East Bay Charter Township Establishes New Special Zoning Protections for Properties within Environmentally Sensitive Areas; A Quick Overview of REALTOR-Supported Legislation on the Move in Lansing; RPAC 2025 Pins Now Available! Get Yours Today!
This week the GAD Top 3 kicks off with information shared with our association by East Bay Charter Township on their newly established special zoning protections for properties within environmentally sensitive areas, important information for your clients or yourself who reside in East Bay Charter Township. A quick overview of REALTOR-supported legislation in Lansing courtesy of Brad Ward, Esq. Vice President of Public Policy and Legal Affairs for Michigan REALTORS. RPAC Pins are now available, make a $20 investment today to receive one!
1. East Bay Charter Township Establishes New Special Zoning Protections for Properties within Environmentally Sensitive Areas
As of December 9th, 2024 a new zoning ordinance for East Bay Charter Township went into effect with new special zoning protections for properties within East Bay Charter Township’s Environmentally Sensitive Areas. East Bay Charter Township has put together a great summary of these new Environmentally Sensitive Areas Supplemental Standards with the full details outlined in Section 3.8 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance. Below is a quick summary of the zoning ordinance changes. Please refer to the summary written by East Bay Charter Township and Section 3.8 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance for full details.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas Regulated under the new East Bay Charter Township Ordinance
- Vegetative Buffer Strip (50’ to 100’ strip) for water bodies and watercourses, except for a permitted structure as outlined in subsection B(1) of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance. Refer to Section 3.8, 2a-e, 3, and 4 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance for regulations.
- Wetland Buffer Area of 25 feet of undisturbed vegetative buffer strip must be preserved around state-regulated wetlands. Refer to Section 3.8D of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance for regulations.
- Flood Hazard Zones are designated in the Flood Insurance Study East Bay Charter Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan and accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) maps. Disputes over designations must follow the procedures outlined in subsection E(3). Refer to Section 3.8E 1-5 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance for regulations.
- Steep Slope Protection steep slopes are defined as land areas with slopes of 15% or greater. Exceptions are outlined in Section F 1-3 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance.
- Bridge Crossings must meet the standards and regulations in Section 3.8G 1-10 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance.
- Grading, Removal, and Filling of Land changes of site elevation greater than three (3) feet or the excavation, removal, or depositing of earth materials are prohibited without a grading permit. Refer to Section 3.8H 1-2 of the East Bay Charter Township Zoning Ordinance for regulations.
2. A Quick Overview of REALTOR-Supported Legislation on the Move in Lansing
In case you missed it, Brad Ward, Esq. Vice President of Public Policy and Legal Affairs for Michigan REALTORS® provided an update on REALTOR®-supported bills at the state-level in the March Michigan REALTORS® E-News. Below is a quick summary of the bills highlighted:
- Land Divisions (Senate Bill 23 and House Bill 4081) - these two bills are mirror images of each other and would increase the number of allowable land splits for the first ten acres from 4 to 10 and allow local governments to grant additional splits beyond this Land Division Act, if they so choose. This would help with local government’s ability in Michigan to work with developers on quicker, cheaper density to promote housing affordability. Senate Bill 23 has already passed the Michigan Senate while House Bill 4081 will receive its first hearing on Thursday.
- Pop-up Tax Exemptions (House Bill 4014) - This bill expands the list of relatives that an owner can transfer a property to without triggering an uncapping of the property taxes. This expansion includes grandmothers, grandfathers, and spouses (as opposed to husband, wife, or married couple). This expands the list, which already allows for uncapped transfers to a transferor’s or transferor’s spouse’s mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, adopted son, adopted daughter, grandson, or granddaughter. This bill is currently out of committee and on the House Floor for consideration.
- Recreational Trespassers (House Bill 4013) - This bill would explicitly establish the distance of 250 feet between “private property” postings on the boundary of a property to enforce against recreational trespass. This will assist property owners and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in their ability to crack down on trespassers on private property in Michigan’s rural areas. This bill is currently out of committee and on the House Floor for consideration.
3. RPAC 2025 Pins Now Available! Get Yours Today!
Michigan REALTORS launched a new 2025 RPAC Pin, see the picture below. These pins are available for a $20 RPAC investment through this link to show your support for our great state and profession. Invest today and we will drop off your pin to your office. Not sure if you have invested in RPAC yet for 2025? You can view the full list of RPAC investors for 2025 here.
