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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNING MINUTES 2015-10-20 � � � ��-Eg-��� MINUTES OF THE 1,07$T" PUBLIC HEARINGS AND REGULAR MEETlNG HELD BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION C?F THE CITY C?F LIVONIA On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, the City Planning Commission of the City of Ltvonia held its 1,078th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting an the �ivonia City Hall, 33000 Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan Mr Lee Morrow, Ghairman, called the meeting to order at 7 OQ p m Members present: Scott P Bahr Kathleen Mclntyre R �ee Morrow Carol A. Smiley Gerald Taylor lan Wilshaw Members absent: None Mr Mark Taormina, Planning Director, and Ms Margie Watson, Program Supervisor, were alsa present. Chairman Marrow 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 ta whether a petition is approved or den�ed The Plann�ng Commission holds the only public hearing c�n a request for preliminary plat and/or vacafiing petition The Commission's recommendation is farwarded to the City Council for the final determination as to whether a plat is accepted or re�ected if a petition req�aesting a waiver of use or site plan approval is denied tonight, the petitioner has ten days in wh�ch to appeal the decision, in writing, to the C�ty Counci( Resolutions adopted by the City Planning Commissian become effective seven (7) days after the date of adoption The Planning Commissian and the professianal staff have reviewed each of these petitions upon their filing The staff has furnished the Commission with both appraving and denying resalutions, which the Commission may, or may not, use depending on the autcome of the proceedings tonfght. ITEM #1 PETITION 2Q15-Q9-U1-08 ASHLEY CAPITAL Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the first item on the agenda, Petltion 24'15-Q9- 01-08 submitted by Ashley Capital, L L C pursuant to Section 23 01 of the C�ty of �ivonia Zon�ng Ord�nance #543, as amended, requesting to rezone part af the property at 28101 Schoolcraft Road, located on the south side of Schoolcraft Road between Inkster and Middlebelt Road in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 25, fram M-2 �General Manufacturing} to C-4 I (High Rise Cammercial - maximum � stories) ! � C7ctober 24, 2015 27�79 Mr Taormina Th�s is a rezoning request that involves property located on the south side of 5choolcraft Road between Inkster and Middlebelt Road The slze of the properky that �s requested to be rezoned is 2 2 acres in area It includes 254 feet of frantage on Schoolcraft Raad and has an average depth of 384 feet. This properky is presently vacant and it is zoned M-2 It is part of a 5$ acre parcel, a site that was once a part of the Detroit Race Course and later the Ladbroke Race Course !t is now Livonia Corporate Center, which includes this parce( plus a similar sized parcel to the south On the southeriy property there are two large industrial warehouse buildings The major tenants include XPEDX, JMA �ogistics and Techn�color 4verall, the site has about 1,900 feet of frontage on Schoolcraft Road with a parcel depth af 1,20fl feet. In terms of the s�rrounding uses, Mi�lennium Park shopping complex, which is zoned G2, General Business, is located to the west. This inciudes a number of both large and small retail businesses, including Home Depat, Panera Bread, Leo's Coney (sland, and Logan's Steakhouse, just to name a few Further to the east adjoining this site is Burton Manor banquefi facility which is zaned M-2, Genera! Manufacturing Further east and south are additianal industrial uses that make up part of the City's industrial corridor, b�t also �ncludes a recently approved Holiday Inn Express Notel which is under construction at the corner of Inkster and Schoolcraft Roads To the narth is the I-9� Expressway The reason for the rezoning �s to redevelop this stte as a five-story, 110 guest room Hampton Inn Hotel A preiiminary site plan has been submitted It shows the location of the proposed hatel near the middle of the two acre site, with parking on the west, south and east sides of the building It is a somewhat rectangular- shaped hotel that would be oriented in a north-south direction wi#h the main entrance at the north end closest to Schoolcraft Raad Access to the site would be available from a new curb-cut on Schoolcraft, as well as from an existing road that runs along the west side of the site and would provide access ta the property from the south As requested by the Planning Commission at the study session, the petitioner has provided a rendering of the hotel that is anticipated should this rezaning move forward With tha�, Mr Chairman, 1 can read aut #he departmental correspondence Mr Morrow� Yes, please Mr Taormina There is one item of correspondence from the Eng�neering Division, dated September 29, 2015, which reads as fallows "/n accordance with your request, the Eng�neer�ng Divis�on has rev�ewed the abave referenced petit�on We have no objections s October 20, 2015 27�$0 to the proposed rezon�ng at th�s time The legal descr�ptron included with the petition appears to be correct and should be used in con�urtctron WltI7 �'�'T%S petlflOC? The pareel address of #28101 Schoolcraft Road�s correct for the sub�ect property The su�bmi�ted plans do not Ind�cate calculations or loeat�ons for any proposed utilities so we cannot comment on any potentia� �rrrpaets fo the ex�sting systems The existrng parcel is currently serviced by public util�ties and we wi!l rev►ew the proposed systems when plans are submitted to th�s departmerrt for permitfing " The letter �s signed by Qavid W Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer That is the e�ent of the correspondence Mr Morrow� Are there any questions of the Planning D�rectar? Mr Taylor Yes Through the Chair to Mark Mark, a(I we're talking about tonight is zon�ng and a site plan will follow along with a sign pian is that true? Mr Taormina That is correct. Mr Taylor� Thank you Mr Morrow� Any ather quesfiions of the Director? Seeing none, would the petit�oner please come forward? We will need your name and address for the record Kevin Hegg, Vice President, Ashley Capital, L.L.0 , 2575 Haggerty Road, Su�te 500, Cantor�, Michigan 48381 Mr Morrow� Thank you You've heard the presentation Is there anything you'd like to add to �t? Mr Hegg No, not really Vlle're working with the potential buyer We thmk it's a complementary use We think it fits in well with our deveiopment and the surround�ng developments and daesn't �mpose any impact to a negative e�ent on any surround�ng areas, so we think it's a good fit for the general area and a good fit for our overall developmen#. Mr Morrow� Thank you I'm gofng to see �f the Commission has a question ar two for you Mr Wilshaw� Mr Hegg, what ather experience have you had in marketing this property as a manufacturing zoning? Have you i�ad any luck ar bites or interest? October 24, 2015 27�$�' Mr Hegg We've had some interest. Primarily, recent h�story was we've been retaining the