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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 2015-04-21 ' r MINUTES OF THE 1,070TH PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETING HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA On Tuesday, April 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission of the City of Livonia held its 1,070th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting in the Livonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan Mr Lee Morrow, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7 00 p m. Members present. Scott P Bahr Kathleen McIntyre R. Lee Morrow Carol A Smiley Gerald Taylor Ian Wilshaw Members absent None Mr Mark Taormina, Planning Director, and Ms Margie Watson, Program Supervisor, were also present Chairman Morrow informed the audience that if a petition on tonight's agenda involves a rezoning request, this Commission makes a recommendation to the City Council who, in turn, will hold its own public hearing and make the final determination as to whether a petition is approved or denied The Planning Commission holds the only public hearing on a request for preliminary plat and/or vacating petition The Commission's recommendation is forwarded to the City Council for the final determination as to whether a plat is accepted or rejected If a petition requesting a waiver of use or site plan approval is denied tonight, the petitioner has ten days in which to appeal the decision, in writing, to the City Council Resolutions adopted by the City Planning Commission become effective seven (7) days after the date of adoption The Planning Commission and the professional staff have reviewed each of these petitions upon their filing The staff has furnished the Commission with both approving and denying resolutions, which the Commission may, or may not, use depending on the outcome of the proceedings tonight ITEM #1 PETITION 2015-03-01-02 TRINITY HEALTH t U-' CJ;} 9QIs Smiley, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petition 2015-03- 01-02 submitted byTrinityHealth-Michigan, d/b/a St Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital, pursuant to Section 23.01 of the City of Livonia ZoningOrdinance #543, as amended, requesting to q g ` =>> rezone land adjacent to the south end of the hospital at 36475 o✓ Five Mile Road, located on the west side of Levan Road N between Five Mile Road and Schoolcraft Road in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 20, from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) to PO I (High Rise Professional Office) Apnl21, 2015 26804 Mr Taormina This is a request to rezone certain property that is located adjacent to St Mary Mercy Hospital The request for rezoning involves two parcels of land that are illustrated on the overhead It was in 2010 that the hospital received site plan approval to undertake a major expansion and renovation improvements to the facility that added over 150,000 square feet to the hospital Last year, approvals were granted to make significant improvements involving the hospital's parking lots and circulation system, much of which has already been accomplished This included a complete revamping and reconfiguration of most of the existing parking lots, along with relocating certain driveways and drive aisles to improve access The improvements included moving the south drive off Levan and creating a new Campus Ring Road The new road will provide direct access to the emergency center as well as a main visitor's parking lot and a newly created staff parking lot that is located in the southwest corner of the site. In order to accommodate the new Campus Ring Road and expanded staff parking, these two small sections located in the southwest corner of the hospital's property would need to be rezoned These changes essentially "square-off" the zoning of the hospital's property, and allow the areas in question to be developed in accordance with the approved plans Together, the two parcels form somewhat of an L-shaped area that encompasses roughly 2 18 acres and measures 325 feet along the southern edge by approximately 529 feet along the western edge The request is to rezone the property from its current classification of RUF (Rural Urban Farm) to PO I (High Rise Professional Office) The proposed rezoning is supported by the Future Land Use Plan With that, Mr Chairman, I can read out the one item of correspondence Mr Morrow Yes, please Mr Taormina There is one item of correspondence from the Engineering Division, dated March 27, 2015, which reads as follows "In accordance with your request, the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced planning petition We have no objections to the proposed rezoning petition at this time The addresses of #36475 Five Mile Road is correct for the subject parcel, and should be used in connection with this petition The legal description included with the petition appears to be correct and is acceptable to this department The plans submitted with the petition do not give any indications of changes to the existing building or utilities, so we cannot comment on any impacts to the existing systems at this time Pnor to construction, site plans will need to be submitted to this department to determine if Engineenng Department permits will be required " The letter is signed by David W Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer April21, 2015 26805 Mr Morrow Is the petitioner here this evening'? We will need your name and address for the record please Steve VanBrussel, St Mary Mercy Hospital, Director of Planning, Design & Construction, 36475 Five Mile Road, Livonia, Michigan 48154 Good evening Mr Morrow. Thank you You've heard Mr Taormina's presentation Is there anything you want to add or comment on? Mr VanBrussel No I'm here to answer any questions As Mr. Taormina said, it's to continue the Ring Road and provide about 20 additional staff parking spots on that corner of our campus I'm here to answer any questions you may have Mr Morrow We'll see if the Commission has any questions Any questions'? Mr Bahr Just to be clear, so there's no changes being made to the plan that we approved previously'? Correct'? Mr VanBrussel No Mr Bahr Okay Just zoning Okay Thanks Mr Wilshaw The existing property is fairly heavily wooded I believe we talked about this at our study meeting, but is there a wetlands in play and have permits and other items from the DEQ been secured'? Mr VanBrussel Yes It's mostly wetlands and mostly woods Our permits are in place We received those from the State, from the DEQ We're disturbing less than a third of an acre The rest of it is going to remain wetlands and trees, as is Mr Wilshaw Okay. So you've worked all those details out Mr VanBrussel Yes Mr Wilshaw Alright. Excellent Thank you Mr Morrow Anyone else'? We have no more questions I'm going to go to the audience Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition'? Please come forward to one of the two podiums We'll need your name and address for the record April21, 2015 26806 Randall Bachman, 36284 Meadowbrook, Livonia, Michigan We're in the sub right across the street from where there is now the exit to the hospital pulling into our sub We were wondering if, personally, is there anything, any study or any look at the impact of this additional traffic? I mean, we've had problems with traffic issues since that project is complete Now you're talking about putting in a high rise building there with the main entrance and exit to that building and the hospital going in directly across from our subdivision. And right now, we're having traffic problems the way it is So I'm wondering has anybody looked at what happens when you expand and there's even more traffic pulling in and out? Mr Morrow Well, the Planning Director can correct me, but there are no changes to the site plan that was approved All they're doing is putting these two parcels in the zoning of the overall site There are no additional changes It's only to accommodate the new Ring Road that was already approved Mr Bachman- Yes, I understand that's been approved, but since that's been put in, there's been a dramatic change in the traffic pattern Now you're talking about expanding and when we went to the other commission, the Traffic Commission, it was, oh, too late Nothing can be done Then we get in the mail that, oh, no, now we're going to put an office building there, and Mr Morrow It's already there Mr Bachman That high rise is already there? Mr Morrow Yes It's being developed This is just zoning to accommodate a road and put it in the same classification as the overall site Mr Bahr Mr Chair, can I just clarify one thing I think where the confusion is, you're thinking there's a new high rise building going in There is no new high rise building going in. There is no new construction from what is there already It's kind of a housekeeping item to make sure that the zoning matches up with what their site plan already is Currently, they have a site plan that is set up for high rise, which is the hospital which is already there, and this one little portion of that property is zoned as Rural Urban Farm So it's a housekeeping item just to get the zoning to be consistent There is no new building going in So I think that's the nature of your question, and I just wanted to clarify it Mr Bachman The letter we received, it said for a change in the zoning ordinance for a high rise April 21, 2015 26807 Mr Morrow No It should have been Ring Road Is that correct? Ms McIntyre Mr Chair, the confusion may be that to Scott's point and the Chairman's point, that the zoning will be known as High Rise Professional Office only to be consistent with the entire campus There is no building going on there This is just to allow for construction of a road that goes all the way around the entire property It's being zoned as that to make it consistent with the rest of the property There's no new construction or high rise going in on that site It's confusing because of the zoning designation as High Rise Office There is no high rise office going in there Mr Bachman I mean, that's why we're here We got this letter and all of a sudden it looked like it was being rezoned to authorize building there Ms McIntyre The zoning says that, but there is no new construction approved there. Mr Morrow Whatever they're going to build is already there, and this is just to finish up Mr Bachman That clarifies it for me I'm just saying the letter I got, it looked like all of a sudden Mr Morrow We can understand why you were confused No change Mr Bachman Alright Thank you Mr Morrow What you see is what you got now Ms McIntyre It is confusing if you received the letter Caren Bachman, 36824 Meadowbrook, Livonia, Michigan Is that building already occupied? Mr Morrow Yes, it's up Ms McIntyre There is no building Mr. Morrow Nothing is going to be built on that except the road is going to go over it That's already been approved Mrs Bachman So this ring around road is still going to empty out into the current April21, 2015 26808 Mr Morrow Yes This is just strictly zoning It's nothing to do with any type of construction Mrs Bachman So it's still coming out into across from our street? Mr Morrow It already is, as far as I know Mrs Bachman We will continue on with the traffic council on that one then Thank you Dave Bugnell, 36314 Meadowbrook, Livonia, Michigan First of all, go