Pittsfield Charter Township Natural Resources Commission
August 28, 2003
Report on
Integrating Water and Natural Resources Protection into the Planning Process: The Zoning Ordinance, Community Regulations, & Development Standards
July 30, 2003
Lyon Oaks County Park, Lyon Township, MI
This meeting, sponsored by Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), featured presentations by a senior planner for SEMCOG, the president of Carlisle/Wortman Associates, and an engineer from Hubbell, Roth, and Clark, as well as a panel discussion between an attorney, a township planning director, an environmental consultant, and a township planning and zoning director.
Amy Magnus, SEMCOG, discussed the vital role community ordinances and standards can play in the local planning process.
Richard Carlisle presented a comprehensive overview of resource overlays, open space development, natural features setbacks, and native landscaping standards. He emphasized practical aspects of applying these strategies to community planning and offered several examples of their implementation.
As an engineer, Jesse Vandercreek focused on the stormwater system design considerations required to meet current and pending stormwater management regulations and standards. He stressed the wisdom and importance of involving engineers from the beginning of the planning process. Acknowledging the occasional conflict between engineers and environmentalists, he made a compelling case for the inclusion of engineers on planning teams.
The panel members (Gerald Fisher, Tom Bird, Don Tilton, and Glenn Wynn) brought a plethora of experiences and practical advice to the table. Each panelist contributed to a different aspect of effectively accomplishing environmental goals through the use of ordinances, regulations, and standards. Of particular interest to the PNRC as we construct our natural features ordinance were the comments of Tom Bird, Planning Director for Bloomfield Township. He helped put together Bloomfield Township's woodlands protection ordinance. Tom cautioned against creating an ordinance that would unintentionally encourage, or even allow, the removal of only small trees from throughout a woodlot, as this destroys the necessary habitat for larger trees. He urged that enforcement strategies "seek restoration, not vengeance."
Each attendee received materials that supply more detailed information useful for putting the meeting concepts into practice. Two Natural Resources Commissioners and one volunteer attended this meeting and are grateful to the township for covering the cost of registration.
Respectfully submitted,
Anita Zot
