Permitted uses in Macomb Township, MI

Permitted by right in AG (Sec. 10.0402): general or specialized farming, truck gardening, greenhouses, and fowl and rabbit raising (no killing except of animals raised on the farm, and at least 5 acres for these uses); detached one-family dwellings, one principal building per lot (Sec. 10.0402.B); home occupations; and accessory structures, with agricultural accessory structures at least 25 feet from side lines.

Private stables need 5 acres for the first 2 horses plus 1 acre per additional horse, with stable buildings 50 feet from property lines and pens 100 feet from any residence (Sec. 10.0402.E). On livestock farms, pens and barns for cattle, swine, sheep, or goats stay 50 feet from side lines and 150 feet from any right-of-way (Sec. 10.0402.A.1). Farms may compost their own and off-site organic matter within limits; composting on a residential lot is limited to a contained area of 36 square feet, 4 feet high, in the rear yard at least 5 feet from property lines (Sec. 10.0402.F.2).

R-1-S carries the full AG use list by reference (Sec. 10.0502): single-family dwellings, home occupations, accessory structures, and, unusually for a 30,000 square foot lot district, the agricultural uses of Sec. 10.0402 subject to the same standards, including farming, greenhouses, fowl and rabbit raising (5 acre minimum), and private stables (5 acres for 2 horses). The acreage conditions attached to each AG use still apply, so most farm uses need far more land than a minimum R-1-S lot provides.

R-1-E permits the AG use list minus the farm uses: general or specialized farming, truck farming, greenhouses, fowl or rabbit raising, private stables, and composting are expressly prohibited (Sec. 10.0602.A). That leaves detached one-family dwellings (one principal dwelling per lot), home occupations, and accessory structures.

No livestock may be kept in R-1-E, R-1, R-2-L, R-2, R-2-H, or R-3; occupants may keep domestic pets for personal use so long as they are not used commercially or for breeding and do not become a nuisance, and kennels are prohibited (Sec. 10.0602.B).

R-1 carries the R-1-E use list (Sec. 10.0702): detached one-family dwellings with one principal dwelling per lot, home occupations under Sec. 10.0320, and accessory structures under Sec. 10.0331. Farming, greenhouses, fowl and rabbit raising, private stables, and composting are prohibited through the R-1-E reference (Sec. 10.0602.A), and no livestock may be kept (Sec. 10.0702.B). Two-family and multiple-family dwellings are not listed in any one-family district; they appear in the R-2 districts and the Town Center district instead.

Permitted by right in R-2-L (Sec. 10.0802): medium density multiple housing subject to the article's site standards, and accessory structures. This is the district family where apartment and attached-unit projects live; the ordinance does not carve out a separate duplex category, so any two-family building would be reviewed as multiple housing here or as an attached two-family dwelling in the Town Center district.

R-2 permits the uses of the R-2-L district. The section as printed cites Section 10.0702 for that list, but 10.0702 is the R-1 use section; the R-2-L use list actually sits at Sec. 10.0802 (medium density multiple housing and accessory structures). This is a stale cross-reference in the ordinance itself; the intended reading, R-2-L uses, is the one the district pattern supports, and the township should be asked to confirm any edge case that turns on it.

Permitted by right in R-2-H (Sec. 10.1002): high-rise multiple housing subject to the article's standards, and accessory structures.

R-3 exists for licensed mobile home park developments reviewed under the article's development, design, and general requirements plus site plan review (Sec. 10.1102). Among the general requirements: a perimeter fence between 5 and 7 feet high around the park (Sec. 10.1104.I), lot-line fences of uniform height capped at 30 inches, skirting on every home (Sec. 10.1105), and state licensing steps (Sec. 10.1106). No livestock may be kept (Sec. 10.0602.B, applied by the residential district animal rule).

