Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Eric Waara speaks at the City Council meeting Monday night. The council approved reorganization of the city’s zoning ordinance.

HOUGHTON — The City Council approved the reorganization of the city’s zoning ordinance at a meeting Monday night.

The ordinance was revamped into eight articles with the intention of making it more user-friendly, according to City Manager Eric Waara.

The changes include:

• updating definitions;

• creating the recently approved R-4 district for redevelopment;

• allowing accessory dwelling units and home-based businesses with special land use permits

• allowing the council to approve higher density and home-based businesses in R-3 (two-family residential district);

• reducing some of the parking requirements for commercial uses;

“We had some really large parking lots that didn’t get filled,” Waara said.

• adding a stormwater management permitting section to site plan review;

• changing use standards to allow the ability to add an accessory dwelling unit within an R-1 district; adding the ability to put a home-based business with special permit; adding a section regarding adult business, on advice of attorney; and updating the ordinance to regard wireless towers.

• amending the sign ordinance. A sandwich board in front of a business can be allowed to advertise a different business within the city with the permission of the owner in front of whose business the sign is. Electronic signs which are permitted within the Tax Increment Financing Authority district, will be allowed to have a stationary message that can change every eight seconds. The previous rule allowed it to be changed three times a day. Banners are prohibited as permanent signage.

• outlining the procedures for initiating special land use permits.

Councilwoman Rachel Lankton and Councilman Buck Foltz thanked the Planning Commission for its work on the revisions.

“Having attended the zoning workshop, I think it’s very important that we do a good job of these things,” Foltz said. “Obviously the Planning Commission did that and it’s going in the right direction.”

‘Councilman Mike Needham, who also sits on the Planning Commission, thanked Clerk Ann Vollrath.

“Not only did she did do a ton of work, but then also sits there tolerating us on the Planning Commission, being very often wishy-washy and indecisive until we finally make a decision,” he said.