05/09/2025

Coastal Solutions Compendium

Natural Features / Sensitive Area Overlay

Coastal natural features such as wetlands, waterbodies, dunes, forests, steep slopes, animal habitats, and fragile ecosystems may be protected in a natural features or sensitive area overlay zone. Natural features overlay zones can include restrictions on activities and construction in sensitive natural areas to reduce vulnerability to damage from human activities.

Why it supports resilience:

Natural features overlay zones help maintain native vegetation, geomorphic features, and soils that can absorb storm surges, reduce flood impacts, and protect development along the coast. Overlay zones can also protect habitat that allows for wildlife migration and connectivity of coastal ecosystems, which can support the long-term resilience of natural systems.

How it is used:

Natural features overlays typically include definitions of protected features, limits of disturbance, mitigation standards, the permitting process, and ongoing maintenance requirements. They may also require buffers of a certain size around protected features.

A natural features / sensitive areas overlay may combine specific protections for coastal floodplains, bluffs, dunes, and other features as designated by the community into a single ordinance. It may also be used in conjunction with permit review of state-designated lands. Where it establishes a setback or buffer requirements, a regular review schedule and procedure is necessary to address changing conditions.

Possible obstacles to implementation:

• Property owners may express concerns about the added maintenance of preserving protected natural features.
• Property owners, and communities too, may have concerns about limiting development potential beyond traditional zoning requirements.
• Cultural preferences may include cultivated lawns or landscaping that does not align with the natural condition of the shoreline.

Example:

City of Grand Haven Sensitive Area (SA) Overlay District

Section 40-422.01: “The City of Grand Haven has a Sensitive Area (SA) Overlay District that covers floodplains, wetlands/streams, dunes/Lake Michigan shoreline, vegetation/habitat, species of concern, and slopes. Land development within a SA Overlay District requires compliance with strict conditions set to protect areas of environmental significance.”

Tasks for implementing this tool: 

• Engage the community about the potential change (see Community Engagement Approaches in Chapter VI).
• Conduct an inventory of the coast using aerial photographs and coastal mapping tools (see Chapter II on How much space does the lake need?) to identify areas most at risk of development, in addition to the location of current structures and potential development parcels.
• Identify and create definitions for the natural features to be protected.
• Using data from your inventory, determine what types of regulations will be most protective of the feature, such as required buffers or mitigation requirements.
• Identify all coastal parcels to be subject to the natural features protection provisions and determine whether to add the requirement as part of an overlay district or general zoning provision that applies to all properties within the municipality.
• Identify where to add the natural features protection provisions. This may be in a chart, or it may warrant a separate section. The advantage of a separate section is that any special requirements for natural features protection may be listed, such as buffer requirements, restoration and mitigation standards and long-term management plans.
• Determine the appropriate review process, either through a site plan or construction permitting.