1. Purpose and Context
Detroit’s proposed “Let’s Build More Housing” zoning amendment—formally the 6th General Text Amendment (approved by the City Planning Commission on September 3, 2025)—would change how and where new homes can be built across the city.
The proposal would:
- Allow 3- and 4-unit homes by right in R2 neighborhoods (currently limited to duplexes).
- Permit Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—small backyard or attached apartments—in R2 through R6 zones.
- Make multifamily housing by right in B2 and B4 business areas.
- Expand loft and mixed-use housing options in commercial and light-industrial buildings.
- Reduce parking and lot-size requirements to encourage infill housing.
City officials say these changes are meant to increase housing choices, attract new investment, and remove outdated barriers in the zoning code.
This report offers clear, factual information to help Detroiters and City Council understand how the proposal could affect residents’ rights, neighborhood health, and land-use near industry.
2. Resident Rights and Neighborhood Exposure
Detroit’s neighborhoods sit close to long-standing industrial corridors—especially along Conner, Mack, St. Jean, Mt. Elliott, and the southwest side. The proposed changes would make it easier to build new housing in or next to these areas. That creates new opportunities but also new risks.
Reduced Protection from Industrial Impacts
If housing and industry are listed as compatible in the zoning code, residents living near factories, truck yards, or recyclers would have less ability to challenge odors, dust, or noise. When people complain about pollution, companies can point to the zoning map and argue that the use is allowed there—making it harder for the City or the state to act.
Fewer Health Safeguards
State environmental rules—like Michigan’s Air Pollution Control standards—treat homes and schools as “sensitive receptors.” If zoning encourages new housing right next to industry, regulators may assume residents chose to live there and give lower priority to future enforcement or permit limits.
This shift can make it easier for existing industries to renew or expand operations without added review.
Everyday Exposure
People moving into new by-right units along busy truck corridors could experience more diesel exhaust, vibration, and noise. Without environmental or health screening, those risks aren’t measured or reduced before construction begins—putting the cost of exposure on residents instead of operators.
Limited Public Input
Because these new uses would be by right, they skip public hearings and appeals. That means neighbors would not be notified or consulted before projects are approved—removing a step that often identifies flooding, traffic, or pollution concerns early.
3. What the Proposal Changes
Lofts in Industrial Areas (Sec 50-12-159)
Allows residential units inside existing industrial or commercial buildings as conditional uses in M1–M4 zones, and by right in designated overlays.
Effect: Normalizes housing within industrial buildings, limiting future nuisance protection.
By-Right Housing in Business Districts
Adds residential use as by right in B2, B3, and B4 districts—many directly bordering industrial corridors.
Effect: Expands housing potential along freight and manufacturing routes.
Industrial District Updates
M1–M4 continue to allow heavy uses (metalwork, truck terminals, manufacturing) and now permit brewpubs, distilleries, and food processing by right.
Effect: Further mixes industrial and residential activity without new separation standards.
Overlay Expansion
Extends “Traditional Main Street” and “Gateway” overlays into older industrial corridors.
Effect: Moves Detroit from its traditional “separation of uses” model toward “coexistence.”
4. Citywide Environmental and Demographic Findings
Analysis using MiEJScreen 2024 and Detroit property data shows:
- About 42 percent of R2 parcels are within 1,000 feet of an industrial zone or truck route, mostly on the East Side and in Southwest Detroit.
- These tracts rank in the 80th–95th percentile statewide for diesel exhaust and asthma hospitalizations.
- Average poverty rate: 34 percent (citywide ≈ 29 percent); median household income: $27,000 (≈ 16 percent below city average).
- They also show the fastest property-assessment increases (2021–2024) and the highest Detroit Land Bank Authority parcel concentrations—indicators of speculation and displacement pressure.
