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Planning commission sends comments to Boyne Valley Township on proposed shipping‑container zoning changes
Summary
Charlevoix County staff recommended clarifying definitions and permit thresholds in Boyne Valley Township’s proposed zoning amendments on shipping containers; the commission approved sending the staff report and commission comments to the township.
The Charlevoix County Planning Commission reviewed Boyne Valley Township’s proposed zoning text amendments related to shipping containers at its Jan. 9 meeting and voted to forward the Planning Department staff report and the Commission’s comments to the township for consideration.
Planning Director Kiersten Stark summarized the proposed edits to Article 2 (Definitions), Article 3 (General Provisions) and Article 9 (Administration & Enforcement). She recommended avoiding circular definitions (not using a term within its own definition), observed that shipping containers can be covered by the proposed accessory‑building definition so they need not be separately listed in multiple subsections, and urged consistent square‑foot thresholds between the definition of "Accessory Building, Minor" and the zoning‑permit trigger in Section 9.02.
Stark noted that Section 3.04 already imposes a two‑accessory‑building limit in one subsection and suggested rewording to avoid implying a separate category for shipping containers. As stated in the staff discussion, one suggested rewording for clarity was: "Two (2) accessory buildings or structures shall be permitted per lot or parcel without regard to the size of the accessory buildings or structures." The Commission approved sending the report and its comments to Boyne Valley Township on a motion by Pam Grassmick; the motion passed by voice vote.
Commissioners raised several substantive concerns. Marshal Bakker said a two‑accessory‑building maximum would be too restrictive in the Agricultural district and noted that the smallest commonly available shipping container (8 ft x 20 ft) is about 160 square feet, larger than the 150‑square‑foot threshold suggested for defining "minor" accessory buildings; he recommended the township reconsider the 150 sq ft permit threshold and the two‑building limit. Other commissioners agreed wording should be clarified to avoid contradictory standards.
The county’s comments will be transmitted to Boyne Valley Township for its consideration; no local zoning text was changed by the county at this meeting.
