The State of Michigan enables municipalities to enact a Zoning Ordinance.  A Zoning Ordinance typically regulates land use, building size and placement, parking, landscaping, and parcel size. These regulations, using “zones” to allow different uses and buildings in different places, define how each individual property within the City may be developed or redeveloped.

Berkley is in a prime location in the southeastern Michigan region, located within a half-hour driving distance of downtown Detroit as well as many other job centers and cultural amenities in the region. In a 2020 survey conducted as part of this process, almost 75% of respondents chose the city’s location in the region as one of the things they like best about Berkley. 

The vision, mission and values of this Master Plan are the guiding ideas for future land use and other related policy decisions for the City of Berkley. These statements were developed in conjunction with the Master Plan Steering Committee and the Planning Commission, with input from the public. They should be used by the Planning Commission, City Council, and other City bodies in their deliberations on zoning, subdivision, capital improvements and matters related to land use and development.

The Future Land Use Plan implements the Vision and Values of Berkley, by designating specific areas of the City for anticipated land uses and functions. This chapter contains an explanation of the difference between planning and zoning, the Future Land Use
Map, and a description of the why, what, where and how of each future land use category. 

The Master Plan looks holistically at single-family residential areas as neighborhoods, recognizing houses as the main land use while other land uses (parks, places of worship and schools) and infrastructure (sidewalks, streets, water and sewer systems) contribute to the vibrancy and values of homes. This chapter contains principles for neighborhoods, appropriate land uses and how the values of Berkley apply to neighborhoods.

Respondents to the 2020 Survey indicate a strong desire for commercial, entertainment,
and mixed uses on Berkley corridors but often physical constraints, from street layouts to parcel depths, have constrained redevelopment of these corridors. This chapter lays out steps for corridors overall and in particular how they can become lively, vibrant places. 

Systems run through the City of Berkley transporting people, energy, water and waste.
Public buildings, parks, roads and streets, and infrastructure systems should be designed, built and maintained using principles and methods that protect and enhance the quality of life in Berkley by minimizing energy consumption and environmental pollution. This chapter lays out actions to create sustainable infrastructure, energy, transportation and natural resource systems in Berkley

Steps to implement the Master Plan are summarized in the Implementation Matrix on the following pages. 

The Implementation Matrix should be used for the following functions:

• Annual Municipal Budget
• Capital Improvement Plan
• Annual Planning Commission Report
• Planning Commission Work Plan
• Community Development Department Work Plan
• Master Plan Update in 2026

As part of the Berkley Master Plan update, an electronic survey was made available throughout May 2020. Paper surveys were mailed or delivered to City residents upon request. The survey was developed by City staff and Carlisle Wortman Associates, the planning consultant engaged to assist in the Master Plan update, with guidance from the Master Plan Steering Committee and the Planning Commission. 

The report includes a written analysis for each section of the survey with statistics from the multiple-choice questions and highlights from the open-ended questions. A verbatim report of the open-ended responses has been provided to City staff and is available upon request. Each section includes charts or tables with data from the multiple-choice questions and word clouds from open-ended questions.

In addition to the community-wide survey, the appendix section includes:

• Master Plan Open House Presentation
• Berkley Corridor Expansion Survey
• Berkley Housing Types Survey
• 2019 Community 360 Metrics Report
• Guidelines and best practices for planning and design derived from documented Master Plan Steering Committee input activities