Special land uses in Sterling Heights, MI

The Planning Commission may approve, after a public hearing and against the general standards of Section 25.02: places of worship, colleges (15 acre minimum), golf courses (50 acre minimum), cemeteries (10 acre minimum), schools, non-city public facilities, recreational facilities at public parks, riding stables (20 acre minimum), regional public utilities, private clubs and cultural centers, the one family cluster option (Section 22.01), planned open space subdivisions (Section 22.02), foster care and day care facilities, and, in R-60 and R-70 only, assisted living housing (Section 3.02). Each use carries its own conditions such as thoroughfare frontage and 50 to 100 foot building setbacks. Approval requires five concurring Planning Commission votes (Section 25.03.B.4).

The Section 3.02 special approval land use list applies: places of worship, schools, colleges, golf courses, cemeteries, riding stables, private clubs, public utilities, day care and foster care facilities, cluster and planned open space options. Assisted living housing under Section 3.02.O is limited to the R-60 and R-70 districts and is not available in R-90.

The Section 3.02 special approval land use list applies: places of worship, schools, colleges, golf courses, cemeteries, riding stables, private clubs, public utilities, day care and foster care facilities, and the cluster and planned open space options of Article 22.

The Section 3.02 special approval land use list applies, and R-70 is one of only two districts (with R-60) where full and limited assistance housing may be approved, on a net developable area of at least 5 acres with 2,500 square feet of lot area per bed and 50 foot perimeter yards (Section 3.02.O).

The Section 3.02 special approval land use list applies, and R-60 is one of only two districts (with R-70) where full and limited assistance housing may be approved, on a net developable area of at least 5 acres with 2,500 square feet of lot area per bed and 50 foot perimeter yards (Section 3.02.O).

All special approval land uses of Section 3.02 may be permitted in R-2 by the Planning Commission, subject to each use's specific requirements and the general standards of Section 25.02 (Section 4.02).

All special approval land uses of Section 3.02 may be permitted by the Planning Commission, subject to each use's specific requirements; wireless communication facilities are further subject to Section 28.18 (Section 5.04).

Special approval land uses include places of worship, essential services, public utilities, rehabilitation centers (500 feet from any single family zone, on a 120 foot thoroughfare), full assisted elderly housing (2,000 square feet of lot area per bed), and boarding houses (Section 6.02). Three-story buildings up to 34 feet under Section 6.02.A are available only in RM-2, not RM-1.

Special approval land uses include three-story multiple family buildings up to 34 feet (RM-2 only), places of worship, essential services, public utilities, rehabilitation centers, full assisted elderly housing, and boarding houses (Section 6.02).

Special approval land uses include places of worship, essential services, public utilities, and interior convenience businesses (shops, personal services, restaurants) inside a high or mid rise building of at least 100 units, fully enclosed with no exterior signs, limited to 50 percent of the first story and 25 percent of the second (Section 7.02).

Special approval land uses: pharmacies and medical support retail inside the same building as the medical use, child and adult day care centers (300 square feet of land per attendee, 15,000 square foot minimum parcel, 5,000 square foot fenced play area), drive-through facilities for permitted uses (20 feet from residential lot lines, stacking per Section 23.01), full assisted housing (1,000 square feet of lot area per bed), and public utilities (Section 8.02).

Special approval land uses in O-2 include mortuaries and funeral homes and other uses listed in Section 9.02, each subject to its own conditions and the general standards of Section 25.02. Confirm the current Section 9.02 list with the Office of Planning for a specific proposal.

Special approval land uses are listed in Section 10.02 and reviewed against the Section 25.02 standards. O-3 also carries its own parking provisions in Section 10.06. Confirm the current Section 10.02 list with the Office of Planning for a specific proposal.

Special approval land uses: veterinary offices and clinics for small animals (site abutting a 120 foot thoroughfare), day care centers and nursery schools, gasoline self-service stations only where a station existed as a lawful nonconforming use (150 feet of frontage, 21,000 square foot site), dry cleaning plants up to 1,800 square feet, carry-out restaurants without drive-throughs, sit-down restaurants up to 5,000 square feet (no fast food or drive-through), home furnishings stores up to 5,000 square feet, auto supply stores up to 12,500 square feet on a 120 foot thoroughfare, and public utilities (Section 11.02).

Special approval land uses: veterinary clinics, open air plant and garden sales beyond 300 feet of major intersections, automobile service centers within planned shopping centers, fast-food restaurants (on 120 foot thoroughfares, 500 feet from other fast food, 300 feet from residential unless separated by such a road, 50 decibel speaker cap), amusement device centers, regional shopping centers over 1,000,000 square feet, adult entertainment uses (only in centers over 100,000 square feet, 1,000 feet from each other and from churches, schools, playgrounds, and parks, 500 feet from residential districts), body art facilities, pawnbrokers, banquet facilities, and public utilities (Section 12.02).

Special approval land uses: used car lots and small new car dealers (40,000 square foot site on a 120 foot thoroughfare, 500 feet from single family districts), drive-in businesses, open air retail of plants and outdoor goods, bowling alleys and indoor recreation (100 feet from residential districts), gasoline service stations (160 feet of frontage and 24,000 square feet), self-service stations (150 feet and 21,000 square feet), combined stations with car washes (190 feet and 30,000 square feet, 4 stacking spaces, 100 foot drip distance), amusement device centers, automobile service centers, self storage facilities (7 acre minimum, 150 feet from residential property, no barbed wire), miniature golf and driving ranges, car washes, dance halls, banquet facilities, and public utilities (Section 13.02).

Section 16.05 lists the floodplain special approval land uses; changes to the floodplain boundary itself follow the FEMA map revision process referenced in Sections 16.02 and 16.03. Confirm any floodplain project with the Office of Planning and the City Engineer.

Special approval land uses are listed in Section 17.02 and reviewed against the Section 25.02 standards. Confirm the current list with the Office of Planning for a specific proposal.

Special approval land uses are listed in Section 18.02 and reviewed against the Section 25.02 standards. Confirm the current list with the Office of Planning for a specific proposal.

Special approval land uses: building material yards with outdoor storage behind 8 foot obscuring walls, non-automotive paint shops and lumber mills, new and leased car sales, auto service and reconditioning centers, automobile repair garages, recreational vehicle storage yards, limited accessory retail (up to 10 percent of floor area, capped at 1,500 square feet), automobile impound lots, indoor recreation including ice arenas, truck and equipment rental on 5 acre minimum sites, public utilities, lighted outdoor sports centers on 20 acre or larger parcels, indoor firearm and archery ranges, kennels (150 feet from residential zones), and accessory shipping containers meeting Section 19.02.O (Section 19.02).

Special approval land uses: junk yards (8 foot masonry wall, M-2 neighbors and a railroad line, 20 foot scrap height cap), refuse and garbage incinerators (20 acre minimum, 1,320 feet from any residential district), refuse transfer and recycling stations (2 acre minimum, M-2 neighbors and rail), and the other uses listed in Section 20.02, each with detailed operating conditions (Section 20.02).

PCD approval itself runs through extensive Planning Commission review, public hearings, and City Council approval of a comprehensive development plan (Section 21.01). Uses that would be special approval land uses in the source districts require Article 25 review inside a PCD as well (Section 21.01.B.5).