Permitted by right in CF (Sec. 10.1202): nursery schools and day care centers (not in the interior of a residential block, screened by a 6 foot masonry wall, with a fenced 5,000 square foot outdoor play area and safe drop-off), and funeral homes and mortuaries without crematories (procession assembly area in addition to required parking, buildings 50 feet from single-family district lines, service areas screened by a 6 foot wall).

O-1 permits professional and business offices with predominantly clerical staff, no retail sales of tangible goods on the premises, and no heavy or noisy machinery (Sec. 10.1302). The named list runs 31 items, including accountants, architects, banks and trust companies, brokerage houses, building contractor offices without equipment or material storage, business colleges, chiropractors, collection agencies, credit unions, dentists, detective agencies, doctors, engineers, finance companies, insurance offices, lawyers, office service firms, osteopaths, real estate sales offices, utility company offices, and medical or dental clinics.

O-2 permits all O-1 office uses plus hotels and motels (Sec. 10.1402). The printed reference for the O-1 list reads Section 10.1202, but the O-1 use list sits at Sec. 10.1302; 10.1202 is the CF district. This is a stale cross-reference in the ordinance text; the parenthetical (O-1) in the section shows the intended target.

Permitted by right in C-1 (Sec. 10.1502): all O-1 office uses, plus neighborhood business conducted within enclosed buildings only, including bakery shops (no on-site baking), barber and beauty shops, book and camera stores, dry cleaning drop shops (no processing), drugstores, florists, hobby and toy stores, jewelry stores, self-service laundries, newsstands, gift stores, shoe repair, sporting goods, stationery stores, custom tailors, funeral homes under the Sec. 10.1202.B conditions, and tanning salons.

Permitted by right in C-2 (Sec. 10.1602): every C-1 use, plus general business within enclosed buildings, including antique and gift shops, auction and secondhand stores, broadcasting studios, cafes and restaurants not serving alcohol, standard, carry-out, or fast-food restaurants with no drive-through service, clothing and department stores, convenience stores, furniture and appliance stores, package liquor sales, supermarkets, pawn shops, pet shops, photographers, service stations with convenience stores under listed conditions, retail businesses with incidental amusement machines, and consumer fireworks retail with zoning compliance and occupancy steps.

Drive-through service of any kind moves a restaurant into the special land use track (Sec. 10.1603.B.33).

Permitted by right in C-3 (Sec. 10.1702): every C-1 use, plus a named subset of C-2 uses fitted to shopping centers, including department and variety stores, clothing and dress shops, furniture and appliance stores, supermarkets and food stores, package liquor sales, jewelry, millinery, paint and wallpaper, pet shops, photographers, restaurants, bars, and lounges serving alcoholic beverages, indoor theaters, and general sales of business supplies, hardware, and appliances.

C-4 is the widest commercial district (Sec. 10.1802): all C-1, C-2, and C-3 uses are permitted by right, and the C-2 special land use list of Sec. 10.1603 is also permitted by right here. On top of that, C-4 adds by right: boarding kennels for household pets, veterinary clinics, automobile repair garages, service stations, automobile dealerships, drive-in restaurants, automatic drive-through car washes, ice storage, amusement parks and fad-type facilities such as go-cart tracks and miniature golf, amusement machine centers, and health clubs.

Permitted by right in WH, with all activity inside enclosed buildings except on-site delivery vehicles (Sec. 10.1902): wholesaling, warehousing, and storage of manufactured and processed goods; public utility buildings; government buildings; movers' terminals; draying, freight, and truck terminals; distribution plants and parcel delivery; ice and cold storage plants; self-service storage facilities (mini-warehouses); light truck and equipment rental; warehousing and storage of fireworks; and accessory buildings. No manufacturing is permitted in WH (Sec. 10.1901).

Expressly prohibited (Sec. 10.1904): junk yards and wrecked vehicle storage, used auto parts and used building materials, storage of loose materials such as soil, stone, sand, gravel, coal, and cinders, storage of combustible or odiferous material, and raising or killing of poultry and animals.

