Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Private Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Delhi Township adopts ordinance widening options for private roads
Summary
The Delhi Charter Township Board voted 7-0 to adopt Zoning Ordinance No. 39.167, amending multiple sections of the township zoning code to make it easier to use private roads for new neighborhood developments while requiring legal associations and emergency access provisions.
The Delhi Charter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Jan. 20 to adopt Zoning Ordinance No. 39.167, a package of text amendments that makes it easier for developers and property owners to use private roads for neighborhood streets.
The changes, which the Planning Commission recommended to the board after a Jan. 12 public hearing, broaden the definition and allowable uses of private roads, add requirements that private-road neighborhoods form a legal association able to collect fees for maintenance, and clarify how setbacks are measured when there is no public right-of-way. Township Manager Tracy L.C. Miller summarized the Planning Commission’s work in a memorandum to the board, noting the commission voted unanimously to forward the amendments.
The ordinance text instructs that where setbacks were previously measured from a public right-of-way, they will instead be measured 27 feet from the edge of pavement in situations without public right-of-way. It also states a private-road association (for example, a homeowners’ association) must be formed with authority to collect assessments for upkeep; the association may be narrowly focused on road maintenance rather than operate as a broad HOA. The ordinance additionally prohibits gating private roads that provide access to other neighborhoods and requires that emergency services be able to reach properties on private streets.
Trustee Tom Lenard moved to adopt the ordinance and Trustee Matt Lincoln seconded. A roll-call vote recorded Ayes: Lincoln, Montemayor, Warfield, Ford, Hope, King and Lenard; Nays: none. The motion carried 7-0.
The Planning Commission record included two written comments from residents Larry and Pamela Bailey raising concerns about a reduction in government oversight of roads if private-road development is expanded. The commission’s minutes note the comments were considered before the commission voted to recommend the changes.
Miller told the board the shift reflects experience that, in many newer subdivisions, county or state road authorities are reluctant to accept new local neighborhood streets into the public system, leaving property owners to face assessments for reconstruction. The ordinance language is intended to create a clearer legal framework for private roads, including minimum standards and a mechanism for long-term maintenance.
The amendment also standardizes references in the zoning code, replacing “Ingham County Road Commission” with “Ingham County Road Department” where appropriate, a technical change the memo said reflects earlier county reorganization.
The ordinance was adopted at the township’s Multipurpose Room at the Community Services Center in Holt. The Planning Commission’s file references Case #25-888 for the text amendment.
