Commission recommends clarifying residential design rules; adds requirement for front façade doorway

On Nov. 13 the Muskegon City Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend amendments to section 23.19 of the zoning ordinance to correct errors introduced by earlier zoning reform and to add a requirement that single-family houses have a door on the front façade.

Planning staff said the new language corrects incorrect references and adds an explicit front-door requirement because "we have 2 new houses that do not have doors on the front," noting the houses in question remain acceptable but that the change will guide future construction. Commissioners asked whether the rule requires the door to face the street or simply be on the front facade, and staff said the intent is that the owner designate which side is the front for addressing and emergency-response purposes; corner lots may choose the side that functions as the front.

The commission moved to recommend the amendment to the City Commission; the motion passed on a unanimous roll-call vote. Staff said that the changes are procedural and aimed at clarity and consistency across single-family, duplex and row-house sections of the code.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the Muskegon City Commission for formal adoption.