The Board shall consist of five administrative officers appointed in accordance with Section 4.7 (administrative service) of the City Charter for indefinite terms serving at the pleasure of the Council, which shall perform its duties and exercise its powers as provided in Section 5 of Act No. 207 of the Public Acts of Michigan of 1921 (MCL 125.581 et seq., MSA 5.2931 et seq.), as amended, and in such a way that the objectives of this chapter shall be observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done.

The Zoning Board of Appeals shall annually elect its own chairman, vice-chairman and secretary. All meetings must have three members present to enact business.

All members of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall serve as such without compensation. The five-person board membership shall not include a City Councilperson or the mayor. The entire membership shall be comprised of residents of the City of Corunna.

Proposed minutes of the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings are to be submitted to the City Manager within 10 business days following the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. Approved minutes are to be submitted to the City Manager within five days of approval.

Any board member absent two consecutive meetings or 25% of regular meetings in a calendar year, without prior written approval by the City Manager, will be considered for removal from the board. All absences shall be recorded in the meeting minutes.

Upon recommendation of the City Manager, the City Council may appoint one ex officio member to the board. The ex officio members so appointed by the City Council shall not have a vote at the meetings, but shall sit only in an advisory capacity.

All administrative officers shall be responsible to the City Manager in and for the performance of the duties of their office.

Calling of meetings. All meetings of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be held at the call of the chairman and at such times as such Board may determine.

Hearings to be public; records. All hearings conducted shall be open to the public. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall keep minutes of its proceedings showing the vote of each member in question, or, if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact, and shall also keep records of its hearings and other official actions in the office of the City Clerk, which shall be a public record.

Voting. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall not conduct business unless a majority of the members are present. The concurring vote of a majority of the full membership of the Board shall be necessary to reverse an order, requirement, decision or determination of an administrative official or body, or to decide in favor of the applicant a matter upon which the Board is required to pass under an ordinance, or to effect a variation in an ordinance.

Powers of Board. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall have the power to subpoena and require the attendance of witnesses, administer oaths, and compel testimony and the production of books, papers, files and other evidence pertinent to the matters before it.

Filing of appeal. An appeal may be taken to the Zoning Board of Appeals by any person, or by any officer, department, board or bureau affected by a decision of the building inspector. Such appeal shall be taken within such time as shall be prescribed by the Zoning Board of Appeals by general rule, by filing with the building inspector a notice of appeal, specifying the grounds thereof. The building inspector shall forthwith transmit to the Zoning Board of Appeals all of the papers constituting the record upon which the action appealed from was taken. An appeal shall stay all proceedings in furtherance of the action appealed from unless the building inspector certifies to the Zoning Board of Appeals, after notice of appeal has been filed with him, that, by reason of facts stated in the certificate, a stay would, in his opinion, cause imminent peril to life or property, in which case the proceedings shall not be stayed otherwise than by a restraining order, which may be granted by a court of record.

Notice. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall select a reasonable time and place for the hearing of the appeal and give due notice of the appeal to the parties, and to the persons to whom real property within 300 feet of the premises in question is assessed, and to the occupants of single- and two- family dwellings within 300 feet, the notice to be delivered personally, or by mail, addressed to the respective owners and tenants at the address given in the last assessment roll. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall decide the appeal within a reasonable time. If the tenant's name is unknown, the term "occupant" may be used. Public notice of the time, date and place of the hearing shall also be given in the manner required by Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of Michigan of 1976 (MCL 15.261 et seq., MSA 4.1800(11) et seq.), and by insertion in a newspaper of general circulation in the City 15 days prior to the hearing date. Such notice shall contain the address, if available, and the location of the property for which the ruling of the Zoning Board of Appeals is sought, as well as a brief description of the nature of the appeal. Any person may appear and testify at the hearing, either in person or by duly authorized agent or attorney.

Review by Planning Commission. No appeal shall be taken to the Zoning Board of Appeals from a decision of the Planning Commission in connection with an approved site plan unless such appeal has first been reviewed by the Planning Commission and a recommendation on the variance is provided by the Planning Commission.

Generally. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall have the powers and duties specified in this section.

Administrative review. To hear and decide appeals where it is alleged by the appellant that there is an error in any order, requirement, permit, decision or refusal made by the building inspector or any other administrative official in carrying out or enforcing any provisions of this chapter.

Interpretation. To hear and decide in accordance with the provisions of this chapter:

Variances. The Zoning Board of Appeals shall have the power to authorize, upon appeal, specific variances from such dimensional requirements as lot area and width regulations, building height and square foot regulations, yard width and depth regulations, such requirements as off-street parking and loading space, and sign regulations, and other similar requirements as specified in this chapter. In reviewing a request for variance, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall ensure that the spirit and intent of this chapter is observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done. To obtain a variance, the applicant must show practical difficulty, by demonstrating that:

The Zoning Board of Appeals may impose conditions upon an affirmative decision. The conditions may include conditions necessary to ensure that public services and facilities affected by a proposed land use or activity will be capable of accommodating increased service and facility loads caused by the land use or activity, to protect the natural environment and conserve natural resources and energy, to ensure compatibility with adjacent uses of land, and to promote the use of land in a socially and economically desirable manner. Conditions imposed shall do all of the following:

The conditions imposed shall be recorded in the record of the approval action and shall remain unchanged except upon the mutual consent of the approving authority and the landowner. The approving authority shall maintain a record of changes granted in conditions.

The decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals shall be final. However, a person having an interest affected by this chapter may appeal to the circuit court.

The Zoning Board of Appeals is without general authority to reconsider a matter it has decided and from reversing its previous decision unless the facts and circumstances which actuated the decision have so changed as to vitiate or materially affect the reason which produced and supported it, and no vested rights have intervened.