Hamtramck City Zoning Code
INDUSTRIAL ZONES
§ 155.080 INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT (I).
(A) Intent.
(1) General. The Industrial District (I) is intended to provide land for the more large-scale and intense manufacturing, fabricating and assembling uses. While such uses may occasionally produce external physical effects noticeable to a limited degree beyond the boundaries of the site, nevertheless, every possible effort shall be made to minimize such effects. All uses located within this district shall be so designed and operated as to observe the performance standards and regulations of use contained herein.
(2) Prohibited uses. The following shall be considered prohibited uses:
(a) Any business whose function would create, or have a high potential to create, an adverse or ongoing environmental impact.
(b) Any business whose function has historically demonstrated an adverse or ongoing negative environmental impact.
(c) Any business that emits, releases, or causes to be dispersed a contaminant or toxin in quantities that cause, alone or in reaction with other contaminants or toxins, either of the following, and should not be considered complete nor construed as a means of limiting the inclusion of other businesses:
1. Injurious effects to the public health or safety, animal life, plant life or significant economic value, or property;
2. Unreasonable interference with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property.
(d) This would include, but certainly not be limited to, the following listed types of businesses and those that perform similar purposes or functions:
1. Incinerators;
2. Commercial or industrial waste processing, injection, dispersion, or storage;
3. Scrap yards;
4. Any business having anything to do with the manufacture, processing, transport, or storage of nuclear products or waste;
5. Recyclers of hazardous materials or of products containing proportionately large amounts of hazardous materials.
(B) Permitted uses. In the I District, only the following uses shall be permitted subject to the provisions of this chapter, and such uses shall also comply with all applicable county, state, and federal health and pollution laws and regulations:
(1) Accessory buildings and uses as identified in this subchapter;
(2) Automobile repair, minor;
(3) Automobile repair, major;
(4) Brewery;
(5) Brewpub;
(6) Commercial, heavy;
(7) Distillery;
(8) Industrial or research park;
(9) Laboratory;
(10) Manufacturing, heavy;
(11) Manufacturing, light;
(12) Manufacturing, medium;
(13) Open air business uses;
(14) Production filming;
(15) Public services;
(16) Public utility station;
(17) Recycling facility;
(18) Recreation, indoor;
(19) School, commercial;
(20) Warehouse, wholesale or storage; and
(21) Planned unit development
(C) Uses subject to special land use approval. In the I District subject to the requirements of the special land use process as prescribed by §§ 155.185 through 155.188, and such uses shall also comply with all applicable county, state, and federal health and pollution laws and regulations:
(1) Automotive self-service stations;
(2) Automotive service stations;
(3) Open storage yards of construction contractor's equipment and supplies, building materials, sand, gravel, or lumber; and
(4) Towers (e.g. cell phone, radio, transmitting).
(D) Area, height, and bulk requirements.
(1) Minimum lot size in square feet: none, provided that the provisions of off-street loading berth requirements are complied with.
(2) Minimum lot dimensions in feet: width: none; Depth: none.
(3) Maximum height of building: six stories; 80 feet. A building or structure shall be permitted to exceed a building height of 80 feet provided that such building or structure is not less than 300 feet from any R or RM District.
(4) Minimum yard setback. For lots less than three acres in area, the front yard shall have a minimum depth of 25 feet, the rear yard shall have a minimum depth of 20 feet, and there shall be two side yards, each having a width of not less than ten feet and the combined width of both side yards shall not be less than 40 feet. For lots greater than three acres in area, the front yard shall have a minimum depth of 40 feet, the rear yard shall have a minimum depth of 25 feet, and the side yards shall be not less than 20 feet each.
(5) Maximum lot coverage by all buildings: 50%.
(E) Accessory buildings and uses, subject to the conditions set forth in § 155.111, as applicable.
(1) Parking lots; and
(2) Accessory shipping containers.
(F) Structure and site requirements.
