What is the C-6 Shelby Center district and what can I build there?

C-6 is Shelby Township's planned town center around Van Dyke and 24 Mile Road, built to the Shelby Center Design Plan (adopted April 1999). It mixes homes and storefronts by right: single-family houses on 6,000 square foot lots, duplexes on 11,000 square foot lots, apartments and townhomes, offices, banks, bakeries, groceries, restaurants, and theaters, all without drive-through service (Section 3.18.B; Section 3.18.G, H).

The district enforces downtown form: buildings hold a consistent street edge with street-facing entrances, parking goes behind or beside buildings and is screened by a 3.5 foot brick wall or 3 foot berm, garages sit behind homes, and traditional materials (masonry, wood, stone) are expected (Section 3.18.J.5; Section 3.18.K). Non-residential buildings can reach 5 stories and 65 feet, but drop to 35 feet within 200 feet of a residential district (Section 3.18.J.3). Anything abutting a one-family district keeps a 100 foot setback (Section 3.18.J.1).

Drive-through uses, gas stations, car washes, auto repair, and outdoor storage are considered inconsistent with the district (Section 3.18.E); banks and pharmacies can seek drive-through service as special land uses, along with senior housing, bed and breakfast inns, and big box developments (Section 3.18.D). Development runs through the planned development approval process with a public hearing, and once approved, no ZBA variances are available (Section 6.4)