Birmingham child care ordinance to be updated
By Grace Lovins
Courtesy of a zoning regulations audit provided to Birmingham through a third-party firm, the city has started looking at updating the current childcare regulations, beginning with the planning board discussions on the Wednesday, December 11.
Birmingham planning intern Summer Alred-Arens explained to the board that the city had the opportunity to have the childcare ordinance audited in partnership with McKenna, a planning, design and building firm based in Northville. McKenna received a grant in partnership with W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, allowing the city an audit at no cost.
Per Alred-Arens’ memorandum in the meeting packet, the audit looked at the city’s zoning regulations to determine childcare readiness and identify provisions that may help or hinder child care development. She told the board that most of the changes suggested are due to repetition between the city’s ordinance and state standards, or because the city’s code was more strict than the state’s.
The audit also ensured that the ordinance is compliant with the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act. Both city staff and McKenna provided the board with various recommendations for changes to the ordinance that would meet these goals.
Proposed changes to the language included updating the definitions for family child care home and group child care home, adding standards for the various zoning districts, and categorizing child care homes as an accessory permitted use.
Kicking off discussions, chair Scott Clein and board member Bryan Williams both stated they would not want to move forward with any updates until the city attorney has advised them and the board has been told the legal requirements of the city.
Board members also commented that parts of the ordinance, including the definitions, should reference that state licensure is also a required part of establishing a child care home. Board members Daniel Share and Robin Boyle explained that the board needs to spend more time considering areas where child care homes are appropriate, be it a family child care home or group child care home.
No formal action was taken by the board, and the item will continue to be discussed during a future meeting when the city attorney has had the chance to review the proposed changes.
