Planning & Zoning

Master Plans | Watershed Planning | Zoning Ordinances

Master Plans

Please Click Here for a List of Community Master Plans

Adoption of a Plan in Michigan
This is a step-by-step procedure for planning, specifically plan adoption. It is designed to provide a list of steps -- in order -- which leads to a well planned community.

Adoption of an Amendment to a Plan in Michigan
This is a step-by-step procedure for planning, specifically adoption of an amendment to a plan (also known as an extension, addition, and revision of a plan). It is designed to provide a list of steps -- in order -- which leads to a well planned community.

Capital Improvement
This is a step-by-step procedure for adopting and updating a capital improvement program. A capital improvement program (CIP) is a prioritization of various infrastructure and other public improvement projects that may need to be constructed in order to successfully implement a community’s adopted plan.

Conservation Easements
Information on Conservation Easements and a list of Land Conservancies and Land Trusts.

Five-year Plan Review
This is a step-by-step procedure for the five year review of a plan for a local unit of government, and of the plan’s fact book, background studies or reports, resource book, or data book.

Master Plan Checklist
This fact sheet is designed to be a guide to planning commissions in determining what topics and information to include in a master plan developed under the new P.A. 33 of 2008, as amended.

Watershed Planning

Alcona Black River & Coastal Watersheds 2011 Management Plan
This planning initiative covers the Black River Watershed, a coastal Lake Huron watershed located in northeast Alcona County, and a narrow band of smaller watersheds that runs from the outlet of the Black River south to the City of Harrisville.

Black Lake Watershed - Non-Point Source Management Plan 1991
The Black Lake Watershed Non-Point Source Management Plan is the third phase of a projected five phase project to develop a management plan for the entire Cheboygan River Watershed.

Black Lake Watershed Stewardship Initiative: Non-Point Source Pollution Management Plan

Burt Lake Watershed Non-Point Source Management Plan 1987
The Burt Lake Non-Point Source Management Plan was one of six non-point planning projects funded by the Michigan Clean Water Incentives Program in 1987. Since Burt Lake and its tributaries currently have good water quality, this plan focuses primarily on preventing water quality degradation, and secondarily on correcting existing situations which have the potential to affect water quality.

Cheboygan River/Lower Black River Watershed Initiative 2003
The Cheboygan River/Lower Black River Watershed contains over 5000 acres of surface water in its lakes, in addition to hundreds of miles of rivers, streams and tributaries. The quality of these important waterbodies becomes increasingly at risk as development of natural areas continues and forested lands are converted to commercial and residential parcels.

Cheboygan River Watershed Habitat Partnership Conservation Area Plan
The Cheboygan River Watershed Habitat Partnership was created to bring together several agencies and organizations dedicated to the protection of the Watershed’s natural resources. Over the course of several months these partners developed this conservation plan in an effort to devise strategies to preserve biological diversity throughout the Watershed in a comprehensive and complementary manner.

Fletcher Creek Watershed Study 2000
The City of Alpena experienced a major flood event in April of 1998. Sanitary sewer manholes were submerged allowing excessive infiltration into the sanitary sewer system and backing up in homes of higher elevation. This report includes stormwater system inventory, identifies problem areas and offers recommendations to address drainage problems.

Grand Lake & Coastal Watersheds Management Plan 2007
A Plan to Protect the Water and Natural Resources in the Grand Lake Watershed and Adjacent Coastal Watersheds in Alpena and Presque Isle Counties.

Misery Bay Initiative 2004
This plan was developed in partnership with the Misery Bay Initiative Steering Committee, formed as part of this project. The committee worked together to create a vision for the future of the coastal areas along Misery Bay. The plan includes a detailed inventory of the natural resources; evaluates the status of planning and zoning; identifies values and assets, issues and concerns and priority conservation areas; and includes recommendations for the protection of the ecological resources in the area.

