The C-1 zoning district is intended to serve as the downtown shopping district for the city. A wide range of retail service, office, governmental, institutional and upper-story residential uses are permitted.

Development standards recognize the special parking, pedestrian and building location needs of an established downtown business district.

a)

Any generally recognized retail business that supplies commodities on the premises within a completely enclosed building, such as, but not limited to, foods, pharmacy, liquor, furniture, clothing, dry goods, appliances or hardware.

b)

Any personal service establishment that performs services on the premises within a completely enclosed building, such as, but not limited to, repair shops for electronics, watches, shoes and similar items, tailor shops, print shops, hair and nail salons, barbershops, self-service laundries and photographic studios.

c)

Professional offices for doctors, lawyers, architects, dentists, engineers, planners, chiropractors, insurance sales, mortgages, general consulting, general businesses not engaged in retail sales and other similar professions.

d)

Banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, and other similar uses, but not including those with drive-through facilities.

e)

Health and fitness establishments.

f)

Offices and showrooms of plumbers, electricians, decorators, or other similar trades.

g)

Commercial schools including art, music, dance, business, professional and trade.

h)

Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and similar retail food establishments, including those with walk-up window service, but not including drive-in restaurants and restaurants which permit dancing, live entertainment, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises.

Outdoor dining is permitted where such dining does not encroach upon a minimum of five feet of unobstructed sidewalk space adjacent to the curb. Outdoor dining may be separated from the sidewalk only with movable planters, fencing or similar non-fixed barriers, provided they do not exceed a height of 36 inches including plant material. Any outdoor dining activity proposed for a public sidewalk or elsewhere in a road right-of-way must first be approved by the city commission.

i)

Medical, optical, dental, and veterinary offices and clinics.

j)

Government office buildings and post office.

k)

Public and institutional uses such as libraries, museums, civic centers, and auditoriums.

l)

Churches, mosques, synagogues and similar places of religious worship.

m)

Video rental and sales.

n)

Catering establishments.

o)

Video gaming establishments.

p)

Upper story residential dwellings, subject to the following requirements, except that single-family detached dwelling units and other residential uses existing as of the effective date of this ordinance are exempt from these requirements:

1)

A dwelling unit shall not be located on the ground floor.

2)

Each dwelling unit shall contain a minimum of 400 square feet of floor area.

3)

One parking space shall be provided for each bedroom within the dwelling unit. These spaces may be provided as follows: on site; in a City of Stanton operated parking lot as may be approved by the city commission; or the off-street space or spaces may be within 300 feet of the dwelling unit served. The 300 feet measurement shall be taken in a straight line from the parking space to the building containing the dwelling unit. Documentation of the required parking spaces shall be provided to the zoning administrator prior to issuance of a building permit.

4)

Direct access to dwelling units shall be provided by a doorway located on the outside of the building, which is separate from the doorway used to access the first-floor use.

5)

Window air conditioning units shall not project beyond the face of the building for that portion of the building which fronts on a street.

6)

Prior to establishing an upper story dwelling unit, approval must be obtained from the zoning administrator to determine compliance with the requirements of this section.

7)

A building permit shall be obtained from the Montcalm County Building Department in order to establish a dwelling unit on an upper story. All units shall comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

q)

Outdoor display of merchandise as an accessory use to the principal use of the parcel is permitted subject to the following requirements:

1)

The merchandise displayed outdoors shall be the same as or shall be similar to the merchandise, which is offered for sale inside the principal building on the parcel.

2)

The size and nature of the outdoor display shall clearly be incidental and subordinate to the principal use of the parcel such that the accessory use serves to support the principal use but could not function independently of the principal use.

3)

The outdoor display of merchandise shall not create unsafe conditions for or a hazard to any person or vehicle.

4)

The area devoted to the outdoor display of merchandise shall at all times be kept neat and orderly and not be allowed to become unsightly or a visual nuisance. Any debris, scrap material, litter, empty shelves, racks, pallets, boxes or similar material not containing display items shall be removed from the outdoor display area.

5)

Public sidewalks may be used for the outdoor display of merchandise provided there is at least five feet of unobstructed sidewalk space adjacent to the curb or edge of street.

r)

Essential public service equipment, per section 3.16.

s)

Towers and antennas which do not exceed 35 feet in height, per section 3.33.

t)

Buildings, structures, and uses accessory to the permitted and special land uses.

The following uses may be permitted in the C-1 Central Business District upon authorization as a special land use by the planning commission in accordance with the requirements of chapter 14 herein:

a)

Automobile service repair facilities which perform such services as tire sales and installation; oil changes; brake, shocks and exhaust work; engine analysis and tune-ups; front end alignments; heating and air conditioning repair and similar minor vehicle repair services, but not including body shops.

b)

Bed and breakfasts.

c)

Day care facility/child care centers.

d)

Drive-in businesses, including banks, drive-in restaurants and other retail food establishments, dry cleaning pickup stations, pharmacies, or similar personal services.

e)

Essential public service structures and buildings, per section 3.17.

f)

Fraternal or social clubs or lodges.

g)

Gas station/convenience stores, with or without restaurants.

h)

Hotels and motels.

i)

Indoor commercial recreation facilities, such as indoor theaters, bowling alleys, indoor skating rinks, tennis and handball courts, but excluding firearm and archery ranges.

j)

Medical marihuana provisioning centers.

k)

Mortuaries and funeral homes.

l)

Recreational marihuana retailers.

m)

Repair and service establishments, including, but not limited to, lawn mower repair, snowmobile repair, boat repair or air conditioner repair shops that are operated in conjunction with a retail business.

n)

Restaurants and other retail food establishments which permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises, or which permit dancing or live entertainment. The production of alcoholic beverages on the premises for consumption on the premises is permitted provided this is accessory to the restaurant use.

o)

Wind energy systems over 35 feet in height, per section 3.39.

p)

Wireless communication towers and antennas, per section 3.32.

