Commercial zoning regulations in the BC, business center district and the GB, general business district are structured to meet the following objectives:

1.

To implement the objectives of future commercial development as set forth in the Fowlerville Master Plan, including recognition of these three major types of trade:

a.

Community residents,

b.

Surrounding county residents,

c.

Through highway trade.

2.

To maintain and strengthen the community's retail and wholesale economy while offering the people of Fowlerville the best developed commercial facilities possible.

3.

To encourage the development of an overall commercial pattern which will allow the optimum combinations of convenience and choice for the customer, of competition and stability for the businessmen, and of service demands and tax base for the village.

4.

To provide for the types and groupings of commercial establishments in a given commercial area which support and reinforce each other's customer attraction while discouraging the location there of establishments which do not do so.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1401, 6-19-2000)

The BC district is designed to provide for a variety of retail stores and related activities, and for office buildings and service establishments and governmental functions which occupy the prime retail frontage in the district, and which serve the comparison, convenience and service needs of a consumer population well beyond the corporate boundaries of the village. The district regulations are also designed to provide for a centrally located major shopping complex, serviced by conveniently located off-street parking facilities and allowing safe pedestrian movement; but to exclude nonretail uses which typically require large areas of land or generate truck traffic.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1402, 6-19-2000)

The following uses are permitted in the BC district subject to all applicable regulations of this ordinance, and only when all activities, including all storage, are conducted in permanent, fully enclosed buildings:

1.

Generally recognized retail business or service establishments, such as the following:

a.

Convenience group.

(1)

Food stores including supermarkets and all types of specialty food stores such as bakeries, candy stores, and similar uses.

(2)

Drugstores, variety stores.

(3)

Hardware and related stores, such as paint, wallpaper, and similar uses.

b.

Comparison group.

(1)

Department stores.

(2)

Apparel shops, including specialty shops of all sorts, shoe stores, and similar uses.

(3)

Furniture and appliances, including rugs, floor coverings, drapery, sewing machine shops, used furniture, office supplies, and similar uses.

(4)

Gift shops, camera shops, record shops, and similar uses.

c.

Service facilities group.

(1)

Service shops as barber, beauty, laundry, cleaner, and similar uses.

(2)

Minor repair shops such as shoe and watch repair.

(3)

Banks, loan offices, stock exchange offices and other financial institutions.

(4)

Hotels and motels.

(5)

Travel agencies, automobile club, chamber of commerce.

(6)

Eating and drinking establishments without drive-in service.

(7)

Theaters, assembly halls or similar uses when completely enclosed in a main building.

d.

Miscellaneous group.

(1)

Professional and other offices drawing a large number of clients and/or customers such as: (1) doctors, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers, bookkeeping; (2) insurance, realty, union offices; (3) post office, public utility office.

(2)

Newspaper offices and related printing facilities.

(3)

Continuation of present residential uses.

(4)

Single-family residential uses, but only in conjunction with and as a mixed use with other uses permitted by right under this subsection 1, being section 1403.1, and subject to the provisions of section 1404.5.

(5)

Multiple-family residential uses, but only in conjunction with and as a mixed use with other uses permitted by right under this subsection 1, being section 1403.1 and subject to the provisions of section 1404.5.

(6)

Therapeutic massage facilities which are operated by physicians, surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths, or physical therapists who are duly licensed to practice their respective professions in the State of Michigan, or currently certified members of the American Massage Therapy Association, International Myomassethics Federation, or any other recognized massage association with equivalent professional membership standards.

(7)

Funeral homes and mortuaries.

2.

Accessory uses customarily incident to the above permitted uses.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1403, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 349, § 3, 1-15-2001)

Uses permitted in the BC district shall be subject to the following conditions:

1.

Except for news and other public information media, goods produced in this district shall be sold at retail within the premises where produced.

2.

All business, servicing, or processing, except for off-street parking or loading, shall be conducted within completely enclosed buildings.

3.