back to the map where it shows the parking lot and stuff That's wrong They show the entrance coming between Jamison and Meadowbrook Now that's already been changed, that it's right across from Meadowbrook So, if that's okay to do that, why did they put it across the street? We never got any letter saying, they're moving the parking lot entrance across from our street That's how it is. It's between the streets. So now they've got one right across, and it's just so hard coming in and out of that street For one, the map is wrong But we never got nothing saying they're changing this parking lot Mr Morrow I this an old aerial photo'? Mr Bugnell This was changed last year Mr Morrow It's an old aerial photo. We put it up there to show where the parcels are that we're acting on tonight There's been changes to the site Mr Bugnell When they did change it, we never got no letter saying they we're changing that parking lot entrance Mr Morrow The site plan went through the approval process The City Council approved it and it came through here Mr Bugnell Oh, but it never came to any of the Mr Morrow Apparently, you folks didn't get the word or something Mr Bugnell Apparently not It's really hard getting in and out with everybody coming that way, and like he said before, we thought they were going to put a building there so that it would just increase it Now are they adding a driveway all the way around to Five Mile? Mr Morrow Yes April 21, 2015 26809 Mr Bugnell There's going to be another entrance or exit there Mr Morrow It's known as a ring road Mr Bugnell All the way around Right Okay So as far as the traffic is concerned, we have to go back to Mr Morrow Mark, is that road in now'? Mr Taormina No, not fully Mr Morrow So it will eventually be built Mr Bugnell So for any traffic problems, we have to go back to the Traffic Commission? Which we did They said that they're going to improve Levan Road or something like that It just seemed real funny that they would make that entrance a main entrance It's to emergency and ambulance and everything, right across from a street They don't do that If you look at how it is or how it was or in a lot of places, you know, I don't know if they can change that or not, but that's what we were concerned about You can't turn left People are coming right on you They're in the wrong lane coming towards you turning into that hospital It's getting real bad, but that has nothing to do with this Mr Morrow That's exactly right Thank you for your input Tracey Morlewski, 36131 Meadowbrook, Livonia, Michigan. Just a question Is it a normal zoning to actually zone a parking lot as a high rise? Is that a normal protocol'? Mr Morrow It's just putting the site in one zoning classification rather than put some other classification The overall site, except for that L- shape, is all in the high rise zoning It's just going to be uniform throughout Ms Morlewski So a parking lot as a high rise structure'? Mr Morrow Well, a parking lot can go in that zoning It doesn't have to be designated as parking Ms Morlewski So that's not setting it up for something that can happen in the future as far as an actual building'? Mr. Morrow No Ms Morlewski Or would we get another letter if something is to be changed? April 21, 2015 26810 Mr Morrow. As one Commissioner pointed out, most of that site is all wetlands anyway It's not even large enough to build anything Ms Morlewski Okay Well, I know that when I moved there, it was easy to get in and out of that sub, and now, honestly, it's like committing suicide You go at 7 00, just go ahead and drive down our road and try and get out before the 7 00 nurses come in It's absolutely nuts That's all I have to say Mr Morrow We appreciate it Thank you Mr Taylor Mr Chairman, if it would make the citizens happy, maybe the representative from the hospital could get up and explain that there's not going to be any building there I mean it's kind of not clear yet Mr VanBrussel Absolutely, I don't mind I can't state enough that we have no plan to put a building on that small little parcel It's mostly wetlands It's financially prohibitive for us to do anything other than what we're doing there If I could go on to address the traffic thing We're committed to and we did do some traffic studies last fall prior to this work We're committed with the City and Engineering Department to revisit those studies when our Ring Road is complete We're not intending to leave this as a problem with the neighboring residents If there's a problem, we're committed to work with the City to understand what the issues are and come up with a solution, whether it's the left hand turn lanes, traffic lights - we're committed to address it Part of our issue is, our traffic patterns have changed so much with this new plan, we really have had a difficult time predicting how the traffic flows are really going to settle out between Five and Levan We know it's not great I guess we're asking for a little bit more patience for us to finish the parking project Let our traffic patterns settle in We'll revisit the study and sit down with the City and figure out what to do if there's still an issue Mr Morrow I'm glad you brought that up because the residents know that a lot of the comments they gave tonight you heard, and there will be a traffic study and see if there any way you can mitigate any of their problems Mr VanBrussel Absolutely Mr Morrow Thank you very much Mr VanBrussel. Thank you. April21, 2015 26811 Mr Morrow So if there is no one to come forward, I will close the public hearing and ask for a motion Mr Wilshaw Based on my experience, especially going to other hospital facilities around the area, a ring road around a hospital is general a safer, smarter way of managing traffic on the property because when people are going to hospitals, they often are confused or they're panicked They are trying to find their way around and when there are multiple exits onto Levan Road and Five Mile and other roads, it becomes more difficult for those people and then end up becoming more of a traffic hazard If you get them onto the property and then you have good signage, that makes it clear where they can go within the property to get to either the emergency room or to outpatient care or to visiting Then that means there's going to be less traffic on those major roads right near the hospital because you're getting them onto the property and off those major roads With that, I'm going to offer an approving resolution On a motion by Bahr, seconded by McIntyre, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-18-2015 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the City Planning Commission on April 21, 2015, on Petition 2015-03-01-02 submitted by Trinity Health-Michigan, d/b/a St Mary Mercy Livonia Hospital, pursuant to Section 23 01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone land adjacent to the south end of the hospital at 36475 Five Mile Road, located on the west side of Levan Road between Five Mile Road and Schoolcraft Road in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 20, from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) to PO I (High Rise Professional Office), the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-03-01-02 be approved for the following reasons 1 That the proposed change of zoning is compatible to and in harmony with the surrounding zoning districts and land uses in the area, 2 That the proposed change of zoning would allow the areas in question to be developed in accordance with a previously approved site plan, and 3 That the proposed change of zoning is supported by the Future Land Use Plan which recommends Community Service in this area April21, 2015 26812 FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of the above hearing was given in accordance with the provisions of Section 23 05 of Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution Thank you for coming tonight. Good luck ITEM #2 PETITION 2015-03-01-03 LEO SOAVE Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015- 03-01-03 submitted by Leo Soave, pursuant to Section 23 01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone the properties at 35652, 35700, 35800 and 35850 Ann Arbor Trail, located on the north side of Ann Arbor Trail between Wayne Road and Newburgh Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 32, from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) and C-1 (Local Business) to R-1 (One Family Residential - 60' x 120' Lots) Mr Taormina This is a request to rezone four properties that are contiguous to one another They are located on the north side of Ann Arbor Trail approximately one half mile west of Wayne Road The zoning would change from the current classifications of RUF, Rural Urban Farm, and C-1, Local Business, to R-1, One Family Residential The easterly two parcels, 35652 and 35700 Ann Arbor Trail, are both zoned RUF They measure roughly 390 feet in combined frontage along Ann Arbor Trail and have an average depth of 340 feet The area involved in that part of the land is slightly over 3 acres. The middle parcel, 35800 Ann Arbor Trail, is zoned C-1, Local Business, and that parcel measures roughly 1 85 acres The smallest of the four properties, 35850 Ann Arbor Trail, is also zoned C-1 It has 60 feet of frontage and measures roughly 0 10 acre in size When we look at all four of these parcels, we're looking at about 716 feet of road frontage and a total land area of slightly over 5 acres The surrounding area includes, to the west, Parkway Condominiums, which is zoned R-7, Multiple Family Residential These are attached condominium units To the east is Arbor Woods Condominiums, zoned R-C, Condominium Residential, which are also attached residential homes South across Ann Arbor Trail are single family homes under the R-1 and RUF zoning classifications, and to the north is unimproved land that is part of the Wayne County park system commonly referred to as Edward Hines Park, zoned PL, Public Land The C-1 zoning reflects the fact that one April21, 2015 26813 of the previous uses of the land did involve the operation of a nursery The reason for the rezoning is to change it to R-1 That would allow for development of the properties with single family homes If this site is developed conventionally, the R-1 minimum lot size is 7,200 square feet and the minimum lot dimensions would have to be 60 feet by 120 feet. Alternatively, where certain conditions are met, the City can approve a special waiver use pursuant to Section 20 02A of the Zoning Ordinance and that would allow for reduced lot size and yard requirements but maintains an overall density that is consistent with the R-1 conventional design standards This form of development is commonly referred to as Single Family Clustering, and it has been done in several instances throughout the City To qualify for clustering, the land area must possess unique characteristics that make developing under conventional standards impractical In this case, the shallow depth of the parcel would make conventional platting difficult Using the cluster option in the R-1 zone would limit the overall density to four dwelling units per acre The developer has submitted a conceptual plan which shows how the site might be developed if this rezoning moves forward It shows a total of 20 lots and a density of exactly four dwelling units per acres The Future Land Use Plan does