Planning consultant tells Zeeland ZBA variances must be rare and tied to physical conditions

City Planning Consultant Paul LeBlanc told the Zeeland Zoning Board of Appeals at its Feb. 17, 2026 meeting that the Board’s decisions on variances must be narrowly tailored and grounded in the zoning ordinance and state law.

LeBlanc reviewed a memorandum dated Feb. 10, 2026 that outlines the ZBA’s scope, duties and procedures. He said the Board serves as a “quasi‑judicial body responsible for ordinance interpretations, administrative appeals, and variance requests,” and he noted the Board’s authority stems from the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act.

LeBlanc emphasized that “variances should typically be granted only in rare and exceptional circumstances” and explained those circumstances should arise from unique physical conditions that create a practical difficulty rather than from an applicant’s personal preferences or financial considerations. He also noted that dimensional variances are the most common requests, while use variances are uncommon and have become less frequent with the increased use of conditional rezoning.

Zoning Administrator Timothy Maday reminded commissioners they may request additional information on applications and that the Board may ask the City Attorney to draft a resolution setting out findings of fact on each criterion before taking final action. LeBlanc reviewed historical and hypothetical variance examples and discussed factors the Board should consider in evaluating applications.

The guidance provided is advisory to the Board’s deliberations and does not itself change ordinances or precedent; no variance application was decided at this meeting.