(A) Zoning permit required. The issuance of a zoning permit signifies compliance with the requirements of this chapter. A zoning permit must be obtained from the Zoning Administrator before any of the following activities may legally take place.
(1) Occupancy and use of vacant land (including parking lot construction).
(2) Any change in the use of a parcel of land or a building, including any construction or structural alteration of a building that requires issuance of a building permit by the Huron County Building and Zoning Office. (A zoning permit must be obtained before a building permit may be issued.) When erected at the same time as the principal building, accessory buildings shall not require a separate zoning permit.
(3) Any use of land or a building that would be identified as a use by special use permit in the district regulations.
(4) Any change of a nonconforming use or building.
(B) Application for zoning permit. Application for a zoning permit shall be made prior to construction of a new or enlarged building or structure, or a new or enlarged use of a parcel, is intended to begin. Form and content of the application package shall be as specified by the following material.
(1) Application form. Applicants for a zoning permit shall submit a zoning application form with all requested information completely filled in.
(2) Property information. The zoning application form must be accompanied by a copy of a property survey, deed or tax records sufficient to allow identification of the parcel in the Village Assessor's property maps. When the applicant is anyone other than the property owner identified by the Assessor's records, evidence of the owner's concurrence or a change in ownership must also be submitted.
(3) Plot plan. The zoning application form must also be accompanied by a plot plan drawn at size and scale sufficient to clearly identify the exact dimensions of the parcel, all abutting streets, alleys or easements, and the size, position and height of all existing and proposed buildings or structures thereon. The Zoning Administrator may also require any other information deemed necessary for the proper enforcement of this chapter.
(C) Application review process. On submission of an application for a zoning permit, the Zoning Administrator will review the application material as described by Table 12 - Review Process that accompanies this subchapter. Whenever possible, it is desirable for this review to be conducted with the applicant present to facilitate any necessary explanation. If all requirements have been met, the Zoning Administrator shall issue a zoning permit. When failure to meet any standard prohibits issuance of a permit, the problem shall be identified and the applicant advised of their options, based on the information in the Review Process Table. In all cases, a full review shall be conducted to identify all potential obstacles to issuance of a zoning permit. The review will address each question identified by the Review Process Table in order, moving through each column in the question from left to right.
(D) Record maintained. The Zoning Administrator shall keep a record of each application for a zoning permit which has been submitted, including the disposition of each one. This record shall be a public record, open for inspection upon request.
(E) Validity of zoning permit. A zoning permit remains in effect for a period of one year from the date it is issued. By that time, the activity authorized by the zoning permit must have begun. This means that any use of land or of an existing building must be underway, or a building permit for any new construction must have been issued and construction commenced. The validity of a zoning permit may be extended by the Zoning Administrator not more than one time, for a period not to exceed one additional year. Said extension must be requested in writing by the permit holder before the expiration of the initial permit period.
(F) Voiding of zoning permit. If the permit holder fails to initiate the activity authorized by the zoning permit by the end of the one year extension, the zoning permit is automatically null and void. Any additional rights associated with the zoning permit which have been granted by the Planning Commission or the Zoning Board of Appeals, such as special use permits or variances, expire together with the zoning permit.
(G) Performance guarantee. Any performance guarantee shall be refunded to the permit holder unless the failure to initiate activity has resulted in costs to the village which were to be covered by the guarantee. If any amount of the guarantee remains after said costs are satisfied, the balance of the guarantee shall be released and returned to the permit holder.
(H) Reissuance. Reissuance of a zoning permit which has expired requires a new zoning application form to be filed with the Zoning Administrator and processed without consideration of any previous action.
(Ord. passed 11-16-2020)