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Commission debated whether to include lot-size rules in land-division ordinance or reserve them for zoning
Summary
Speakers argued about adding minimum widths/depths or a 4:1 depth-to-width ratio to the land-division ordinance; some felt lot standards belong in zoning and that adding them now could deter townships from opting into the county framework.
A lengthy portion of the meeting addressed whether minimum lot sizes, minimum lot widths, a minimum depth, or a 4:1 depth-to-width ratio should be part of the land-division ordinance or left to the separate zoning ordinance.
One participant argued that lot standards help ensure a divided parcel is buildable; another warned that embedding zoning-style standards into a land-division document would transform a technical clean-up project into a set of land-use restrictions that some townships may reject. "If you're going to build all these zoning features into this, that's going to create some townships to say we don't want to be interested now," a member said, urging caution.
Members did not finalize numeric lot-size standards at this meeting. Instead, they directed staff to research common practice in neighboring counties (Monroe and others) and return with options, including the possibility of a simple "box" or building-site standard (for example, a 200-by-200-foot buildable box used in some jurisdictions) versus a 4:1 ratio approach.
