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City of Marquette Regulation
City in Marquette County, Michigan (on the shoreline of Lake Superior)
Population: 20,822
The largest City in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to several academic institutions and businesses and is a hub for commerce in the region as well as cargo shipping. In 2011, Marquette took note in their Master Plan of the sensitive ecosystems that existed and began the process of developing ordinances to help protect these valuable resources. In order to mitigate erosion and sediment that could reduce the quality of the water entering watersheds or Lake Superior, the City developed a Riparian Overlay District Ordinance to regulate non-point source pollution from entering these delicate ecosystems.
Regulation meets the following Key Measures:
1
Prevents the removal and/or requires the installation of native vegetation near dunes and beaches.
The Riparian Overlay District is a comprehensive and extensive ordinance that prohibits the unnecessary removal of native vegetation, preserves slopes with vegetation to reduce erosion, and requires buffers with native plantings.
Zoning Ordinance Article 3, Section 54.320
2
Minimizes the amount of impervious surface in the community.
Impervious surfaces are regulated by use and maximum limits are established for each zoning district with further regulation for stormwater management.
Zoning Ordinance Article 4, Section 54.401
3
Limits development/redevelopment in floodplains.
The Riparian Overlay District Ordinance includes floodplain areas and has extensive language that prohibits certain uses in those areas as well as requirements for plantings, erosion control, and restoration of natural lands.
Zoning Ordinance Article 3, Section 54.320 (page 71)