(1) No owner or lessee, or their respective agents, shall construct or maintain a barbed wire fence partially or wholly around any area along any street, alley, sidewalk, or public right-of-way, except that upon the issuance of a proper permit, fences not less than eight feet high may have barbed wire attached to arms or brackets extending inward over such private property of the person erecting or paying for such fence, but no such barbed wire shall be placed at any point closer to grade level than eight feet. Fences may be constructed only on lot lines enclosing property with industrial uses; provided further, that when an industrial use adjoins a residential use, the arms shall project over the industrial use of the lot line only.
(2) Upon the issuance of a proper permit, fences enclosing industrial or commercial uses may be permitted to be 12 feet four inches in height, subject to the consent of not less than 50% of all property owners within 500 feet from the fence.
(Ord. 497, passed 2-3-2004; Am. Ord. 523, passed 6-13-2006; Am. Ord. 2011-7, passed 12-13-2011; Am. Ord. 2019-02, passed 10-8-2019; Am. Ord. 2020-28, passed 3-3-2020; Am. Res. 2021-46, passed 4-13-2021
; Am. Res. 2026-15, passed 1-27-2026)
§ 155.081 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL MIXED-USE DISTRICT (LI).
(A) Intent.
(1) General. The Light Industrial District (LI) is intended to provide land for low-intensity and medium-intensity productive, fabricating, assembling, workstations, artisan goods, studios, home businesses, and warehousing uses, especially for businesses that are not necessarily public-facing, to encourage appropriate buffering between with neighboring Residential and Industrial Districts. While such uses may occasionally produce external physical effects noticeable to a limited degree beyond the boundaries of the site, nevertheless, every possible effort shall be made to minimize such effects through business regulation or city discretion. This district intends to limit establishments which may produce noises, vibrations, or traffic at night. Multiple uses are allowed on any parcel, including combining residential and non-residential uses.
(2) Prohibited uses. The following shall be considered prohibited uses:
(a) Any use prohibited in the Industrial District (I);
(b) Heavy manufacturing;
(c) Landfills;
(d) Junk yards and salvage areas;
(e) Event halls;
(f) Industrial or research park;
(g) Day care.
(B) Permitted uses. In the LM District, only the following uses shall be permitted subject to the provisions of this chapter, and such uses shall also comply with all applicable county, state, and federal health and pollution laws and regulations:
(1) Artisan manufacturing;
(2) Artisan food and beverage;
(3) Shared kitchen facilities;
(4) School, commercial;
(5) Laboratory;
(6) Manufacturing, light;
(7) Open air business uses;
(8) Planned unit development;
(9) Office uses that do not require a public-facing presence;
(10) Production filming;
(11) Art studios;
(12) Music and recording studios;
(13) Public services;
(14) Warehouse, wholesale or storage;
(15) Parking lots; and
(16) Accessory buildings and accessory uses complementary to the above.
(C) Uses subject to special land use approval. In the LM District subject to the requirements of the special land use process as prescribed by §§ 155.185 through 155.188, and such uses shall also comply with all applicable county, state, and federal health and pollution laws and regulations, and food and beverage uses shall be analyzed for potential odor impact on any R or RM District as a result of production and waste management:
(1) Auto repair, minor;
(2) Auto repair, major;
(3) Auto repair, minor;
(4) Service and self-service stations;
(5) Cafés, bakeries, and coffee shops;
(6) Food production;
(7) Brewery;
(8) Brewpub;
(9) Distillery;
(10) Slaughterhouses;
(11) Commercial, heavy;
(12) Manufacturing, medium;
(13) Telecom towers;
(14) Public utility station;
(15) Recycling facility;
(16) Open storage yards for contractor supplies;
(17) First-story residential uses;
(18) Second-story residential uses;
(19) Automotive self-service station; and
(20) Automobile service station.
(D) Area, height, and bulk requirements.
(1) Minimum lot size in square feet: none, provided that the provisions of off-street loading berth requirements are complied with.
(2) Minimum lot dimensions in feet: width: none; depth: none.
