Wyoming, MI Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- FBC corridors
- 28th Street, Division Avenue, Burton Street
- Adopted
- Dec. 16, 2013; amended 2016 and 2018
- Precedence
- FBC prevails over conventional zoning in conflict
- Review trigger
- 25% footprint change or 50% value addition
- Facade trigger
- Transparency cut over 50% also triggers review
Summary
Wyoming, Michigan regulates its three commercial corridors, 28th Street, Division Avenue and Burton Street, through a standalone Form Based Code adopted into Chapter 90, Article 11. Sec. 90-1101 sets its purpose as a compact, transit-oriented development pattern built from building-type, frontage-type and thoroughfare standards rather than conventional Euclidean use zoning.
A.The City of Wyoming Form Based Code is intended to support redevelopment in designated Form Based Code Areas in the City of Wyoming through the establishment of building type standards, frontage type standards, and thoroughfare guidelines. The purpose of the Form Based Code is to create a compact, transit-oriented development pattern that fosters multi-modal corridors, mixed-uses, and a diversity of residential development. Designated Form Based Code Areas ... include the following:1.28th Street Corridor. Redevelopment within the 28th Street corridor between Clyde Park and Burlingame Avenues shall adhere to the provisions, standards, and guidelines established in this Form Based Code ... 2.Division Avenue Corridor. Redevelopment within the Division Avenue Corridor between Alger Street and 60th Street shall adhere to the provisions, standards, and guidelines established in this Form Based Code ... 3.Burton Street Corridor. Redevelopment within the Burton Street Corridor between Burlingame Avenue and Clyde Park Avenue shall adhere to the provision, standards, and guidelines established in this Form Based Code ...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Article 11 of the Wyoming Zoning Ordinance, adopted December 16, 2013 and amended August 1, 2016 and June 4, 2018, is the city's Form Based Code (FBC), the corridor design framework for three defined Context Areas rather than the city's B-1/B-2/B-3 conventional business districts. Sec. 90-1101 names the three FBC Areas by boundary: the 28th Street Corridor between Clyde Park and Burlingame Avenues, tied to the Turn On 28th Street Corridor Sub Area Plan; the Division Avenue Corridor between Alger Street and 60th Street, tied to the Rapid's Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit goals; and the Burton Street Corridor between Burlingame Avenue and Clyde Park Avenue.
Rather than regulating land use first, the FBC regulates building form: Division 6 sets Building Type standards for massing, composition and vertical dimension; Division 7 sets Frontage Type standards for the space between the right-of-way and the building; Division 8 sets Thoroughfare guidelines for sidewalks, parkways and travel lanes; and Division 4 sets land use by Context Area. Sec. 90-1102 makes the FBC mandatory, not advisory, for all new development and redevelopment inside its mapped Context Areas, and gives it precedence over the conventional zoning ordinance whenever the two conflict on a property zoned Form Based Code (FBC) on the zoning map.
Sec. 90-1200 triggers FBC compliance for any footprint change of 25 percent or more, any addition costing 50 percent or more of the building's assessed value, or a facade transparency reduction over 50 percent, and bars phased construction designed to dodge those thresholds.
Violations & Fines
Redevelopment inside the 28th Street, Division Avenue or Burton Street Context Areas that skips the required full site plan or sketch plan review under Sec. 90-1201, or phases construction to duck the 25-percent footprint or 50-percent value/transparency thresholds in Sec. 90-1200, is barred from proceeding: Sec. 90-1200 expressly prohibits threshold-avoidance phasing, and the planning commission or chief building official withholds approval until the project undergoes the FBC review it triggers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which parts of Wyoming, MI are governed by the Form Based Code?
Does the Form Based Code override Wyoming's regular zoning ordinance?
What renovation triggers Form Based Code review?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wyoming
Compare Wyoming to another location·View the Michigan zoning overlays & bonuses overview
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