show the area as Medium Density Residential, and this conceptual plan is completely consist with the Future Land Use Plan With that, Mr Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence Mr Morrow Yes, please Mr Taormina There are two items of correspondence The first letter is from the Engineering Division, dated March 30, 2015, which reads as follows "In accordance with your request, the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced planning petition We have no objections to the proposed rezoning petition at this time, although we do have the following comments which should be addressed pnor to approval It appears that the petitioner may be using outdated parcel and legal description information for the proposed re-zoning In 2012, parcel 128-99-0012-002 (#35700 Ann Arbor Trail) was split into two separate parcels, 128-99-0012-003 and 128-99-0012-004 (#35700 and #35652 Ann Arbor Trail respectively) The submitted plan and legal descriptions included with the petition should be corrected to reflect the current parcel and nght-of-way configuration The addresses of #35700, 35800 and 35850 Ann Arbor Trail are correct for three of the subject parcels The petitioner will need to add the parcel address of 35652 Ann Arbor Trail as well to account for prior lot split The plans submitted with the petition do not show proposed utility connections, so we are unable to April21, 2015 26814 comment on any impacts to the existing systems at this time We have had discussions with the owner regarding the availability of public utilities to the site, and pnor to construction, site plans will need to be submitted to this department to for approval and permitting " The letter is signed by David W Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer We have an email communication that was sent to the Planning Department on April 7, 2015, which reads as follow. "To whom it may concern We are residents at 35855 Ann Arbor Trail May it be known that we have received a letter of the petition for re-zoning these properties 35700, 35800 and 35850 to R-1 At this time, we would like it made known that we are for the re-zoning, and looking forward to the type of neighbors that single family dwellings will bnng into the neighborhood We are presently out of the area However, we can be contacted via phone at 734- 536-3901 or 734-427-8453 or via e-mail at radatzjs@att net " That letter is signed by James D and Susan M Radatz That is the extent of the correspondence Mr Morrow Any questions of the Planning Director'? Seeing none, would the petitioner come forward'? We'll need your name and address for the record please Enrico Soave, 37771 Seven Mile Road, Livonia, Michigan 48152 Good evening, everyone I'm here on behalf of the petitioner Mr Morrow Thank you You've heard the presentation so far Is there anything you'd like to add to it? Mr Soave Thank you, Mark, for a great presentation He was quite thorough. The only thing I may add to the conversation is, as Mark indicated, we are requesting four units per acre, density- wise The condominium to the west is comprised of approximately 13 units per acre and Arbor Woods to the east is approximately 6 units per acre So the density we're asking for is less than the adjacent condominiums Mr Morrow Thank you Anything else? Mr Soave Nothing further, but I would like to answer any questions you have Mr Morrow We'll see if the Commission has any Any questions of the petitioner'? Seeing no one, we'll say standby We might have to talk to you again I'm going to go to the audience now, and before I ask you to come forward, I want to you understand that this is strictly zoning We're not here to develop any type of a site plan tonight We will have a little bit of input as to what he is April21, 2015 26815 planning on there, but it is nothing final If the zoning gets approved, they will have to come back through with an approved site plan, which includes landscaping, the roads and everything So tonight, we're trying to determine if this residential zoning is in keeping with surrounding property With that, is there anyone who wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition? Please come to one of the two podiums, and we will need your name and address for the record please If you could come down and sit in close proximity to the podium, it will make things proceed a little bit quicker Ms Davos, 35675 Ann Arbor Trail, Livonia, Michigan. My concern is, one of the reasons that anchored me into this city was the fact that this beautiful city has RUF zoned properties For eight years, it was my dream to either obtain one or live in close proximity because that's what I like for my future and for my children's future I would never have purchased this property if I had known that that's what was going to happen on that land there I hope that the city, when it was available for sale, would have seized the opportunity to obtain that land and perhaps turn it into a community garden or even something that would generate revenue for a nominal fee or a donation to have a beautiful garden there My concern for the neighbors that aren't going to speak up, I have neighbors that are moving that have voiced their opinion to me, but it's not going to do anybody any good if they don't come here I'm also speaking for the wildlife that I've seen ran down in the road because they have nowhere to go What are we doing with our future and our children's future'? The future is urban homesteading and soon we're going to have nowhere to do that If I had the money, I would have purchased those properties This beautiful city that has anchored me here, that is surpassing to any city in my heart in Michigan This is the reason for my ancestors to have the land to answer for that We are paving paradise left and right I'm just one person. I'm also concerned about traffic When we moved into this home, our automobile insurance went up If that's the current way it is now, I'm only seeing that a lot more houses is going to be a problem Lastly, I also have chronicled how many people that I see on a daily basis for less than a year, that use this road, this beautiful road to exercise The old and the young, constantly daily, they are walking They are riding And I think that is something that reflects very well on the city because we care about our residents here and we love this place and fitness is something that is an issue around the globe So but for right now, I also think that if the city would just, I implore you, if you have the opportunity to take this property and to stop this from being zoned to maybe even become condominiums there I really, really would like you to do that. Even if you put in a state-of-the- April21, 2015 26816 art exercise, something like that, the wildlife would still be able to be there as well Thank you Mr Morrow Did you say you'd like to see condominiums there'? Ms Dajos No I says I would not like to see condominiums there Anything but that Mr Morrow I wasn't sure what you said I didn't think you said that Ms Dajos I just think it's beautiful I think the former owner did a really good job it being there I really think maybe if a lot more thought had gone into the other possibilities besides cramming everything And I'm looking around and I'm wondering when that time comes and I want to purchase something, where am I going to go'? I'm looking also at studies on the future of gardening and the future of how we're getting our food. And soon enough, we're not going to have the land for it And I don't like that That's not a future I want to live in, and this city had that I looked and I did my research and my demographics on a lot of the cities in Southeastern Michigan and that was one of the reasons It was just one of the reasons because this city is so beautiful And I don't wish to step on anyone's toes I know I'm just one person but one small little creature can make a big difference Thank you Mr Morrow We certainly appreciate your time and input Yes, sir Larry Massa, 35558 Ann Arbor Trail, Livonia, Michigan Representing the Arbor Woods Condos There are at least four other owners here I'm on the Board There are some very basic issues that maybe might fit the description you were talking about, you didn't want to talk about, but there is some stuff that is very basic These diagram maps don't do the issue justice If you look at the base thing, you see the east west center road kind of like a dog bone, has on either end like a dog bone "T" that's kind of a turnaround and parking thing Those headlights coming down those roads into some of our units that are probably 30 feet away from that, that is a problem And sure, that needs to be addressed The reason I raise it is, if you wait until you're way down the road, I think that T-bone thing needs to be moved west There is a green area shown on the north and south side, but there is no green zone in the center because that's where the concrete is I'm saying you move that over. Maybe it might cost you a unit #14, but you're going to lose some in there anyway because of your 60 foot lot business But anyway, that is a very basic issue that has to be addressed very quickly or soon because it affects how many you can put in there That is really a basic issue The April 21, 2015 26817 other thing, somebody mentioned traffic and turning. I don't know whether there's a provision to widen the roads at the entranceways, but there certainly needs to be because we have great difficulty getting into our driveways and out of them with the traffic So you're going to have that same situation We are very interested in some of the construction details as to how they're going to operate We certainly don't want all the construction trucks coming in across the east side and putting all that dirt and dust up into those units because these units are very, very close to that eastern boundary line A couple basic questions These are houses, not condos Are they one-story or are they two-story? Mr Morrow That has not been determined tonight That will be determined later on Mr Massa. Like I said, the vehicle lighting, that main road, the open spaces, we assume will be reasons to keep the construction dirt out of the units Again, we're 50 feet or less from there Also, questioning basic water and sewer. We've had difficulties this last year You go down Ann Arbor Trail now, you'll see two, three or four places where they've had to come in and dig up the mains So that needs to be addressed and there needs to be turning lanes and that kind of stuff Basically, unless my co- owners have something they wish me to address, I think I'm pretty much done Mr Morrow. The petitioner is here tonight, and I'm sure he's apprised of some of your concerns This will be addressed at a later time Mr Massa We don't want to get a notice that says, okay, now we're before the City Council and we look at the same kind of situation I'm talking about now Mr Morrow No, this is good He has the input prior to that Mr Massa Do you need documentation'? Do you suggest that we put these issues as well as some of the other nifty gritty execution things in writing? Mr Morrow This will go to the City Council. Your comments tonight are becoming a matter of the public records which the Council will be able to review and they will make the ultimate decision and you will have an opportunity to express these same thoughts before the City Council at their public