Hart planning commission recommends A (Residential) zoning changes, adds 'Tiny Home' definition

The City of Hart Planning Commission on Sept. 4 voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt proposed amendments to Chapter 1245 (A, Residential Zone), including revised minimum floor-area requirements and a new definition for "Tiny Home." Dianne LaPorte moved the recommendation; Jim Cunningham supported the motion, which passed 6-0.

The draft language the commission recommended sets minimum total floor areas as follows: one-story single-family dwellings, 400 square feet; two-story or split-level single-family dwellings, 600 square feet total combined floor area; and two-family dwellings, 400 square feet per unit (800 square feet total). The recommended package also adds a definition of "Tiny Home" as "a single-family dwelling unit of 400 square feet or less, excluding lofts, constructed in compliance with the Michigan Residential Code and/or HUD Manufactured Housing Standards," per the draft motion.

Commission discussion and the motion focused on aligning the chapter's minimums with the draft ordinance language and explicitly including tiny homes in the definitions to allow them as permitted residential types under controlled conditions. The chapter text presented to the commission also lists permitted and special uses (child/adult day care homes, state-licensed adult foster care, churches, schools), district regulations (lot sizes, setbacks, maximum height) and cross-references to Michigan statutes (e.g., M.C.L.A. Sec. 117.4i; Secs. 125.581–125.592) included in the packet.

Next steps: the commission's action is a recommendation to the City Council; the Council will consider the amendments and take the final action. The draft ordinance language reviewed by the commission included additional technical sections (off‑street parking, signs, site-plan review) that would remain subject to City Council and staff review.