The intent of the GI, general industrial district is to provide locations for "heavy" industries, such as those which involve the use of heavy machinery, extensive amounts of contiguous land area, service by railroad lines or major thoroughfares, processing of chemicals or raw materials, manufacturing involving the assembly of quantities of parts from several locations, generation of large amounts of industrial wastes, or similar characteristics.

It is expected that permitted activities or operations will produce minimal external impacts. Such uses should be located only where the impact generated will not be detrimental in any way to other uses in the district or to properties in adjoining districts. It is intended that industrial uses permitted in this district should be located where they can be best served with required public and private facilities, utilities, and services.

Planned development may be permitted as a means to achieve the basic intent of this district, in accordance with the guidelines in section 27.04.

A.

Principal uses and structures. In all areas zoned GI, general industrial district, no building or part of a building shall be erected, used, or structurally altered, nor shall the land or premises be used in whole or in part, except for one or more of the following principal permitted uses:

1.

All principal uses permitted in the LI-2, light industrial-2 district, as set forth in section 22.02, subsection A.

2.

The assembly or manufacture of automobiles, automobile bodies, and automotive parts and accessories; cigars and cigarettes; electrical fixtures, batteries and other electrical apparatus and hardware; cement, lime gypsum, plaster of Paris, and similar materials; and general assembly operations similar to the above.

3.

Processing, refining, or storage of food and foodstuffs.

4.

Machine shops; metal buffing, plating and polishing shops; metal and plastic molding and extrusion shops; millwork and planing mills; painting and sheetmetal shops; undercoating and rustproofing shops; and welding shops.

5.

Truck, tractor, boat, mobile home, recreational vehicle, and trailer sales, rental and repair, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection Q.

6.

Truck terminals.

7.

Heating and electric power generating stations.

8.

Petroleum production, refining, and storage.

9.

Central batch plant for the production of concrete or asphalt paving materials.

10.

Manufacturing of cement products and construction materials.

11.

Uses and structures accessory to the above, subject to the provisions in section 2.03.

12.

Essential services, subject to the provisions in section 2.16, subsection A.

13.

Auto auction.

14.

Miniwarehouses, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection M.

15.

Lumberyards, subject to the following conditions:

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The ground floor premises facing upon and visible from any abutting street shall be used only for entrances, offices, sales or display.

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The entire site, exclusive of access drives, shall be enclosed with a six-foot-high masonry wall, constructed in accordance with section 5.08.

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A landscaped greenbelt with a minimum width of 20 feet shall be required adjacent to any street, in conformance with section 5.03.

B.

Special land uses. The following uses may be permitted by the township board, subject to the conditions specified for each use; review and approval of the site plan and application by the planning commission and township board; the imposition of special conditions which, in the opinion of the planning commission or township board, are necessary to fulfill the purposes of this ordinance; and, the provisions set forth in section 27.03.

1.

Drive-in theaters, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection H.

2.

Junkyards, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection J.

3.

Composting or conversion of sewage or sludge into usable or saleable products, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection G.

4.

Sewage disposal plants and landfills, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection W, and the Township of Canton landfill ordinance, Ordinance No. 61 [chapter 58, article V of the Township Code], as amended.

5.

Coal, coke, and fuel yards, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection F.

6.

Adult outdoor motion picture theaters, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsections A and H.

7.

Private outdoor recreation uses, such as archery ranges, baseball, football or soccer fields, bicycle motorcross (BMX) tracks, court sports facilities, golf driving ranges, swimming pools, and similar outdoor recreation uses, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection R.

8.

Standard restaurants, under either of the following conditions:

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The restaurant shall be located at the intersection of two major thoroughfares or the intersection of a major thoroughfare and a street serving an industrial area, or

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A standard restaurant may be permitted as an accessory use to a private outdoor recreation use, provided that the restaurant and its required parking do not occupy more than 50 percent of the primary use of the site.

9.

Wholesale auto auction facility. See section 6.02[, subsection] Z.

10.

Composting of grass lawn clippings, tree leaves, properly processed wood products and other organic residential yard waste.

11.

Small aircraft landing fields.

12.

Radio, television and cellular telephone towers, subject to the provisions of section 6.02, subsection S.

13.

Commercial kennels, subject to the provisions in section 6.02, subsection K.

14.

Retail electric vehicle charging as a principal use (subject to section 4.03 and subsection 6.02(C) Automobile filling stations, automobile filling/multiuse stations, automobile service stations, automobile repair garages).

(Zoning Ord. Amd. 2011-2, 6-28-2011; Ord. of 4-9-2013, § 1; Ord. of 6-11-2024(2))

A.

Required conditions. Except as otherwise noted for specific uses, buildings and uses in the general industrial district shall comply with the following required conditions:

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All manufacturing, compounding, assembling, processing, packaging, or other industrial or business activity shall comply with the performance standards set forth in article 7.00.

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All manufacturing, compounding, assembling, processing, packaging, or other industrial or business activity shall be conducted within a completely enclosed building, except as otherwise specified.

-

Outside storage may be permitted, subject to the following conditions:

*

Outside storage areas for building, contracting, or plumbing materials, sand, gravel, stone, lumber, equipment, and other supplies, shall be located no closer than 150 feet from any street right-of-way line. Storage areas shall conform to all other setback requirements for buildings in the GI district.

*

Such storage shall be screened on all sides which abut any residential or commercial district by a wall or fence constructed in accordance with section 5.08.

*

No materials shall be stored above eight feet in height.

*

Proper access to all parts of the storage areas shall be provided for fire and emergency services.

B.

Site plan review. Site plan review and approval is required for all uses in the general industrial district in accordance with section 27.02.

C.

Area, height, bulk, and placement requirements. Buildings and uses in the general industrial district are subject to the area, height, bulk, and placement requirements in article 26.00, Schedule of Regulations.

D.

Planned development. Planned development may be permitted in the general industrial district, subject to the standards and approval requirements set forth in section 27.04.

E.

General development standards. Buildings and uses in the general industrial district shall be subject to all applicable standards and requirements set forth in this ordinance, as specified below and more generally in section 8.06.