hearing Mr Massa Anything else'? Are these going to be 60 foot? April 21, 2015 26818 Mr Morrow We haven't seen it He will come up with a plan showing the size of the lots and how they're configured This is strictly zoning This will come at a later meeting Mr. Massa We will be greatly disappointed if we have to come back here in a few months and find out that all of the detail planning is based on not moving the end of the road Mr Morrow Well, he's got the input so he will have that thought. Mr Taylor Mr Chairman, if I may, we're talking about zoning as the Chairman mentioned It takes about three months roughly for a parcel to be rezoned Our recommendation will go from this Board to the City Council The Council has to give it a First Reading and a Second Reading Normally, they don't give it Second Reading until they have a site plan to look at So the input from the neighbors is very important to them, and all the questions you've asked are very good and important, but this is not the time to do it When you get a site plan, and by the way, you have an excellent builder who has built a lot in Livonia, and he does listen to the neighbors and he's very conscientious about how he builds and keeps everything clean So just for your information and how I know him Mr Massa We have not mentioned it until now, though We basically support the rezoning The basic premise of what he's trying to do, we support that Mr Morrow Your comments are part of the record and the petitioner has heard them so he can address those when he's developing his plan We don't know what it's going to be, but it will come back Thank you Denise Semon, 36062 Ann Arbor Road, Livonia, Michigan I live at Parkway Condominiums and I'm also representing some other co-owners as well as the president of our condo association I'm wondering if you'd be able to switch to the other screen where it shows the actual blueprint Mr Morrow You mean the conceptual plan? Ms Semon Yes, switch that I want to let you know first off we certainly welcome this development because not only will it make a better way for this property, but it will enhance both condominium complexes on each side. We just have a couple concerns as the developer mentioned in ratio to condominiums or sites You mentioned that Parkway Condominiums has 13 units per acre and you're requesting to have four per acre Just want to make April 21, 2015 26819 for the record that we are actually a dual level so that might be consideration that we actually do not have 13 units spread out. It's a dual level So you might make note of that in your thoughts Then we also have a concern wondering what the difference from a single family and a site condo Are they actually one and the same? Mr Morrow The single family homes are different size lots and different things are considered as to a normal residential lot Ms Semon. So a single family perhaps is a larger lot and then if it's a site condo, is it a smaller lot'? Mr Morrow That's exactly right Ms Semon So it could be either homes or it can be switched to condos'? Mr. Morrow To the Planning Director, they will have to come up with some kind of common rules as far as maintaining those lots, as far as what they do Is that correct'? Mr Taormina Let me just clarify some of the terminology being used More than likely, the developer will choose to develop this site as a condominium, which refers to the form of ownership and the procedure used to subdivide the land Condominiums can be either single family homes or attached housing For example, Parkway Condominiums and Arbor Woods are both condominium projects in the form of attached housing. In this particular case, this will be developed as what is referred to as a site condominium, but the intent presently is have these as detached single family homes, very similar to what exists across the street If approved as a single family detached cluster, there would be allowance for the lot sizes to be modified slightly to take into account some of the unique characteristics with this property that you might not have with some of the other sites That will all be sorted out as the plans are developed What is being shown with this conceptual plan are single family homes, potentially on 50 foot wide lots The homes across the street are on 60 foot wide lots, but the density overall is consistent with what's across the street, namely because you're going to have a little more open space here in the form of a storm water detention pond and some other open space areas along the sides of the property and along the frontage Thank you Ms Semon I'm glad that you brought up about this storm water retention pond We would like it kept on the east side of the property If there is any idea of perhaps relocating that as a community, we April 21, 2015 26820 would like to have it on the other side of the property if kept there Mr Taormina Mr Chairman, again, these are details that, while it's nice to have the input, much of that depends on the engineering that's involved in that system We'll know more in the next coming weeks in terms of whether or not it's feasible to move that basin and what the best location is for it Ms Semon Again, you mentioned earlier that this is for zoning and if we wanted any landscaping or anything like that, that can be discussed at a later time Mr Morrow If the zoning gets a First Reading, they will bring forward a site plan That's where the landscaping comes in Ms Semon So I just want to let you know that we are interested in a buffer zone in between Parkway Condominiums and your site because right now, the property has a chain link fence dividing it, and there is foliage that's attached to that fence And so you're really going to have to bring it down as well For lack of a better word, there's a huge mulch pile that's in the back that actually overflows onto our property Again, it's something that doesn't need to be discussed right now, but I certainly want to make note that any of that that's on the farm area or on the far west part of that property, we would like to be included in any conversations because we would like to have the landscaping that is in the front of the proposed condominium site to wrap around the west side of that property Mr Morrow Thank you I'm sure he got the word Ms Semon Alright Thank you very much and I appreciate your time Mr Morrow No one else is coming forward I'm going to close the public hearing and ask for a motion Mr Soave If I may? Mr Morrow Sure Mr Soave In an effort to get this in front of the Council for First Reading if this was to be approved tonight, we do request a seven day waiver in order to expedite that please Mr Morrow We'll see if the Commission is amenable to that. We did not get a motion yet I'll explain the seven day waiver after we take this motion April 21, 2015 26821 On a motion by Taylor, seconded by McIntyre, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-19-2015 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the City Planning Commission on April 21, 2015, on Petition 2015-03-01-03 submitted by Leo Soave, pursuant to Section 23 01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone the properties at 35652, 35700, 35800 and 35850 Ann Arbor Trail, located on the north side of Ann Arbor Trail between Wayne Road and Newburgh Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 32, from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) and C-1 (Local Business) to R-1 (One Family Residential - 60' x 120' Lots), the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-03-01-03 be approved for the following reasons 1 That the proposed change of zoning is compatible to and in harmony with the surrounding zoning districts and land uses in the area, 2 That the proposed change of zoning would provide for the development of the subject property in a manner that is consistent with its size and location, and 3 That the proposed zoning change does not obstruct the goals, policies, and objectives of the Future Land Use Plan FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of the above hearing was given in accordance with the provisions of Section 23 05 of Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution Mr Taylor I will offer the seven day waiver if that's possible On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-20-2015 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby determine to waive the provisions of Section 10 of Article VI of the Planning Commission Rules of Procedure, regarding the effective date of a resolution after the seven-day period from the date of adoption by the Planning Commission, in connection with Petition 2015-03-01-03 submitted by Leo Soave, pursuant to Section 23 01 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone the properties at 35652, 35700, April21, 2015 26822 35800 and 35850 Ann Arbor Trail, located on the north side of Ann Arbor Trail between Wayne Road and Newburgh Road in the Southeast 1/4 of Section 32, from RUF (Rural Urban Farm) and C-1 (Local Business) to R-1 (One Family Residential - 60' x 120' Lots) Mr Morrow Is there any discussion's Mr Bahr Do you want to go ahead and explain what that process is for the sake of those that asked? Mr Morrow Basically what it is, it saves him seven days As you heard in my opening remarks, this allows the petitioner to get to the City Council seven days earlier than the approval of our minutes Being a builder and if it's approved, he's probably looking at the calendar and he may wish he had that seven days when he's ready to maybe put in roads or something if it gets approved So that's all it is It just saves him seven days before it goes to the City Council That's what we're going to vote on And now we'll have the roll call Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution You have your seven day waiver Good luck at the City Council level. Folks, thank you for coming tonight We appreciate your input ITEM #3 PETITION 2014-03-08-04 HOLIDAY INN Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015- 03-08-04 submitted by Livonia Lodge Inc requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18 58 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, in connection with a proposal to construct a four-story hotel (Holiday Inn Express & Suites) at 27403 and 27451 Schoolcraft Road, located on the southwest corner of Schoolcraft and Inkster Roads in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 25 Mr Taormina This petition involves the redevelopment of land located at the southwest corner of Schoolcraft and Inkster Roads This site is currently in the process of being rezoned from OS, Office Services, and M-1, Light Manufacturing, to the C-4, High Rise Commercial, zoning classification The land area involved in this request involves two parcels The smaller of the two is situated at the corner of Schoolcraft and Inkster and measures April21, 2015 26823 approximately 103 feet by 177 feet for a total area of 0 42 acre Abutting this site to the west is the larger parcel, zoned M-1, which is about 331 feet by 215 feet and has a land area of 1 71 acres Altogether, these properties comprise about 434 feet of frontage along Schoolcraft, 207 feet along Inkster Road, and has a total land area 2 13 acres Currently, the site contains a one-story 22,800 square foot building that was originally built as a grocery store, but it's most recent use was for industrial purposes and a