property far our own development. Over the last probably 18 months we've been market�ng the entire 58 acres for potential purchase by either manufacturing developers or users as well as retail Really, the retail was k�nd ofi a secondary idea We didn't want to cause too much impact on our site, and 1 don't think we would move forward as strong(y as we have with this because this is smaller piece We have some pads that are already developed there So we wouid prefer not to impact those So while we have attempted to market them, the mterest has been somewhat soft, and we continue to market the rest of the acreage for manufactur�ng users We also continue ta look at it from our own standpoint for future development for manufacturing use Mr Wilshaw� Excellent. I appreciate that, and I agree w�th you I think that this particular zoning and intended use �s complementary to your manufacturing zon�ng and alsa to the commercial zoning in the general area Thank you Mr Morrow� Thank you, IVir Wilshaw Rnything else? See�ng na other questions, is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petrtion? Seeing no one coming forward, I will close the public hearing and ask for a motiar� On a motion by Mclntyre, seconded by Bahr, and unan�mously adopted, �t was #10-74-2015 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the City Planning Commission on October 20, 2415, on Petition 2015-09-01-08 submitted by Ashley Capital, L L C pursuant to Section 23 01 af the Ci#y of �ivonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, requesting to rezane part of the properky at 281�1 Schoolcraft Raad, located on the south side of Schoolcraft Road between Inkster and Middlebelt Road in the Northwest 1/4 af Section 25, from M-2 to C-4 I, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Cauncil that Petition 2015-09-01-08 be approved for the following reasons 1 That C-4 I zoning is compatible to and in harmony with the surround�ng zoning districts and land uses in the area, 2 That the praposed change of zaning would provide an opportunity to develop the subject property in a manner that is consistent with �ts size and location and would serve the area as well as the City as a whole, 4ctober 24, 2015 27482 3 That C-4 I zoning would allow far the development of the site as a five-stary hotel, and 4 That C-4 I zoning is consistent with the developing character of the area FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of the above hearing was given in accordance with the provisions of Section 23 Q5 of Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended Mr Morraw� ls there any discussion? Mr Bahr� I'll �ust make a quick comment somewhat echoing what Mr Wilshaw said This is just a cantinuation of the really exciting development dawn at I-96 and Middlebelt, and even on a larger scale, the hotel boom that we're seeing in Livonia recently i think it both speaks to the strength of the City's economic climate and also �ust to one of our great attributes which is our central locatlon The developers are in the hotel business I suspect this is one of the ways that we're not only benefiting from ��vonia's strength but from the revival we're seeing dawntown as well in Detroit. I think Livonia is really well positianed for these proper�ies, and I'm really exc�ted ta see them coming in Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It w�ll go an to City Council with an approving resolut�on ITEM #2 PETITION 2015-09-Q2-19 TWIN PEAKS Ms Smiley, Secretary, annaunced the next item an the agenda, Petition 2015- 09-02-19 submitted by Motor City Peaks, L L C , on behalf of Twin Peaks Restaurant, request�ng waiver use approval pursuant to Section 19 06 of the City of Livonia Zoning 4rdinance #543, as amer�ded, to expand the faod service and Class C liquor operations by constructing an outdoor dinmg pat�a and remodel the e�erior of the restaurant at 2012a Haggerty Road, located on fihe east side of Haggerty Road between Seven Mile and E�ght Mile Roads in the Northwest �I4 of Section 8 Mr Taormina This is a request to construct an outdoor dining patio and remodel the exterlor of an existing restaurant located on the east side of Haggerty Road just south of Eight Mile Road Thfs property is approximately 1 8 acres m area The area is zoned October 2Q, 2015 27183 C-2, General Business This is an existmg TGI Fr�days restaurant. The proposed changes are part af a transfer of ownership and a conversian of the restaurant to a Twm Peaks TGI Fridays received waiver use approval from #he City back in February, 2007 The existing restaurant bu�(ding is raugh(y 7,096 square feet in stze and has a seating capacity of 281 That is entirely mtenor seating, currently there is no outdoar seat�ng TGI Fridays and the adjoining restaurant ta the rtorth, Panera Bread, operate under a shared parking arrangement. Together, there are a total of approximately 26$ parking spaces availabie for bofih sites Twin Peaks proposes to add an outdoor din�ng patio This patio would be located along the west side of the restaurant fac�ng Haggerty �n an area that presently conta�ns a sidewalk and some landscaping In addition to displacing some existing landscaping and a portion of the waikway, the patio would also result in the loss of six existing parking spaces �ncl�ding five barrier free spaces The area that we are considering this evening, in terms of the most significant alterations to the s�te and the building, include the construct�on of the patio area that is identified on the plan as the double hatched area on the ieft s�de of the building The patio is about 1,630 square feet in area Its dimensions are roughly 53 feet by 25 feet. It does include an outdoor fire pit. (t would be surrounded by 42" high railing There are tables and chairs with the capacity to accommodate roughly 98 patrons on the patio There would be a standing seam metal canapy supparted by wood posts that would provide the outdoor patio area with overhead screen�ng Access would be pravided by means of three garage-style doors that would be incorparated into the existing restaurant along the west wall, as well as an existing man door The plans prov�de for new landscaped area that would be created along the outer edge of the patio, as well as otatsfde of the fencing Only partial new sidewalk would be provided There would not be a walkway provided around the patio to the front entrance This is something that the Planning Commission may wish ta address this evening Twin Peaks would have 234 interiar seats This is a reduction of 47 seats from what currently ex�sts within the interior of the TG! Fridays restaurant. So when we look at the overall parking, the intenor seats, the rtumber of outdoor seats, as well as the number of employees, a total af 180 parking spaces are required for this restaurant. V11e add that to the req�irement for Panera, which is 77 spaces, and combined, the tatal required parking is 257 spaces Rs previously mentioned, Twin Peaks and Panera share parking Remcaving the six spaces for the pafiio would leave a total of 2fi2 spaces fior both s�tes, but that still restaEts in a