(3) Maximum lot dimensions in feet:
(a) Width: 120 feet by right; up to 300 feet by special land use approval; over 300 feet prohibited.
(b) The existing dimensional requirements in the I District require significant adjustments to reflect the reality of the small lot sizes of Edwin Street. The primary goal is to change use regulations to permit current build-out and permit moderate intensification on current Industrial- zoned parcels, and to allow for a similar build-out across Edwin Street on current residential-zoned parcels. To encourage the presence of multiple businesses rather than a single large campus (which is better suited for the Industrial zone), it is recommended to set the maximum lot frontage to 120 feet (the equivalent of four 30-foot-wide parcels). Above that, a special permit would be required, and frontages above 300 feet would be prohibited, so as to encourage larger industrial operations to locate in the I District rather than the LM District. Under these proposed rules, only one business, Home Style Foods, would exceed the maximum lot width.
(4) Maximum height of building: If not abutting any R- or RM-zoned parcel: 50 feet. If abutting any R- or RM-zoned parcel or across an alley therefrom: 40 feet. (The majority of existing uses are a single story, but vary greatly in height; therefore, no restriction on height of stories is provided.)
(5) Minimum yard setback: None.
(6) Maximum lot coverage by all buildings: 95%.
(7) (a) Minimum permeable or vegetative ground cover: 5%.
(b) The city still suffers from stormwater management issues and flooding, but the city’s previous provision to calculate and control one inch of stormwater (for the ninetieth percentile storm) was imposing an undue cost on property owners. The intention of this rule is to help improve the city’s stormwater situation but to simplify regulations.
(8) Area, height, and bulk requirements in the R District shall apply to all residential uses in the LI District.
(E) Accessory buildings and uses. The following accessory buildings and uses shall be permitted in the LM District, subject to the conditions set forth in § 155.111, as applicable:
(1) Shipping containers;
(2) Sheds; and
(3) Retail uses accessory to production activities occurring on the site.
(F) Structure and site requirements.
(1) Loading and parking access. Where an LM-zoned parcel is across an alley from any R or RM District, loading zones and parking access may shall not connect to the alley;
(2) No owner or lessee, or their respective agents, shall construct or maintain a barbed wire fence partially or wholly around any area along any street, alley, sidewalk, or public right- of-way, except that upon the issuance of a proper permit, fences not less than eight feet high may have barbed wire attached to arms or brackets extending inward over such private property of the person erecting or paying for such fence, but no such barbed wire shall be placed at any point closer to grade level than eight feet. Fences may be constructed only on lot lines enclosing property with industrial uses; provided further, that when an industrial use adjoins a residential use, the arms shall project over the industrial use of the lot line only.
(3) All off-street parking areas shall be screened from view with a landscaped berm, solid wall, or a combination of wall/fencing and landscaping between 30 to 36 inches in height along the perimeter of those sides which are visible from a public street. Pedestrian access connecting the parking area to the sidewalk must be provided. Upon receipt of a letter from the city Police or Fire Department, the Planning Commission may determine alternate screening requirements as deemed necessary and advisable.
(4) At least two bicycle parking spaces must be provided if the facility includes office or accessory retail uses.
(5) Given the small parcel sizes and availability of on-street parking in the LM District, only 50% of the required off-street parking spaces calculated according to Appendix B of the zoning ordinance are required.
(6) Where loading areas abut pre-existing residential uses within the LM District, applicant must demonstrate why locating the dock elsewhere would be unfeasible.
(7) New residential uses are only allowed only allowed above the first floor. Accessory uses to residential uses (such garages or resident storage) are allowed on the first floor, but must be set back at least 20 feet from the street. Expansion of existing residential uses is allowed, provided that the residential portion of any parcel comply with the dimensional requirements of the R District.
(8) All project applicants must be able to demonstrate that light and glare shall not be emitted into nearby residential units in any R or RM District, including vehicle lights from vehicles maneuvering in and out of parking and loading areas.
(Ord. 2026-062, passed 4-28-2026)