photo processing center Access to the site is available via three driveways, two of which are located on Schoolcraft Road, which is the road to the north, and then one off of Inkster, the road to the east Surrounding the property to the west and to the south are a variety of industrial buildings under the M-1 and M-2 zoning classification To the east across Inkster Road is Redford Township and then lying directly to the north on the opposite side of Schoolcraft Road is the 1-96 Expressway The proposed site plan shows a new Holiday Inn Express & Suites that would be constructed near the middle of the site with parking situated on all four sides of the building This would be a four-story hotel containing a total of 93 guest rooms The gross floor area of all four stories equals roughly 48,500 square feet The footprint dimensions are about 65 feet on its short end by 215 feet lengthwise or in an east to west direction The main entrance would be on the north side of the building, facing Schoolcraft In terms of the building setbacks for a four-story building, the Zoning Ordinance requires at least 43 feet In this particular case, the hotel would be 85 feet from the right-of-way of Schoolcraft Road and 89 feet from the right-of- way of Inkster Road In terms of the required rear and side yards, that dimension is 45 feet In the case of the proposed hotel, they are showing 125 feet from the west property line and 56 feet from the south property line Thus, the hotel is in full compliance with all of the City's yard requirements Looking at the parking requirements, the ordinance specifies that there should be at least one space per guest room plus one space for each employee In this case, there are 93 guest rooms plus roughly four employees on average at any given time So a total of 97 parking spaces is required The Plan does show exactly 97 parking spaces They have modified it to comply with with the City's minimum dimensional requirements of 10 foot wide spaces In terms of site access, as I indicated, there is access provided off of both Schoolcraft and Inkster The Inkster Road driveway would remain unchanged, however, they would relocate the two driveways along Schoolcraft Road, and those will be moved closer to the center of the property on either side of the proposed entrance to the hotel On the far left hand side of the plan, the grayed-in area is the site's stormwater management pond That would be constructed in the April21, 2015 26824 rectangular area along the side of the property in order to accommodate the stormwater detention, which is requirement by both the city and the county This plan also reflects the fact that a revised landscape plan has been submitted You'll recall from our study session, staff noted that the plan at that time was somewhat conceptual They have provided much greater detail relative to landscaping, including the quantity and sizes of the proposed plant materials They are showing significant landscaping along the Schoolcraft frontage, as well as on the remainder of the perimeter of the site on the south and east sides, also within the parking lot islands and along the foundation of the building It constitutes roughly 25 percent of the total site, which is considerably more than what exists today, and complies with the city's minimum 15 percent landscaping requirement. I will note, however, that the 25 percent does include the area of the detention basin As we get further, along closer to final construction drawings, staff has some suggestions on modifying the landscape plan and also addressing what the needs of the landscaping should be within and around the detention basin, but that's something that we can address at a later date I'm going to move now to the building elevations This is a rendered site plan showing what the building would look like There is a change here from what we saw at the study meeting They were proposing at that time a building that would be predominately dryvit or EIFS on all four stories It was indicated at that meeting that they would change the plan to include a stone material on the first 10 feet of the lower level of the building This rendering reflects that change. The same stone material would be used to frame the building's main entrance It's in the form of columns that extend all the way up to roofline of the building Also, stone is shown on the columns that support a porte-cochere, or canopy overhang, that projects from the front of the building out for a distance of roughly 25 feet The brown and tan on the upper three floors, including the other reddish color on the far west end of the building, would all be EIFS material or dryvit and would be used in the construction of the exterior on those portions of the building Overall, the building has a height of 45'-4" Lighting details have been provided showing that it will be at a maximum height of 20 feet In terms of signage, they are allowed two signs, one facing Schoolcraft at 200 square feet and one facing Inkster at 100 square feet They are showing two signs We have not analyzed the sign plan but they are showing additional signs, both on the west elevation and possibly on the south elevation, although I'm not sure that's even needed In either event, those would require approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals to the extent that they exceed the number of signs They will also be allowed a single monument sign, 30 square April21, 2015 26825 feet in area, 6 feet in height and a minimum setback of 10 feet from the right-of-way With that, Mr Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence Mr Morrow Yes, just one comment With the landscape plan we have now, will it require a callback? Will you be able to work out final details? Mr Taormina I believe that's the case I'm satisfied with the plan's details with a few minor exceptions which I don't think warrant coming back for your review Mr Morrow I feel the same way Okay Would you please read out the correspondence'? Mr Taormina There are four items of correspondence The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated April 1, 2015, which reads as follows "In accordance with your request, the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced planning petition The addresses of #27403 and #27451 Schoolcraft Road are correct for the subject parcels, and should be used in connection with this petition The legal descnption shown on the ALTA survey included with the petition does not close and is not correct In the re-zoning petition 2014-11-01-07 (revised), the owner had provided a revised ALTA survey with a corrected legal descnption for the subject parcels We recommend that the legal descnption from that re-zoning petition be used in conjunction with this site plan petition It is also recommended that the owner combine the two subject parcels into one since the proposed building will be encroaching onto both parcels The plans submitted with the petition do not show sizes or locations of proposed or existing utilities, so we cannot comment on any impacts to the existing systems at this time It should be noted that the site is currently serviced by storm and sanitary sewer, as well as water main Alterations to the existing building leads and utility requirements will be addressed when the owner submits plans to this department for construction permits The existing on-site storm sewer is connected to a system along Inkster Road that is under the junsdiction of Wayne County The owner will need to obtain permits from Wayne County for any on-site storm sewer and detention, as well as for any changes to the Inkster Road nght-of-way, including driveway approaches Any work within the Schoolcraft Road nght-of-way will need to be approved through the City of Livonia " The letter is signed by David Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer The second letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated April 7, 2015, which reads as follows "This office has reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with a Apnl21, 2015 26826 request to construct a four-story hotel on property located at the above referenced address We have no objections to this proposal with the following stipulations (1) Chapter 27 shall be followed for New Hotels and Dormitories, NFPA 101, 2012 (2) If subject building(s) are to be provided with an automatic spnnkler system, an onsite hydrant shall be located between 50 feet and 100 feet from the Fire Department connection (3) Adequate hydrants shall be provided and located with a maximum spacing of 300 feet between hydrants Most remote hydrant shall flow 1,500 GPM with a residual pressure of 20 PSI (4) Access around building shall be provided for emergency vehicles with a minimum vertical clearance of thirteen feet six inches, a turning radius of fifty-three feet wall to wall and an inside turning radius of twenty-nine feet six inches (including the drop-off canopy) (5) In regards to NFPA 13, 2007 edition, Fire Department Connections should be of 2% Detroit Standard Thread, located in southeast corner facing east Also, please confirm direction of building Page A002 shows front of structure facing north while page A201 show front facing south " The letter is signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal The third letter is from the Division of Police, dated March 31, 2015, which reads as follows "I have reviewed the plans in connection with the petition I have no objections to the proposal " The letter is signed by Joseph Boitos, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau The fourth letter is from the Inspection Department, dated April 16, 2015, which reads as follows "Pursuant to your request, the above- referenced petition has been reviewed The following is noted (1) Parking spaces are required to be 10' by 20' in size and double stnped (2) All existing and proposed landscaped areas must have a functioning irrigation system installed (3) This plan does not make provision for a dumpster enclosure(s) The Commission and/or Council may wish to address this (4) No signage has been reviewed at this time This Department has no further objections to this petition " The letter is signed by Jerome Hanna, Assistant Director of Inspection That is the extent of the correspondence Mr Morrow Are there any questions of the Planning Director'? Mr Bahr The last comment about the dumpster enclosure The plan I'm looking at does have a masonry dumpster enclosure Was that letter maybe written before this latest plan was submitted'? Mr Taormina Yes I think that was one of the missing items on one of the earlier versions of the plan that we reviewed That has been corrected on the current plan, which shows a masonry enclosure with steel gates I April 21, 2015 26827 Mr Bahr Okay Thank you Mr Morrow Any other questions? Seeing none, is the petitioner here'? Please come forward We will need your name and address for the record please. Bill Jarratt, Jarratt Architecture, 108 N Lafayette Street, South Lyon, Michigan 48178 Mark did a great job of presenting it so I really don't have much else to present Mr Morrow You can add what you want, and then we'll see if the Commission has any questions Mr Jarratt The comment on the signage Yes, the signage is something that we haven't fully worked out Some of the signage that was shown on the building really came from a prototype, and some of the signs around the site We