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Planning Commission takes up zoning changes for platted nonconforming lots, tree protections and wireless siting
Summary
Planning staff introduced ordinance updates: a tree and woodland preservation rewrite, an amendment to allow waivers for platted nonconforming lots (potentially enabling owners to split or sell historic small lots), and a zoning review on where wireless facilities may be permitted; staff recommended scheduling public hearings for amendments and invited further commission feedback.
The Canton Township Planning Commission reviewed multiple zoning initiatives aimed at clarifying how older platted lots are handled, strengthening tree and woodland protections and updating where wireless telecommunications infrastructure may be located.
Nonconforming platted lots: Staff presented proposed changes to section 3.05 to address preexisting platted lots where houses can span multiple parcels. The draft would allow the Planning Commission to grant waivers—rather than forcing property owners to pursue a practical-difficulty variance before the Zoning Board of Appeals—if three criteria are met: (1) connection to public water and sanitary sewer is available and accessible to the lots, (2) each lot has frontage on an approved road, and (3) each lot is sufficient in area and width to meet setback requirements. Staff said the amendment could help homeowners such as the earlier public commenter who said he owns five separate platted lots and wants to develop or sell them.
Tree and woodland preservation: Planning staff said they had assembled a comprehensive set of findings on the benefits of preserving trees and woodlands, and that much of the supporting language could sit in the master plan while the ordinance concentrates on enforceable provisions. Staff noted previous litigation concerns and said the proposed approach is intended to strengthen legal defensibility by tying ordinance language to master-plan policy.
Wireless telecommunications: Staff described an effort to revisit where towers and wireless facilities are permitted. The current ordinance limits towers to light industrial (LI) and general industrial (GI) districts and to certain municipal exemptions; staff said demand for capacity and provider-identified coverage gaps have prompted a review of performance standards and whether to allow special-land-use siting in additional districts or encourage non-tower solutions such as rooftop or pole-mounted antennas.
Procedure and next steps: Staff recommended placing the nonconforming-lot amendment on upcoming agendas to set a public hearing (October 7 meeting would schedule a public hearing for November). The Planning Commission discussed interdepartmental checks (engineering, building) needed to assess feasibility before a waiver would be recommended and noted that combining lots or filing applications to alter tax IDs remain practical options depending on owner goals.
Representative quotes
On nonconforming lots: staff explained that the amendment would allow platted contiguous lots to be built on separately with Planning Commission approval where infrastructure and lot standards are met.
Context and community impact
If adopted, the proposed waiver process would reduce the procedural burden on owners of historic platted lots who currently must demonstrate practical difficulty to the Zoning Board of Appeals to obtain relief. Commissioners noted the change would give the Planning Commission discretion to assess technical feasibility and infrastructure availability while preserving design and setback standards.
What’s next: Staff will prepare public-hearing materials and draft ordinance language for future meetings; the Planning Commission discussed scheduling a public hearing in November after a formal October 7 motion to set the hearing date.
