Background
In the spring of 2023, an update to the 2020 Housing Needs Assessment was presented by the City’s Housing Practice Leader, Ryan Kilpatrick of Housing Next. The update determined that by 2027, approximately 34,700 dwelling units are needed countywide, with 14,106 of the units in the City of Grand Rapids, to accommodate household growth and older home replacement. In response to the Assessment, the City Commission expressed a desire to evaluate the City’s housing policies and requested that the Planning Commission provide them with recommendations.
To ensure general alignment on potential zoning changes, a joint Planning Commission/City Commission meeting was held on July 13, 2023. During the meeting, the Planning Director facilitated a discussion around five categories identified by staff as starting points for consideration. These categories were chosen because of past planning work (i.e. Great Housing Strategies and Housing NOW!), current planning work (update to the 2002 Community Master Plan) and State and National zoning reform work. These five categories included Accessory Dwelling Units, Unrelated Occupants, Group Living Uses, Small Scale Residential Infill/Missing Middle Housing Types and Parking Requirements. Both Commissions generally agreed that zoning amendments pertaining to the five categories held the potential to increase housing supply, diversify housing types, and increase housing affordability.
City Housing Policy Text Amendments Information
Text Amendments
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)(PDF, 741KB)
Unrelated Occupants(PDF, 834KB)
Group Living - Single Room Occupancy (SRO)(PDF, 681KB)
Group Living - Transitional or Emergency Shelters(PDF, 625KB)
Small-Scale/Infill Housing(PDF, 803KB)
Parking Reductions(PDF, 663KB)
Other Text Amendments(PDF, 688KB)
Summary of Text Amendments
Accessory Dwelling Units (see additional info here)
- Streamline review process and allow as a permitted use
- Remove owner occupancy requirement
- Modify height and setback requirements
- Permit in association with single- and two-family dwellings
- Eliminate parking requirement
Unrelated Occupants (see additional info here)
- Modify definition of Family, increasing unrelated occupants from four (4) to six (6)
Group Living
- Modify Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) requirements:
- Modify SRO definition
- Allow small-scale SROs in residential zone districts
- Provide a tiered review process for small, medium and large-scale SROs
- Require a Good Neighbor Plan when permitted as a Special Land Use
- Increase tenancy requirement from 32 to 90 days
- Modify Transitional/Emergency Shelter requirements:
- Allow small-scale shelters in residential zone districts
- Add additional use regulations
- Require a Good Neighbor Plan when permitted as a Special Land Use
Small Scale Residential Infill (see additional info here)
- Within the TN-LDR Zone District(PDF, 17MB):
- Reduce lot area and width requirements for two-family and multiple-family residential developments of six (6) or fewer units
- Permit multiple-family residential developments of six (6) or fewer units when located on Link Residential or Network residential streets (as defined by the Vital Streets plan(PDF, 14MB))
- Eliminate established (i.e. median) lot area and width requirements
- Allow conversion of existing single- and two-family housing stock to higher densities
Parking (see additional info here)
- Within the TN-LDR Zone District, eliminate parking requirements for developments of six (6) or fewer dwelling units on Link Residential or Network residential streets
- Modify the required distance to transit (from 300 feet to ½-mile) to allow for increased utilization of the parking reduction
