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Special Announcement: The Township Planning Commission has
reduced its meeting schedule to once a month for
2008. Please check the Township Events Calendar for future meeting dates.
Plainfield Township's Community Development Department combines
and coordinates the functions of Planning, Zoning and the Building
departments in Plainfield Township. Our mission is to streamline the
processes that both encourage and regulate growth within the
township.
» Planning
» Zoning
» Building
» New Township Master Plan
» Flood Mitigation Plan Project
Planning:
The Planning Division was established to coordinate growth within
Plainfield Charter Township and is
responsible for reviewing rezoning requests; sub-division plats and site plans, to name
of our responsibilities. We also
administer the Planning Commission (PC) and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).
In 2006, our Planning
Commission began the process of revising the township's Master Plan,
which was last updated in 2000. This "Future Land Use Plan" is
the guide for land use
in Plainfield Charter Township. The Future Land Use Map (you
can download a draft version here) provides an illustration of the long-range land
use pattern of the Township. The Master Plan is designed to act as the
"blueprint" for how we build and how we manage future
growth in our township. The tools we use to follow this blueprint include such items as the zoning ordinances,
subdivision ordinances and the site condominium ordinances.
Zoning:
Zoning is a "police power" regulation adopted to advance and protect the public health, safety and general welfare.
Other police power regulations are building codes, subdivision regulations, and health codes. Zoning is our tool
to protect the value of property, prevent the establishment of nuisances, ensure compatibility between adjacent
uses of land, protect and properly use natural resources, and help to implement the land use objectives of our
Master Plan.
»
Zoning Map
(.pdf ) 4.2mb
» Zoning Ordinance
Building:
The Building Division of the Community Development Department for Plainfield Township
provides a very
important service for our community by insuring all requests for building permits
are acceptable under our township and zoning ordinances, and any
applicable state or local building codes. The Building Division also
provides the necessary monitoring of these permits through mandatory
inspections and approvals. With this permit process and the required inspections, our
department can assure township residents that their homes, garages,
businesses and other construction projects are safe, sound
structures that will meet the standards and requirements of the
building codes and township ordinances approved by the Board of Trustees
help to maintain the continuity of the township as a safe place to
live.
New Township Master Plan Latest Draft of the New Master Plan is
now available for download.
Plainfield Township is currently in the process of developing a new
Township Master Plan. A Master Plan is an important document that
the Planning Commission, Township Board, and land owners use as a
guide for growth and development decisions. The Township Planning
Commission and staff are working with the planning consultants
at Williams & Works to carry out the planning process, in
conjunction with a citizens’ advisory committee and significant
public input.
The process to develop the Master Plan will include four
inter-related phases:
- The Community Profile that we commissioned provides an
overview of key features, growth trends, population and economic
analyses and transportation and utility information to describe
the community today and identify implications for the future.
You can download a copy of the
Community Profile Report
here. (This is a large .PDF file-- 3.7mb. You will
need the Adobe Acrobat Reader program to read it. If you
do not have the Acrobat Reader, you can
get it here.)
- The preferred future for the Township will be established
through a consensus-building element involving open-house and
visioning workshops and a community opinion survey. These will
be used to develop a set of goals and objectives for the next
twenty years or so.
- The Master Plan itself will include a detailed evaluation of
current conditions and a future land use plan based on the
preferred future established in the previous phase. This will
include extensive mapping and narrative to provide policy and
land use guidance for the Planning Commission and Township
Board.
- The final element will be a set of implementation strategies
that will outline the work necessary to make the plan a reality
in the community.
This is an important activity in the community and
residents are encouraged to participate in this planning process.
If you would like further information, please or call us at 364-8466. Also, please watch this website for
more information on the planning process.
Flood Mitigation Planning
Note: You may download the Final Report
from the Flood Plain Committee that was adopted by the Board of
Trustees on September 17,
2007.
The Township has completed a project to study the impacts of flooding and how
to effectively plan for and manage both the short term and long term impacts
on our community. For more information, click here.
What is the difference between "Planning" and "Zoning?"
Planning
Planning was established to coordinate growth within Plainfield Charter Township. The Planning staff is responsible for reviewing rezoning requests; sub-division plats and site plans, to name a few. They also administer the Planning Commission (PC) and the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). In January of 2000, our Planning Commission adopted the updated Master Plan or "Future Land Use Plan." This plan is a guide for future land use in Plainfield Charter Township. In fact, the Future Land Use Map provides an illustration of the long-range land use pattern of the Township. In other words, this plan acts as a "blueprint" for how we build or manage the growth in our township. The tools we use to follow this blueprint include such items as the zoning ordinances, subdivision ordinances and the site condominium ordinances.
Zoning
The purposes of the Plainfield Township Zoning Ordinances are:
- Promote and protect the public health, safety and general welfare
- Protect the character and stability of the various areas within the Township and promote the orderly and beneficial development of such areas
- Regulate the intensity of land use and determine the area of open space surrounding buildings to provide adequate light and air and convenience of access to the property
- Lessen and avoid congestion on highways and streets
- Provide for the various land use needs of landowners, such as recreational, residential, commercial and industrial
- Preserve agricultural lands that have been determined to be essential to the stability and future economic well being of the Township
- Fix reasonable standards to which buildings and other structures shall conform
- Prohibit uses, buildings, and structures which are incompatible with the character of development permitted in the zoning districts
- Protect against nuisances and hazards in the interest of the public health, safety, and general welfare
- Conserve the taxable value of land, buildings and structures throughout the Township
- Provide for the completion, extension, substitution or elimination of non-conforming uses
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