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Kentwood City Zoning Code

CHAPTER 10

- INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS4


Footnotes:
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Cross reference— Licenses, permits and miscellaneous business regulations, ch. 26.


Section 10.01.- Intent and purpose.

The city is committed to the continued growth and vitality of the industrial tax and employment base within the community. This chapter is intended to present, in an organized format, the regulations of two of the city's industrial districts. I-1 light industrial is intended to organize modern technology based industrial uses that have the least impact on the community. This district includes support services convenient to the industrial workforce and serves as a transition to the more exclusive industrial district, I-2 general industrial. Uses within this district are generally the more traditional industrial uses requiring larger tracts of land to accommodate buildings and accessory uses. These uses require special attention to ensure the preservation of areas for strictly industrial use within the community. Industrial performance standards are utilized to regulate the results of an industrial activity.

Section 10.02. - Table of uses.

A.

The following abbreviations apply to the table of uses:

P: Land and/or buildings in this district may be used for the purposes listed by right.
SLU: The following uses may be permitted by obtaining special land use approval when all applicable standards as cited in chapter 15 are met.
NP: Use is not permitted in the district.

 

Use I-1 I-2
Industrial
Central dry cleaning plant P P
Contractor's yard SLU SLU
Indoor vehicle sales SLU SLU
Industry P P
Industrial selling retail P P
Industrial selling retail with drive thru service SLU SLU
Open air construction and industrial equipment sales and rental SLU SLU
Petroleum based industries NP SLU
Recycling facility, except tire or rubber products SLU SLU
Tool and die P P
Warehouse, distribution P P
Institutional and utilities
Heating and electric power generating plants NP SLU
Municipal and public service activities SLU SLU
Utility substations, transmission lines and switching stations P P
Office
Corporate offices associated with industrial operations P P
Financial institutions SLU NP
Office buildings or office uses within a building of less than 50,000 square feet P P
Office buildings or office uses within a building of 50,000 square feet or more SLU SLU
Research and development facility P P
Trade or industrial schools P NP
Service
Clinics P P
Day care centers SLU SLU
Fuel depot SLU SLU
Motor freight terminal P P
Printing and publishing P P
Animal hospital and kennels SLU SLU
Commercial
Lumberyards SLU SLU
Restaurants, freestanding SLU NP
Vehicle repair establishment, minor NP NP
Vehicle repair establishment, major SLU SLU
Wholesale establishment P P
Other
Accessory buildings and uses subject to sections 3.15 and 3.16 P P
Billboards (see chapter 16, section 16.03.J) P P
Mining NP SLU
Exempt wireless communication equipment (attached to a lawful existing wireless support structure) in accordance with Act 366 of 2018 Refer to section 3.21
Exempt small cell wireless support structure in accordance with Act 365 of 2018 Refer to section 1.07F
Non-exempt small cell wireless facility (outside of the ROW) in accordance with Act 365 of 2018
Non-exempt small cell wireless facility in the ROW (exceeds height, width, etc. standards) in accordance with Act 365 of 2018
New wireless communication support structure Refer to section 3.21
Non-exempt wireless communication equipment or support structure (exceeds height, width, etc. standards) in accordance with Act 366 of 2018
Freestanding off-street parking P P
Small group fitness and rehabilitation training facility SLU SLU
Outdoor storage of recreational vehicles SLU SLU

 

(Ord. No. 17-06, § 1, 10-20-2006; Ord. No. 11-08, § 2, 8-29-2008; Ord. No. 1-11, § 2, 2-11-2011; Ord. No. 3-12, § 5, 6-24-2012; Ord. No. 4-14, § 5, 5-14-2014; Ord. No. 6-14, § 1, 8-19-2014; Ord. No. 1-19, §§ 15, 16, 3-18-2019; Ord. No. 8-23, § 1, 8-2-2023)

Section 10.03. - Development requirements.

A.

Site plan review requirements. The following chart provides requirements for site plan review. A site plan shall be submitted for Planning Commission review in connection with the following, unless specifically exempted in section 14.02:

District Site Plan Review Requirements Other Requirements
I-1 and I-2 Special land uses, plats and site condominium projects Any new building with a permitted use shall be subject to approval by the staff review team in accordance with the requirements of section 13.05. See section 3.25 for site condominium requirements and procedures. See chapter 14 for site plan requirements. See chapter 15 for special land use requirements.

 

B.

Lot, yard and building requirements.

