Housing Preemption Bills: The Michigan Townships Association (MTA) and Zeeland Charter Township is asking for your immediate help in opposing zoning preemption legislation recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives and currently before the Government Operations Committee. If enacted, this legislation would strip locally elected officials of their decision-making authority, dismiss years of community planning work, and amount to a clear override from Lansing on local voices and voter-backed decisions.
The legislation, House Bills 5529-5531 and 5581-5585, would significantly restrict local authority by preempting local decision-making on key zoning issues, including duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), minimum setbacks, lot sizes, and dwelling unit sizes. (A summary of each bill can be found here)
Citizens and locally elected leaders engage in vigorous debate on matters that impact them every day in a transparent and participatory process. State preemption lacks that same accountability. Supporters of preemption often point to declining permits, rising home prices, and regulatory costs as justification for statewide mandates. While these pressures are real, they are driven by broader economic forces including the housing crash, rising labor and material costs, high interest rates, and complex market dynamics that go far beyond local zoning. Sweeping mandates oversimplify the problem and ignore the unique needs and circumstances of Michigan’s diverse communities. Additionally these mandates could present other ancillary detriments to Zeeland Charter Township residents. (Fact Sheet)
MTA remains committed to working with lawmakers to find solutions to provide affordable housing and preserve local authority as communities must balance housing, infrastructure, economic growth, community identity and natural resources. To share your opposition to this attack on local land use authority and join our efforts to protect local decision-making. Anyone can add their signature to a Letter of Opposition. You may also reach out directly to your State Representative and State Senator.
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Documents on Demand: As a way to further promote government transparency, Zeeland Charter Township has established an online portal for all important documents, including agendas, Minutes, Meeting Packets, Public Notices, Legislation, Forms, and more. The link for this can be found at the top of our webpage. Moving forward, all documents will be posted to this portal, and we will also transition all past documents to this portal. One of the major positive attributes of this program is that residents can register and receive email notifications when documents are posted to the portal. If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact Township Manager Josh Eggleston at [email protected] or at 616-772-6701 ext. 115.
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Zeeland Charter Township has contracted with Professional Code Inspections of Michigan Inc. (PCI) for Zoning Administration, Building Code Administration & Enforcement. PCI's Jenison office is located at 1913 Baldwin St., Jenison. Operating hours are 8:00 am- 4:30 pm. They can be found online at pcimi.com. Office hours will also be held at the Zeeland Charter Township office 10:00 am -12:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays to answer any building code or zoning questions. Inspectors and Zoning Administrators are also available for phone calls during regular business hours and meetings by appointment outside of scheduled office hours.To schedule inspections or apply for building permits, call (616)667-8803. Building permit applications can be found here. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are still being handled by the Township office.