Mullet Lake Watershed Non-Point Source Management Plan 1989
From March through August of 1989,  an extensive non-point source inventory was conducted throughout the entire 162,000 acre watershed. This inventory included an assessment of streambank and shoreline erosion, agricultural impacts, Mullett Lake shoreline wetlands, and septic leachate detection. This plan addresses that inventory.

Mullet Lake Watershed Protection Plan
This plan inventories the non-point sources of pollution and offers management strategies for controlling the pollution.

Non Point Source Approved & Pending Watershed Plans 2013
A Watershed Management Plan considers all uses, pollutant sources, and impacts within a drainage area. More than 150 Watershed Management Plans have been developed at the local level utilizing DEQ grants from the Nonpoint Source grant program. Watershed Management Plans serve as guides for communities to protect and improve the water quality. This report contains those plans submitted to and approved by the Michigan DEQ.

Pickerel/Crooked Lakes Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Management Plan 1995
The Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Watershed Non-Point Source Pollution Management Plan is the fourth phase of a projected five phase project to develop watershed management plans for the entire Cheboygan River Watershed. The development of the plan involved a thorough assessment of information on the historic and current status of the land and water resources in the study area.

Rifle - AuGres - Tawas Rivers Rapid Watershed Assessment
The Rapid Watershed Assessment (RWA) Program is designed to identify and organize information into one document that  conservation leaders, resource professionals and units of governments can use to identify existing resource conditions and conservation opportunities. The RWA provides a brief assessment of the Rifle-Au Gres-Tawas watershed’s natural resources, resource concerns and conservation needs.

Pine River - Van Etten Lake Watershed Management Plan 2008
The watershed management plan and planning process bring together a variety of local partners to identify, prioritize and then implement the plan to remediate nonpoint source pollution problems in the watershed.

Thunder Bay River Watershed Initiative 2002
This report covers the designated and desired uses along with a water quality summary for the watershed. Also included are the critical areas and the non-point source pollution inventories.

Thunder Bay River Watershed Initiative Phase II 2004
This report is a continuation (Phase II) of the 2002 Initiative. This current watershed plan includes the North Branch, Upper South Branch and Lower South Branch of the Thunder Bay River.

Thunder Bay River Watershed Initiative Streambank Erosion Inventory
This report documents streambank erosion within the watershed and provides information on severity ranking.

Water Quality Assessment & Management Strategy for Heart Lake 1980
This report is intended to be utilized by the Lake Association and the local units of government in developing management strategies and for molding management decisions.

Water Quality Assessment & Management Strategy for Manuka Lake 1980
This report is intended to be utilized by the Lake Association and the local units of government in developing management strategies and for molding management decisions.

Water Quality of the Thunder Bay Watershed 1981
The purpose of this project was to investigate and describe the causes of eutrophication in Thunder Bay of Lake Huron, and to develop and encourage management strategies for reducing the controllable pollution where feasible.

Water Quality Survey of Otsego Lake
Report of a water quality survey of Otsego Lake in 1980 conducted by The University of Michigan, Biological Station.

Zoning Ordinances

Please Click Here for a List of Community Zoning Ordinances

Groundwater Protection Zoning Ammendments
This pamphlet is to introduce one sample of a community groundwater protection program and a couple samples of zoning for groundwater protection. Once groundwater has been contaminated, it is very expensive and difficult to clean up. The strength behind a zoning approach is that it can help prevent groundwater pollution in the first place. In contrast to clean up, prevention is very easy and inexpensive.

Model Ordinances - SEMCOG
This appendix contains model ordinances that serve as general guidance to assist local communities interested in implementing water resource protection ordinances.

Protecting Your Community's Wetlands
This guide describes the role that local planning and ordinances can play in providing this protection and includes information about a model wetlands ordinance developed by the Huron River Watershed Council.

Sample Local Wetland Ordinance
An Ordinance for the control and preservation of wetlands  within the community and to protect the wetlands of the community from sedimentation, destruction, and misuse.