surplus of 5 parking spaces So the parking is adequate to October 20, 20�15 27184 senre both of the res#aurant uses �aoking at the exterior changes to the building, the rendering provides the besfi understanding of the changes It involves completely remodel�ng the restaurant to reflect the Twin Peaks brand identity The new building materials consist af a combination of E I F S , hardy plank siding, dry stack cultured stone and a standing seam metal roof That is the same roof that will be over the patio area The accent treatments are substantially wood The tower feature will be over the main entrance that consists of heavy timber or pouglas Fir trusses that are mounted together us�ng black steel gussets The awnings would be provided over the windaws matching the standing seam that would be used for the canopy There will be gooseneck lighting and Pergola above the fire pit. The fire pit would have a wall surroundrng �t. 1n terms of signage, this site is allowed one wall s�gn not to exceed 122 square feet based on the frontage of the building along Haggerty Road However, TGI Fridays was granted a variance far twa wall signs, totaling 156 square feet. The elevation plan prov�des for two similar size wall signs, ane an the south s�de and the other on the west elevation facing Haggerty Each sign measures abaut 75 square feet for a tatal of 150 square feet, which is slightly under the existing sign area and should be within the original variance limitations Yau wiN recall from previous plans that were submitted at the study meeting that they showed a third wall sign on top af the patio canopy thafi read "eat drink scenic views " However, that sign has been eliminated completely from this plan They have not provided an alternate location for that wordmg, whether it was goir�g to be dawnsized or just eliminated altogether Maybe the petitioner can add more on that when he provides his presentatian 1n addition to the latest set of plans, it does show additional landscaping as requested around the patio m the form of 1� Spartan Juniper trees which should da a more effective job of buffering the patio area from Haggerty Road Thase shrubs are reflected in this rendering, but they are also shown on the revised submitted landscape plan With that, Mr Chairman, I can read out the departmental correspondence Mr Morrow� Please Mr Taormina There are four items of correspondence The first item is from the Engineering Division, dated September 29, 2015, which reads as fiollows "ln accordance with your request, the Eng�neering Division has reviewed the above referenced petit�on We have na objections to the proposed project at this t�me The legal descript�on �ncluded w�th the petition appears to be correct and should be used �n con�unction with this petit�on o�ta����o, Zo�� 27185 The parcel address of#20120 Haggerty Road �s correct for the subject praperty The existing building is currently serviced by public utilities which are not ind�cated for alterat�ons under �he proposed remadeling Should the owner need to alter the existing servrce leads to fhe buildrng, p/ans w�11 need to be submitted to this department to determine if Engineering permits wil/ be requ�red Also, should fhe oWner do any work w�thin fhe Haggerty Road right-of-way, they will need to contact the Wayne �ounty Departmenf of Public Services far permit requ�rements " The letter is signed by David W Lear, P E , Assistant City Engineer The second letter is from the Livonia Fire & Rescue Div�sion, dated October 12, 2015, wh�ch reads as fallows "This office has reviewed the site pian submitted in connectron with a request to canstruct an outdaor dining patro and remodel the exterior of the restaurant lacated at the above referenced address. We have no objections fo this praposal WTth the fallowing stipulations (1) No park�ng signs shall be posted on fhe nor�hwest carner of�he building in fron�of the FD� - Fire Department Connect�on, (2) Total occupant load should be listed as 354 Bar seat�ng shows 26 not the 34 /isted on the 1 cup plans, (3) Knox box w�ll be required, (4) Pat�o space wi!/ requrre an exit gate, (5) F�re lanes shall be marked with wall or pale mounted signs that have the words F�re Lane— No Parkrng pamted on both sides, in contrast�ng colors at a s�ze and spac�ng approved by the authority having�urisdretion �18 2.3 5 ? NFPA 1, 2009, (6) These arrd other issues will be reviewed dur�ng fhe Plan review process " The letter is signed by Daniel Lee, Fire Marshal The third letter is from the Division of Police, dated Qctober 1, 2015, which reads as follows "l have reviewed the plans in connection with the pet�t�on I have no objectians to the prapasal " The letter is signed by Jaseph Bo�tos, Sergeant, Traffic Bureau The fourth letter is fram the Inspection Department, dated Qctober 16, 2014, which reads as follows "Pursuant to your request, the above-referenced pet�f�on has been rev�ewed (1) The ex�sting dumpster enclosure and gate need to be repaired The rnter�or af the enclosure needs ta be cleaned (2) The park�ng lot shall be repa�red, sealed and rest�rlped as t�ecessary Parking spaces shal/ be �D' wide and 20' deep arrd double str�ped (3) The catch bas�ns m the parkmg lot need to be repa�red where sef�ling (4} Replace deterrorated bumper blocks in park�ng lot as necessary (5) The parking lot lights are constantly on It needs to be determined where the l�ght poles are fed from so they can be turr�ed on and off at a,npropriate t�mes (6} Remove the illegal shed constructed with�n the dumpster enclosure (7) The ma'n lVorth entrance drive aff of Haggerty Road needs to be repaired and to have the striping redone (8) The trght po/es along the same entrance 4ctober 2�, 2015 27186 dr�ve are in disreparr and need to be replaced or reparred (9) The landscapmg needs to be maintained and any missing or dying trees, shrubs, etc, are �o be replaced to the origlnal appraved condition Th�s Department has no further ob�ecbons to this Petrt�vn " The letter is s�gned by Jerome Nanna, Assistant Director of Inspection That is the extent af the correspondence Mr Morrow- Rre there any questions of#he Pianning Director? Mr Taylar Through the Chair to Maric Mark, I don't quite understand the park�ng situation because there's a busy road that goes r�ght between Panera Bread and #he new restaurant we are talking about. I don't know haw they could share parking without having to go across that street. I know there's plenty of parking aut in front of Target and maybe the petitioner has permission ta park aut there because I don't think people are going to be going across that street to get to the restaurant unfor�unately Mr Taormma This was reviewed at the time when both af these restaurants came before us You wi!! recall that this is all part of a larger development known as Chestnut Hills Concurrent with the development af these restaurants and the parking that was surrounding each one of the restaurants, Target aiso expanded its parking alang the north side of the s#ore Rs it turns aut, and fram a practical point of view really, Panera parks on its site and has adequate parking TGI