Fennville City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 7
R-1 Residential District
§ 450-701 Statement of purpose.
A.
Purpose and intent. This article establishes the R-1 Single-Family Residential District to encourage the development of single-family residential homes and protect the existing single-family homes in the City. This district includes single-family properties as well as areas within which single-family neighborhoods are appropriate. To avoid intrusion of undesirable uses and to foster all possible benefits for a continued high quality residential environment, all land and structure uses in this district, as well as other residential districts in this chapter, have been classified into three categories: those uses permitted by right, those uses that are incidental and accessory to the primary use, and those uses permitted by special permit.
§ 450-702 Principal permitted uses.
A.
In the R-1 Residential District, no uses shall be permitted unless otherwise specifically provided for in this chapter, except for the following uses:
(1)
Single-family detached dwelling units.
(2)
Two-family dwelling units (duplex).
(3)
Three-family dwelling units (triplex).
(4)
Publicly owned and operated parks, playfields, and other recreation facilities.
(5)
State licensed child care family homes, one to six children.
(6)
State licensed residential facility, adult care family homes, one to six people.
(7)
Other land uses as deemed similar to those above by the City Zoning Administrator, or their designee.
§ 450-703 Accessory uses.
A.
In the R-1 Residential District, no accessory uses shall be permitted unless otherwise specifically provided for in this chapter, except for the following uses:
(1)
Accessory dwelling units. (§ 450-1401)
(2)
Home occupations, Class I. (§ 450-511)
(3)
Personal-scale solar energy facilities. (§ 450-1426)
(4)
Personal-scale wind energy facilities. (§ 450-1427)
(5)
Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to the above principal permitted uses.
§ 450-704 Special land uses.
A.
In the R-1 Residential District, no special land uses shall be permitted unless otherwise specifically provided for in this chapter, except for the following uses:
(1)
Bed-and-breakfasts. (§ 450-1409)
(2)
Government buildings.
(3)
Home occupations, Class II. (§ 450-511)
(4)
Public utility buildings, telephone exchange buildings, electric transformer stations and substations, and gas regulator stations, but not including storage yards, when operating requirements necessitate locating within the district to serve the immediate vicinity, and such use is not injurious to the surrounding neighborhood. (§ 450-1402)
(5)
Religious institutions.
(6)
Residential planned unit developments and site condominiums. (Articles 21 and Article 22)
(7)
Short-term rentals. (§ 450-1425)
(8)
State licensed child care group home, seven to 12 children.
(9)
State licensed residential facility, adult care small group home, seven to 12 people.
(10)
Schools.
(11)
Wireless communications facilities. (§ 450-1429)
(12)
Other land uses as deemed similar to those above by the City Zoning Administrator, or their designee.
§ 450-705 Site plan approval.
A.
Site plan approval required. For uses subject to a special use permit, a site plan shall be submitted in accordance with Article 19.
§ 450-706 Area, height, bulk and placement requirements.
[Amended 4-15-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-03; 6-16-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-06]
A.
No building or structure, nor enlargement of any building or structure, shall hereafter be constructed or placed unless the following requirements are met and maintained for any building, structure, or enlargement.
The table below includes the Schedule of Regulations for all developments in the R-1 District. Unless otherwise specified, the requirements below shall be considered as the minimum necessary to achieve compliance. |
Schedule of Regulations | |
Front yard | 15 feet |
Side yards* | 5 feet (each) |
Rear yard | 10 feet |
Maximum lot coverage | 70% |
Building height | 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet, whichever is less |
Minimum lot area | 1,500 square feet for single-family dwellings 10,000 square feet for two-family dwellings 15,000 square feet for three-family dwellings |
Minimum lot width | 30 feet |
* | For yards on corner lots see definition, § 450-302, yard. |
(1)
The front yard shall not be used for off-street parking, loading, or unloading, other than in a driveway as specified in Subsections A(3) and (4) below, and shall remain as open space that is unoccupied and unobstructed except for landscaping, plant materials, or vehicle access drives.
(2)
Off-street parking for one-, two- and three-family dwellings and driveway accessing such parking shall be paved with concrete or bituminous material in a manner which is adequate to prevent washout from obstructing storm sewers and catch basins, in a manner which is adequate to provide safe access to the dwellings in question.
(3)
The off-street parking areas for one-, two- and three-family dwellings and for any driveways accessing them shall be a minimum of eight feet in width for their entire length and shall at a minimum extend between the public or private right-of-way and the required front setback line on each lot.
(4)
Residential driveways or off-street parking areas used for residential purposes may comprise up to 50% of the front yard area. Any residential off-street parking areas located in the front yard shall consist of porous/permeable pavement.
(5)
Residential front, side, and rear yards may consist of native plant materials. In no case shall any plant obstruct line-of-sight distances for vehicular, bicycle, or pedestrian travel.