Permitted by right in MR (Sec. 10.2002): educational, research, and design facilities for new products and technical training; industrial, scientific, or commercial research, development, and testing laboratories; executive and administrative offices for concerns whose plants are not permitted in MR; radio and television broadcasting stations excluding towers; and customary accessory uses. All uses run wholly within enclosed buildings except on-site delivery vehicles (Sec. 10.2007.K.5).

Principal permitted uses in M-1, each subject to Planning Commission site plan approval (Sec. 10.2102): all WH warehouse uses, all MR research uses including the MR special land use list, all O-1 office uses, and light manufacturing including food processing of bakery goods, candy, dairy, drugs, and cosmetics (not fish, meat, fowl, vegetables, vinegar, or yeast), fabrication from prepared materials such as glass, leather, paper, plastics, textiles, and wood, musical instruments and toys, ceramics from pulverized clay, electric sign manufacturing, machine shops, laundries and carpet cleaning, and building trades workshops with offices.

Prohibited (Sec. 10.2104): junk yards, used auto parts and used building materials, storage of loose materials, storage of combustible, odiferous, flammable, explosive, or discarded material, and raising or killing of poultry and animals. Manufacturing parking runs 1 space per 500 square feet with at least 5 spaces per tenant (Sec. 10.0323.C.6).

Principal permitted uses in M-2, subject to Planning Commission site plan review (Sec. 10.2202): every M-1 use, plus heavier manufacturing and processing including acetylene gas, ammonia and chlorine, automobile assembly and battery manufacture, boiler works, brick and clay products, chemical and dye manufacture, food processing, smoking, curing, and canning, freight classification yards, metal foundries, oil and gas drilling and production, paint and varnish manufacture, power plants, railroad repair shops, rolling mills, rubber and soap manufacture, rag and junk sorting and baling, tar products, wholesale petroleum storage, and wool pulling, plus industrial parks of at least 20 acres.

SLD is the only district where sand and gravel mining, quarrying, and land stripping may be permitted, on sites of at least 40 acres, subject to preparation of the land for an approved after-use (Sec. 10.2302.A). Concrete and asphalt crushing plants need at least 10 acres, may abut only M-2 land apart from street frontage, and must sit at least 1,500 feet from residentially zoned property behind an 8 foot masonry wall (Sec. 10.2302.B). Concrete and asphalt plants need 10 acres, M-2-only abutment, and 1,320 feet from residentially zoned property (Sec. 10.2302.C). Accessory uses include maintenance shops and sleeping quarters for security personnel (Sec. 10.2302.D).

The Traditional Neighborhood Development District implements the Macomb Town Center (MTC) Master Plan with a form-based code (Sec. 10.2501, rewritten by Ord. No. 10-75 in 2024). Every property falls in a development zone mapped on the Town Center Regulating Plan: Neighborhood Edge (NE), Neighborhood General (NG), Neighborhood Center (NC), Core Downtown (CD), or Rural Preserve (RP) (Sec. 10.2503). Uses are set by the Schedule of Land Use in Sec. 10.2505 per zone; the residential zones carry detached single-family and attached two-family dwellings, and the NC and CD zones mix retail, offices, entertainment, civic, and residential uses with shared parking.

The schedule and its footnotes were not transcribed rule-by-rule here; anyone building in the MTC area should work from Sec. 10.2505 and the Regulating Plan directly with the Planning Department.

The Flex Use District, added by Ord. No. 10-72 in November 2022, has no by-right uses: every use is a special land use requiring Planning Commission approval (Sec. 10.2702). The eligible list (Sec. 10.2703) covers all C-1, C-2, and C-3 by-right uses, the C-2 special land use list, all O-1 and O-2 office uses, all R-2-L and R-2 multiple-family uses, all M-1 light industrial uses, plus automobile dealerships, drive-in and drive-through restaurants, automatic drive-through car washes, health clubs, veterinary clinics, nightclubs, hospitals, animal boarding kennels, and open-air business uses including vehicle, boat, and RV sales or storage.