5. Michigan Law and City Responsibility
Several state laws require Detroit to consider health and safety when it changes zoning:
| Law | Purpose | Why It Matters Now |
|---|---|---|
| NREPA Part 17 (MEPA) | Prevent government actions that cause “unreasonable environmental impairment.” | Allowing new homes next to known pollution sources could violate this principle if impacts rise. |
| Public Health Code §333.2451 | Requires local governments to correct conditions that threaten public health. | More housing near industry means more health complaints for the City to address. |
| Air Pollution Control (Part 55) | Separates emission sources and “sensitive receptors.” | New residential receptors inside industrial buffers make enforcement harder. |
| Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (MZEA) | Requires zoning to promote public health, safety, and welfare. | A review of environmental impacts would help meet this requirement. |
Together, these laws show that Detroit must look at health and cumulative exposure before finalizing major zoning changes.
6. National Examples
Chicago, Illinois (2020 – Hilco Redevelopment)
After Chicago rezoned a former coal-plant site for warehouses, a smokestack implosion blanketed Little Village in dust.
Because the area had been reclassified as “mixed use,” regulators imposed minimal fines.
Residents reported lingering respiratory problems.
Chicago Tribune (2020)
Lesson: Rezoning industrial land without health review can shift liability from polluters to residents.
Houston, Texas (2021 – Union Pacific Creosote Site)
In Houston’s Fifth Ward, a rail-yard released toxic creosote for decades.
After nearby parcels were rezoned for housing, the company argued that new residents had “come to the nuisance,” limiting cleanup liability.
EPA later confirmed elevated cancer rates.
EPA Region 6 Record (2021)
Lesson: Zoning that mixes housing and heavy industry weakens residents’ rights to seek protection later.
Los Angeles, California (2017 – Boyle Heights Corridor)
After LA created its “Clean Up Green Up” zones, some recyclers claimed “non-conforming use” rights to avoid stricter air rules.
Los Angeles Times (2017)
Lesson: Even well-intended reforms can backfire if zoning language gives polluters new loopholes.
Minneapolis, Minnesota (2023 – 2040 Plan Upzoning)
Residents sued, saying the city failed to study environmental effects of its citywide upzoning.
A state court agreed and temporarily stopped the plan.
Star Tribune (2023)
Lesson: Cities must analyze environmental impacts before approving sweeping zoning changes.
Providence, Rhode Island (2022 – Port Expansion)
Zoning that allowed more mixed industrial use near the port increased truck traffic through residential streets.
Residents filed a complaint, and EPA required new mitigation steps.
Providence Journal (2022)
Lesson: Local zoning can trigger federal review when it raises cumulative pollution burdens.
7. What the Data Suggest
Detroit’s proposed ordinance would not rezone industrial land, but it would invite more residential development into areas already affected by heavy use and traffic.
That change could:
- Increase the number of people exposed to diesel and industrial emissions.
- Make it harder to enforce existing pollution rules.
- Raise property values in high-burden areas before affordable housing is built, increasing displacement risk.
These are manageable risks—but only if Council adds tools that recognize them.
8. Policy Recommendations
City Council could strengthen the proposed ordinance before adoption by asking staff to explore the following actions:
- Set a Transition Buffer Standard
Establish a measurable buffer—likely in the 100- to 200-foot range—between new housing and active industry.
Use landscaping, walls, or tree lines to cut noise and diesel exposure. - Add an Environmental-Health Review Step
Require a short checklist for projects within 1,000 feet of industry or major truck routes.
Use data from MiEJScreen, EGLE MiEnviro, and the Detroit Health Department. - Improve Public Notice and Disclosure
Require developers converting industrial buildings to homes to notify residents of nearby emission sources and truck activity. - Pair Up-Zoning With Stability Measures
Expand homeowner and renter protections through HOPE, PAYS, and Right-to-Counsel support in rezoned districts. - Map Long-Term Transition Corridors
Direct the Planning & Development Department to study where residential and industrial uses overlap most and recommend permanent buffer zones in the next Master Plan update.
These are policy directions, not drafted ordinance text.
They give Council a clear path to balance housing growth with health and neighborhood quality.
9. Conclusion
Detroit is updating its zoning for the first time in decades. The goal—more housing and simpler rules—is widely shared. But when new homes move closer to long-standing industry, the City must protect people’s right to clean air, quiet homes, and stable neighborhoods.
By adding clear buffers, short health reviews, and transparency measures now, City Council can make sure the Let’s Build More Housing ordinance delivers on both sides of its promise: more homes —and healthier, safer neighborhoods—for everyone.