Fridays, while it has a similar type af convenient parking around the building, additional parking is pravided to the south of the restaurant to make up the overall difference that is needed to serve both restaurants But for all practical purposes, it is parking that is available to the TGI Fridays and probably some over€low park�ng that may occur far the Target during penods of peak heavy usage dunng the holidays From a practical standpoint, parking is adequate at this location Mr Taylor� It looks like the dumpster enclosure was all brick. I went by there today and I don't know where the building is Is fhere something inside the dumpster enclosure? Mr Taorm�na Other than dumpsters, !'m not sure Mr Taylor� They said there's a structure inside Mr Taormina Some type of shed apparently I'm not sure what that is Octaber 24, 2015 271$7 Mr Taylor� I thought there was more shrubbery out on the west side of the property in front of the parking There's very low growing shrubs there I just wonder will that be owned by the petit�oner or is it owned by whoever owns that division there? Mr Taormina Can you be more specific on the location that you're talking about because I'm not sure Are you talking about along Haggerty Road? Mr Taylor� Along Haggerty Road on #he west side of the parking Mr Taorm�na That's going to be area that's w�thin the right-of-way but would have ta be maintained by this property awner Mr Taylor� I thought there were other large shrubs there, bufi actually they're low growing shrubs all along there So ar�ything they put in front of the patio is warranted It should be there Thank you Ms Mclntyre Through the Chair to Mark Mark, you said something about the sidewalk around the patio I didn't quite #oliow #hat I'm sorry to make you go back after we've had so much discussion, but you had indicated it might be something we wanted to address Mr Taormina I picked up on this really late today I didn't realize what the implicat�ans were completely of adding the patio and loaking at the pedestrian walkways We know it's going to be eliminated for this patio The patEa projects out from the building There is currently sidewalk that runs right along the building You can see how at's interrupted by the patio and rather than wrapping around the patio, it �ust terminates right at the edge of the patEo and then picks up again at the south end by the fire pit. There is no real opportunity far patrons to walk around the patio to the front entry from the north side of the site without walking on the travel portron of the aisleway So I th�nk what we might want to consider is some type of separation, grade separated walkway that might be able to provide befiter access for pedestrians �hat are circling all the way around to the south side of the building to the main entrance Ms Smiley Number 3 from Daniel Lee, our Fire Marshal, said a Knox box. i don't know what that is Mr Taormina It's usually a coded system to gain access usually through a gate I'm not sure where he wants it installed He just said install it. So 1 don't know if it's for the Fire Deparkment Connection or what. C7ctober 2(7, 2015 279$8 Ms Smiley� Okay Mr Taorm�na That's something that they would address at the trme of their plan review Mr Wilshaw� A Knox box is usually by the door at the entrance to a building The Fire Department has access to get m there, and there's keys to get into the building that way It's like a lock box that a realtar wotald use Ms Smiley� 4kay Thank yau Mr Morrow- Anything else, Mr Wilshaw? Mr Wilshaw� No That's the extent of my fire knowledge Mr Morrow• Mark, would you explain the height and little bit more about the fence that's surrounding the patio? You mentioned a door Mr Taormina. Are you talking about the height af what? Mr Morrow� The waoden fence Mr Taormma �h, the railing is a bit concealed on this rendering, but you'll natice the large posts supporting the canapy and beneath that around the perimeter of the outdoor patio where we typically see wrought iron metal fencing To maintain the overall theme of thas type of restaurant, they're going to replace that using wood Mr Morrow� What is the height of it? Mr Taormina It's probably 36 to 48 inches, I'm guessing Mr Morrow� Okay I just wanted to get that on the record Anything else? Is the petitioner here this evening? We will need your name and address for the record please Jeff Brands, Creekwaod Arch�tecture, 5Q4 Marquette Street, Durand, Michigan Victor Ansara, Mator City Peaks, � L C , 23925 Ind�strial Drive, Farmington Nills, MI 48335 I'm one of the owners of the restaurant. Mr Morrow� Thank you You've heard the presentation Is there anything you'd like to add to it? C)ctaber 2Q, 2015 27989 Mr Brands Going over the reviews that we've received, we have no objections to any of thase We're here to try and answer any questions that you have Mr Ansara I would �ust iike to mention !n regard to the signage, those letters that were removed from the plan at the Plannmg Comm�ss�an's request, are kind of tag line letters Currently, Fridays has some letters over their front entranceway I think it says "in here it's always Friday" or samething along those lines So I �ust wanted to say for the recard that we may come back to you and ask you for same reduced size for those tag (ine letters We are a franchise, and those are typically requ�red by our franchise So we may come back and ask for something on that. Currently, what we are looking for is the approval as you see it, but I �ust wanted to state that. Mr Morrow� Well, you certainly will have every right to come back and submit another sign plan or an additional sign plan Mr Ansara Thank you And m regards to a lat of the �tems that were mentioned, obviously we are not in control of the restaurant right now It is still being operated by the prev�ous owners Certamly, any of the maintenance type items that are listed on the letters, we would take care of that regardless before we open a new restaurant in that location Mr Morrow� f appreciate that. Thank you Mark, are some of fihose are included in the resolution? Mr Taormina No, but we can include that by reference Mr Morraw� 4kay If that's it gentlemen, I'm going to see if there are any questions Mr Taylor� Mr Ansara, does this come from the southwest more or less, because the Twin Peaks look like they're mountains with snow on top (s that where they come from? Mr Ansara Well, it's a mountain lodge themed sports restaurant and bar Mr Taylar• Mountain lodge theme Mr Ansar� Yes Obviously, you don't have any interior pictures or anything along thase lines, but an the inside of #he restaurant, there's a !ot of taxidermy and pictures that are kind of suited to that. A lot of rough wood and all of our tables are thick wood and the walls 4et�f�er 2Ct, 2095 27190 are made of a rough woad material !t's to make it look and feel like a mountain lodge Mr Tayfor� (s it like a sports restaurant? Mr Ansara A sports restaurant and bar so there will be a lot of TVs in the iraterior To give you a I�ttle b�t more �nformation about the cancept, we've got a patented beer system that serves beer out