just hope to work with the sign ordinance and possibly get some variances if needed We want to create a really nice sign on the corner, a welcome sign for the City of Livonia, but we might also incorporate the name of the hotel in there somewhere too As far as signage, we haven't fully worked that out, but we're happy to have the Planning Commission review that at a later date when we get to that point Usually, we work with the sign company and try to work out the details with the graphic design and working within the Zoning Ordinance That's going to be something that you'll expect to see more detail of later, and we'll, of course, seek all the necessary approvals and if needed, we'll go to the ZBA but maybe we can work within the ordinance and not have to do that And like Mark said, we did add stone along the base Originally we thought there was a different material in the prototype, as we mentioned, but it is mostly E.I F S with a nice stone all the way along the base It will have a real nice look I guess there's really nothing else to say other than I'm open for questions Mr Morrow Well, then that's where we'll head Ms McIntyre I'm not sure I didn't see the plan for the layout of the first floor Does this hotel have conference spaces or meeting rooms? Mr Jarratt It does. Right now, we're seeing a small board room there, a meeting space We're actually looking at possibly the rest of that is all breakfast area We are looking at reconfiguring that a little bit more to make a little more of a flex space rather than having a small meeting room We're looking at maybe opening that whole space up, which will be used as a breakfast area but also could be used for small meetings April 21, 2015 26828 Ms McIntyre Okay, but this will be used for primarily meetings of people who are in the hotel, not conference space if you will Mr Jarratt Yes Ms McIntyre Okay Thank you Ms. Smiley I really like the new pictures that we got I was wondering if you have any sample boards so I could get an idea about these colors'? Mr Jarratt I didn't bring any samples with me, but the colors will be pretty much what you see there EIFS is very flexible It's almost like paint So the colors will match pretty much what you're seeing here But the stone, it will be a stacked stone, which is kind of a more horizontal look about it It will have some tones of gray and some tan and a little brown in there Kind of like what you're seeing on there We're happy to provide a sample at the City Council level Ms Smiley Yes, before you go to Council And this at the end, is this a red'? Is this a Holiday Inn prototype'? Mr Jarratt Yes, it is I don't think it's quite as red as you're seeing there I think the print out made it a little more red than it's really actually going to be I think it's more of a deeper red than that Ms Smiley More of a maroon? Mr Jarratt Yes, or somewhere in between maybe Ms. Smiley You keep insisting on making it cloudy in Livonia, and it's not I'm just teasing you Thank you, sir Mr Morrow Just so we can touch on it We appreciate the fact that you've gone from dryvit to this stone, but I would ask you to make sure when you go to the City Council, you do have a sample of the stone in lieu of the dryvit and then if you would have a color palette of the colors that will actually go on the hotel, that also be very helpful to you at the Council level Mr Jarratt Sure Okay Mr Morrow I mean we will take your word for it, but they will give the final approval, so we like to be up to speed when they see the plan Mr Jarratt Okay April21, 2015 26829 Mr Taylor. Through the Chair to Mark Taormina Mark, are we concerned that the setback is not right with the canopy or do they have to go to the Zoning Board? Mr Taormina No We checked The columns are right at the setback line. The only encroachment is on a portion of the overhang, and that will be allowed as an architectural projection We checked with the Inspection Department and they will allow up to a few feet for that projection into the setback Mr Taylor Item #12 mentions going to the Zoning Board because of a deficient building setback Mr Taormina That is not necessary Mr Taylor And also the parking spaces I know we talked about it at our study session because you're thinking about putting some in a landbank Are they deficient in parking? Mr Taormina No As I understand it, their current plan shows 97 spaces, so they are in compliance I'll let the architect describe how he changed it from the previous plan Mr Jarratt We had a lot more landscaping than we needed on the previous plan Some of the islands at the corners were much bigger We're still well within the requirements of the city with the 25 percent, so we just reduced some of the corner islands to get the 10 foot spots in there Mr Taylor So we can eliminate Item #12 Mr. Taormina That's correct Yes Mr Morrow As we said at our study session, your clients will appreciate the 10 by 20 Mr Taylor Thank you Mr Jarratt No scratched cars from luggage Mr Morrow. That's right Mr Bahr Just a comment We may want to think as a City about putting some kind of off road park in the industrial sector down there because I'm looking at this rendering As a Chrysler employee, I couldn't help but notice we have three Jeep Cherokee XJ's and a jacked up Wrangler with the top down sitting in the parking lot I'm sure you did that on purpose So as a Chrysler employee, I April21, 2015 26830 just want to acknowledge your efforts and thank you for that attention to detail Mr Jarratt I wish I could take credit for this beautiful rendering, but I didn't do the rendering So I can't take credit for the car choices either Mr Morrow Are there any questions from the Commissioners? Ms McIntyre Through the Chair to Mr Taormina I have a question, and I just may not be understanding this Do we still need #3 because will they be banking up to 25 percent of the total number'? Mr Taormina No, however, you might want to keep that in the resolution because they might decide later that they want to bank a couple spaces We received this plan late today, so Condition #1 will have to reference Site Landscape Plan dated April 20, 2015 Then I think we all agreed that Item #3 can be eliminated or modified, and the Elevation Plans are correct Mr Morrow This will go forward with the approval of only signage allowed by the ordinance, and if that changes, we'll have to see plans related to additional signage, which will require Zoning Board of Appeals approval Mr Taormina Correct. Ms Smiley There was one question about is your hotel facing north or south? The front of the hotel is north Mr Jarratt. North Yes In the original set of elevations, we had that labeled incorrectly I think the revised ones got it straightened out though, the revised ones with the stone Ms Smiley Okay Thank you Mr Morrow Is that it as far as questions? Then I'm going to go to the audience Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition'? Christopher Martin, 12275 Inkster Road, Livonia, Michigan 48150 I'm definitely in favor of this You know, for quite a number of years there was a vacant building and a wooden gazebo So you're going to see that go away and a nice building be placed there I do think, I mentioned previous, that to the north, on the other side of Eway and Schoolcraft service drive, there's a strip mall there The majority of that is vacant and possibly this will help the money, because that's what it is It's not your money It's their money The money that they're placing in the City of Livonia might help Apnl21, 2015 26831 the area to the north I know even though it's on the other side of the street there in Redford Township, that Schostak Brothers and Company is doing a great improvement in the near future to the closed Home Depot store that is to the somewhat same proximity north of Plymouth Road, south of Schoolcraft, but on the Redford Township side. And so I'm in favor of this I think it's beneficial Even the dumpster enclosure was talked about so that's going to be beneficial when it gets to City Council I always thought that I believe they're going to have to go in front of the Zoning Board on the sign issue no matter because that sign ordinance is so very old and it's just another hurdle It's another step I believe for any petitioner So I wish them nothing but luck on this, and when it gets to the City Council level, I'll speak on their behalf at that particular meeting, but this is something that should go smooth and not nitpick it too much when it gets to the next level because you don't want to discourage other developers from coming into the area by where are you going to plant this bush and that type of stuff So let's move it forward Thank you Mr Morrow Thank you for your input Anyone else? Seeing no one coming forward, I will close the hearing and ask for a motion On a motion by McIntyre, seconded by Bahr, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-21-2015 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-03-08-04 submitted by Livonia Lodge Inc requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18 58 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, in connection with a proposal to construct a four-story hotel (Holiday Inn Express & Suites) at 27403 and 27451 Schoolcraft Road, located on the southwest corner of Schoolcraft and Inkster Roads in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 25, be approved subject to the following conditions 1 That the Site/Landscape Plan marked A002 dated April 20, 2015, as revised, prepared by Jarratt Architecture is hereby approved and shall be adhered to, 2 All parking spaces shall conform to the Zoning Ordinance, which requires spaces to be a minimum of ten (10') feet in width, 3 That in accordance with Section 18 370) of the Zoning Ordinance, the petitioner shall be allowed to bank up to twenty five (25%) percent of the total number of required parking spaces, Apnl21, 2015 26832 4 That the Elevation Plans marked A201 and A202 both dated April 16, 2015, as revised, prepared by Jarratt Architecture are hereby approved and shall be adhered to, 5 That the three walls of the trash dumpster area shall be constructed out of building materials that shall complement that of the building and the enclosure gates shall be of solid panel steel construction or durable, long-lasting solid panel fiberglass and maintained and when not in use closed at all times, 6 That all rooftop mechanical equipment shall be concealed from public view on all sides by screening that shall be of a compatible character, material and color to other exterior materials on the building, 7 That this site shall meet either the City of Livonia or the Wayne County Storm Water Management Ordinance, whichever applies, and shall secure any required permits, including storm water management permits, and soil erosion and sedimentation control permits, from Wayne County and/or the City of Livonia, 8 That all light fixtures shall not exceed twenty feet (20') in height and shall be aimed and shielded so as to minimize stray light trespassing across property lines and glaring into adjacent roadway, 9 That only conforming signage is approved with this petition, and any additional signage shall be separately submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals, 10 That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted on this site including, but not limited to, the building or around the