Requirement I-1 I-2 Other Requirements
Minimum lot area 40,000 sq. ft. Two acres
Minimum lot width 200 ft. 200 ft. Lot width is measured at the front building setback line. See section 3.05.
Front yard (FY) W/FY parking Bldg. front wall 150 ft. or less 70 ft.—The front 25 ft. of which shall be landscaped Off-street loading areas shall not be provided in the front yard.
Bldg. front wall more than 150 ft. 100 ft.—The front 35 ft. of which shall be landscaped In all industrial districts in the case of a corner lot, the building side yard on the street side shall be a minimum of 35 feet for building widths of 150 feet or less; and a minimum of 45 feet for building widths of more than 150 feet. The landscaped parking setback on the street side yard shall be a minimum of ten feet.
W/O FY parking Bldg. front wall 150 ft. or less 35 ft.—FY shall be landscaped Except for landscape improvements and necessary drives and walks, the required front yard shall not be used for loading, storage or accessory structures.
Bldg. front wall more than 150 ft. 45 ft.—FY shall be landscaped
Side yard 20 ft. Storage is not permitted in a required side yard.
The side yard may be reduced to ten feet where adjacent to a railroad service to the lot.
A side yard adjoining a residential or open space district shall comply with chapter 19 setback and screening provisions and the provisions of section 10.03.C.4. See definition of Yard, side in Section 2.02.Y.
Rear yard 40 ft. 60 ft. Storage is not permitted in a required side yard.
If the rear yard areas adjoin a residential district or use, and are to be used for parking, loading, unloading or servicing, they shall be effectively screened by a solid, uniformly finished wall, fence and/or landscape screen. Such screening shall be not less than six feet in height, and in no case be lower than the parking, loading or servicing activity to be screened.
The rear yard may be reduced to ten feet where adjacent to a railroad service to the lot.
Storage is not permitted in a required rear or side yard for sites immediately adjacent to a residential or commercial use or fronting on a public street.
Maximum lot coverage 50 percent 50 percent Includes area of lot covered by main and accessory buildings and structures.
Maximum building height Three stories or 45 ft. Three stories or 60 ft. See chapter 2, definition for building height. See section 3.03.
Maximum accessory retail area Five percent or 1,000 sq. ft. (whichever is greater) Retail area shall be within the same building as the primary industrial use.

 

C.

Site development requirements.

1.

The fronts and sides of industrial buildings facing streets shall be finished consistent with the table below. A minimum building offset of 25 feet will be used to distinguish the front or side of the building subject to the finished material requirement. The finished treatment shall also be continued around on at least 20 percent of the sides adjacent to a street facing wall.

Material Maximum Percent of Wall to be Covered by Certain
Building Materials
100 75 50 25
Brick ✓
Glass ✓
Decorative masonry ✓
Stone ✓
Metal composite material panel ✓
Wood, vinyl and metal siding ✓
Finishes* ✓
*Includes dryvit, plaster, stucco or similar materials. Such materials shall not be used where contact with vehicles may occur such as parking areas and traffic ways.

 

2.

Written appeals of facade determinations made by the zoning administrator must be filed, within ten days of the decision to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission decision regarding such appeal shall be final.

3.

Any outdoor storage of materials shall only be permitted in areas approved in advance as part of the site plan approval and must be screened from the view of neighboring properties or from a street through the use of an approved landscaped screen, wall or solid fence.

4.

No building or storage shall be located closer than 100 feet to a residential district boundary, provided that a building may be permitted as close as 50 feet if the area between the building and the boundary is an unlighted landscaped buffer used for no other purpose and further provided no entrance other than a required emergency door shall enter upon such area. However, no such building wall shall be permitted closer than twice its height to the residential boundary.

D.

Development requirements for parking.

1.

The amount of required off-street parking spaces for individual uses shall be determined in accordance with the following table:

Use Parking Requirement
Spaces per Unit of Measurement
Day care centers Parking operations plan or one per each three clients computed on the basis of the greatest number of clients on site at a given time
Financial institutions One per each 200 sq. ft. GFA, plus one per each employee and four standing spaces per outside teller
Indoor vehicle sales One space per each 800 square feet of building area used for the storage/display of vehicles plus parking required for office uses.
Industrial, manufacturing One per 2,000 sq. ft. GFA plus parking required for office uses plus parking for any corporate vehicles
Municipal and public service activities One per each 300 sq. ft. GFA, not including parking areas for municipal vehicles (police cars, public works vehicles, etc.), plus spaces required for assembly areas
Office One per each 300 square feet GFA
Research establishments one per 500 square feet GFA
Restaurants, freestanding One per each 50 square feet UFA, plus four
Standing spaces per each outside service window
Trade or industrial schools 15 per seated classroom area plus one per 500 sq. ft. UFA for use areas outside of classrooms, including areas used for demonstration purposes
Vehicle repair establishment One per each 800 square feet, plus two per each stall or service area
Warehouses and storage buildings One per 1,500 sq. ft. GFA, plus parking required for office uses plus parking for any corporate vehicles

 

E.

