Sec. 27.01. - West Downtown District, in general.

   A.   Purpose. The purpose of the West Downtown District form-based code is to implement the Master Plan Vision:

      1.   Set the stage for the long-term redevelopment of the District in a walkable, traditional pattern and form.

      2.   Provide community stakeholders a reasonable expectation of how the District will look and function in the future.

      3.   Create a District that respects the character of Dearborn's historic downtown while providing a transition to the more automobile-oriented parts of the community.

      4.   Develop a setting for a true mixture of uses that recognize the West Downtown District as an urban town center of retail, office, residential, entertainment and dining for the City of Dearborn.

   B.   Goals. The West Downtown Form-Based District provides specific standards to achieve the following:

      1.   Develop a fully integrated, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented environment with buildings that contain retail, residential, and office uses.

      2.   Create a synergy of uses within the West Downtown District to support economic development and redevelopment in accordance with the recommendations of the Master Plan.

      3.   Minimize traffic congestion, inefficient surface parking lots, infrastructure costs and environmental impacts by promoting a compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly district.

      4.   Regulate building height and placement to achieve appropriate scale along streetscapes and ensure proper transition to nearby residential neighborhoods.

      5.   Establish clear controls on building form and placement to frame a well-defined public realm comprised of human-scale streets, neighborhoods and public spaces, all of which contribute to creating a safe, comfortable and livable environment.

      6.   Emphasize placemaking - physical form and character - with a secondary focus on land uses.

   C.   Applicability.

      1.   The West Downtown District is hereby established on the Official Zoning Map, as amended.

      2.   All provisions of the Zoning Ordinance not addressed by the provisions of the West Downtown District shall be applicable.

      3.   The provisions of the West Downtown District, when in conflict with the other articles of the Zoning Ordinance, shall take precedence.

   D.   Triggers for compliance. For properties located in the West Downtown District, as designated on the Zoning Map, compliance with each component of the district shall apply based on the following table:

Applicability Levels	Height	Siting	Architectural Elements - Fenestration	Architectural Elements - Dooryard and Private Open Space	Architectural Elements - Materials	Uses	Parking - Design	Parking - Location
New Construction	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Expansion of Building Area:
Minor: 0%-38% of building area	X		X		X	X	X
Major: 39% or more of building area	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Changes in Use:
Does not require additional parking or building additions						X
Requires additional parking or expand the parking lot by more than 10% from the approved site plan 1			X	X	X	X	X	X
Expansion of Parking Area
Surface Parking							X	X
Parking Structure	X	X	X	X	X		X	X
Façade Changes			X		X

 

Footnotes:

1.   Not applicable to Public Parking Sector.

   Improvements to nonconforming sites, structures and uses are also subject to review according to Article 3.00 of the Dearborn Zoning Ordinance entitled Nonconformities.

   E.   Regulating map in relation to zoning map.

      1.   The intent of the regulating plan is to identify the desired physical character by sub-district in the downtown through the use of frontage types.

      2.   The West Downtown District Regulating Map, which is hereby adopted, and related regulations of this sections shall control land development within the West Downtown District.

      3.   The Regulating Map divides the West Downtown District into the following Frontage Types:

         (a)   Urban General.

         (b)   Urban Mixed-Use.

         (c)   Mixed Residential.

   F.   Code components.

      1.   For the frontage types designated on the Regulating Map:

         (a)   Building and site development shall comply with the General Provisions of Section 27.03 and Frontage Type standards of Section 27.04;

         (b)   Uses shall comply with the use standards of Section 27.05;

         (c)   Signs shall comply with the standards of Section 27.06; and

         (d)   Parking shall comply with the standards of Section 27.07.

(Ord. No. 19-1634, - -2019; Ord. No. 20-1681, 9-22-2020; Ord. No. 23-1801, 9-26-2023)