windows, 11 That the specific plans referenced in this approving resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time the building permits are applied for, and, 12 Pursuant to Section 19 10 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, this approval is valid for a period of ONE YEAR ONLY from the date of approval by City Council, and unless a building permit is obtained, this approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said period April21, 2015 26833 Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution We wish you luck as you move forward Thank you for coming to Livonia ITEM #4 PETITION 2015-03-08-05 MID 7 PLAZA Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015- 03-08-05 submitted by GAV & Associates, Inc. requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18 47 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, in connection with a proposal to remodel the exterior of the commercial shopping center (Mid 7 Plaza) at 29475-29493 Seven Mile Road and 19043-19045 Middlebelt Road, located on the south side of Seven Mile Road between Middlebelt Road and Melvin Avenue in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 11 Mr Taormina This petition involves remodeling the exterior of an existing commercial shopping center, the Mid 7 Plaza, located at the southwest corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads Most of the storefronts face east towards Middlebelt Road The building is about 56,000 square feet in total size Currently, the primary tenants within the building include Pets Supplies Plus, located at the north end of the building nearest to Seven Mile road There is also a Planet Fitness and a Family Dollar, as well as a new and used book store The project would completely upgrade the shopping center's storefront elevations The most significant change is adding a series of dimensional parapet walls along the upper part of the facade, both along the east side of the building facing Middlebelt Road and along the north side of the building facing Seven Mile Road The new vertical wall elements will contain variations in the height as well as the width They will project above the existing roof line and also incorporate offsets to give some relief to the building The design also includes a decorative cornice along the top of the building This represents a substantial change and improvement over what currently exists, which is a yellow siding, very flat style roof with round plastic cladded columns and vinyl siding along the face of the storefronts where there is no glazing This is a substantial improvement and upgrade The architect on this project was involved in two very significant projects recently and really speaks to the quality of work that they do One is the Masri office building located at Five Mile and Levan and the other was a very successful redevelopment project which was the Old Classic Interiors building, which is now a professional medical Apnl21, 2015 26834 office building The same architect is working on this project A lot of care has gone into the design He is going to placing face brick along the store fronts All the columns would be clad in masonry including some stone at the base of those buildings With that Mr Chairman, I can go into the correspondence Mr Morrow Let's do the correspondence and then we'll go back and see if there are any questions Mr Taormina There are four items of correspondence The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated April 1, 2015, which reads as follows "In accordance with your request, the Engineering Division has reviewed the above referenced planning petition We have no objections to the proposed site renovations at this time The legal descnption provided with the petition appears to be correct and is acceptable to this office The existing parcel is assigned an address ranges of #19043 — 19045 Middlebelt Road and #29475 — 29493 Seven Mile Road with a primary parcel address of #19043 Middlebelt Road, which should be used in conjunction with this petition The existing building is currently serviced by public utilities which should not be impacted by the proposed exterior renovations If the renovations require the relocation of the existing service leads, the owner will need to provide plans to this department to determine if Engineenng Department permits will be required " The letter is signed by David Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer The second letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Division, dated April 13, 2015, which reads as follows "This office has reviewed the site plan submitted in connection with a request to construct a commercial building on property located at the above referenced address We have no objections to this proposal with the following stipulations Livonia Fire requests that ladder access be place strategically around the north and east facades These should be located behind the parapets with elevations of 121'- 2" " The letter is signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal The third letter is from the Division of Police, dated March 31, 2015, which reads as follows "I have reviewed the plans in connection with the petition I have no objections to the proposal " The letter is signed by Joseph Boitos, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau The fourth letter is from the Inspection Department, dated April 16, 2015, which reads as follows "Pursuant to your request, the above-referenced petition has been reviewed The following is noted (1) The parking lot shall be restnped as necessary Parking spaces shall be 10' by 20' and double striped. (2) The parking lot needs to be repaired and maintained paying particular attention to the west side of the building (3) All rear doors to the tenant spaces must be marked with the appropnate addresses A minimum of 4" high numbers April 21, 2015 26835 rs required (4) The damaged block, peeling paint and detenorated doors on the west side of the building need to be repaired or replaced This Department has no further objections to this Petition This Department has no further objections to this petition " The letter is signed by Jerome Hanna, Assistant Director of Inspection That is the extent of the correspondence Mr Morrow Are there any questions of the Planning Director'? Ms Smiley Did you read the letter from David Lear dated April 12 Mr Taormina I just indicated that he had no objections to the petition Ms Smiley Thank you Mr Morrow Is the petitioner here this evening'? We will need your name and address for the record please Ghassan Abdelnour, GAV & Associates, Inc , 24001 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 180, Farmington, Michigan 48336 I'm the architect for the project representing the owner He is not here tonight I think the Planning Department did a great job We do care We do like to see the nice buildings to give it some element We worked a lot with the Planning Department They were very helpful in giving us all the right advice The owner just bought it maybe like five months ago, not a long time ago Since he got it, he decided that it needs a lot of work The existing materials now, it's a lot of siding and there's a lot of brick hidden behind it and it looks very old. He asked me to work with him on that project The first thing I told him, this shopping center is very wide but it needs a lot of height because it's very low There's a lot of shingle siding like canopies on it It's not giving the shopping center any fairness So I told him that we need to work on the height a little bit and try to work a little bit on the columns The columns are all maybe steel framed but they're rounded with siding So we told him we'll take everything out and we'll a lot of brick and stone and limestone around it and give it some kind of character I pushed him a little bit to agree to take the back brick, where the walls are, because it's all painted brick So he agreed I'm going to take them all out and put exactly new brick in front of the whole building so it looks like a new building It doesn't look like an addition any more He said budget, but I think finally he agreed that it does make sense Usually what helps a little bit, there's a lot of glass front, so we don't have a huge amount of brick So it works a little bit on both advantage It's a great corner and we thought that it makes a huge difference for the Seven Mile and Middlebelt area that it's growing There's a lot of new stuff going on in the area We are April21, 2015 26836 working on two new projects that are coming soon So hopefully it will be good for the community Mr Morrow We certainly appreciate new business coming to Livonia, but there's a place in our heart when somebody upgrades their facility and brings it up to a modern design We'll see if the Commission has any questions of you Are there any questions from the Commissioners? You may have done too good a job If there are no questions or comments, I'm going to see if there's anyone in the audience I see no one coming forward I'm going to close the hearing and ask for a motion On a motion by Bahr, seconded by Wilshaw, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-22-2015 RESOLVED, that the City Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-03-08-05 submitted by GAV & Associates, Inc requesting approval of all plans required by Section 18 47 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, in connection with a proposal to remodel the exterior of the commercial shopping center (Mid 7 Plaza) at 29475-29493 Seven Mile Road and 19043-19045 Middlebelt Road, located on the south side of Seven Mile Road between Middlebelt Road and Melvin Avenue in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 11, be approved subject to the following conditions. 