of the tap at 29 degrees We're really the only ones that have that. We do have one location open in our area already That's out in Madison Hefghts on Fourteen MHe and I-75 That was a ground-up building Most of the Twin Peaks around the country, and there's abaut 7� of them around the country based out of Texas, but most of the Twin Peaks around the country are conversions similar to this And there's actuai(y been a couple Fridays buildings that have been canverted to Twin Peaks in other lacations — not by us but by other franchisees or by the company Mr Taylor� So �t is a franchise? Mr Ansara. It is a franchise, yes, sir Mr Taylar� Okay Thank yau Ms Mclntyre Do you employ any male servers in your restaurants? Mr Ansara We employ male support staff in the restaurant, but not servers Ms Mclntyre No servers Mr Ansara The servers are all female servers, yes We don't call them servers though Ms Mc(ntyre Your target, realiy you're attracting a male clientele Mr Ansara We're attracting a male clienteie obviously with the sports theme, although we do have a fairly large female cEientele in our existing restaurant now too, but yes, certainly with the sports theme, with the Ns, with the 24 tap handles, 29 degree beer, it certainfy is a little bit more male oriented and the menu kind of reflects that as well 1Ne call it male comfort food But it's all fresh food made from scratch It's very, very high quality As you may or may nat know, my fam�ly has been �n the restaurant business in Livonia for I think it's been over 50 years Big Boy We currently still have the Red Robin that's on Six Mile Road October 20, 2015 27191 We're exated to bring this concept into Livonia and we think it will do very well Ms Smiley Do you intend to have the wild life, that moose or whatever that is out there? Mr Ansara That actually is a bronze looking statute of an elk. It is part of our required decor for the exterior of the building from our franchisor It's in every Twin Peaks in the country I actually have a better picture of it if you'd like to see it in our other location Ms Smiley Not really How about the fire pit. Do you serve food at the fire pit? Mr Ansara We'll serve drinks for sure I'm not really sure whether we will serve food, but typically we do, and mostly appetizers and things of that nature Ms Smiley� Okay Thank you Mr Bahr� What is it about this location that attracted you for this restaurant? Mr Ansara To be honest with you, we were looking at this location as our first location, and then the deal kind of fell through with the existing owners and we moved out to the Madison Heights spot. We just believe this is a great location We really do serve office workers Hotels, as you mentioned earlier, the hotels are a great source of business for us Between the hotels and the offices and of course the retail in the area, I mean it really is the perfect spot for this type of concept. Ms Mclntyre I think you heard, Mr Ansara, the concern about the sidewalk Now that Mr Taormina has brought that up, I too am concerned about the access to the front door from the back parking lot. Do you think you'd be able to incorporate at least whatever the narrowest walkway is that meets our requirement? Mr Ansara I'm certainly not an architect or a designer I'm not sure how much space we have there We did want to make sure we had a large enough landscape band around the patio The one thing I will mention though, and I heard the concerns, is that there's not that much parking over on that side of the building I would tell you that most of the people that are going to park over on that side of the building are going to walk the shortest distance they have to the front door l don't think they're going to walk up onto October 20, 2015 27192 the sidewalk and walk across the front anyway My experience in the other restaurants we have, it's shortest distance to the front door is the way people are going As I said, there isn't a huge amount of parking over there anyway I'm �ust not sure we have the space to be able to keep the landscape that we have, which we feel is very important, and we agree with the Planning Commission on that, and also put up a sidewalk that would be to code Ms Mclntyre Could you scroll again, Mark, to show the back? How many parking spots are back there? Those are all parking, right, that are indicated? Where will the employees park? Mr Ansara In all likelihood, we would have the employees parking across the back of the lot. Most of those spots that you see would be used by employees in the restaurant. Ms Mclntyre Thank you Ms Smiley The Fire Marshall in his letter said the patio space will require an exit gate Are you aware of that? Mr Ansara Yes That's not a problem at all We would do that. Ms Smiley And then around the fire pit, are there just chairs? Is there any kind of fencing around that? Mr Ansara There is a stone wall that will encircle the exterior portion of that. So there will be a fire pit. There's a wood trellis that goes over the top of it, along the edge actually, not directly over the top of the pit Along the edges there is a wood structure as you can see here And then underneath that wood structure that circular fence that you see would actually be a stone wall That stone would match the stone treatment that we're going to do on the front entranceway as well as the lower portion of the building on the east side Ms Smiley And then that animal is on the other side of your fire pit? Mr Ansara Correct. Yes Ms Smiley Okay Thank you Mr Wilshaw� Yes, a couple questions Are you going to have any live entertainment in the restaurant or on the patio? Mr Ansara No October 20, 2015 27193 Mr Wilshaw� Okay, no intention of that. Is music going to be played on the patio? Mr Ansara There is music playing on the patio, yes, through our speaker system with piped in music Mr Wilshaw� Okay Would you also possibly be playing the audio of one of the sports games? Mr Ansara Correct. So the Michigan/Michigan State game like we had over the weekend Typically what we do is we play a number of different games throughout the restaurant, but if there's one kind of marquee game that is playing, we'll play that through the speakers Mr Wilshaw� Okay Is the patio area heated? Mr Ansara Yes We have a radiate heating system that will run on the underside of that patio which will heat it. We'll also probably do some temporary pull down enclosure type things to block the wind so the heaters can actually work. Mr Wilshaw� So you are realistically looking for that patio to be a three season operation? Mr Ansara Yes, it would be a three season operation That's the hope Mr Wilshaw� Obviously, there's a significant amount of seating out there, so it would impact your business greatly if you can't use Mr Ansara Correct. And I would mention, too, as Mr Taormina mentioned, we did decrease the amount of seating in the interior of the restaurant to accommodate some additional space that we felt we needed in the back of the restaurant as well as what we feel is a little bit better layout of seating on the interior By doing that, we did lose some seats on the