Subject to the specific provisions of section 1403, establishments of a "drive-in" type offering goods or services directly to customers waiting in parked motor vehicles are not permitted, except as an accessory to the principal use. Examples of principal uses permitted to offer drive-in facilities include banks, drug stores, and dry cleaners. This provision, however, specifically excludes drive-in restaurants under any circumstances.

4.

The operation of any machinery, or the conduct of any process or activity, or the storage or display of goods, shall be such as not to be obnoxious or offensive by reason of the emission of odors, fumes, dust, smoke, noise, or vibration, or glare of lights; nor through any sort of physical obstruction of pedestrian or vehicular traffic; and provided that any use shall not cause a measurable noise emanating from the premises which is greater than that specified in the performance standard provision (section 608), as measured at the boundary property line.

5.

Dwelling(s) used in conjunction with or mixed with other permitted uses shall be permitted in the BC district provided that there is a permanent wall separating the business establishment from the dwelling and a separate entrance and sanitary facilities for the business establishment. No dwelling used in conjunction with or mixed with other permitted uses shall be located in the first floor area fronting Grand River Avenue and/or Grand Avenue right-of-way.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1404, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 349, § 4, 1-15-2001)

The following uses are permitted in the BC district upon the granting of a special use permit, pursuant to and upon satisfaction of the terms and provisions of chapter 23, Special Uses, hereinafter set forth.

1.

Automobile service stations.

2.

Veterinary hospitals, clinics, and kennels.

3.

Institutions.

4.

Adult and child residential care facilities in accordance with section 615, adult and child care facilities.

5.

Adult only places of business.

6.

Single-family residential uses in existing residential dwellings and on upper floors of buildings with non-residential uses on the main level.

7.

Commercial transmitting and receiving towers.

8.

Outdoor merchandise display.

9.

Microbrewery.

10.

Craft or hobby retreats.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1405, 6-19-2000; Ord. No. 411, § 15, 1-18-2010; Ord. No. 447, § 1, 1-26-2015; Ord. No. 498, § 1, 5-19-2025)

The following requirements shall apply in the BC districts. Development not in conformance with these provisions shall not occur.

1.

Height of buildings. No building, structure or part thereof shall be erected or altered to a height exceeding two stories or 30 feet, except that towers, water, radio or other transmission apparatus shall not be deemed to be a building or structure for the purposes herein.

2.

Minimum lot area. Two thousand square feet.

3.

Minimum lot frontage. Twenty feet.

4.

Front yard. The required front yard shall be the average front yard of existing main buildings on the same side of the street and entirely or partially within 200 feet of the side lot lines of the subject lot, provided that such averaging shall only be permitted if there are two or more lots occupied by main buildings within 200 feet of the subject lot. In all other cases, a minimum setback of 50 feet shall be required.

5.

Minimum side yard width. None, except where the use adjoins a residential or public land district. In such case, the side yard shall be the same as required in the residential or public land district.

6.

Minimum rear yard depth. None, except when the commercial use abuts a residential or public land district. In such case, there shall be a rear yard of not less than 15 feet as measured from the rear lot line and a fence or buffer shall be maintained.

7.

Maximum lot coverage. No lot shall be occupied by buildings or structures covering more than 50 percent of the lot.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1406, 6-19-2000)

When a permitted use is established or changed in an existing structure on an established lot in the BC district, the property shall be deemed in compliance with off-street parking and loading requirements, if it continues to maintain the off-street parking and loading areas established on such lot by the previous use on that site. If existing structures on [an] established lot are to be removed in whole or in part, and in the case of any vacant lot, off-street parking shall be governed by chapter 20 of this ordinance. In no case shall currently available off-street parking and loading space on any lot within the BC district be reduced, unless the remaining available off-street parking and loading for such lot complies with chapter 20 of this ordinance, or the property owner obtains a variance from the zoning board of appeals and site plan approval from the planning commission.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1407, 6-19-2000)

See chapter 21.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1408, 6-19-2000)

See chapter 24.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1409, 6-19-2000)

See chapter 19.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1410, 6-19-2000)

See section 2004.

(Ord. No. 346, § 1411, 6-19-2000)