be unconstitutional and would harm renters and residents who rely on nontraditional household arrangements.

Residents, university students and local lawyers told council members the existing proposal would exclude people who regularly live together but do not share the legal relationships the draft would list. Several speakers cited U.S. Supreme Court and Michigan Supreme Court precedent — including Moore v. City of East Cleveland and Delta Township v. Dinolfo — to argue that local zoning cannot adopt a restricted, enumerated list that excludes cousins, extended relatives or functional households.

Supporters of broader language told the council the issue matters to students, senior residents and multigenerational households. Mark Grebner, a longtime East Lansing resident who described past legal involvement on housing matters, cited federal and…