(Ord. No. 2021-246, § 5, 8-24-2021)

a)

Minimum lot area: None.

b)

Minimum lot width: None.

c)

Setback requirements:

1)

Front setback. The required setback from the right-of-way along all street segments for parcels in the C-1 zone shall be a minimum of zero feet and a maximum of 20 feet from each right-of- way line abutting the lot; a minimum of 60 percent of the front wall of the building must be within the required setback, which is also called a build-to line, along each street frontage. The planning commission may allow a greater building setback than permitted by this subsection 8.04 if compliance with such setbacks creates a practical difficulty in the operation of the proposed use. In considering whether or not to permit a greater setback, the commission shall consider following criteria:

i.

Whether the proposed use is located on a parcel which has frontage on more than one street;

ii.

Whether the driveway(s) which are required to serve the site necessitate a greater building setback in order to safely accommodate on-site maneuvering for vehicles and pedestrians;

iii.

Whether a greater setback is needed in order to locate parking spaces, access drives or sidewalks between the building and the front lot line in order to improve safety for customers accessing the building;

iv.

Whether the shape or size of the parcel or requirements of the zoning ordinance or other city ordinances create difficulties in complying with the required setback regulations;

v.

Any building which does not meet the front setback requirements of this section, but which existed before the effective date of this subsection, shall be allowed to expand provided the expansion will result in the building being within or closer to the setback or build to line required for the street on which the building fronts. Approval from the zoning board of appeals is not required for this type of expansion; however, all other requirements of this zoning ordinance shall apply.

2)

Side yard. None, except if the building does not abut the side lot line then a five feet setback is required. If the property abuts a residentially zoned lot, the minimum setback shall be 20 feet.

3)

Rear yard. None, except if the rear yard abuts a residential zoned parcel the minimum setback shall be 25 feet.

d)

Maximum lot coverage: 100 percent.

e)

Maximum building height: 40 feet.

a)

Greenbelt. A greenbelt, as determined by the City of Stanton landscape regulations in section 16.05, shall be erected and maintained on the side and rear of any C-1 zoned premises where the same abuts a zone which permits residential use or an area recommended for such use in the city master plan. Such greenbelts shall also be required where commercial premises and uses abut existing nonconforming residential uses. The planning commission may require a solid fence instead of a greenbelt if in the opinion of the commission a fence would provide a more effective screen for the adjacent property.

b)

Dumpsters. All dumpsters and trash containers shall be located behind the front line of the main building and shall be screened from view by landscaping, fencing or placement of the building.

c)

Structure façade. At least 80 percent of that portion of a structure or building, be it a front, side, or rear, which faces a public or private street, private access drive or public or private parking lot shall be finished with face brick, wood, vinyl, glass, tinted and/or textured masonry block, fluted cement block, natural or cast stone, architectural pre-cast panels or stucco-like material. In recognition of developing technologies in building materials, the planning commission may agree to approve other materials provided that they are compatible with surrounding properties, and further provided that such materials shall comply with the architectural, safety and other requirements of the Montcalm County building code, fire code and other applicable city ordinances.

Additions to or renovations of buildings existing as of the date of the section shall be subject to the requirements of this section. The planning commission or zoning administrator, as the case may be, shall have the authority to modify or waive these requirements or to extend them to the entire façade of the existing building.

In determining whether to apply the façade requirements of this section to additions or renovations of existing buildings, the following criteria shall be considered:

1)

The location of the addition or renovation relative to the existing building.

2)

The size relative to the existing building.

3)

The location of the existing building.

4)

Whether compliance with this section will result in architectural consistency with the existing building and improve the overall aesthetics of the building.

5)

The practicality of requiring compliance with this section based on the design and structural integrity of the existing building.

d)

Sidewalks. Unless not required by any other ordinance, sidewalks shall be constructed on all sides of the property abutting a public street, in accordance with city standards. The sidewalk shall be constructed concurrent with the construction of the principal use unless other arrangements for construction are approved by the planning commission.

a)

General requirements.

1)

Accessory buildings, section 3.22.

2)

Landscaping, chapter 16.

3)

Signs, chapter 18.

4)

Off-street parking, chapter 17.

b)

Development procedures.

1)

Site plan, chapter 13.

2)

Special land uses, chapter 14.

3)

Site condominiums, chapter 15.

c)

Appeals and administration.

1)

Nonconforming lot and uses, chapter 19.

2)

Zoning board of appeals, chapter 20.

3)

Administration, chapter 21.