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A Township Had to Rescind a Decision on Land Splits and Combining
Mary Drier/Mike Kaufman
Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:50:14 EST
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During the Columbia Township Board of Trustees meeting, a lesson on land division laws was provided by the township's Attorney, Brian Garner.
Garner did an overview of the Michigan Land Division Act along with a review of the township's zoning ordinance along with a potential adoption of a Land Division Ordinance.
The Land Division Act establishes the state's minimum requirements for dividing parcels of land, including lot size, access, and approvals.
A Land Division Ordinance, which the township may adopt under Michigan law, allows the township to impose additional local requirements beyond the Land Act, such as more specific lot sizes, access standards, or other conditions tailored to the township's needs.
The board learned that the township's zoning ordinance regulates land use, density, and development within the township.
In addition, that provision works alongside the Land Division Act and any local Land Division Ordinance to ensure compliance with both state law and local zoning standards.
After learning that, the board approved rescinding the Bednarski split that was done on Oct. 21. That action was taken based on the information from Garner.
The change was necessary because the township board did not have the authority to approve land divisions.
The division that was done did not meet state or local land division requirements and needed to be adjusted to comply.
The property in question is located at 2740 Elmwood Rd., Unionville, and involved a parcel combination and subsequent split.
The request to combine parcels into a single 154.26-acre parcel, with a 5-acre split for the existing house and farm buildings, will have to remain under PA-116.
