All districts
Canton Township splits authority this way: the Township Board makes the final call on special land uses, rezonings, and most site plans after Planning Commission review; the Planning Commission holds the special land use public hearing and has final site plan authority only in the O-1 district and for administratively eligible industrial plans; the Zoning Board of Appeals decides variances, appeals, and interpretations (Section 27.02; Section 27.03; Section 27.05; Section 28.01).
- Site plan review is required for essentially everything except a detached single-family house in RA, RR, or R-1 through R-5 and a two-family dwelling in R-5, which need only a plot plan (Section 27.02.B.2). Approved site plans expire after 18 months without construction (Section 27.02.C.15).
- Special land uses need a preliminary site plan, a Planning Commission public hearing with 15 days of published and 300 foot mailed notice, a Planning Commission recommendation, and a Township Board decision (Section 27.03; Section 27.13.B).
- Variances come only in the dimensional variety; use variances are prohibited (Section 27.05.D.1). The ZBA must find practical difficulty from a physical condition peculiar to the property, not self-created, in the smallest reasonable amount, without harm to neighbors or the ordinance's intent (Section 27.05.D.3). A concurring vote of three members is required (Section 27.05.G.7).
- A variance runs with the land and lasts one year unless a complete site plan or building permit application lands within that window; one 1 year extension is possible (Section 27.05.D.8, 9).
- Appeals of staff or Planning Commission decisions must be filed within 21 days (Section 27.05.E.3). Rezonings and conditional rezonings follow Sections 27.06 and 27.07.