1 That the Elevation Plans marked A 201 and A 202 dated March 11, 2015 prepared by G A V Associates, are hereby approved and shall be adhered to, 2 That the issue as outlined in the correspondence dated April 13, 2015 from the Fire Marshal requesting ladder access be placed strategically around the north and east facades shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the Fire Department and/or Inspection Department, 3 That all rooftop mechanical equipment shall be concealed from public view on all sides by screening that shall be of a compatible character, material and color to other exterior materials on the building, 4 That only conforming signage is approved with this petition, and any additional signage shall be separately submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals, 5 That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted on this site including, but not limited to, the building or around the windows, April21, 2015 26837 6 That the parking lot shall be repaired, resealed and restriped as necessary to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department Parking spaces shall be doubled striped at ten feet (10') wide by twenty feet (20') in length; 7 That all dying, dead, diseased or missing landscaping shall be replaced at the direction of the Planning and Inspection Departments, 8 That the specific plans referenced in this approving resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time the building permits are applied for, and, 9 Pursuant to Section 1910 of Ordinance #543, the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Livonia, this approval is valid for a period of ONE YEAR ONLY from the date of approval by City Council, and unless a building permit is obtained, this approval shall be null and void at the expiration of said period Mr Morrow Is there any discussion'? Mr Wilshaw Just a brief comment because we didn't really ask a lot of questions I think the lack of questions that we have speaks to our comfort level with this particular architect and his developments he's done in the city previously He's got a couple real beautiful buildings that he's already worked on in our city Clearly this is yet another well thought out design and I think that comfort that we have in his ability to product attractive buildings speaks to the lack of questions that we have I also want to just mention that the fact that the owner of this property purchased this just five months ago and is already willing to put a significant investment into sprucing up the appearance of it in a very important intersection of our city where there's been a lot of development already is very welcome, and I appreciate that Mr Morrow Thank you for the comments Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution I'm sure the Commission shares the same comments as Mr Wilshaw Mr Abdelnour Thank you I appreciate it tonight Thank you Mr Morrow Thank you very much Mr Wilshaw Good luck I Apnl21, 2015 26838 ITEM #5 PETITION 2014-10-08-15 BERNARDINI Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2014- 10-08-15 submitted by Joseph Bernardini requesting approval to install a new awning and signs on the exterior of the remodeled commercial strip center at 29217-29226 Seven Mile Road, located on the southeast corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 12, as required in the approving conditions of Council Resolution #357-14 On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Wilshaw, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-23-2015 RESOLVED, that Petition 2014-10-08-15 submitted by Joseph Bernardini requesting approval to install a new awning and signs on the exterior of the remodeled commercial strip center at 29217-29226 Seven Mile Road, located on the southeast corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 12, as required in the approving conditions of Council Resolution #357-14, be removed from the table Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted Having been removed from the table, we can now ask Mark to bring us up to speed on it Mr Taormina Unfortunately, the slide presentation does not have the latest plan because we received that late Does everyone have a plan that was received by the Planning Department dated April 20? Mr Morrow Yes, I believe we do Mr Taormina This is the latest plan submitted It is consistent by and large with our discussion at the last study session in terms of the area of the signs. The overall square footage of the two signs facing Seven Mile Road hasn't changed from what we discussed Actually, there is a slight reduction in one case for Livonia PC & Repair He's made the lettering a little bit taller and he's made the width of the signs a little narrower, and that's the reason why it equals out, so that we have basically the same area involved in each of the signs We also have more detailed information provided in terms of the dimensions for the signs on the side of the awning These would be one foot tall letters and eight feet in length So those each would be 8 square feet in total area consistent with what was there previously With that Mr Chairman, I'll answer any questions that you have I will note, however, that the prepared resolution will have to be modified in a couple of instances and we can go through that as it's being read out if we get to that point Apnl21, 2015 26839 Mr Morrow No additional correspondence? Mr Taormina No Mr Morrow Are there any questions? Is the petitioner here? If you would come forward, sir We'll need your name and address for the record Joseph Bernardini, 36915 Clarita, Livonia, Michigan 48152 Good evening Mr Morrow Thank you We've had a good look at this Are there any other comments that you have? Mr Bernardini No Mark Taormina did a great job explaining it Mr Morrow Are there any questions of the Petitioner? Ms Smiley I'm looking at this, Mark Do I have the right date? Mr Taormina You have two signs One is 22 5 square feet and the other one is 12 square feet Ms Smiley I'm sorry, Mr Taormina I was looking at the wrong one Mr Bahr Mark, what takes precedent on these? The square footage or the dimensions? Mr Taormina Square footage Mr Bahr Okay. Fine Just so the petitioner is aware I feel nitpicky bringing this up, but this is now the third time These square footages don't match When you multiply them out, they don't match It's just a math exercise We can move this forward tonight That's fine I'm not concerned about the sign This is now three times this has come before us, and it's a matter of just making sure 11 feet times 16 inches is more than 12 square feet Mr Taormina Yes, it's 14 6 Mr Bahr The same thing with three of the four signs on here are wrong So, I don't mind moving it forward but let's get it right before it goes to the City Council Mr Morrow Thank you, Mr Bahr Mr Taormina Do you understand that? April21, 2015 26840 Mr Bernardini Kind of I just never thought it was my job to make sure Mr Bahr It's a detailed oriented thing but the reason we have drawings is to get the details right, and I'm just trying to save you trouble later I don't have a problem with this, but I would get it fixed before you go to City Council Mr Bernardini Am I still within the proper Mr Bahr Yes, you are Mr Bernardini So I need to change 11 Mr Bahr Just make it match because right now the dimensions you're showing, 17 feet by 16 inches, is, just off the top of my head, is 24 something square feet It's a detail oriented thing The drawings are detail oriented by their very nature, so let's just get it right Ms Smiley 1'4" times 11 is not 12 Mr Bahr We're going to approve the square footage, like Mark said So as long as it fits that, it's fine If we're going to put drawings on record, make sure they're accurate Mr Morrow We've come this far We want to make sure it's accurate Good comment Anything else? Ms Smiley Are the correct dimensions, 12 feet, is that what's correct'? 12 square feet and 22 5 square feet Is that correct' Ms McIntyre No It's actually 14 square feet Mr Bahr For the one to the left The Livonia PC & Repair should be 24 something square feet The one on the side, that's just 5 feet by 1 foot That should be 5 square feet, it says 8 You're allowed 8, I believe Ms Smiley Are those 12 inches and the other ones are 16? Mr Bernardini The front are 16 Ms Smiley The front part is 16 and the sides are 12 Mr Taormina Livonia PC & Repair is accurate, but the other one is not Ms McIntyre So 14 square feet and Mr Taormina 22 6 Ms McIntyre So it's close, but isn't Livonia Travel about 14 square feet? Mr Taormina Yes, 14 5 square feet Apr►l21, 2015 26841 Ms Smiley 14 5 and the other one is 22? Mr Taormina 22 5 We can leave it at that Ms Smiley Okay And then sides are Ms McIntyre 8 square feet and then 5 square feet right? Ms Smiley On the one that says 8, it's really 5 Ms McIntyre Right, on Livonia PC & Repair So are those conforming? Mr Taormina Make it 8 feet on the other one because whoever prepared this didn't do that accurately It's going to be longer than 5 feet It's going to have to be Ms McIntyre So is 8 feet Mr Taormina Let's just do 8 feet on the sides and then Ms McIntyre Okay, it's 8 feet on the sides and 14 5 feet and 22 6 square feet Are those conforming? Mr Taormina Yes Ms McIntyre Okay Mr Morrow Now that we have that worked out, is there anything else? Have we had a motion? Ms Smiley No Mr Taylor Not yet Mr Morrow Okay I wasn't sure Ms McIntyre I'll offer a motion Mr Bahr Kathleen has it figured out Ms McIntyre I don't know if I have it figured out, but I think I can work my way through it On a motion by McIntyre, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-24-2015 RESOLVED, that the Planning Commission does hereby recommend that Petition 2014-10-08-15 submitted by Joseph Bernardini requesting approval to install a new awning and signs on the exterior of the remodeled commercial strip center at 29217-29226 Seven Mile Road, located on the southeast April21, 2015 26842 corner of Seven Mile and Middlebelt Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 12, as required in the approving conditions of Council Resolution #357-14, be approved subject to the following conditions 1 That the Drawing, as received by the Planning Commission on April 20, 2015, is hereby approved and shall be adhered to, except that, 2 The maximum height of the lettering of the awning signs shall be sixteen (16") inches as depicted on the submitted drawing, and that the maximum sign areas of each sign on the north (front) side of the awning shall be fourteen and a half (14 5) square feet (Livonia Travel) and twenty-two and half (22 5) square feet (Livonia PC & Repair), as will be shown in the revised drawing For the signs on the east and west sides of the awning, the maximum sign areas of each sign shall not exceed eight (8) square feet, 3 Any back-lighting of the awning shall be limited to that portion containing the letters of the signs and the rest of the awning shall be baffled in such a way as to not be illuminated, 4 The signs on the awning shall not be illuminated beyond one (1) hour after the businesses closes, 5 That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted on this site including, but not limited to, the building or around the windows, and 6 That the total amount of all window signage, permanent and temporary, shall not exceed twenty percent of all the glass area of the building Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted We now have a drawing we can send forward Mr Bernardini Do I have to go to City Council now for a meeting with them? Mr Morrow Mark, does he have to go forward? Mr Taormina I think Council did indicate that he would have to Yes We'll double check though II Mr Morrow Check with Mark, but we think the City Council asked that they see it April21, 2015 26843 Ms Smiley. That will give him time to correct the drawing Mr Bernardini When can I start construction on the sign? Mr Morrow Mark will work it out with you Check with Mark relative to whether you have to seek City Council approval and when you can start construction Mr. Bernardini. Okay Thank you ITEM #6 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1,069TH Public Hearings and Regular Meeting Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Approval of the Minutes of the 1,069th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held on March 31, 2015. On a motion by Taylor, seconded by McIntyre, and unanimously adopted, it was #04-25-2015 RESOLVED, that the Minutes of 1,069th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commission on March 31, 2015, are hereby approved A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following. AYES Taylor, McIntyre, Bahr, Wilshaw, Taylor, Smiley Morrow NAYS None ABSENT None ABSTAIN None Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,070th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held on April 21, 2015, was adjourned at 8 45 p.m. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Carol A Smiley, 'ecretary -_z ATTEST R Lee Morrow, Ch w rman