Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Sterling Heights launches zoning overhaul after joint Zoning 101 briefing
Summary
City leaders and volunteer boards in Sterling Heights heard a Zoning 101 briefing Wednesday as the city kicks off a project to rewrite the zoning ordinance to align with the new master plan, improve usability and reduce the need for variances and special approvals.
Sterling Heights officials and volunteer board members held a special joint meeting to begin a comprehensive update of the city’s zoning ordinance, hearing a Zoning 101 presentation from consultants and early results of a community survey.
The session was presented by consultants from Giffels Webster and led in part by Dr. Jake Parcel, the city president, who said the city is making “a substantial investment” to align the zoning ordinance with the recently adopted master plan and the city’s climate and sustainability goals. "We are really excited about this project," Parcel said, describing plans for supplemental workshops and public materials to guide residents through the changes.
Consultant Jill Behm of Giffels Webster gave the Zoning 101 briefing, tracing the history and legal limits of land-use regulation and outlining the basic components of a zoning code: text, map and development-review procedures. Behm emphasized constitutional constraints—procedural due process, the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments—and Michigan law,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