Development requirements for signs. See also chapter 16 for general requirements.

Signs permittedI-1 and I-2 districtsOther requirements
SizeNumberHeightLocation
Freestanding—For each main building with less than 150 ft. of front wall width 48 sq. ft. 1/main building 15 ft. At least 17 feet behind the public right-of-way Sign must complement the architectural details of the building and be appropriately landscaped
Freestanding—For each main building of ft. 150 or greater front wall width Area equal to two percent of the area of the front wall up to 100 sq. ft.
Industrial park identification sign 48 sq. ft. 1/each park entrance 15 ft. At least 17 feet behind the public right-of-way May be freestanding or attached to a wall or fence; must be appropriately landscaped
Wall—Main buildings with a wall width of up to 250 ft. 1 sq. ft. for each 2 ½ lineal foot of wall 1/street frontage Cannot extend above roof line Area of wall signs is calculated by using the wall to which the sign will be attached
Wall - Main buildings with a wall width of 250 ft. or more 1 sq. ft. for each 2 ½ lineal foot of wall plus 1 sq. ft. for each 5 lineal ft. of wall in excess of 250 lineal ft.
Non-Commercial 32 sq. ft. 1/issue or candidate per street frontage 4 ft. Behind the ROW Signs may remain until deemed unsightly through disrepair or action of the elements
Real estate 32 sq. ft. 1/premise or building 4 ft. above mean grade
If less than 10 ft. from ROW line
6 ft. above mean grade
If 10 ft. or more from ROW line 		Behind the ROW Permitted only when property is for sale, rent, or lease
Directional 24 sq. ft. Only to the extent necessary as determined by the zoning administrator for traffic safety, subject to approved plan for design, number, and location.
Portable 32 sq. ft. 1/lot 4 ft. above mean grade
If less than 10 ft. from ROW line 		Behind the ROW and in a location where driver visibility is not impaired Limited to 30 days of display in any calendar year
6 ft. above mean grade
If 10 ft. or more from ROW line
Billboard 300 sq. ft. 1/lot as a principal use only 25 ft. Set back 100 ft. from street right-of-way line Approved by special land use in accordance with chapter 15

 

F.

Performance standards. Uses of land and buildings permitted in the industrial districts shall conform to the following performance standards at all times. All new operations or changes in operations shall be certified by the owner, or by qualified representatives of the owner, to be designed and intended to comply with these standards.

1.

All permitted activities, other than parking and loading, shall be conducted wholly within enclosed buildings.

2.

Accessory storage or accessory equipment may be placed or conducted outdoors only if screened from the view of a pedestrian on any adjacent street or on the ground floor of any adjacent residential or office use or district property by a solid wall or berm. Outdoor storage shall not be permitted in any required yard.

3.

No permitted activity shall emit or produce odor, fumes, dust, glare, vibration or heat which will adversely affect permitted uses on an adjacent property.

4.

No permitted activity shall emit noise that is readily discernable to the average person in any adjacent residential zone district providing that air handling equipment in proper working conditions shall be deemed to comply with this provision if located on a roof with intervening noise reduction baffles or if located on the side of a building facing away from the residential zone.

5.

No permitted activity shall emit fumes, smoke, dust or particulates which damage personal property or buildings located on adjacent properties.

6.

No permitted use shall discharge effluent of any kind onto or into the ground or in violation of sewage treatment regulations.

7.

No permitted use shall emit electromagnetic radiation which would adversely affect the operation of equipment beyond the confines of the building producing the effect.

8.

Any permitted activity that may present danger of fire, explosion or other catastrophe shall have a current hazardous material management plan, shall be reviewed and approved by the Kentwood Fire Department and shall not represent any danger to property or persons beyond the property lines.

9.

All uses shall conform to all other city, county, state and federal regulations pertaining to its operations.

(Ord. No. 7-03, § 8(10.03), 4-1-2003; Ord. No. 5-04, § 4, 5-2-2004; Ord. No. 11-08, §§ 4, 6, 8-29-2008; Ord. No. 3-12, § 6, 6-24-2012; Ord. No. 9-16, § 7, 12-20-2016; eff. 12-30-2016; Ord. No. 10-17, § 6, 9-19-2017; Ord. No. 4-18, § 2, 3-20-2018; Ord. No. 2-23, § 4, 2-21-2023)