SHERWOOD TWP. MI — Property owners are beginning to plan reconstruction of homes destroyed along Prairie Rose Lane by the deadly March 6 tornado.
Both the township and Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency is working to ease the process while staying within state and local laws.
Sherwood Supervisor Toren Stanton told the township board that April 7 “many of the lots are legally nonconforming” to current zoning codes for lot size.
Sherwood Township’s board approved measures to allow storm-damaged homeowners to rebuild on their original foundations without needing variances.
Well and septic requirements
Environmental Health Director Joe Frazier said owners must first contact his office to confirm they meet current well and septic codes — without that approval, they cannot rebuild.
Required setbacks include:
Even a functioning well or septic system can only be reused if it meets current health code requirements, including space for both an initial system and a reserve area for future replacement.
Frazier said each lot will be evaluated individually.
Building permits and requirements
John Horton told township leaders he has struggled to navigate zoning and inspection requirements since oversight was shifted to a third-party inspection company, SafeBuilt.
Horton said inspectors would not visit his property or explain requirements without a site map, paperwork, and a $75 zoning inspection fee — a process he found frustrating.
“In the past, an inspector would come out and walk you through what needed to be done,” Horton said.
“Now I can’t even get them to talk to me unless I pay the fee, and I don’t know what they want on the map.”
Horton said his biggest concern is understanding what qualifies as the home’s “footprint,” noting that rebuilding incorrectly could lead to costly problems.
“We don’t want to build a house and then be told we have to tear it down,” he said. “We need to know ahead of time what’s allowed.”
“The home and deck can go back where they were,” Stanton said. “If you want to expand or change the footprint, that’s when zoning variances come into play.”
Stanton said the township is working with SafeBuilt to potentially reduce permitting costs.“We’re unsure, funding-wise, what sort of relief we’re going to see,” Stanton said.
“Right now, SafeBuilt is taking checks, but they’re not cashing them until we figure out funding. If funding comes through, they’ll void the check,” Stanton said.
Homeowners who plan to alter their layout should expect to apply for a building permit, comply with current zoning regulations, or appear before the zoning board for a variance, Stanton said.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Sherwood tornado victims face hurdles rebuilding
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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