Plymouth Township trustees voted 5-2 to slash outdoor play space requirements for child care centers, hoping to lure more daycares to commercial strips like Ann Arbor Road amid a punishing regional shortage of licensed child care. The zoning change replaces a requirement of 500 square feet of outdoor play area per child with a flat 3,000-square-foot minimum for any new center, regardless of how many kids it serves. Trustees Mark Clinton and Sandy Groth cast the two dissenting votes.
Under the old rules, a child care center licensed for 20 children needed 10,000 square feet of outdoor play space, and a center serving 50 kids needed a sprawling 25,000 square feet — figures township officials said scared off developers before they ever broke ground. As reported by MLive.com, Michigan itself only requires a minimum of 1,200 square feet of outdoor play space for centers operating three or more continuous hours a day, and state licensing officials can require more depending on enrollment, but there is no statewide per-child formula. Plymouth Township’s new 3,000-square-foot floor is still more than double that state minimum.
Township attorney Liz Hart said the previous requirement was significantly more restrictive than both state standards and those of surrounding communities, according to the same MLive report. Nearby communities generally follow the state standard or something closer to 100 to 150 square feet per child, the outlet noted. Hart said the amendment strikes an appropriate balance while still preserving substantial outdoor space for kids.
A Regional Shortage Driving the Vote
The push to loosen zoning comes as Wayne County grapples with a severe child care crunch. A 2024 study by Public Policy Associates and IFF found licensed child care capacity in the county can serve only 21% of children under 13, with 89% of zip codes classified as infant and toddler child care deserts. Township leaders have framed the zoning change as one lever to help close that gap by making it easier for centers to open along corridors like Ann Arbor Road…