inside Mr Wilshaw� Okay I do have a question about your signage I have been by other locations and other states of this operation Typically, the signs are exposed neon or something quite intensely bright at night Obviously, we require that these be enclosed signs They're not visible neon, but is it�ust a standard illuminated sign or is it very intensely lit? Mr Ansara I don't think it's any more bright than any other sign you may see around It's not any more bright than our Red Robin sign on October 20, 2015 27194 Six Mile Road or any of the other signs you may see from the other businesses around Mr Wilshaw� Okay So when I see this sign at night, I expect it to basically look like every other restaurant sign Mr Ansara Yes Mr Wilshaw� All right. Then also �ust out of curiosity, assuming that the approvals go through, what would be your timeline for occupying this building, the reconstruction and then also the opening? Mr Ansara What we're hoping for, and a lot of this has to do with Mr Brand here and getting the plans completed, but we're in the process of going through the approvals that we need to go through with certainly the Planning Commission, the Council, liquor license, and so on and so forth All of those are underway We hope to be in front of the Council as soon as possible after this By that point in time, we hope the plans will be completed which can be submitted to the Building Department for permitting and so forth We're hoping to be able to begin construction in December Mr Wilshaw� Okay And are you going to close Fridays completely during reconstruction and then reopen? Mr Ansara Right As I said, we're not involved with the Fridays at all So basically what our agreement says is once we complete all of our approvals, we then close on our deal with Fridays They'll close the restaurant down, and then we'll begin our construction immediately after that, hopefully immediately after that. We're hoping to be open by early spring Mr Wilshaw� Okay Thank you I appreciate that. Mr Taylor� I had heard that you got some parking from the Target store Did you lease any parking from them at all? Mr Ansara Actually, Mr Taylor, it's already there There is an easement agreement currently in place for this entire development which allows for shared parking Mr Taylor� Oh, Okay That's good because the parking worried me a little bit, especially on the south side of the building October 20, 2015 27195 Mr Ansara Quite honestly, to get back to one of the questions we had before, was one of the reasons we liked this site so much is that there �s an abundance of parking Mr Taylor� Mr Chairman, as Mr Ansara said, they've been in Livonia for a long time with Red Robin and the Big Boy It's no longer Big Boy but the Red Robins, all of them And they've always been a very good restauranteur I think we'll be very safe with them coming in with this new concept of a restaurant. Mr Morrow� Anyone else? Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition? Seeing no one coming forward, I will close the public hearing and ask for a motion On a motion by Wilshaw, seconded by Taylor, and adopted, it was #10-75-2015 RESOLVED, that pursuant to a Public Hearing having been held by the City Planning Commission on October 20, 2015, on Petition 2015-09-02-19 submitted by Motor City Peaks, L L C , on behalf of Twin Peaks Restaurant, requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 19 06 of the City of Livonia Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended, to expand the food service and Class C liquor operations by constructing an outdoor dining patio and remodel the exterior of the restaurant at 20120 Haggerty Road, located on the east side of Haggerty Road between Seven Mile and Eight Mile Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 8, which property is zoned C-2, the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-09-02-19 be approved subject to the following conditions 1 That the site plan marked Sheet No S1 dated September 22, 2015, prepared by Creekwood Architecture, Inc , is hereby approved and shall be adhered to, 2 That the maximum customer seating count for the restaurant shall not exceed a total of 332 seats, including 234 interior seats and 98 outdoor patio seats, 3 That the landscape plan marked Sheet No L1 dated October 15, 2015, as revised, prepared by Creekwood Architecture, Inc , is hereby approved and shall be adhered to, 4 That the type, sizes and quantity of the plant materials to be planted along the outside edge of the patio shall be October 20, 2015 27196 installed to the satisfaction of the Planning and Inspection Departments and thereafter permanently maintained in a healthy condition, 5 That appropriate recordable legal instrumentation, such as a cross parking agreement, that gives notice and outlines the terms of how the properties of the Chestnut Hills development would share parking and access, be supplied to the City; 6 That the exterior elevation plans marked Sheet No A2 and A3 both dated August 24, 2015, prepared by Creekwood Architecture, Inc , are hereby approved and shall be adhered to, including the colored rendering dated October 15, 2015, as prepared by United Renderworks, 7 That live entertainment on the patio shall be prohibited, 8 That no part of the building shall exceed thirty-five feet (35') in height; 9 That unless approved by the proper local authority, any type of exterior advertising, such as promotional flags, streamers or sponsor vehicles designed to attract the attention of passing motorists, shall be prohibited, 10 That this approval does not include the sign above the canopy, only previously approved signage is approved with this petition, and any additional signage shall be separately submitted for review and approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals, 11 That no LED lightband or exposed neon shall be permitted on the site including, but not limited to, the building or around the windows, 12 That the issues as outlined in the correspondence dated October 12, 2015, from the Livonia Fire and Rescue Division shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department; 13 That the issues as outlined in the correspondence dated October 16, 2015, from the Inspection Department shall be resolved to the satisfaction of the Inspection Department, October 20, 2015 27197 14 That the specific plans referenced in this approving resolution shail be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time the building permits are applied for, and 15 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 Sub�ect to the preceding conditions, this petition is approved for the following reasons 1 That the proposed use complies with all of the general waiver use standards and requirements as set forth in Section 19 06 of the Zoning Ordinance #543, and 2 That the proposed use is compatible to and in harmony with the surrounding uses in the area FURTHER RESOLVED, that notice of the above hearing was given in accordance with the provisions of Section 19 05 of Zoning Ordinance #543, as amended Mr Morrow� Is there any discussion? Mr Wilshaw� I'm