Cascade Township introduces major zoning overhaul after extended public comment; board schedules extra work sessions

The Cascade Charter Township Board of Trustees voted 4–3 on Nov. 6 to introduce an amended zoning ordinance for public review and to schedule at least two public work sessions, following more than two hours of public comment that ranged from calls to "slow down the process" to praise for what some speakers called a transparent, multi‑year update.

Supervisor Les Prince framed the proposal as the culmination of a four‑year process tied to the township’s strategic and master plans. "This item is actually the culmination of a process that began over four years ago," Manager Andrew Smith told the room, saying the master plan was adopted in 2024 with "nearly 1,900 responses," and that staff and volunteers had held multiple meetings and published newsletters as part of the outreach.

Why it matters: The draft would consolidate multiple development rules and introduce a form‑based code in a roughly defined village area to guide building scale and ground‑floor commercial activity. Supporters said the update brings the zoning code out of its 1974 origins and targets density to areas with existing water and sewer; opponents said the draft is overly prescriptive and risks limiting property rights and business…