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Zoning Board of Appeals Overview
The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is comprised of seven (7)
members and an alternate who are appointed by the City Council to
serve up to three (3) year terms. One of the regular members of the
zoning board of appeals shall be a member of the planning
commission. The ZBA elects its own Chairman, Vice-Chairman and
Secretary to serve one (1) year terms. ZBA hearings are generally
held on the second Tuesday of the month in the Council Hearing
Chambers and are open to the public. Hearings conducted by the Board
are required to have a quorum of four (4) members for a variance or
exception to be granted. A packet of information is available in the
Community Development Department, which is very helpful in assisting
an applicant with the ZBA process. The packet includes: the ZBA
application, the schedule of meetings including application
deadlines, the fee structure, the Public Hearing Format and Rules of
Conduct, the Rules of Procedure, the ZBA Checklists, “Ten Timely
Tips for a Successful Variance” and Standard for Granting a
Variance.
Any person, firm/ corporation, officer, department, board or
bureau affected by a decision of the Building Official may take an
appeal to the ZBA. The deadline for filing an appeal to the ZBA is
four (4) to five (5) weeks prior to the scheduled hearing date.
Please refer to the packet of information for specific deadline
dates. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit a ZBA application
in a timely manner prior to the deadline, as the agenda is limited
to twelve (12) cases on a first come first served basis. Applicants
are required to submit twelve (12) copies of all information
pertinent to the appeal including the ZBA application and folded
site/plot plans depicting the location and setbacks for the variance
requested. For residential variance requests it is recommended
Applicants submit a letter of approval from the subdivision
Homeowners Association. Applicants requesting a variance located on
property owned by someone else are required to submit a letter of
approval from the property owner for the intended use. All
applicants are required to provide a property sidwell number, which
may be obtained from the Assessing Department 248-347-0485.
It is important to declare any citations or Notice of Violations
issued for the property address as this information is provided to
the Board for consideration of an appeal. If an applicant is
applying for a sign variance please pay special attention to the
section of the ZBA Application pertaining to mock-up signs. Mock up
signs are required to be installed ten (10) days prior to the ZBA
hearing to show the Board a representation of what the applicant is
proposing to erect on a building or on a parcel of land in the case
of a ground sign.
The Michigan Zoning and Enabling Act requires fifteen (15) day
prior public hearing notification to all persons whom real property
is assessed within three hundred (300) feet of the address for the
ZBA case as well as publication in the local weekly newspaper.
Therefore it is highly recommended Applicants speak with immediate
neighbors about the ZBA variance request prior to public hearing
notifications being mailed.
Contact the Community Development Department 248-347-0415 for
further information.
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