going to add a couple other conditions One would be that the items referenced in the Fire Department's letter to the Planning Commission be conformed to as well, and also all the items in the Inspection Department's report, please Mr Taormina On Item #9 relative signage, I notice we had worded it such that it was only conforming signage I don't know if you want to modify that to read "any previously approved signage" and any additional signage would have to go back to the Zoning Board of Appeals Also, I'd like to clarify with reference to Item #6, on the exterior elevation plans that it would exclude the additional signs as mentioned going above canopy Lastly, if the maker of the motion intended with his questions earlier to prohibit entertainment on the patio Mr Wilshaw� I am fine with all those additions and changes Mr Morrow� Mr Taylor? Mr Taylor� No problem October 20, 2015 27198 Mr Morrow� Any further discussion? Ms Mclntyre I'm always happy to see businesses come to Livonia and good businesses I understand that this is a desirable site and that your market studies indicate that this is going to be a very successful concept and restaurant here I would hope that you would look for opportunities in the city to bring in some additional high caliber businesses, restaurants like this with so many attractive elements of good food and a nice outdoor patio, that are more suitable and attractive to families and couples I'm happy to see you expanding your business in Livonia and hope that you will continue to be engaged in the community because a lot of great things go on here So thank you Mr Ansara We agree Mr Morrow� Any other questions or comments? Seeing none, could we have the roll call please? A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following AYES Wilshaw, Taylor, Mclntyre, Smiley, Morrow NAYS Bahr ABSENT None ABSTAIN None 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� Mr Chairman, they seem like they might be pretty anxious to get going by December I wonder if we could give them a seven day waiver to get this to Council quicker? Mr Morrow� If you make the motion, we'll see how the Commission feels about it. On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Wilshaw, and adopted, it was #10-76-2015 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 2015-09-02-19 submitted by Motor City Peaks, L L C , on behalf of Twin Peaks Restaurant, requesting waiver use approval pursuant to Section 19 06 of the City of Livonia Zoning October 20, 2015 27199 Ordinance #543, as amended, to expand the food service and Class C liquor operations by constructing an outdoor dining patio and remodel the exterior of the restaurant at 20120 Haggerty Road, located on the east side of Haggerty Road between Seven Mile and Eight Mile Roads in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 8 A roll call vote on the foregoing resolution resulted in the following AYES Taylor, Wilshaw, Mclntyre, Smiley, Morrow NAYS Bahr ABSENT None ABSTAIN None 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 have waived the seven days so it's official as of tonight. You'll have to work out the schedule with the Council office and let them know you've gotten the waiver Mr Ansara Thank you very much Mr Morrow� Thank you very much for coming tonight. Welcome to your new site if it goes through ITEM #3 PETITION 2015-09-SN-06 COZY CORNER CAFE Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2015- 09-SN-06 submitted by Cozy Corner Cafe requesting approval of an additional wall sign for the restaurant at 36083 Plymouth Road, located within the L.A. Plaza shopping center on the south side of Plymouth Road between Yale Avenue and Levan Road in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 32 Mr Taormina This is a request for a new sign for a new business at the L.A. Plaza shopping center on Plymouth Road The business is called Cozy Corner Cafe, which will be occupying the northeast unit within the plaza in a space that is �ust under 2,500 square feet. This is before you because of history of sign requests involving this property and this particular unit. There was a 1986 master tenant wall sign plan that was later modified in 1992 As part of that modification, the City limited the signage on this particular unit to one sign only I'm not quite sure why because as you can see from the pictures, you'll hopefully understand the need for a second wall sign on this site This is a request for October 20, 2015 27200 a 40 square feet sign on the west side of the unit. What they have currently is a 24 square foot sign facing Plymouth Road You can see how the building wraps around and faces the parking interior to the site From that side, you really don't know what the business is It's my belief that identification of the unit interior to the site is necessary, and that's why they're proposing this 40 square foot sign Thank you Mr Morrow� Did we get any correspondence on that? Mr Taormina There is one item of correspondence from the Inspection Department, dated October 16, 2015, which reads as follows "Pursuant to your request, the above-referenced petition has been reviewed The following is noted A variance from the Zon�ng Board of Appeals would be required for the additional wall sign Th�s Department has no further objections to th�s Pet�t�on " The letter is signed by Jerome Hanna, Assistant Director of Inspection That is the e�ent of the correspondence Mr Morrow� Okay Thank you Are there any questions of the Planning Director? No questions Is the petitioner here this evening? We will need your name and address for the record please You can add to what the Planning Director said and we may have a few questions for you Harold Greenberg, Cozy Corner Cafe, 38134 Ross, Livonia, Michigan 48154 Going east on Plymouth Road, you cannot see what the business is Coming from the other way, you can see Nothing has ever survived in this building We want to make this survive We want to make this work in Livonia We want to make this grow, this mall It all goes back to the City Mr Morrow� You make a good case Any questions of the petitioner? Ms Smiley No real question, but I would totally agree with you You do need some signage I did a drive by I'm all for it. Ms Mclntyre So you're bringing a new restaurant? Mr Greenberg Yes Ms Mclntyre What kind of food? What kind of inenu? What will the hours be? Mr Greenberg Six to three, breakfast and lunch Ms Mclntyre Great. October 20, 2015 27201 Mr Greenberg Cafe No coney island Good food Ms Mclntyre Good We need some more good breakfast places in Livonia Mr Greenberg From 4 00 p m on, I have a restaurant if anyone wants to have a party, catering Ms Mclntyre Okay Very nice Thank you Ms Smiley� Have you had some experience in the restaurant business? Mr Greenberg I have in fast food many years For the last 20 years, I've had a business in Livonia, B&H Medical Home medical equipment. I closed that because of Medicare Ms Smiley� Then you're not related to the Cozy Cafe that was in Plymouth, right? Mr Greenberg No That's now called Cozy Sushi Ms Smiley� I know the good restaurant went out. I