This chapter has been developed for the purpose of lessening congestion on roads and highways; to secure safety from fire, panic and other danger; to promote health, morals and the general welfare; to provide adequate light and air; to prevent the overcrowding of land; to avoid undue congestion of population; to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks and other requirements and facilities; to provide for a reasonable mix of land uses and a variety of dwelling types; to preserve scenic and historic values, prime agricultural land, natural areas, aquifers and floodplains; to accommodate reasonable overall community growth and to facilitate emergency management operations, airports and national defense facilities.
This chapter has been developed to assist in furthering the long range community development objectives of Independence Township as outlined in the study, Future Growth Outlook and Policy Guidelines, published in 1990. Regional development trends, the status of community infrastructure, local housing conditions, population outlook and other pertinent local and areawide studies and documentation form the basis for these objectives. Specifically, the local community development objectives relate to the following elements:
A. 
Creation and maintenance of orderly development patterns, and the coordination of interrelationships between residential and business areas of the community to provide for functionally distinguishable but complimentary districts.
B. 
Maintenance and improvement of the aesthetic qualities of the community.
C. 
Protection of the natural environmental quality and significant open space features throughout the Township.
D. 
Preservation of viable agricultural pursuits and areas devoted to such purposes.
E. 
Protection of the residential character of the community consistent with the need for a variety of housing types and densities and the ability of the community to expand in an orderly manner.
F. 
Preservation of property values and encouragement of the highest and best use of developable land areas.
G. 
Maintenance and expansion of the municipal economic base.
H. 
Development of accessways, utility systems, municipal services and community facilities consistent with local needs.
I. 
Coordination and cooperation with area and regional development programs and trends that are consistent with the type and quality of growth necessary to achieve the community development objectives of the Township.