Conservancy concerned that measurables like percentage of tree canopy were shed from natural resources ordinance; Highland, MI

Planners reviewing comments on ordinance update:
The final public hearing on Highland Township's revamped zoning ordinance was held on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Planning Commission will now review public input and decide how to move forward.
The zoning ordinance overhaul is the result of a two-year review that culminated in a slimmed downed, simplified document with up-to-date information.
There were three main concerns, Corwin said.
'The Highland Conservancy felt the natural resource preservation ordinance no longer includes any measurables, like percentage of tree canopy etc., or any regulations that builders must abide by,' she said. 'They want to see a more defined protection of our environment and natural resources. Another group was concerned about eliminating the 10 acre lots size minimum zone. We explained that the Master Plan defines the zone at 5 or 10 acre lot size zones and that the 10 acre zone was not defensible in court — that's why we changed to 5. The third group was a group of business owners concerned about the sign ordinance. They want more signage allowed and they were concerned about how long the process takes to get signs approved in the Highland Station District.'