don't eat sushi, but yes, I agree with you, totally Mr Greenberg No relation Mr Morrow� Anyone else? Sir, what is your anticipated opening date? Mr Greenberg Right now, we're dealing with the Health Department. The first or second week in November Mr Morrow� Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition? Seeing no one coming forward, I will ask for a motion Mr Bahr� First, I'd like to say I think you have a much more marketable name than the restaurant in Plymouth On a motion by Bahr, seconded by Taylor, and unanimously adopted, it was #10-77-2015 RESOLVED, that the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2015-09-SN-06 submitted by Cozy Corner Cafe requesting approval of an additional wall sign for the restaurant at 36083 Plymouth Road, located within the L.A. Plaza shopping center on the south side of Plymouth Road between Yale Avenue and Levan Road in the Northeast 1/4 of Section 32, which property �s zoned C-2, be approved subject to the following conditions � October 20, 2015 27202 1 That the additional wall sign shail be instailed in accordance with the Sign Plan submitted by Harold Greenberg, as received by the Planning Commission on September 23, 2015, 2 That this approval is subject to the petitioner being granted a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for excess signage and any conditions related thereto, 3 That both signs on the building shall not be illuminated beyond one (1) hour after this business closes, 4 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 5 That the specific plans referenced in this approving resolution shall be submitted to the Inspection Department at the time the sign permits are applied for Mr Morrow� Is there any discussion? Mr Taormina Just a quick note The petitioner indicated his desire to open in November Because he still needs to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals, I would �ust encourage him to work with the Inspection Department to get some kind of a grand opening or identification banner that would be allowed temporarily while he completes the permitting process and has the sign fabricated Mr Morrow� Did you want that in the resolution? Mr Taormina No, I �ust wanted to pass that on to the petitioner, and have it as part of the record that I think this would warrant some type of temporary signage to get him by The initial opening period of a restaurant is such a critical time Mr Morrow� I concur We want it to be successful and remain open for a long time You've heard the Planning Director So if you have any questions, you can work with him as far as direction and what to do Mr Greenberg Thank you Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution October 20, 2015 27203 ITEM #4 PETITION 2014-09-08-11 AUTUMNWOOD Ms Smiley, Secretary, announced the next item on the agenda, Petition 2014- 09-08-11 submitted by Autumnwood of Livonia, which previously received approval by the City Council on November 17, 2014 (CR #345-14), requesting a one-year extension of the plans approved in connection with a proposal to construct additions to the nursing home at 14900 Middlebelt Road, located on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Lyndon Avenue and Five Mile Road in the Northwest 1/4 of Section 24 Mr Taormina I have nothing to add to this other than it is a request to extend the site plan approval previously granted to Autumnwood of Livonia This was for some minor exterior alterations to the property I have a plan here �ust to refresh your memory, and if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them Thank you Mr Morrow� Are there any questions of the Planning Director? Is the petitioner here this evening? We will need your name and address for the record please AI Paas, Architect, AWP, 2392 Grant Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 Mr Morrow� Do you have anything to add? Mr Paas We've been working on the pro�ect for a year since we received site plan approval As you may be aware, nursing homes are highly regulated by the State so there's a number of steps that we've had to go through with the State, including a Certificate of Need, the Fire Department, the Fire Marshal's office, and the Health Engineering Bureau up in Lansing We had previously received the Certificate of Need and the Fire Department approval, and this afternoon we got the notice from Health Engineering that they have approved the plans and will be issuing a permit shortly So, we're underway but it's been a long process and we're in the bidding process at the same time So we hope to start construction soon Mr Morrow� I appreciate the input. Any questions? Is there anybody in the audience that wishes to speak for or against the granting of this petition? Seeing no one coming forward, I will ask for a motion On a motion by Mclntyre, seconded by Smiley, and unanimously adopted, it was #10-78-2015 RESOLVED, that the Planning Commission does hereby recommend to the City Council that Petition 2014-09-08-11 . 4ctober 20, 20�5 27204 submitted by Autumnwood of Livonia, which previously received approval by the City Counc�l on November '17, 2014 (Council Resolution #345-14), requesting a one-year e�ension of the plans approved in connection with a proposal to construct additions to the nursing home at 14900 Middlebelt Road, located on the east side of Middlebelt Road between Lyndon Rven�e and F�ve Mile Raad in the Narthwest 1/4 of Section 24, be approved sub�ect to the foliawing conditions 1 That the request for a one-year e�ension of Site Plan Approval by Autumnwood of Ltvon�a, �n a letter dated September 15, 2015, is hereby approved, and 2 That all condit�ons imposed by Gouncil Resolut�on #345-14 m connection with Petition 2014-09-08-11, which permitted the construct�on of additions to the nursing home, shall remain in effect to the extent that they are not in conflict with the foregoing condition Mr Morrow, Chairmar�, declared the motian is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted It will go on to City Council with an approving resolution ITEM #5 APPROVAL tJF MINUTES 1,077T"Public Hearings and Regular Meeting Ms Smiley, Secretary, annaunced the ne�ct item on the agenda, Approval of the Minutes of the 1,077t� Public Hearmgs and Regular Meeting held on October 6, 2015 On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Mclntyre, and adopted, it was #10-79-2015 RESO�VED, that the Minutes of 1,077th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held by the Planning Commissian on October 6, 2Q15, are hereby approved A roll call vote on the foregoing resalution resulted in the follawing AYES Bahr, Mclntyre, Tayior, Morrow NAYS None ABSENT None ABSTAIN Smiley, Wilshaw Mr Morrow, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the forego�ng resolution adopted October 20, 2015 27205 On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 1,078th Public Hearings and Regular Meeting held on October 20, 2015, was adjourned at 8 05 pm CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Carol A. Smiley, cretary �•� � `�� r. ATTEST ;� �-1` c.� I:�,.;�k-��-�.�r� �_, ,� R Lee Morrow,�Chaiir��an