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Berkley, MI 48072

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Rebuilding Berkley's Zoning Ordinance

Rebuilding Berkley's Zoning Ordinance header (1) - Copy
Berkley’s Zoning Ordinance:  The Regulations to Realize Our Vision for the Future.
What is a Zoning Ordinance?

The State of Michigan enables municipalities to enact a Zoning Ordinance.  A Zoning Ordinance typically regulates land use, building size and placement, parking, landscaping, and parcel size. These regulations, using “zones” to allow different uses and buildings in different places, define how each individual property within the City may be developed or redeveloped.

Why do we need to rewrite the City’s Zoning Ordinance?

The City of Berkley last comprehensively updated its Zoning Ordinance in 1993. In the past three decades, buildings and land uses have changed as well as how we work, shop, move, and play.  The Zoning Ordinance needs to be rewritten to implement the recently updated Master Plan, comply with state and federal law, and deliver the quality and type of development envisioned by the Berkley community. 

What is the Zoning Ordinance rewrite process?

City officials and staff, along with the consultant team, are committed to crafting regulations that protect the community, implement the City’s vision and values, and create sustainability in Berkley.

City staff and consultants facilitated a two-year process with four phases:

  1. Current ordinance assessment
  2. Development of draft regulations for new ordinance
  3. Review of full draft of new ordinance
  4. Zoning Ordinance adoption

Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Steering Committee

The City’s Zoning Ordinance rewrite will be guided by an Ad Hoc Zoning Ordinance Steering Committee which works alongside City staff, Planning Commission, and Carlisle Wortman Associates in order to best represent the ideals of the community.

The Zoning Ordinance Steering Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month at 6 PM in the Public Safety building.

Committee Members:

Dennis Hennen, City Council 
Ross Gavin, City Council 
Lisa Kempner, Planning Commission
Lisa Hamameh, Planning Commission
Sue McAlpine, Zoning Board of Appeals
Marty Smith, Community Representative
Kristen Kapelanski, Community Development Director
Matthew Baumgarten, City Manager
Kim Anderson, Zoning Administrator 

About Carlisle Wortman Associates

We take pride in building relationships with our client communities based on trust and integrity that lasts decades. Over the past 30 years, Carlisle Wortman Associates (CWA) has prepared and updated over 100 master plans for communities, including the City of Berkley, and nearly the same number of zoning ordinances. CWA works with communities to create zoning regulations that implement their vision. Learn more at www.cwaplan.com .

Zoning Ordinance Steering Committee Packet Materials and Topics

Public Engagement Opportunities

Your input is crucial as we rebuild Berkley’s zoning ordinance to reflect how we work, shop, move, and play in the 21st century.  Join the conversation and share your vision at public open house workshops covering key topics in January 2024:

  • Zoning Districts: Change or Stay the Same, January 8
  • Duplexes & Multiple Family: Where, What, and How, January 17
  • Parking: The Berkley Shuffle, January 24
  • Development Review: How a Plan Becomes a Building, January 31
Each workshop takes place between 6-8 PM in the Berkley High School Collaborative Center and begins with a presentation at 6:15 PM. It is not required to attend the full two hours, and you may choose to drop in after 6 or leave before 8. Please join one or all to share your vision for a better Berkley!  General questions and comments can be sent to planning@berkleymich.net.

Materials from each open house will be posted below after the session:


January 8 Materials January 17 Materials January 24 Materials
Session 1 Presentation Session 2 Presentation Session 3 Presentation
Session 1 Handouts Session 2 Handouts Session 3 Handouts
Session 1 Activity Boards Session 2 Activity Boards Session 3 Activity Boards


Understanding the Zoning Ordinances Rewrite Process

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